Hello, Phoenix – thank you for this extremely informative website. I came across it while doing mattress research, and I’m so happy I did.
My wife and I live in the Houston, TX area and we are looking to purchase a new king-sized bed. I’ve read through your step-by-step guide for purchasing a new mattress, but I still feel a bit overwhelmed. I’m hoping you can help point me in the right direction.
We’re looking to purchase a memory-foam mattress with cooling gel. She prefers plush mattresses, while I prefer firm mattresses. We are both “all-around” sleepers – I try to sleep on my back or side, but often times I wake up on my stomach. She’s the same, though she’s less of a stomach sleeper than me.
Anyway, based on your membership, we are planning to compare Restava (online) with Texas Mattress Makers, given that they are in Houston. But I’m hoping you can help with asking the right questions – and, more importantly, interpreting the answers. I’ve read the article about the importance of the foam’s density, as well as the types of foam layers – but how do you get the right information when seeking a mattress that draws a compromise between two sleeping styles?
Any assistance would be helpful before we take the next step. Again, thanks so much for this website.
Oh, and one other note in case it’s useful – we’d like to keep our mattress (plus foundation) cost around $1,500 to $1,700. We’d be willing to spend up to $2,000, though, if the difference is worth it.
If you’ve read (not studied) the information in the first two steps of the mattress shopping tutorial then the next step would be to start testing mattresses so you can find out more about your preferences for different materials based on your “real life” experiences and so you can narrow down your choices at each manufacturer or retailer you are considering down to one mattress.
The goal is to have “just enough” information to be able to recognize a manufacturer or retailer that is knowledgeable, experienced, and transparent, that has your best interests at heart, and who already knows what you would otherwise need to learn. Too little information can lead to some poor choices but too much information can also lead to “information overload” or “paralysis by analysis” and can lead to poor choices as well because using specs to decide on which mattress is best for you instead of your own personal experience can also lead to some poor choices.
The questions I would ask are in the mattress shopping tutorial and the links there but in the simplest of terms what you are looking for is a mattress that is a good match for you in terms of PPP, that uses good quality and durable materials that are suitable for your body type and budget range (which is certainly enough to find a good quality mattress), that doesn’t have any obvious weak links in the materials or design, and that is also a good match for all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
The most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase is how well it matches your specific needs and preferences in terms of PPP which will “translate” into how well you sleep on the mattress. If you are looking locally then careful and objective testing is the best way to predict this. If you are considering an online manufacturer or retailer then this would involve more detailed conversations on the phone. Many of them also use some of the more commonly available memory foam mattresses (often Tempurpedic) as a reference point so you can test these locally and use the one that works best for you as a reference point in your conversations.
The first part of post #2 here has some generic information about some different ways that a mattress can accommodate the needs and preferences of a couple that are different but once again … the specifics will come down to your own personal testing (together on the mattress) or more detailed conversations with an online manufacturer. There are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to predict which mattress will work best for you based on specs (either yours or the mattress) or “theory at a distance” (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
I’m certainly happy to help you identify any weak links in a mattress or make comments about the quality of the materials and to help with “how” to make the choices that are best for you … but only each person (or couple) can decide on which specific mattress is best for them in terms of PPP based on their personal testing experiences, their phone conversations, and the criteria that are most important to them.
Just in case you haven’t seen it yet … the better options or possibilities that I’m aware of in the Houston area (including Texas Mattress Makers of course) are listed in post #2 here.