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

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 wonā€™t be long and painful process - thanks to your website.

Iā€™m 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 ā€œvalueā€ 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,

Iā€™m 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 Iā€™m 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 weā€™re 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 ā€˜heaterā€™ and stays very warm, and I get cold and tend to bury myself in blankets.

So weā€™re looking at probably a latex-based bed, but havenā€™t 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 Iā€™ve 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 Iā€™m 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 ā€œbest 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. Thereā€™s 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 ā€œnon splitā€ layering you test doesnā€™t 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 Iā€™m looking forward to your feedback and any questions you may have along the way,.

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix, Iā€™ll check out these links and get testing. Iā€™ll report back on our progress.

I think weā€™ll start with the OMF, since they are closest. Are they a good price/value in your opinion? I donā€™t know that weā€™ll necessarily buy there, but Iā€™m 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 ā€œvalueā€ 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 havenā€™t done some careful testing and it doesnā€™t 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 wouldnā€™t 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 wonā€™t know this until you first make a trip to test it. I wouldnā€™t 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 itā€™s the ā€œrightā€ 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 couldnā€™t 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 isnā€™t 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 ā€œvalueā€ 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 isnā€™t 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,

Youā€™ve 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 ā€œmissing layersā€ in the description and my thoughts about it.

The better options and ā€œpossibilitiesā€ Iā€™m aware of in the Philadelphia / Wilmington area are listed in post #4 here. No matter where you shop ā€¦ itā€™s 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

Phoenix, your help is much appreciated.

I will consider the floor model of Eco Rest and go back to try again. Do you know what is the density # of the 6" latex in this mattress?And wonder if it would work well adding a latex topper while this mattress has a thick layer of wool on top?

Thank you.

Hi hubbs,

I donā€™t know the density (or ILD) of the latex but this isnā€™t important to know anyway when you are testing a mattress locally where your body will tell you all you need to know about the comfort (pressure relief) and support (spinal alignment) of a mattress.

The Eco Rest would be fine for adding a topper but of course you would lose some of the benefits of sleeping on the wool quilting which is very temperature regulating. The wool will compress evenly with a topper and would slightly reduce the amount that the lower layer of latex compressed with weight (it would be a bit more supportive under weight).

I would also keep in mind that if you buy a mattress with the idea of adding a topper when you havenā€™t personally tested the combination, it can introduce a variable which may need some trial and error to get it right. Itā€™s always better if possible to test the specific combination you plan to sleep on in person rather than just part of it. If a mattress is close to your needs and preferences and just needs some ā€œfine tuningā€ then this is much simpler than a more drastic change to a mattress that isnā€™t nearly as close to what you want by itself.

I think that there is real ā€œvalueā€ in testing what you actually plan to sleep on.

Phoenix

I am hoping you can help me out. I have been through 6 beds in 6 months. I have been on a Skyline model Serta for about 6 years- and wanted to duplicate it. I purchased a Serta D Sogno Firm and it is awful-they no longer make the Syline which is a continuous coil with Euro Top. While visiting a friend in California, I slept on her old Tempurpedic in the guest room and loved It! I have a moderate case of scoliosis in upper back, plus lower vertebra disk issues, have avoided surgery through yoga and exercise. I am 5ā€™5 135-140lbs. I purchased a Tempurpedic Contour which was way too firm- hurt my hips. Then exchanged for Cloud Supreme- way too soft- disc going out in mid back. (Princess and the pea?)No more exchanges allowed with Tempurpedic, so purchased the D Sogno, which I am going to sell or return as I wake up aching all over from it. The problem is I dont know if the beds are too firm or too soft- I love the feel of a firm bed with soft top, and also like good memory foam. My sister recommended Dixie Foam in NYC, and I am thinking their Thermopedic Model- stats below. Have you heard of themā€“they make beds onsite which I like, and what do think of this descriptionā€¦any suggestions appreciated as to a different Tempurpedic model you may know of or the one below from Dixie: Or any help as to what I should e looking for in a bed with my specific back issues:

Thermopedic::

Popular for its responsiveness to temperature and weight, this mattress utilizes the latest in foam bedding technology. The combination of a 3" layer of creamy-soft Visco-Elastic Memory Foam atop a 5.5" base of medium firm Hi-Resilience Carbamate makes for a blissful nightā€™s sleep.
Thank you SO MUCH for a reply.

Hi Mamie,

In case you havenā€™t read it already, I think the first place I would start is the first post in this very thread which will give you all the basic information you need to help you make some very good choices (and eliminate the worse ones like Serta and Tempurpedic).

Not only have I heard of them but I think highly of Mark and the quality and value of the mattresses he builds.

Some of the better options and possibilities in the NYC area are listed in post #2 here (and post #7 here has a more categorized list with more details about some of them) and Dixie Foam is certainly one of the best options on the list in terms of the quality, value, and service they provide.

A forum search on Dixie Foam (you can just click this) will bring up more forum posts and information about them.

Connecting with local ā€œexpertsā€ in combination with good testing is always the best way to choose a mattress that relieves your pressure and keeps you in good alignment in all your sleeping positions (which are the two basic functions of a mattress) which is especially important for anyone with back issues.

Phoenix

Phoenix,Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. This is the first time I have been able to get ā€œrealā€ information on what is inside a mattress-you would think it would be simple! I am sold on Dixie Foam but the issue is that I actually live in Maine and would be ordering online without being able to try something out. My questions re two-fold:

  1. Do you know of a similar place in Maine, NH or even Massacchusetts (4 hours away) that offers hi-quality and value? If there is nothing comparable, a drive to NY would be worth the trip to find a good solution
  2. I have read much of your great information on the layers of a mattress and their functionailty. I still feel that sometimes, you can pick what you think are the right support and comfort combinations for your partuclar body, and there is still discomfort. I like memory foam for its ā€œcomformabiityā€, as it is able to adjust around my hip area so that I dont end up with pelvic tilt during the night creating back pain in the morning.Then again too much comfort layering in the top layer can be non-supportive, and causes some of my discs to slip a bit. Too much ā€œfirmnessā€ in the support core layer causes hip and shoulder pain-I imagine from pressure points. I am 58 years old, moderate scoliosis, side sleeper primarily, lower back disc issues, sole user of bed, 5ā€™5" 140 lbs. I dont love Latex (have a Latex International Talatech (I think it is Talalay) pillow - dont love the ā€œbouncyā€ feel). I am thinking I need a max of 2" memory foam support over ???. Not sure about support layer
    Dixie Foam has ā€œHigh-resilience carbamateā€ as support- are you famiiar wioth this foam?

Again, thank you for any help.