Hi matressshopper123,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! … and I’m glad you found us 
[quote]In any case- I have two questions:
- Has anyone tried both a Leesa and a Brooklyn Bed ? We are thinking of first seeing if the $700 soft version of the brooklyn bed will do, before spending the 1200/1700 for the Dunlopillos. Specifically we are looking for comparisons of firmness, between the Leesa and Brooklyn Bed Medium, and BB -Soft.[/quote]
As you have already discovered 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 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 (which would certainly include Brooklyn Bedding) 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 and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
There is more about the 3 most important parts of “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here 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 suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price or course and the options you have available after a purchase).
Outside of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) the 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 “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress always depends on knowing 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 can find out the information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to confirm that 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.
If a manufacturer or retailer is either unwilling or unable to provide you with the information you need to make an informed choice and to make meaningful quality/value comparisons with other mattresses I would pass the mattress by and walk away (see the guidelines here).
You can read a little more about the Dunlopillo Ambiance in this topic and I would be very cautious with any mattress that has more than “about an inch or so” of lower quality and less durable materials or “unknown quality/density” materials in the upper layers of the mattress that would likely be a weak link in the mattress in terms of durability. A forum search on “Ambiance” will also bring up more comments and feedback about it as well.
There is some information about the Dunlopillo Harbor mattresses in this topic (and about the Sherwood Harbor Plush which was likely the same or very similar in post #6 here) and as you can see they all have more than 2" or lower quality/density or “unknown” polyfoam in the comfort layers which I would also consider to be a weak link in the mattress and I would be very cautious about choosing any of the Harbor mattresses (or any mattress that uses more than “about an inch or so” of lower quality/density or “unknown” materials in the upper layers of the mattress).
As you probably know … Brooklyn Bedding is one of the members of this site which means that I think very highly of them and that I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency. There is more about the BestMattressEver in post #2 here of the simplified choice mattress topic and a forum search on BestMattressEver will also bring up many more comments and feedback about it as well.
While I can’t speak to how any mattress will feel for someone else or whether it will be a good match in terms of firmness, “feel”, or PPP … it certainly uses high quality materials and there are no lower quality materials or weak links in their mattress that would compromise the durability or useful life of the mattress relative to any weight range and it would certainly make a great quality/value choice that would be well worth considering.
Phoenix