Explanation for price differences (also, memory foam mattress pads/covers)

I’m looking at a new king-size bed to replace our (bought-used) queen-sized Tempurpedic Deluxe. We have a couple of little ones who sometimes join us (one newborn, one who’s a tad clingy), and both my wife and I sweat a bit at night.

So, first question: any pros and cons on water-resistant mattress pads or covers?

Second question. I’m currently looking at:

  1. CoolComfort or SensusSleep from Rocky mountain Mattress (~1200 each)
  2. Novosbed Aria or Novosbed classic (~1200 each)
  3. Sleepwarehouse Sensus King (~1800)
  4. Cool Luxe or Cool Supreme from Brooklyn bedding (~2200 each)

Any thoughts as to what 1 and 2 are markedly cheaper than 3 and 4?

Hi Kleinman-Green,

You can read about some of the pros and cons of different types of mattress protectors in post #89 here.

Generally differences in prices will have to do with the different costs of materials such as more costly foam types or more costly covers or quilting either in terms of actual manufacturing cost or the price paid by a particular manufacturer (which also depends on the volume of their purchases and their sources), the amount of more costly materials (3" of a certain material vs 2" for example), differences in margins and the relative costs involved in running the business, and on how many layers of profit margins there are in between the original manufacturer of the raw materials and the purchase of the finished mattress.

Specific mattresses may also have different margins depending on their budget range (in general higher cost mattresses will usually but not always have higher margins) and there are also other factors built into mattress prices as well such as the estimated cost of any return or exchange policy, the cost of shipping (either initially or for an exchange), or any other extras that are provided with the mattress all of which can either be included in the cost of the mattress or added as extra costs.

Phoenix

I love the cross references to earlier posts. Thanks!

Of the mattresses I listed, do you have any thought on comparability and relative value? I’ve spent some time reading on here and researching elsewhere, so I think they’re all quality suppliers. In light of what you say, I’ll double check the warranty/return policies, but I’d appreciate your thoughts on the mattresses themselves.

Hi Kleinman-Green,

I can’t see a Sensus King that sells for $1800 on the sleepwarehouse site.

All of the rest are in what I would call the “good value” range and use high quality materials for their budget range. Once you have eliminated all the worst options and you are down to “final choices” between “good and good” then value is really a matter of each person’s personal value equation and all the objective, subjective, and intangible parts of any mattress purchase that are most important to each person. These can include the type and quality of materials and components (based on durability or performance), the benefits of the type of mattress construction and design of the mattress; your confidence in the suitability of the mattress; the type of help, guidance, and service provided by the manufacturer or retailer; the reputation, knowledge, and experience of the retailer or manufacturer and your trust in what they tell you; the exchange or return options you have after a purchase and any costs involved; any extras that are included with the mattress; the price you are paying compared to other mattresses that are similar; and anything else that is specific to the mattress or the retailer that may be important to you.

With an online purchase (and to a lesser degree with a local purchase) many of these can’t be quantified with any specific degree of accuracy so the combination of factors that are part of each person’s personal value equation are really a matter of “best judgement”. Once you are down to choices that have eliminated your worst options though and as long as none of the mattresses have any obvious weak links in terms of durability and you have accurate information about the materials and design and the potential benefits to you then the odds of making a “mistake” in terms of quality or value are much lower and the risk is mostly limited to the suitability of the mattress and the recourse you have if you need to make any changes or exchanges or do any “fine tuning” to fit the mattress to your specific needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or in the worst case return the mattress if that’s an available or realistic option.

Phoenix

Completely my mistake.

Should have been:

  1. Sleepwarehouse Sensus King (~900)
  2. CoolComfort or SensusSleep from Rocky mountain Mattress (~1200 each)
  3. Novosbed Aria or Novosbed classic (~1200 each)
  4. Cool Luxe or Cool Supreme from Brooklyn bedding (~2200 each)

BB provides free returns, including shipping, as long as you try it for 90 days and pack it yourself.
Sleepwarehouse, on the other hand, seems to provide no particular advantages in its warranty – must return within 30 days, all costs are born by the customer, etc.
Novosbed has a generous return policy, but you must keep it for 60 days and return within 120.
Rocky Mountain, like SleepWarehouse doesn’t seem to offer much more than the manufacturer’s warranty.

Anyway, I don’t think the return policy is going to control my decision, and I’ll probably pick from among 1, 2, or 3 after engaging more with the sales teams. Thanks for all your help!

Hi Kleinman-Green,

A quick note: make sure you consider the cost of shipping an unpacked mattress: Novosbeds, for example, are compressed and rolled when we ship to customers (see the shipping section here), and are much larger and more expensive to ship when unpacked. If you purchase from a company without a good return policy then you risk being stuck with something that’s not a good fit for you.

I’m glad to hear that we’re in the running: please feel free to contact us (live chat, phone, email or in this thread) with any questions.

Cheers,
Novosbed