Hi there,
First of all, I would like to say thanks for putting this site together. It has been tremendously helpful in understanding the types and construction of mattresses, as well as understanding the differences in the function of the different parts of the mattress.
I have read through each of the overviews as well as some of the posts on the forum. I have spent a decent amount of time going to the big name stores in my area just to get a sense of what feels good. I live in Washington, DC and found this list of recommended shops on this forum (post #2 here). However, I have not ventured out to them primarily because I’m afraid they are out of my price range. I was hoping to present my situation and get some feedback from some of the more knowledgeable folks out there.
Here are my specs: 5’10" and 190 lbs. Predominantly back sleeper. Just me for now, but hoping the mattress is good enough to outlast my bachelorhood.
I have always slept on innerspring mattresses and have found that I don’t like the feel of memory foam. I am primarily looking at pocket coil innerspring mattresses. (In fairness, I have not spent any time trying foam mattresses during this search.) After lying on a lot of “big S brand” mattresses, I think I am looking for medium-firm support layer (not sinking very far DOWN) but a medium to medium-soft comfort layer (sinking a little bit IN).
My goal is to find the best queen mattress set I can for about $800-$900 all-in (including delivery, box spring if necessary, and bed frame if necessary). So, before I get too much farther along, my biggest question is whether it is reasonable to think I can get a decent quality innerspring mattress for that price?
I know this puts me in a more budget-constrained category, but I should also say that I’m not looking for a mattress that will last 20+ years. What I really want is something that will provide good pressure relief and back support/posture alignment for the next 5-8 years. I’m in my late 20s now. There is a good chance I will move and/or have a partner with different sleep needs within that timeframe and may need to get a new mattress anyway.
Next, I wanted to mention the specific mattresses I’m considering and get feedback. I did a decent amount of looking around at all the big name stores in my area, and I limited it down to 3 mattresses at Macy’s in my price range. If nothing else, perhaps these will give an indication of my preferences… though I know the specs are not very detailed. Here are the links:
Serta Perfect Sleeper Elite (Serene Breeze Tight Top Plush)
Sealy Posturepedic (Valley Falls Tight Top Cushion Firm)
Sealy Posturepedic (Valley Falls Tight Top Plush)
All three mattresses are pocket coil innersprings with tight tops. The Serta has gel foam in the comfort layer, which I found to be a bit firm even though it is a “plush.” The two Sealys have the same support layer, but differ in the comfort layer. I liked the plush Sealy a lot in the showroom actually, but I was afraid that the comfort layer may be cheap and deteriorate quickly leading to imprints and back pain. But perhaps that’s just traditional wisdom causing me to confuse the function of the comfort layer. (?) I believe the Sealy’s also have gel memory foam in the center 1/3 of the mattress in the comfort layer.
I asked the sales person for details about construction. As this website predicted, they were not able to give me any details about the grade of foam used in the comfort layer. They only had details on the support layer, such as number of coils and gauge of wire. Furthermore, the Sealy mattresses include “features” such as SuperSoft ActiveFlex ™ foam and the PostureGrid ™–but there is no info on the Sealy website as to what these things really are.
So, my final questions are:
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Can you make any recommendations as to which of these mattresses may be the better (or “least bad”) choice in terms of quality of materials? (Is there even enough information to make an informed decision?)
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Do you have any suggestions for alternatives that may fit within my budget constraints?
Sorry for the long post. Thanks in advance for any help!