Help with Amazon Mattress Options, $800 Budget

I’m in dire need of replacing a 14yo qeen futon mattress that I’m using on my platform bed. I have several Amazon GCs that I would like to use to purchase a new mattress. My max budget is around $800. I would view this next mattress as a stop gap, as I would see myself getting a king size mattress in the next couple years. This queen mattress would become a guest room mattress. Below are my stats:

  • 5’10", 207lbs
  • Side and stomach sleeper
  • Tend to like a firmer mattress

Below are a list of some of the mattresses I’ve narrowed down to:

  • Tuft & Needle 10-Inch Mattress, Queen
  • DreamFoam Mattress Ultimate Dreams Firm Latex Mattress, Queen
  • DreamFoam Mattress Ultimate Dreams 13-Inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress, Queen
  • Sleep Innovations 12-Inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress, Queen

Any feedback on mattresses list or other Amazon offerings I’m missing would be greatly appreciated.

Hi phurter,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

I would keep in mind that the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or if you can’t test a mattress in person then your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

I’m assuming that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial here (which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice) but two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for when you sleep on it in “real life” and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability and PPP (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists (based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).

While I can’t speak to how any mattress will “feel” for someone else because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances … Outside of PPP the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new) so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would affect the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else. Dealing with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer can be one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase.

These are all very different mattresses but assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the guidelines here … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses (see this article) are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice.

This is one of the new “breed” of simplified choice mattresses and there is more information about it and some of the other simplified choice mattresses in post #2 here. It uses 3" of high performance 2.8 lb polyfoam on top of a 1.8 lb polyfoam base layer. In terms of durability … there are no lower quality materials or weak links in this mattress relative to your body weight.

This is a latex/polyfoam hybrid that uses 3" of blended Talalay latex on top of a 1.8 lb polyfoam base layer and has a cover that is quilted with 1.5" of polyfoam. Talalay latex is among the most durable foam materials in the industry and with this mattress you also have the option of choosing the firmness of the comfort layer so you can customize the mattress to your own specific needs and preferences. There are also also no lower quality materials or weak links in this mattress relative to your body weight either.

This is a memory foam mattress that uses 3" of 4 lb memory foam on top of 2" of 5 lb memory foam on top of a 1.8 lb base layer. It is similar in firmness to the Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe so you could test the Cloud Luxe locally to get a sense of the firmness and feel of this mattress. It also doesn’t have any lower quality materials or weak links relative to your body weight. There is also more about how memory foam compares to latex in post #2 here but the most reliable way to know which types of materials or mattresses you tend to prefer will be based on your own local testing or personal experience.

Sleep Innovations doesn’t list the quality/density of their foam layers in their Amazon description so if you can find out the information listed here and post it on the forum I’d be happy to make some comments about the quality and durability of the materials and the mattress as a whole. Sleep Innovations tends to use some lower quality/density materials in their mattresses that can be a weak link in the mattress (less than 4 lb memory foam and less than 1.8 lb polyfoam) and they also don’t have a phone number for customer service that you can call for guidance to help you decide which of their mattress would be suitable for you in terms of PPP so this would be a much more risky choice.

Many of the better online options I’m aware of that are in lower budget ranges are listed in post #4 here and the posts it links to although most of them aren’t available through Amazon. While I don’t keep a list of all the mattresses that are available through Amazon (it would be more than anyone could keep up with as they are constantly changing) … Dreamfoam and Tuft & Needle would certainly be among the Amazon options that I would be most likely to consider.

Phoenix