I went to post#2 above and the information is in California. I am in central Indiana.
Hi cindyvog,
Ooos ā¦ today seems to be my day for making mistakes in links. Thatās the second one today.
Itās fixed now ā¦ and my apologies.
Phoenix
Iām looking for a good place to shop for mattresses in the Boise, Idaho area. Two years ago we bought a Comforpedic Loft that Iām pretty sure is the source of my chronic headaches and muscle pain and I want to make sure this time around I donāt make an expensive mistake again, but Iām struggling to find anything that doesnāt sell just Serta, Sealy, Simmons, etc. I know of two furniture stores (run by the same family) that do sell Englander and Diamond Mattress Factory beds but other than that, nothing. Iāve seen a number of complaints about Englanderās quality going downhill the last 2 years though. Do you think that is true or just a few bad experiences? Any idea about Diamond?
Hi alanabanana,
The better options Iām aware of in the Boise area are listed in post #2 here.
Hopefully youāve also had the chance to read the first post in this thread which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will find most useful in your mattress research.
Diamond makes some good quality mattresses that are usually ābetter than averageā in terms of quality and value but you may have some difficulty finding out the specifics of the materials they use in some cases (see post #2 here).
Englander is a licensee group with many licensee factories around the country each of which can make different mattresses and use different quality of materials. Some of them I wouldnāt consider (because of the use of lower density polyfoam) and others use good quality materials and have good value depending on the specific mattress and retailer.
A mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality of materials inside it and all manufacturers make lower quality and higher quality mattresses so rather than going by brand itās always wise to make your buying decisions based on knowing exactly what is in the specific mattress you are considering so you can make more informed decisions and make meaningful quality and value comparisons with other mattresses.
Dealing with retailers or manufacturers who can provide you with all the specifics of what is in their mattresses and have the knowledge and experience to educate you about the different types of materials and their advantages and disadvantages is one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase.
Phoenix
PS: There is also a Diamond Mattress Factory in Salt Lake City, UT which is a smaller manufacturer and if this is the Diamond that they carry then they would be well worth considering because they are open and transparent about their mattresses and appear to use good quality materials and have good value. They donāt have a website.
Hi Phoenix,
Long time no write. Hope you are well.
The mattress and foundation have been airing out for two months. The mattress was fine on day one. The foundation still has a chemical smell (from the material on the underside) and a perfume smell (from the fabric that fringes the foundation around its edges). Both are unacceptably strong.
The manufacturer has suggested encasing the foundation in plastic to stop the smell. He also suggested maybe getting a carpenter to make a simple wood platform.
Iām wondering if a slat āplatformā, wrapped with some polyester to keep the mattress from tearing on the wood, might do the trick.
Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Just Right,
Thatās good news ā¦ and Iām really glad to hear it 
I think both of these are good suggestions. Post #3 here also has some suggestions that may be helpful and if you do choose to encase your foundation in plastic I would make it at least 5 mil thickness of clear non toxic polyethylene. If you have a foundation made then I would make sure that any glue they used was of course also non toxic. The plastic would reduce airflow between the mattress and the foundation but this would probably be a worthwhile tradeoff in your case.
I would think it would and some of the KD foundations in the foundation thread here may be worth looking at. Some of these already come with a cover.
Phoenix
What a difference a couple hours of research makes! Huge thank you to Phoenix and the forum members.
Went shopping two weeks ago and had no idea what we were doing. Went shopping today and felt empowered. Even walked out of a store when I wasnāt happy with the vague answers I was receiving and after hearing the sales guy feed line after line of āsales talkā to other customers. Started this process dreading what lied ahead, but now Iām excited to find the right mattress.
Also, a HUGE shout out to Jeff Scheuer at Mattress To Go for his excellent Beducation videos on YouTube. I wish I still lived in SE Michigan so I could buy from him!
Hi jdg0928,
Iām glad you found us and since youāve spent a few hours on the site it would probably be safe to say you know more meaningful information than most of the salespeople in the mainstream stores. You may make a few eyes roll with your questions or comments!
Iām looking forward to hearing about your experiences and of course any questions you may have along the way.
As you probably know ā¦ I also think very highly of Jeff and he is one of the most informed and knowledgeable people in the industry. Weāve had some great conversations sharing horror stories
If you havenāt found a local list on the forum then if you let me know your city or zip Iād be happy to let you know of any of the better options or possibilities Iām aware of in your area.
Phoenix
I just wanted to say that without the tremendous wealth of information on this site, I would have made a terrible mattress decision. Now after reading and reading and reading, I am almost set to take the plunge. Will be taking a big risk in buying a latex from one of your online sources. I looked at IKEAāanyone ever buy a bed from them? Also looked at the non latex Shifman Traditional line made for Bloomingdales. They have a great financing option and a good exchange program. But in the end, I really want to move to Latex and in the local stores here in Philly, they are in the $4000+ range which is too much for my budget. Been happy on a Sleep Number bed for 18 years but now itās time for a change. THANK YOU for this site.
Hi Betz,
There are a number of forum members that have purchased an Ikea bed ā¦ particularly the Edsele and a forum search on Edsele (you can just click this) will bring some comments and feedback about it.
You can see some comments about some of the Ikea mattresses in post #3 here.
I would question the āvalueā of a Shiffman mattress and I would make sure that you are able to find out the specifics of every layer in any mattress you are considering so you can identify any weak links in the mattress before purchasing it. This is the only way to know the quality of any mattress and price is not an indication of quality.
Youāve probably read both of these but just in case ā¦ post #1 here has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make the best possible decisions and post #4 here has the better options and possibilities Iām aware of in the Philadelphia area.
Iām glad you found us
Phoenix
Thank you for having this forum. I was looking to replace my old Cali-King. I was trying to find a mattress in Phoenix or Glendale area of AZ. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. :cheer:
Hi orestes1981,
Just in case you havenāt read it yet ā¦ the best place to start your research is post #1 here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible decision.
You are also very fortunate because the Phoenix area has some of the best quality and value available in the country including 3 of the members of this site which are among the best quality/value in the country. You will find them in post #4 here.
Phoenix
Thank you, Phoenix. I am only sorry that I have now made my decision and soon will not have such a passionate interest in reading all of the amazing information you have here. Today I bought a Queen Latex Mattress from Sleep EZ. I liked the way Shawn spoke to me and helped me decide which layers to include. I also like that I have already gotten the shipping/tracking information and I expect delivery by next Tuesday. Was considering Arizona but with the 3 week wait and the feedback from folks on this site that they waited longer, Sleep EZ won me over. And I was able to stay within my $2000 budget for the mattress and the foundationāwhich is not common in latex. I will post when everything arrives and I have assembled the foundation. My only concern is how I am going to lug all 230 pounds of bed materials up my steps to the bedroom!!
:ohmy:
Hi Betz,
You certainly made a great choice and as you know I think very highly of Shawn and the quality and value of the mattresses they make.
Congratulations on your new mattress ā¦ and Iām looking forward to any feedback you have the chance to share when youāve had the chance to sleep on it.
One layer at a time?
Phoenix
Thank you for this thread and just maintaining this entire forum in general. It has been incredibly helpful in separating the contenders from the pretenders! Iām planning on purchasing the Ultimate Dreams 13" Gel Memory Foam mattress. Canāt wait to test it out!
Hi Bakerocks,
Youāre certainly looking at a good quality/value mattress and Iām glad the site could help you.
Although you havenāt pulled the trigger yet, it sounds like you are about to so congratulations on your new mattress
Phoenix
Thank you for your guidance and for putting this together. We started a couple of weeks ago, totally lost in the weeds. Both my wife and I spent hours reading posts here and researching options, spent half an hour in a store and ordered from a member resource. Two days later, had our bed and our first night was wonderful.
Based on the āname brandā and the comparable mattress we purchased, we saved about $3000.
Iāve already sent many friends this way.
Thank you for this valuable resource.
Ricko
Hi Ricko,
Iām glad you found us and that the site could help you.
Most importantly ā¦ congratulations on your new mattress
Phoenix
Glad I found this website.
Though I wish I had come across it sooner as we just purchased, but have not yet had delivered, a new Sealy from a major retailer. Having not taken delivery of the bed, I imagine we can cancel the order entirely and go with one of the recommendations found on your website.
Thank you!
Hi Jon P,
Iām glad you found us.
As you can read in post #1 here and some of the information, steps, and guidelines it links to ā¦ choosing a mattress that has lower quality or unknown quality materials in the top layers (which includes most major brands) can feel great in a showroom but can be a risky choice in terms of medium or longer term durability as the lower quality foams that they tend to use in the upper layers of a one sided mattress will soften more quickly than higher quality materials. Unfortunately ā¦ the loss of comfort and support that comes from foam softening isnāt covered by a warranty so warranties donāt offer any protection against this (see post #174 here).
While I canāt tell you specifically what is best in your circumstances ā¦ I can tell you that I would avoid purchasing any mattress where I didnāt know the quality of all the materials inside it (which would mean avoiding many of the major brands).
Phoenix