Phoenix,
I was roaming around the internet and I stumbled onto your site, very helpful so far. I recently joined the civilian world after serving 10 years in the US Army which included tours in South Korea, Germany and Iraq. While in Iraq I sustained injuries that have permanantly injured my lower back. It seems to be the consensus that for lower back problems I should be shopping for a firm mattress. I came accross the Saatva website and was impressed but after getting some imput from this forum, I am worried that they might not be the best fit for me. Can you advise some particular brands that I should be looking at? Also, money is not an object (to a certain degree) when getting a good nights sleep. Thank you for your time.
Hi bshantzer,
Welcome home first of all 
A mattress is only as good as the combination of materials that are in it and ābrand shoppingā is one of the worst ways to find a good quality and value mattress
The first post in this thread has a step by step process along with some links to information that will greatly improve your odds find finding the best quality and value mattress and just as importantly fits what you both need and prefer and can provide the best possible support for your injured back. Having good support layers doesnāt mean that you canāt also have good pressure relieving layers in a mattress because all mattresses are a combination of firmer support (in the deeper support layers) and good pressure relief (primarily from the upper comfort layers) and the balance between these that best fits your body type, sleeping positions, circumstances, and preferences is the ābestā mattress for you.
Once you know what to eliminate, have some basic information about mattress materials and construction (and know the types of questions to ask), and have identified the better local manufacturers or retailers in your area ā¦ then you can start testing mattresses and connect and work with people that have the experience and knowledge to help you make good choices without breaking the bank.
If you let me know the city or zip where you live Iād be happy to let you know of any of the better possibilities in your area that Iām aware of.
Just in case you havenāt seen it (or for others that are reading this post) ā¦ my thoughts about Saatva are in this thread.
Phoenix
Phoenix,
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly, I live in Ewing, NJ 08628.
Hi bschantzer,
The better options or possibilities Iām aware of in your general area (and towards Philadelphia) are listed in post #4 here.
Post #7 here includes some further options in the general NYC area (some of which are duplicates).
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
First of all, thank you for this great site! It has a lot (and I mean A LOT) of useful information. Thanks!
Now, my question. Can you recommend any good store outlet/manufacturer in or around Montreal, Canada. Iām doing my initial research, but I would like to talk to professionals at some point.
I see only 3 Canadian companies in the membership list, and all 3 of them are on the other side of the country 
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Hi tanyaden,
You are fortunate because there are many factory direct manufacturers within about 100 K of Montreal. While none of them are members of the site ā¦ there is some very good quality/value in the area (more than almost any city in North America). They are listed in post #276 here.
You may also find this thread helpful (with some feedback from one of our forum members).
Hope this helps.
Phoenix
Thanks a lot Phoenix!
I just started my research, but it looks like it wonāt be long and painful process - thanks to your website.
Iām happy to know that here in Montreal we have some choice. Usually I order whatever I need from the States, but it would be hard to do with mattress.
Thanks again,
tanyaden
Phoenix, I just found this site and loved all the great information it has! My wife and I were going to buy a Tempurpedic or a Serta icomfort today. But it seems that we may get better āvalueā from a matress outlet near us. Do you know of any good outlet stores near zip 48195 (Southgate, MI). It is near Detroit, MI.
Thank you for all the great info I have read thus far.
Hi jimmyhamesv,
Iām glad you found us before you pulled the trigger :). There is much better value available locally to you in good quality mattresses than both of the mattresses you were looking at.
The better options and possibilities in the Detroit area Iām aware of are listed in post #2 here.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix!
What an amazing resource you have here! My husband and I were just talking about replacing our 20 yo mattress, and I stumbled over your site. Already I have discarded our initial thought to purchase a SleepNumber bed based on info I found here.
So, here is what weāre thinking, based on my initial research here. My husband is a back sleeper, with a little side sleeping. I am a side sleeper almost exclusively, and I use a buckwheat hull body pillow as well. He likes a firmer support, and me not so much. He is a āheaterā and stays very warm, and I get cold and tend to bury myself in blankets.
So weāre looking at probably a latex-based bed, but havenāt figured out construction yet (have to do our testing first!) to figure out the build, and if we need to get a side-by-side. He is tall, so it will be a California King.
We are near Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC and were wondering where you would recommend we do our testing. I see you have one manufacturer in-state that Iāve looked at, but we need to go test-drive some mattress constructions to fine tune so we can figure out what type of construction we like before we order a mattress.
Thanks, and thanks for such a wonderful resource!
Vicky Rowe
Hi bedwench,
Some of the better options in the Raleigh/Durham area Iām aware of are in post #6 here. There are certainly some good places to test and possibly even purchase latex in the area (although not everything on the list would be what I call ābest valueā).
Latex is a great choice for temperature regulation because it is the most breathable of the foam materials but the ticking/quilting materials, mattress protector, and sheets and bedding can also have a big effect on temperature regulation in a mattress as well. Thereās more about this in post #16 here.
There are also several ways to accommodate two people who have very different needs and preferences on the same mattress. some of these are discussed in the first part of post #2 here but side to side split layering can be one of the most effective if your testing indicates that most of the ānon splitā layering you test doesnāt work equally well for both of you (although you may be surprised that some types of layering do work well for both of you).
Good luck in your testing and Iām looking forward to your feedback and any questions you may have along the way,.
Phoenix
Thanks Phoenix, Iāll check out these links and get testing. Iāll report back on our progress.
I think weāll start with the OMF, since they are closest. Are they a good price/value in your opinion? I donāt know that weāll necessarily buy there, but Iām curious.
Vicky Rowe
Hi bedwench,
Yes ā¦ they are usually among the better value in the areas where they have outlets.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
I came across this site today and have been reading up for hours. I have been having serious back pain problems in the last few months after using my memory foam mattress from Costco for the last 5 years. I have no problems sleeping on old and hard futon in guest room. After some research I am looking at mattress mattress replacement options within $1500 or so:
Option A:
Buy a extra firm good old inner spring mattress, add a 3" latex topper
Option B:
Buy 8" Dunlop Latex Mattress Queen on sale for $1,245.00 at SleepEZ
Option C:
Buy Natura Eco Rest Natural Latex Organic Mattress 8" Latex/wool for $900 at a local store
Option D:
Rent a truck and drive 200 miles to buy the 10" Latex Mattress Rogue at Parklane in Oregon for $1525.
I would love to get your advice on my choices and thank you.
Hi Hubbs,
If it was me, my first priority would be a mattress (or a mattress / topper combination) that I could test locally. Local testing can play a significant role in knowing how well a certain mattress (or a certain design) matches your needs and preferences and this can be especially important if you have back issues where there is more uncertainty and variables involved in your choice.
My goal would always be to remove as much of the uncertainty as possible.
Option 1 would probably be my last choice unless you were able to test the specific mattress and topper combination before you purchased it. If this was possible then I would evaluate its āvalueā in the same was as any other local purchase.
Option 2 is great value but any online purchase involves some risk. Local testing on similar mattresses would be important to me before making any online purchase ā¦ especially if there are health issues involved where your needs are more specific and your choice of mattress may be more difficult. Layer exchanges certainly lower the risk but they are limited to the exchange possibilities that are available and I would want to make sure the basic design (2" over 6" with a stretch cover) was suitable.
Option 3. This appears to be great value if the mattress is new and has the advantage of being able to test it before you purchase it. I would not buy this or any other mattress for its value alone because no matter how good the value if you havenāt done some careful testing and it doesnāt match your personal needs and preferences it would have little value to you but if your testing makes it clear and you are confident that this mattress provides the PPP that you need (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) then it would seem to be a very good choice.
Option 4. Parklane also has great value but if I was taking a trip there I wouldnāt be going there with a specific mattress in mind but with the idea I wanted to find out which of their mattresses best matched my needs and preferences. It would be a trip of discovery not a trip to purchase. Your ideal mattress may or may not be the Rogue. If it turns out that the Rogue is perfect ā¦ then it could be a good option but you wonāt know this until you first make a trip to test it. I wouldnāt make a trip like this with a specific mattress in mind unless I was very confident that it would be what I wanted and even then I would want to know what my options were if I made a mistake.
If it was me ā¦ my first step would be to test the Eco Rest to see if it was worth considering in terms of PPP because it seems to have the best of all worlds ā¦ but only if itās the ārightā mattress for you ā¦ and only personal testing can tell you how close it may be.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Thank you so much for your advices. I did test at the store - mostly on the Pure LatexBliss models and at the end the salesman took out the Eco Rest for me to test after hearing my concerns of price and material health factors. It looks new in wraps but its the only one came out of back room. Not sure if it was used as a floor model or not. I only spent about 5 minutes on it. It feels like enough support but not as soft/giving for shoulder area - which I can address that with adding a 2"-3" latex topper from Costco. The total cost would be about the same if I were buying one from SleepEZ. What I worried about it that 5 minutes may not tell if the Eco Rest will have enough of a support for my back and hip over long time and its no way to tell. At $900 its a close out so I can not return it. I couldnāt find many reviews for Eco Rest mattresses.
I will call and go back to test Eco Rest again.
By the way, I just saw this 9" All Natural Talalay Latex Mattress at Rocky Mt. on special for $299 off - that makes a Queen size only $1089. Seems a good value too but no way for me to try.
Just called the store - the Eco Rest was a floor model for 6 month but never left the store and few people actually tried it (small town). Now am not sure if worth it to buy a floor model for $900.
Hi hubbs,
I agree that this is not nearly long enough to test any mattress you are seriously considering and a topper could introduce more complexity and variables yet. This article talks more about testing for pressure relief and this article and post #11 here talk about testing for alignment. Toppers can help with pressure relief if some extra softness or thickness is required but changing the support of a mattress will usually need a change in the deeper layers which isnāt possible with a topper.
A floor model is not a new mattress of course but this is also a significant discount on their regular prices so if it was in good condition then it would be well worth considering IMO. Of course a floor model will also affect the rights you have under a warranty which would also be a factor in the āvalueā of the mattress to you and you would also need to make sure that the foundation is suitable as well.
The reduction is already included in their listed price and isnāt a further reduction off the reduced price.
Of course any mattress purchase by a forum member from a manufacturing member of the site would also mean either 5% discount off the cost of a mattress only or a bonus with equivalent value (depending on which manufacturer you were purchasing from).
Phoenix
Dear Phoenix-
What a great service you provide and it is only by chance that I stumbled upon you last night- My husband and I are sleeping on a traditional pillow top plush king that we bought at a mattress store in the philadelphia/wilmington area 5 years ago- the mattress has worn poorly and is uneven now and sagging and both of us have lumbar/hip issues and are stiff and in pain when first getting out of bed. Sleeping on firmer mattresses and awakening without pain has prompted us to buy a new set. (too firm is not great either) We have a Relax the Back store near us and discovered the Technogel Estasi + Mattress and really liked that, though as I have been reading it seems that only the top 1" is gel and the rest is foam (not sure what type). We have steered away from all the mattress giants etc since it is hard to know what you are really getting. Then we also went to Bloomingdales since they have a good return/buyback policy, and we tested the Kluft mattresses. The 2 mattresses that were most comfortable to us after much testing was the Rafael Latex and the Alexander Signature. The Alexander is quite expensive and I was wondering what your thoughts are about either the technogel or Rafael Latex, or if there is anything similar in our area you would recommend trying- we are not adverse to spendng for a good mattress but also want to make sure we are getting something of quality and durability. Thank you for your time, Penelope
Hi penelope,
Youāve probably read this but just in case ā¦ the first place I would start is post #1 here along with the information it links to which will give you the basic information that will help the most.
As far as I know the specs of the Estasi + (this was sent to me by a forum member who emailed them directly) are as follows ā¦
1" Technogel
2" 3lb 11ILD Memory Foam
8" 1.85 24ILD Polyfoam
While the gel itself is a very dense material and very high quality and will help to extend the life of the foams below it ā¦ I would be wary of any mattress that had 2" of 3 lb memory foam (low density) in the top 3" of the mattress ā¦ and I would be especially wary in higher price ranges.
In order to make any assessment of a mattress or identify any potential weak links I would need to know the details of all the layers of the mattress. The willingness and ability to provide this is one of the most reliable signs of a better retailer and without this there is no way to assess the quality, value of the mattress or make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses.
Post #2 here has a few details about the Rafael and the āmissing layersā in the description and my thoughts about it.
The better options and āpossibilitiesā Iām aware of in the Philadelphia / Wilmington area are listed in post #4 here. No matter where you shop ā¦ itās always important to make sure that the retailer you are dealing with is both willing and able to provide you with all the information you will need about any mattress you are considering so you can make meaningful comparisons and good choices.
Phoenix