Hi Gate89,
There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “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 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 I can’t speak to how any mattress will feel for someone else or whether it will be a suitable “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) … the BME certainly uses higher quality, more durable, and more costly materials.
Latex in general is the most durable of all the foam materials (although the Energex is certainly a durable material as well that would also be suitable for your body weight) and the BME also uses a 2 lb polyfoam base layer which is also a higher quality and more durable version of polyfoam that meets the quality/durability guidelines here vs the 1.8 lb polyfoam base layer in the Arctic Dreams.
I would also talk with both of them on the phone because 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 to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
The BME also has a better trial and return/refund policy as well and this can also be an important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase if you aren’t certain whether an online mattress will be a good “match” for you in terms of PPP.
Of course the much lower cost of the Arctic Dreams may also be enough to offset the additional risk involved both in terms of the trial period and return/refund policy as well as the durability and useful life of the mattress.
They are certainly both great quality value choices and both of them are members here which means that I think highly of both of them and that I believe that they both compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency but you are the only one that can decide which one would be the best “value” for you based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding.
Phoenix