Hi bsell,
There are a series of steps and links to information listed in post #1 here which can greatly improve your chances of finding the most suitable and best quality/value mattress.
Once you have some basic information and guidelines about what to avoid (primarily major brands and chain stores), along with some basic information about the types of materials and mattresses you are most interested in testing (from the overviews linked in the post) then the next most important step is to connect with local factory direct manufacturers or better sleep shops that have the selection, knowledge, quality, service, and value that can help guide you to making the best possible choices.
Once you have done your research into the better sources in your area … then it’s time to start testing mattresses to get a much better sense of the type of mattresses that best match your needs and preferences. If you choose the manufacturer or retailer wisely … then you will have connected with people who are more focused on educating you than they are on “selling” you and who will put your interests above their own.
The better choices or possibilities in your area that I’m aware of are listed in post #2 here.
Once you are testing mattresses … it’s important to make sure that you spend at least 15 minutes while you are completely relaxed on every mattress that you are seriously considering to test for comfort/pressure relief, and support/alignment in all your sleeping positions. Once you have done this … knowing the details about what is in the mattress will tell you what you need to know about it’s quality, durability, and relative value. This is why it’s so important to only work with manufacturers or retailers that can tell you what is in the mattresses you are testing because without this there is no way to make meaningful quality/value comparisons with other mattresses. there is nothing that can be more frustrating than testing mattresses and finding one you like only to find out that you can’t find out what is in it. Don’t forget that you can’t feel quality and even the cheapest materials can feel good in a showroom … they just don’t last very long (and don’t justify a higher price)
It’s important to “arm yourself” with some basic information about mattress materials and types so that you can ask more meaningful questions and work more effectively with your retailer or manufacturer but beyond this it’s much more effective to connect with the experts than to try to become one yourself and risk ending up with “paralysis by analysis” or worse yet becoming so frustrated and overwhelmed that you end up buying a mattress out of frustration or fatigue.
A mattress can have a bigger effect on your overall well being than almost any other major purchase and it’s too important to take shortcuts or buy anything less than the most suitable and best quality/value that is available to you in your area.
Hope this helps
Phoenix