Hi wcatie,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum!
You’re very welcome!
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
I’m assuming that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial here but two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
While again nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here (you have most of that from the companies you listed) so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
I would also caution you against using other people’s opinions about mattresses, as I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).
As you are a warm sleeper, there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.
The BME uses higher quality latex in the upper layers and a 2 lb. polyfoam base, so there are no “weaker links” in this product relative to any weight range.
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc.) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs, options, and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
I generally advise against choosing an online mattress with a topper initially, as you are mixing two variables (mattress and topper) instead of one variable (mattress alone), and in the event of the need to change out the comfort of any particular product the use of the topper can further complicate the issue by introducing another variable to the equation.
See my advice posted earlier cautioning anyone in using reviews to determine the suitability of a mattress for your own particular use. Dromma doesn’t provide any meaningful information about the quality of the foams used in their mattresses (see the information listed here), so until you could confirm that information I would avoid them until you could determine that there are no “weak links” in their mattress. I’ve contacted them and I’m still waiting for information on the materials in their products.
[quote]
Oso
-$925
-Knit Cover
-Comfort Layers: 1,5" blended Talalay latex; 1.5" 2.0 lb polyfoam
-Support Layers: 6" 2.0 lb Polyfoam; 3" Dreamcell 70% natural/30% synthetic blended Dunlop cylinders in a cutout in the polyfoam under the shoulders and upper torso
[/quote].
The Oso uses a unique design with the Dreamcell cylinders cut into the polyfoam base layer at one end of the mattress, which can be rotated to fall wither under the shoulders or the legs. These are good quality and durable materials and there are no weak links in the mattress relative to any weight range.
The Sedona is a system with a wrapped polyfoam mattress that can be used on its own, and then the latex topper can be added as a separate component for extra plushness, effective making a component mattress using two separate piece. This product uses better quality materials and there are no weak links in componentry.
Brooklyn Bedding (BME mattress), Reverie (Oso mattress), and Sedona Sleep are all members of this site which means that I think very highly of them and that I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency. I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to purchase a mattress from any of them.
If you’re considering staying online with your purchase, then I would suggest to use the expertise of the members listed in post #21 here who are all very experienced and knowledgeable and specialize in providing the type of help and guidance on the phone that can help you make good choices. There are a wide range of latex and memory foam and other options included in the choices there. Through a phone call you can provide them your detailed knowledge of your sleeping posture, somatotype and feedback on any mattresses that you’ve been able to try out locally and they’ll give you their best honest opinion of what might work best for you in their offerings. You can also check at that time about any potential refund/exchange offerings that they provide, should your purchase unfortunately not turn out as you had expected.
Phoenix