I thought i was prepared to shop but this is painful. Need input

Hi all,

I have been reading the articles on layers, construction, how to shop etc, took copious notes and thought i was well prepared to start trying out different mattresses in different stores. There is a limited number of stores, i tried 4 different local ones (Mattress Depot, Sleep Country USA, Mattress Ranch and It’s Bedtime). I guess Mattress shopping is a bit like car shopping. I heard latex is the devil and latex is the greatest. I tried out at least 10 different mattresses in 20 minutes (it was rolling from one to the other commando style). I asked questions about foam density (and got the answer “i don’t know these details” :ohmy: ) and took more notes. Now i need to bounce this off you specialists.

Here is what i know and also gave the sales people:

  • I am a side sleeper and back sleeper, my husband is significantly heavier than i and a back sleeper
  • I have back pain and currently my thigh and arms are numb when i wake up (no circulation)
  • My husband sleeps very hot i do not
  • I lean towards latex but my budget is around $2500
  • I currently have a CalKing but am thinking about switching to a king. Will need to get a platform or boxes for new set up

I tried out a ton of mattresses and these seem to be comfortable:

  1. Sweda Kalmar 8 inch plush - I could not find much on this online but i know material is latex on soy foam http://www.mattressdepotusa.com/product/sweda-kalmar-8-matt-only/
  2. Serta iseries Cardinal SPT = i can’t even find this model on their site anymore but it is a hybrid mattress http://www.serta.com/buy-mattress/mattress-collection/iseries
  3. Pure Latex Bliss “Nutrition” - probably can’t afford this one http://www.latexbliss.com/shop/pure-latexbliss-queen-nutrition-activefusion-regbase
  4. Sealy Posturpedic Camerino Plush - Seems like this is a lower end one so probably not what i want either http://www.sleeptrain.com/sealy-posturepedic-camerino-plush-mattress-512586.html

Thoughts, warnings, advice? HELP!

[/ul]

[/ul]

Hi pievel,

You may be making this much too complicated or technical than it needs to be. The best place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones. Your best chance of success is to follow all the steps one at a time.

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 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 that are involved in each of them 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, durability, and value.

The guidelines in this article will also be helpful as well so you can avoid going to stores where it’s unlikely you will be able to find out the information you need to make an informed choice no matter how their mattresses may feel to you on the showroom floor.

Unfortunately you are also the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own personal testing or sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

I and some of the other more knowledgeable forum members can certainly help you to narrow down your options, help you focus on better quality/value choices that are available to you either locally or online, help you identify any lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you may be considering, act as a fact check, answer any more specific questions you may have along the way, and help with “how” to choose but only you can decide which specific mattress is the best match for you in terms of PPP or all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

You certainly have a suitable budget to be able to purchase a very high quality mattress.

While PPP is the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase … other than PPP a mattress is only as good as it’s construction and the quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label. If you can find out the information listed in this article and post the information on the forum then I’d be happy to make some comments about the quality and durability of the materials in the mattress and the mattress as a whole and let you know if there are any obvious weak links in the mattress. Without this information it’s not possible to make any meaningful comments about the quality or durability of any mattress.

As you can see in the guidelines I linked earlier in this reply I would avoid the major brands such as Serta, Sealy, and Simmons or any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the specifics of the type and quality of the materials inside it.

You can see the specifics of the materials in the Nutrition and some of the other Pure Latex Bliss mattresses in post #2 here. It uses high quality and durable materials (blended Talalay latex) and there are no weak links in the mattress in terms of durability so if you have confirmed that it’s a good match for you in terms of PPP then it would be worth considering although I would make some very careful “value” comparisons with other latex mattresses.

Pure Latex Bliss mattresses also have MAP pricing (minimum advertised pricing) and there are some dealers that sell them for this but dealers are allowed to sell for less as long as they don’t advertise it. If you do decide on one of their mattresses there are some PLB dealers that will ship across the country listed in post #32 here that you can call to use as a pricing reference point and I would start by giving Jeff a call at Matt-To-Go who is one of the members of this site.

Again … I would avoid the major brands completely.

If you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area as well although based on the stores you mentioned the closest forum list to you would probably be in post #2 here. I would always make sure that the store you are visiting can tell you the specifics about the materials inside any mattress you are testing or considering or most of the time you spend testing it will have been wasted.

If you are also open to an online purchase then the tutorial also includes several links to lists of some of the better online options I’m aware of as well (in the optional online step).

Phoenix

HI Phoenix, thank you very much for your reply and your guidance. I see now that while i followed step 1 and 2 i didn’t do my homework on the actual stores and the testing. I have printed out a lot of the links for homework tonight.

My zipcode is 98383 Silverdale, WA and on the stores you linked in the post i did like It’s bedtime from a sales perspective (i would be comfortable buying there) and they had the Latex bliss. Mattress Depot wasn’t bad though the guy scoffed at me for asking about technical stuff. I haven’t tried american furniture though it’s worth a shot. I see that Soaring Hearts is listed as a member for Seattle, i would like to make my way over there but will need some time since it’s a ferry ride for me.

I just also found the listings for Tacoma and it sounds like there are some other good stores on the East side. If i were to pick one or 2, which ones would you suggest?

https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/factory-direct-mattress-manufacturers-near-seattle-tacoma-wa

Hi pievel,

I suspected that’s where you were based on the stores you mentioned so the list I linked includes the closest options or “possibilities” I’m aware of (as long as you can find out the “quality specs” you need to make an informed choice).

If you have spent more than an hour or two on this site and they “scoff” at you for asking about the quality specs of a mattress so you can confirm the type and quality of the materials inside it then it’s very likely that you may know more meaningful information about mattresses and mattress materials than they do and this is just a way to cover up their lack of knowledge by trying to tell you that “only engineers need that type of information” (or something similar) which of course is nonsense because engineers aren’t the only ones that want a durable mattress that will maintain its comfort and support for many years.

Yes they are one of the members of the site which means that I think highly of them. They have some very high quality mattresses but they are also in more premium price ranges (and I would always call any retailer you are considering visiting to make sure they carry mattresses on their floor that meet your criteria and budget) and none of them have any lower quality materials or weak links in their design. They are one of only three manufacturers in the country that makes latex mattresses whose factory has an organic certification (see post #2 here and post #2 here).

I don’t have any specific suggestions because I don’t keep a record of the specific mattresses that each retailer/manufacturer carries on their floor (keeping up with the specifics of all the mattresses on the showroom floors of all the retailers or manufacturers that are listed throughout the hundreds of forum lists would be a bigger job than anyone could keep up with in a constantly changing market) but checking the websites and making some preliminary phone calls to the retailers/manufacturers that are on the list is always a good idea before you visit any store because this will tell you which of them carry mattresses that would meet your specific criteria, are transparent about their materials (ask them if they will provide you with the information listed here about some or all of their mattresses and then only test the ones where they can provide this information), and carry the type of mattresses that you are interested in testing in the budget range you are comfortable with. These initial calls will also give you a good indication of the type of knowledge and service you are likely to encounter at the stores you plan to visit as well and can save you a significant amount of time and frustration compared with waiting to find out all the preliminary information until you actually visit them only to find out that they either can’t or won’t provide it.

Phoenix