Hi Lude,
I certainly don’t mind answering a few “non related” questions in this thread as long as it doesn’t take on a life of its own and marcusinct is OK with it. If it becomes more involved or complicated then I can always switch your posts and my replies to a new thread.
The problem with the Stearns & Foster is that they don’t list all the materials in their mattress so there’s no way to know it’s quality or value or what the “weak link” in the mattress may be. The coil innersprings they use are good quality and the microcoils are also a good component but they are not nearly as expensive a component as a high quality foam (such as latex) and they don’t list what else is in the mattress besides the inch of unknown density gel memory foam. I wouldn’t pay $1500 for it (or any mattress) without knowing all the layers that were in it. I can tell you for certain that it’s not the same quality or value as the mattress.net that you linked though. Just as a point of reference … mattresses.net also has two similar mattresses … one using blended talalay for less and one that has natural talalay and an upgraded cover for the same price. Both of these offer choices in the firmness of the support core and come with a zip cover if you need to exchange a layer (or replace a layer down the road).
Some of the better choices in the Vancouver area are listed in post #2 here. I would do some price comparing before purchasing anything locally though because there is a range of prices among the outlets and of course I would also use mattresses.net (with shipping and any costs involved across the border) as a reference as well.
Phoenix