Hi JCapZano,
As you’ve probably read on the site … your experience with a major brand mattress is very common because they generally use lower quality and less durable materials (particularly in the top layers of their mattresses) which are much more likely to soften or break down prematurely which can result in the premature loss of the comfort and support that was the reason you purchased the mattress in the first place. Unfortunately the premature loss of comfort and support isn’t considered to be a “defect” that is covered by a mattress warranty (see post # 174 here).
Both Brooklyn Bedding and Tuft & Needle are members of this site which means I think highly of both of them and neither one uses any lower quality materials or has any weak links in their mattress in terms of durability so they would both be suitable for average weight ranges (although Brooklyn Bedding uses latex and a higher density base foam which are higher quality and more durable materials that would also be more suitable for higher weight ranges but are also more costly). There is more about both of them and the other “simplified choice” mattresses in post #2 of this topic.
There is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress in post #2 here but neither one of the mattresses you are considering have any memory foam and it would be unlikely that either one of them would sleep hot for most people.
You can see my comments about the Consumer Reports mattress ratings and recommendations in post #2 here and in this topic. While they may be a good source of information about more “objective” purchases … as you can see I would consider them to be an unreliable source of information or guidance about purchasing a mattress. My thoughts are also shared by most of the more knowledgeable people in the industry (see post #5 here for an example).
I would also 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 larger group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (see post #13 here).
I would also keep in mind that there are no “standard” 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 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. 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) so different people can also have very different opinions on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness as well and some people may rate one mattress as being firmer than another and someone else may rate them the other way around. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science.
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 who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses 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 that they are familiar with, any special considerations you may have, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs or firmness options to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences or even to other mattresses that they are familiar with than anyone else.
While only you can decide which one would be a “better” choice based on the criteria that are important to you (regardless of whether the same mattress would be a “better” choice for someone else) … once you are down to finalists that are all choices between “good and good” (which you are) and none of them have any lower quality materials or “weak links” in their design relative to your body type (which they don’t) and if there are no clear winners between them then you are in the fortunate position that either of them would likely be a good choice and post #2 here can help you make a final choice based on your local testing or mattresses you have slept well on, your more detailed conversations with each of them, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, your preferences, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress or individual layers, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Phoenix