Hi aonian,
My comments weren’t connected to my “feelings” about BB as much as my thoughts about the misleading information they (many of the online review sites) are supplying to consumers who don’t know any better. Unfortunately the type of information they are providing isn’t much better than the type of information you would receive from most commissioned salespeople at mainstream chain stores. They are just a “story” with little substance.
Lower quality and less durable materials are less costly than higher quality materials so the “value” of a mattress purchase is very connected to the cost and quality of the materials inside the mattress. 3 lb memory foam can soften much more quickly than higher density materials and foam softening and the premature loss of comfort and support that goes with it isn’t covered by a warranty (see post #174 here). Most of the “simplified choice” mattresses also use higher quality and more durable materials that don’t have an obvious weak link … not just BB.
If you aren’t concerned about durability then there are many mattresses that use lower quality and less durable materials (such as 3 lb memory foam) that are in much lower budget ranges than Leesa and there are certainly mattresses that use higher quality and more costly materials that are in lower budget ranges as well.
I would also keep in mind that there are also no “standardized” definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer. Different people (or reviewers) can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like “medium” for someone else or even “soft” for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they “rate” a mattress as well (see post #15 here).
These are just some of the reasons I would be very cautious about about using other people’s experiences or reviews on a mattress (either positive or negative) 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 and 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 group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (see post #13 here). Using mattress reviews which are only based on subjective experiences and opinions and aren’t “fact based” as a legitimate source of research and guidance can be among worst ways to choose a mattress.
Phoenix