Hawaii Mattress Research Dump

[phoenix]

Hi Xando:

Thank you for taking the time to do provide such useful information to the site. I really appreciate it!

You are correct that it is a challenge for people in Hawaii to find a decent quality mattress, and many do order products from the “mainland.” Higher shipping fees are unfortunately a way of life in Hawaii, but one that I know you are used to. The tradeoff for the location seems to be worth it. 

You’ve probably already seen it, but just in case, here is some other information I have about Hawaii mattress shopping:

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Hawaiian islands are listed in post #269 here. The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Hawaiian islands are listed in post #269 here. There are also some topics that include some discussions and feedback with various forum members in Hawaii
here and
here and
here and
here and
here and
here that may also be helpful.

First of all is the problem of selection. You don’t have to look hard on this site to know that the ‘S’ brands (serta, sealy, simmons) are lower quality for the price and have little transparency in terms of build materials.

There were the usual suspects, but they also had a couple of Stearns & Foster mattresses, which I found is owned by Sealy.

It seems that you’ve already done a fair amount of reading form the site, and I appreciate that. You are correct about the “S” brands, and you are also correct about Stearns & Foster being part of Sealy (they have been for quite some time). While Stearns has recently gone to a better Quantum Edge innerspring unit, their foams are still below a level of quality that I would recommend.

They had 3 mattresses by Aireloom that had a varying number and firmness of latex comfort layers with foam cores. Depending on the model, they ranged in price from the mid $2000 to high $3000 for a full size.

While latex is certainly a durable product, I’d take some time to make a personal value equation about the Aireloom product. It’s unlikely that you will be able to find out the type and quality of all the layers and components in an Aireloom mattress at any retailer that carries them (see this article) which means that it generally isn’t worth the time to even test them (see this article) and I would avoid them (along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the specifics of what’s inside them).

Organicpedic beds by OMI. These were all latex mattresses with prices to match with the starting 6" model at around $3000.

While OMI certainly uses higher quality materials, they are also in much higher budget ranges (as you mentioned) than many other manufacturers that use the same materials in their mattresses (including organic latex, organic wool and organic cotton) so I would normally suggest making some very careful value comparisons based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are important to you so that you are satisfied that there is enough of a difference in “real life” to justify the higher cost compared to other mattresses that use the same amount of the same type and blend of latex and have a similar wool quilted cover that are in lower budget ranges that may be just as comfortable and just as suitable in terms of PPP and would be just as durable.

Second is the lack of local manufacturers that could present an alternative value/quality option. The only one i’ve come across is the Green Bed Company which reuses foam and other materials from used mattresses

Yes, I would second your opinion of avoiding this type of option. It escapes me at the moment, but there was a television piece years ago that showed a company in California treating used mattresses according to State specifications for resale. And after all of that treatment, the items still tested positive for many contaminants.

This may be anecdotal, but I talked to the delivery guy at Wholesale Mattress and he said that they don’t take returns because of the chance of bed bugs which he has seen at places they do deliveries.

This is common in many areas of the country, and some municipalities have begun to specify that used materials may not be transported on the same delivery trucks as new items, or that they at least must be wrapped before being on the same truck.

After trying one of the latex Aireloom mattresses and seeing prices that were out of my range, I decided to look up some online retailers. Living in Hawaii, high shipping prices are nothing new to me.

The online option is common for many people in Hawaii, and the shipping quotes you mentioned seem reasonable for what you’re getting. As you’re already aware, Dream Foam Bedding, SleepEZ and Sleep On Latex are all members here which means that I think very highly of them and that I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, knowledge, service, and transparency.

I really look forward to any other information you provide as you go through your search. Your post was extremely informative and can be useful to many others.

Thank you.

Phoenix