Comfor Pedic by Simmons and my new mattress search

[phoenix]

Hi mgblues,

I decided to try out the Tempur Pedic Contour Elite again to make sure that I still thought highly of the feel of the mattress. The local company that offered me a deal is still willing to do so, cutting the cost of the new product by approximately $900. At a price less than $2100, I think it is a pretty solid value, especially with 48 months of interest free financing and no penalties for early payoff. However, I am still concerned about purchasing a brand based on everything I have learned by reading information on this site. What do you think about the Contour Elite?

There is more about the most important parts of the value of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses.

I can’t speak to whether the Contour Elite is a good match for you in terms of PPP (only your own personal testing or experience can tell you this) but I can speak to the quality of the materials inside it. While Tempurpedic isn’t transparent and no longer discloses the quality/density of the materials in their mattresses, you can see the “probable” specs in post #2 here (although the density of the base layer may be as low as 1.5 lb density based on some information I have received). If these specs are correct then it uses high quality materials and there would be no weak links in the mattress.

The value of a mattress purchase is always relative to how a mattress you are considering compares to all your other finalists or other mattresses that are available to you based on …

1. Testing for PPP (which is the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase)
2. Checking for the quality and durability of the materials to make sure there are no weak links in the mattress
3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on all the other parts of your personal value equation that are important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your mattress doesn’t work out as well as you hoped).

Are there any comparable mattresses (by any of the manufacturers who belong to the site or who may be close to Harrisburg Pennsylvania) that you would recommend?

There is more about the different ways that one mattress can “match” or approximate another one in post #9 here. I don’t recommend specific mattresses or manufacturers because there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved to choose a mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here) but the mattress shopping tutorial includes a link to a list of the better online retailers/manufacturers I’m aware of that sell memory foam mattresses online and many of them either sell mattresses that are designed to be a close approximation of the Tempurpedic mattresses in terms of their comfort/support and specify which mattress they are close to in the description. If they don’t make specific comparisons in their descriptions then some of them may also be familiar enough with the Tempurpedic mattresses to be able to give you good guidance about which of their mattresses are closest to a particular Tempurpedic mattress when you talk with them on the phone.

I don’t know of any local choices that specifically compare themselves to any of the Tempurpedic mattresses so you would need to test them in person to find out which of them feel similar to you and of course make sure you check the quality of the materials inside them as well because you can’t “feel” the quality of the materials in a mattress and lower quality materials can feel the same as higher quality materials in a showroom or when the mattress is relatively new … they just don’t maintain their comfort, support, and feel for nearly as long.

Finally, I was looking through the member manufacturer websites and am a little overwhelmed at the daunting task of selecting a retailer who could best serve my needs here in Harrisburg. I know that anyone who sells nationally is an option but which ones have you found to be most reasonable to deal with in terms of any exchanges or returns and matching a customer to the mattress that would best serve them? I was very impressed with My Green Mattress, but am slightly concerned that I would be over-budget with no financing options available for online orders.

As you know I think very highly of My Green Mattress/Quality Sleep and they are a member of this site which means that I believe that they compete well with the best in the country in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency. Their mattresses are also very different from Tempurpedic and use different materials so none of them would “match” the Tempurpedic mattresses (although they may be a better match for you in terms of PPP which is always more important that how well one mattress matches another one).

While I don’t make specific recommendations for either a mattress or a manufacturer/retailer (again because there are too many unknowns, variables and personal preferences involved) … there is more about the different ways to choose a mattress (either locally or online) that can help you identify and minimize the risks involved with each of them in post #2 here.

It just occurred to me that I may not have mentioned some of the factors that may affect any recommendations you may have for my search. I am 50 years old and had knee surgery in December. I also have arthritis in various places (woo-hoo… getting older isn’t for wimps). I have shrunk to a height of about 5 ft 8.5 inches and currently weigh just over 220 lbs. Once I get active, I have a goal of getting under 200 lbs but am not shopping based on that goal.

Since I don’t make specific recommendations about which mattress to choose … only “how” to choose … your particular specs or circumstances wouldn’t make any significant difference because the steps for “how” to make the choice that is best for each particular person would be the same for anyone … even though they will lead to different final choices.

Phoenix