Hi christoph21,
[quote]I have not gone and done any testing yet but so far I am drawn to foam or latex. I am 5’8 and 175 pounds, my girlfriend is 5’1 and about 105. We are both predominantly side sleepers but we both change throughout the night sometimes to back sleeping. I have a few questions, first of all is the stat difference between myself and my girlfriend enough to worry about needing zoning for both of us (I believe thats what its called?)
Also any general advice or tips on what may be better to look for based on my stats would be appreciated! [/quote]
These are the types of questions that are best answered with your own personal testing or experience instead of “theory at a distance” because there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved to use a formula based on specs (either yours or a mattress) to predict which mattress may be best for you and the only meaningful answer would be “it depends” on too many variables to predict with any certainty (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). There is also more about some of the different ways that can help a couple with different needs and preferences find a suitable mattress for both of them in post #2 here but your own experience will always be the most effective way to answer questions about PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).
This would also depend on the person and on where you are in what I call the “princess and the pea” to “I can sleep on anything” range. If I was in your shoes I would tend to call them first to help you narrow down your choices to some degree before you go there and when you are there I would also tend to quickly eliminate mattresses that clearly aren’t the best choice for you so you can spend most of your “testing time” on a smaller number of mattresses that are at least the best “candidates”. Sometimes if you test too many mattresses on the same day or too close together the differences between them can begin to “blur” and you can go into sensory overload and lose the ability to differentiate between them.
I also normally suggest that you choose between finalists at a couple of different stores so that if nothing else you will feel better about the choice you ended up making. There is also more information in post #13 here about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase that can help you compare your final choices. Having said all that … if you are confident that there is a clear and obvious “winner” between all the mattresses you tested that seems to match all the parts of your personal value equation that are important to you and you feel that you don’t need to look any further to find a mattress that is the “best” match for you then making a choice on a single trip to a knowledgeable and experienced manufacturer/retailer like Fox Mattress can certainly work out very well.
Your budget is certainly enough to buy a high quality mattress but I don’t know if they offer financing.
Good luck on your visit and I’m looking forward to hearing about your experience :).
Phoenix