After having gone through 2 S&F mattress due to hammocking in 3 yrs, I an considering the iComfort or Sealy-Optimum lines.
A few things I have done prior to walking into the local mattress stores was doing as much homework I could. When I ask about the foam density used, or the type of gel memory foam material used, the sales people just look at me with a blank stare and point me to whatever sales aides the manufactures have provided. I also ask why I should NOT buy these beds, & they have a hard time coming up with a sales line, as there isn’t sales training that covers that. It’s sad that this construction information isn’t more transparent to us, the consumer. ( & I didn’t forget that these mattress manufactures change the names of their mattresses among retailers so we can’t comparison shop)
In reading posts on this site, I know the name of the memory gel foam manufactures, the adjustable frame manufactures and drop these names when I’m in the stores. I have gone out to each manufacture site to learn as much as I can, so i can make an informed purchase–or the best I can with the little info I have.
With all the information in hand, I think I have gone into information over-load and need some guidance.
Living in the Bay area of Northern California, we have many retailers that compete for business. What I have not been able to find is a local manufacture that can help build a product that I should have available or offered by the Big Boys.
Can you help direct me to factories that could help.
If there are not any, is there any items to consider between the iComfort & Optimum lines.
Also, as an FYI, When speaking with retailers, I do not ask anything about prices, deals offered, etc. I ask them to tell me everything about the product and I say that for the moment–price is not an object… ( but it will, once I understand how these foam mattresses are constructed.
I have also received different price quotes from the same chain, just by going into different locations–& the prices are significant. Reminds me of buying a car–secret prices & all, which I think is easier to buy than a mattress.
Any info or guidance provided will be appreciated.
It’s always amazing to me how little most mattress salespeople know about mattress materials and components and what is even more amazing is how it doesn’t even occur to most of them that the quality of the materials in the mattress might even be important. If you ask them if they would buy a piece of furniture that had real wood prices without knowing if it contained particle board, MDF, or real wood it would make sense to most of them that nobody would willingly buy particle board at real wood prices and yet that’s what they are selling almost every day. Their sales and marketing “story” is mostly about form and function rather than quality and just like with furniture … cheap materials can have the same form and function as more expensive materials … they just don’t last as long.
I personally wouldn’t consider either the Optimum line or the iComfort line and would tend to avoid major manufacturers completely (see the first guideline here). That’s not necessarily because every mattress they make is poor quality (although many are) but because they don’t usually provide meaningful information about the materials inside and if you are able to find out with some “painful” and frustrating research then in almost all cases the value turns out to be poor compared to most smaller independent or local manufacturers. Lower quality materials belong in lower priced mattresses … not in more premium priced models. In the case of the Optimum … none of the many retailers I’ve talked with know or could find out the density of the Optisense memory foam in the mattresses (although overstock lists it as 4 lbs).
You are actually quite fortunate because there are some good options available in the general San Francisco Bay area where you should be able to get better and more meaningful answers to your questions. They are listed in post #2 here.