Hi Sheepcounter,
There is really nothing to agree or disagree with. In terms of quality/durability a mattress is only as good as its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it. Even if a mattress uses some good quality materials if they are mixed in with lower quality materials then in terms of durability a mattress will only be as good as its weakest link. The information you need to assess the quality of a mattress is listed in this article. Once you have this information then you will be able to assess the quality of the mattress based on real facts rather than just speculation based on the marketing materials of a company. You are believing exactly what they want you to believe which unfortunately is common in the industry when consumers don’t know how to “define” the quality of a mattress even if they do have the information they would need to do so. There was a time where Stearns & Foster was a more legitimate “luxury brand” … now they are just another Tempurpedic/Sealy brand that is just a name. You can read more about the major brands and some of the more recent history in the industry in post #12 here and post #3 here.
The fact is that the major brands have 3 main issues. The first is lack of transparency and they tend to disclose only the better quality materials they use in their mattresses … not the worse ones. The second is that they use lower quality materials than many if not most of their smaller independent competitors that make mattresses in the same price range or lower. The third is that if you are fortunate enough to find out the specifics of what is inside your mattress and it’s one of their better mattresses that don’t have any obvious weak links in their construction … you will find that it is priced significantly more than many other similar mattresses that use the same or better quality materials. The GS uses better quality materials than most Stearns & Foster mattresses but it’s only “good quality/value” relative to the lower reference point of other Stearns & Foster mattresses.
You can see an example of what can happen when you use lower quality materials with one of the forum members experience with their Golden Elegance mattress here and you can see the reason why it failed so quickly in post #2 here.
All mattresses are hand made to some degree (a factory worker puts the layers together and glues them and tape edges the mattress etc). There is probably a little more hand building methods used in their upper end mattresses than some others (such as tufting).
[quote]This is what I found online…GS Stearns represents the pinnacle of the Stearns and Foster brand. Immersed in the rich heritage of Stearns and Foster, complete with the best materials from around the world, and finished with modern aesthetics and an amazing feel, the GS Stearns collection truly has it all!
Like other Stearns and Foster mattresses, all luxury mattresses from GS Stearns are created from the skilled craftsmen who are specially-qualified to be involved in the process. Due to the increased detail necessary to create a GS Stearns luxury mattress, it takes twice as long to create one than the average mattress.[/quote]
This is all meaningless “marketing fluff” without any substance. A mattress that only takes twice as long to build as an “average mattress” is still mostly a mass produced mattress that has a little extra labor involved.
There is absolutely no comparison between a Hastens or Vi-Spring and a Stearns & Foster (top end or otherwise). The first two are legitimately hand crafted or “bench crafted” and the S&F is basically a mass produced mattress with a few extra touches. One can be built by a skilled factory worker (the S&F) … the Hastens and VI-Springs are built by legitimate master craftsmen (or women) that take years to learn their craft.
What you are believing is just another “marketing story”.
Phoenix