looking for “local” mattress manufacturers or outlets in Albuquerque, NM area. Any leads appreciated…
Hi NMmattresssearch,
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe areas (subject to the “value” guidelines here) are listed in post #5 here.
Phoenix
Thank you!
After reading through the copious information on your site I looked at mattresses at Urban Mattress - following your suggestion, thanks again. They are indeed pleasant, but unfortunately also unable to provide specifics on the construction materials, they told me the manufacturer (Sherwood in this case) will not give them specifics because it is “proprietary information” . Stumped. Would greatly appreciate any evaluations of, experience with, or thoughts on the following models or alternatives.
My parameters are:
- Limiting budget for this purchase, ideally <$1,000
- not as concerned with durability, as with comfort/support etc., but need mattress to perform well for at least 2 years
- stats: 5’11", 130 lbs, need fairly soft comfort layer; side/back sleeping, side sleeping predominant
Based on info here as well as Consumer Reports surveys and availability in the area, have stayed away from the Sertas etc., and looked at Sherwood instead (given my price point). Models I’m considering are Lumina Spirit Luxury firm; Stafford Super Plush; Dunlopillo Harbor Luxury firm. The manufacturer gives some very generic information/diagram of the multiple layers of foam used such as “super soft soy-based quilt foam” or “super H.D. soy-based upholstery grade convoluted foam”, “gel-infused memory foam” (Stafford).
I’m not completely taken by any of the above options. Same with other, price-comparable options such as available at Denver Mattress Co, e.g. Telluride Plush. Info on their models states e.g. “1 1/2” of 1.8lb Density Convoluted EF Foam", which, according to the foam info on this site, does not inspire confidence those mattresses won’t start sagging after a couple months.
Other things being equal (feel and apparent support), is there any info out there that could let me gauge which of the 4 Sherwood models, or other comparable brands, would perform well for 2 years?
Thanks!
Hi NMmattresssearch,
You can read a little more about “so called” proprietary materials and using this as a justification for not disclosing what I would consider to be essential information here and here and here.
While I can certainly understand that “comfort specs” such as ILD would legitimately be proprietary because they aren’t particularly useful or necessary to know (your testing will give you all the information you need about whether a mattress is either soft or firm enough and is a good match for you in terms of PPP) and there is also other information that would be legitimately proprietary as well such as the names of their component or foam suppliers, the quality specs of a mattress (including the density of any memory foam or polyfoam layers in a mattress or the type and blend of any latex) are important to know to identify any lower quality and less durable materials in a mattress and are an important part of making meaningful comparisons. I would avoid any mattress where the manufacturer or retailer either can’t or won’t provide them.
Unfortunately without knowing the specifics of the materials inside any mattress (see this article) it isn’t possible for me to make any meaningful comments the quality/durability of the materials inside it or help you assess whether a mattress has any potential “weak links” in the design.
Denver Mattress is completely transparent about the quality/density of the materials inside their mattresses and in general they tend to use higher quality materials than most of the mainstream industry which is one of the reasons that I include them in many of the lists throughout the forum in the areas where they have a store. You can see some comments about the Telluride in post #2 here and post #4 here.
1.8 lb polyfoam is generally a good quality material that wouldn’t be a “weak link” in a mattress and would be suitable for most people that aren’t in higher weight ranges that would benefit from higher density foams (see the guidelines here) but a convoluted foam will also be less durable than a non convoluted layer of the same material so in real life it would be more comparable to a slightly lower density foam.
There is also more about the many variables that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress relative to different people in post #4 here and the posts it links to.
Having said all of that … 2 years isn’t a very long time and while I would hesitate to purchase any mattress where you can’t find out the quality of the materials inside it (because there are almost always other options available where you can) and I would still make a choice that used the least amount of “unknown” materials possible to reduce the risk of any purchase … both of the manufacturers you are considering tend to use higher quality and more durable materials than their major brand competitors in the industry in the same budget range and if the mattresses you are considering are well inside the comfort/support range that is suitable for you and aren’t already “on the edge” of being too soft so there is “room” for some foam softening before it has a significant effect on you in terms of PPP (see post #2 here), then it’s likely that any of them would still inside the comfort/support range that would be suitable for you to sleep on after only 2 years.
Phoenix
There is now an Urban Mattress store in Albuquerque. It carries all of Sherwoods lines, its own natural line, Vi-Spring, etc. Mark who owns the “franchise” is a nice person and pretty knowledgeable and will find out details for you about stuff inside the mattress. Somewhere I noted that Phoenix states that Donlopillo went bankrupt in 2008 and goes on to say that the latex in the mattresses are Dunlop not Talalay. That is incorrect, . The mattress Donlopillo portion of the corporation remains in business in the UK and Sherwood bought the rights in north america. I have just gotten the Dunlopillo Ambien plush and the latex is Talalay as verified by Sherwood. A comment on Brooklyn Bedding which if I’m not mistaken is Dreamfoam. I owned a dreamfoam purchased on Amazon which we bought in August of 2012. It has developed deep body impression holes and has become one of the most uncomfortable mattresses we’ve ever owned. Though I could have used the warranty and replaced it with another dreamfoam I decided it was an inferior product and I wanted nothing more to do with them so I am eating the loss after only two years and buying the above mentioned mattress.
Hi alan2a,
The Urban Mattress store in Albuquerque is listed in the Albuquerque list here and I would agree that they are one of the better options or “possibilities” in the area.
You have been given some incorrect information here. Dunlopillo was a manufacturer of Talalay latex and when they went bankrupt the brand name “Dunlopillo” still had “value” because of their long history and was purchased by a number of different companies around the world and its ownership became very fractured. Most of the equipment from the factory and the rights for the Dunlopillo name in North America (and some other countries as well) were purchased by Latex International (post #2 here and the posts or articles it links to has more about the ownership of the Dunlopillo brand name in different areas of the world).
In the case of Dunlopillo branded mattresses that are in the countries that are owned by Latex International … the latex in the Dunlopillo branded mattresses would be Talalay latex made by Latex International.
The first mattress manufacturer to license the Dunlopillo brand name for North America was Paramount mattresses in 2010 but this was only a license to use the name. Sherwood purchased the license to use the name in North America in 2014. These types of brand name licensing arrangements are common throughout the industry.
Dreamfoam is a sister Company to Brooklyn Bedding with the same ownership but Dreamfoam is the newer of the two companies. The Talalay latex that is used in the Dreamfoam mattresses is the same type of latex that is used in the Dunlopillo mattresses (and many other manufacturers that use Latex International Talalay latex as well) so it’s certainly not an “inferior” material or an inferior mattress. There was a period of time where Latex International was having some quality control issues with their latex which affected every manufacturer that used their latex (no matter what the brand name of the mattress may have been) and it’s very possible that your mattress could have included defective latex (see post #2 here). It would make sense to me to ask them about a warranty replacement if your mattress has the type of impressions you are indicating since that’s exactly the type of defects that warranties are designed to protect against.
It would also make sense to do a little more detailed research before you completely believe some of the information you may encounter in the industry which may not always be completely accurate :).
Phoenix
A few months ago my wife & I decided that it was past time to replace our firm queen sized mattress that we had purchased about 24 yrs ago & we started doing comparison shopping here in Albuquerque. As most of you know, trying to find reliable information on mattresses is a challenge, especially when you want to compare one brand with another. Then you find out that what they call the brand model in the store doesn’t always match what it is called on the factory’s website. Then most of the online info seems to be taken from “top brands” advertising.
On Saturday we visited American Home, the largest furniture superstore in NM, and worked with a great saleslady for over an hour. It looked like their best choice for our needs was the Stearns & Foster “Brighton” Ultra Firm queen set for $1733. That evening I spent more time on TheMattressUnderground and finally just decided to search for “Albuquerque” and started seeing a short list of stores, with Urban Mattress being the one that stood out.
On Sunday we spent quite a bit of time with Joel Penn, Sales Manager at Urban Mattress, and decided to purchase the Sherwood Lumina Spirit extra firm queen set for slightly less than half the price of the above. It has a 20yr warranty & the above had only 10yrs. Based upon the comfort we felt while trying out the various choices and what I have learned, it would seem that this Sherwood set is even a better quality. It will be delivered later this week. We have high expectations.
I would like to thank everyone here for the great information. I even posted a note on Facebook about your site. After we have used this new bed for awhile, I will try to remember to come back here and post an update. Thanks everyone…
Hi RogerDue,
As you discovered … there have been many changes in the industry in the last 15 - 20 years since you last purchased a mattress … and many if not most of them are for the worse (see post #3 here and post #404 here and post #12 here among many others on the forum that discuss this).
[quote]On Sunday we spent quite a bit of time with Joel Penn, Sales Manager at Urban Mattress, and decided to purchase the Sherwood Lumina Spirit extra firm queen set for slightly less than half the price of the above. It has a 20yr warranty & the above had only 10yrs. Based upon the comfort we felt while trying out the various choices and what I have learned, it would seem that this Sherwood set is even a better quality. It will be delivered later this week. We have high expectations.
I would like to thank everyone here for the great information. I even posted a note on Facebook about your site. After we have used this new bed for awhile, I will try to remember to come back here and post an update. Thanks everyone… [/quote]
You were certainly dealing with one of the better options in Albuquerque and it’s good to hear that you found a mattress that you are happy with.
Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you ended up deciding … and congratulations on your new mattress 
I’m looking forward to your feedback when you receive it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.
Phoenix