I’ve been in the market for a mattress in Calgary and have read through all of the guides on this site. I must admit I’m a bit overwhelmed with all the information, but given my budget ($600), a lot of the most desirable options like latex are unavailable anyway. In that price range it looks like I can get an S-brand pocket coil mattress with few or none of the buzz words, special gels, foams, etc.
The biggest issue I’ve encountered is the lack of foam density information by the S-brand mattress companies. I only saw one that advertised their “high density” foam, which was 1.5lb…
The retailers recommended by this site in Calgary appear quite pricey - with two being custom mattress makers. The last one (The Mattress and Sleep Company) doesn’t list foam densities on their website either.
So I get that the big name brands are typically not the best, but do I have any real alternatives in my price range in Calgary? Is trying to find the foam densities in these mattresses entirely futile (where do i look!)?
The most comfortable mattress I’ve found thus far was from a smaller store. The salesman told me they didn’t work on commission and applied the least pressure out of anyone! The mattress is a Simmons Beauty Rest Studio Cavendish Hi-Loft. Any information on this model at all? I’ve found next to nothing. Also, should I be worried about the hi-loft eventually being reduced to a compressed, lumpy mess?
Have you called and talked with the retailers or manufacturers on the Calgary list to give them your criteria (including your budget) and see what they have available that may be worth testing (step 3 in the guidelines)?
Most retailers or manufacturers don’t list foam densities on their sites because it would overwhelm the large majority of customers that have no idea what they mean but the better ones will gladly provide this information to their customers that are more knowledgeable and know the important of finding out this type of information.
In most cases it would be futile with major manufacturers but with smaller manufacturers or better retailers it’s just a matter of talking to them and asking.
This is exactly the type of “blind purchase” that the guidelines warn against and would be a very risky choice that I would be concerned about long term durability yes. I would never buy a mattress where you don’t know the quality of the materials inside it and can’t identify any “weak links” in the mattress or make meaningful comparisons to other mattresses … particularly with major brands.
If you follow all the steps in the tutorial post one by one you will have by far the highest odds of success in any budget range.
Assuming you call and discuss your options with the list of Calgary retails as Phoenix recommended, which is probably the best advice in this whole thread and should be your first choice, some second options might be:
I happened to know tmasc.ca Calgary fairly well, since I bought my own beds there - my experience there was wonderful. If they still have it, and if it’s suitable for your PPP, and if you were open to display models, they used to have a queen display model 7" latex on sale for about $800. You’d have to check their clearance list… I happened to check it every couple of weeks in case there’s something I’d want, and recall it being there. (If you think to do this, you should really also ask the other Calgary retailers Phoenix recommended what they could/would do for $800).
There is also a foam shop in Calgary where you can try talalay latex (latex international, blended, 24 ild). I didn’t buy anything there and am not saying either that they are a good or bad place to buy - their knowledge of foam isn’t as comprehensive as some places, prices not the absolute lowest for equivalent raw materials, but… They do foam beds only, do know the densities, and about the only place in Calgary I’ve found so far that you can try talalay latex. You could try it and see if you like it and if it matches you for PPP. It’s called dormirbedandfoam. I would be careful to not interpret this as a recommendation of them - I truly don’t know, they could be awesome, or they could be horrible.
Thank you both for your responses. I’m shopping for a Queen - forgot to mention that. Phoenix, I did read through the tutorial and overviews, and that’s why I came to the forum; for more help on some mattresses I know little about :).
I stopped by The Mattress & Sleep Company today and was really surprised. Not a single mattress in store below $1900. This was especially disappointing because their website has innerspring mattresses in my price range. Unfortunately I can’t bring myself to buy a mattress online as I don’t have the opportunity to lay on it.
dn, Thank you for your suggestion, but I am already stretching my budget by going up to $600. Unfortunately, the other two recommended stores in Calgary are both custom mattress makers - so I know for sure I won’t get something within my budget.
I know I’m being difficult primarily as a result of my budget, but unfortunately I’m just not in the position to spare more than that amount. What can I do from here?
Edit: Phoenix, I just noticed you linked to a forum post for Calgary sourced mattresses, not the official list. There’s a few more options there so I’ll look into that. Also, I’ll call the custom mattress makers just in case. Will reply to the thread with results; though with my price range i’m not feeling terribly positive!
There is generally a forum list for most of the cities in North America and while the official members of the site are “officially” recommended and I think highly of all of them … they are not the only good options available in each area of the country.
If you follow all the steps in the tutorial post one by one (including talking to each store you are thinking of visiting before you go there) your odds of success will be much higher no matter what your budget.
Lower budgets are of course a little more restrictive and difficult and limits the materials that you can use in a mattress but with care and spending the time (often on the phone) to do some good research you can certainly end up with something that works well for you that fits your budget as well.