How to look for and find the best mattress ... for YOU! ***READ FIRST***

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 wasnā€™t happy with the vague answers I was receiving and after hearing the sales guy feed line after line of ā€œsales talkā€ to other customers. Started this process dreading what lied ahead, but now Iā€™m 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,

Iā€™m glad you found us and since youā€™ve 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!

Iā€™m 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. Weā€™ve had some great conversations sharing horror stories :slight_smile:

If you havenā€™t found a local list on the forum then if you let me know your city or zip Iā€™d be happy to let you know of any of the better options or possibilities Iā€™m 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 IKEAā€“anyone 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 itā€™s 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 ā€œvalueā€ 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.

Youā€™ve 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 Iā€™m aware of in the Philadelphia area.

Iā€™m glad you found us :slight_smile:

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 havenā€™t 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 foundationā€“which 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 Iā€™m looking forward to any feedback you have the chance to share when youā€™ve had the chance to sleep on it.

One layer at a time? :slight_smile:

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! Iā€™m planning on purchasing the Ultimate Dreams 13" Gel Memory Foam mattress. Canā€™t wait to test it out!

Hi Bakerocks,

Youā€™re certainly looking at a good quality/value mattress and Iā€™m glad the site could help you.

Although you havenā€™t pulled the trigger yet, it sounds like you are about to so congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

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 ā€˜name brandā€™ and the comparable mattress we purchased, we saved about $3000.

Iā€™ve already sent many friends this way.

Thank you for this valuable resource.

Ricko

Hi Ricko,

Iā€™m glad you found us and that the site could help you.

Most importantly ā€¦ congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

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,

Iā€™m 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 isnā€™t covered by a warranty so warranties donā€™t offer any protection against this (see post #174 here).

While I canā€™t tell you specifically what is best in your circumstances ā€¦ I can tell you that I would avoid purchasing any mattress where I didnā€™t know the quality of all the materials inside it (which would mean avoiding many of the major brands).

Phoenix

Just wanted to say thanks for this site. It has been very helpful.
I just ordered a 10" Deluxe Memory Foam Mattress from foamorder.com.
Iā€™ll report back when I receive it

Phoenix, great stuff. Hoping you or someone has info on local or regional mattress manufacturers in or near Rochester NY (only found MN). Also specialty retailersā€¦a way to test these manufacturers wares or speak to them.
Thanks in advance

Hi Nysleep,

There isnā€™t a forum list for Rochester NY (the closest lists are in Buffalo, NY and in Syracuse, NY) but there is a local manufacture I think highly of with two stores near you in Greece and Henrietta. You can see some of my thoughts about them in post #4 here and a forum search on Jamestown (you can just click this) will bring up more about them as well.

Over the course of the next few days Iā€™ll take a look around the Rochester area to see if there are any other possibilities there that may also be worth considering.

Phoenix

Thanks, Iā€™ll be stopping there this weekend. Iā€™m pretty sure I can follow the 5 steps and work towards the right mattress materialsā€¦but based on this info, anything jump out to focus on or more importantly avoid?

5ā€™9"ā€™ fairly thin sleep on my side. My wife does as well, also her back. I have lower back pain and alignment is key for me. Comfort I just need to allow enough sink for shoulders (current one sags and too firm in shoulders, at 4 years young).

Thanks again.

Hi Nysleep,

They are knowledgeable and have a more educational approach than a ā€œsalesā€ approach so there is nothing I would specifically look to ā€œavoidā€ there no. As long as you know the specific details of what is in a mattress you are seriously considering then you can identify any weak links in the mattress (with their help or by listing the specs on the forum) ā€¦ especially in the upper layers which are the most prone to softening and early breakdown. When you are dealing with a good local factory then the ā€œvalueā€ of their mattresses would be similar across the entire lineup and higher prices generally indicate higher quality and more durable materials.

Good testing for PPP that is as objective as possible along with knowing the quality/durability of the materials in the mattress will give you the best possible odds of making the best choice based on the criteria that are most important to you.

Phoenix

Yes they were very helpful. Selection was fairly limited though, I did find one that I have a question to the forum:
How good a quality is lura-flex open end offset innersprings? 805 coil is the one I would get as its a queen.

Another mattress I found comfortable, though at a furniture store for comparison:
raymourflanigan.com/iseries-admiration-firm-low-profile-split-queen-mattress-set-492143549.aspx
No one there knew the coil type beyond what is on the link. The memory foam density, ie 3 lb, 4 etc, they couldnā€™t tell me either. I will ask Serta support directly on both, but if anyone has an idea on the coils and how it compares to the lura-flex this would be helpful.
ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: raymourflanigan.com/iseries-admiration-firm-low-profile-split-queen-mattress-set-492143549.aspx

Lumbar support is my biggest concern.