Hi theaceinthehole,
While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular store or business can certainly be very helpful … I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress so I would be very cautious about about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general 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. 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 in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).
Having said that … hopefully some of the members here that have purchased any of the mattresses you mentioned will see your post and share their comments but in the meantime an exact term site search on Sleep Warehouse or a forum search on Sleepwarehouse and a forum search on Christeli (you can just click the links) will bring up all the forum posts that mention either of them.
I’m assuming that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial but two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well he will sleep), durability (how long he will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
While nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP for certain because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next 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 see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and 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 find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure 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.
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 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 and the options they have available to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
Every good online retailer or manufacturer will generally make suggestions that they honestly believe have the best chance of success based on the information you provide them when you talk to them on the phone because this is in both your own and their best interests but again … at the end of the day the only way to know for certain whether any specific mattress is a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP will be based on your own careful testing in a store and/or your own personal experience so if you can’t test a specific mattress in person then the options you have available after a purchase to either exchange the mattress or individual layers or components or return the mattress for a refund (and any costs involved) would generally become a more important part of your personal value equation just in case a mattress you purchase doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for.
Christeli Versailles:
As you mentioned this mattress uses a top layer of 5.3 lb memory foam and I believe it has a 2 lb polyfoam base layer (you could confirm this with them) so there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the relative to any weight/BMI range that would compromise the durability or useful life of the mattress. Their description also says that it is comparable to the Tempurpedic Contour Supreme so you could test the Contour Supreme in a store to get a sense of the general firmness level although I would also keep in mind that it would have a different “feel” because of the quilted cover they use. They have a 50 day exchange policy that allows you to exchange any of their mattresses for another mattress but they don’t offer a refund policy so if you don’t sleep as well on this mattress as you hoped for then your only options would be to add a topper (if the mattress is too firm) or to exchange the mattress for another model that is either softer or firmer. This mattress uses the highest density materials out of the 3 choices that you mentioned in both the comfort and support layers so “in theory” it would probably be the most durable out of the three options you are considering.
Sensus 10" from sleepwarehouse:
This mattress uses 5 lb memory foam on top of 3 layers of 1.8 lb polyfoam so there are also no lower quality materials or weak links that would compromise the durability or useful life of this mattress relative to your weight/BMI range. The 3 polyfoam support layers can also be rearranged after a purchase to customize the firmness of the support layers after a purchase if you need to (which would also have some effect on how firm the mattress feels as well). If you wish to return a mattress then their trial period is quite shore at less than 30 days because any returns must be received by them withing 30 days after the mattress was delivered to you and you would also be responsible for any return shipping costs in returning the mattress. This mattresses uses a similar density memory foam to the Versailles (5 lb vs 5.3 lb) but has a slightly lower density for the base layers (1.8 lb vs 2 lb) so “in theory” it would probably be the second most durable of the three options you are considering.
Aerus, also by sleepwarehouse:
This mattress also meets the minimum durability guidelines I would suggest for your weight/BMI range (assuming that your BMI is under 30) so there are also no lower quality materials or weak links that would compromise the durability or useful life of this mattress relative to your weight/BMI range either although it uses 4 lb Aerus memory foam instead of the 5 lb Sensus memory foam so “in theory” it would likely be less durable than the Sensus version and it would be the least durable of the three. Other than that my comments would be the same as the Sensus version.
Temperature regulation:
While it’s not possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here.
In very general terms … the layers and components of a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow and temperature regulation than layers and components that are further away from your skin and softer mattresses will tend to be more “insulating” and for some people can sleep warmer than firmer mattresses.
The Versailles has a quilted cover which would tend to be more breathable and sleep cooler than sleeping directly on memory foam and like many of the newer formulations of memory foam Aerus is more breathable than some of the older memory foams that have a slower response and are more temperature sensitive so these two would likely be a little better in terms of temperature regulation than the Sensus although you may not have any temperature regulation issues on any of them. I would also keep in mind that memory foam in general will tend to sleep warmer than mattresses that use other types of foam materials (like latex or polyfoam) or fiber materials in the top layers of a mattress and there are some people that tend to have temperature regulation issues on any type of memory foam.
You are certainly looking at some good options although there are also others in the memory foam list that is linked in the tutorial (in the optional online step) that may be worth considering as well.
There may also be some local options that are available to you that may also be worth considering and if you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.
Once you have narrowed down your options to a list of finalists that are all choices between “good and good” and you have confirmed that none of them have any lower quality materials or “weak links” in their design relative to your weight/BMI range and if at this point there are no clear winners between them (which is usually a good indication that you have done some good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a reasonable choice and post #2 here can help you make a final choice based on any local testing you have done, your more detailed conversations with each of the online options you are considering, your personal preferences, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress (or individual layers in some cases) and any costs involved, 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