I'm lost and very open to a recommendation

I thought I had done a good amount of research and come to a conclusion on what mattress to buy, UNTIL I found this site…and now I feel underqualified to make this expensive choice :unsure:

What I really want is a recommendation on one or two good online retailers to order from, and I’m hoping I can provide my specs and get a couple model recommendations from pheonix, who appears to be the lord and master of all things mattress-related.

Size: My fiancee and I are moving into a new house and upgrading to a KING bed. We already have a solid frame for it that the sellers left.

Budget: We’re open to investing in a quality bed, somewhere between $1000-$3000. What really matters to us is the value, vs. hitting a specific price point

Material: Based on my research, I’ve decided all-latex or latex-over-foam layered hybrid would be best for us. We are not heavy (both under 170 pounds), so support shouldn’t be a big concern. We do want it to last though.

Softness: Both of us are side sleepers and we like soft beds. I think somewhere between 20-26 IDP, but I’ve discovered that with layers it gets more complicated. Whatever we get will be a significant upgrade for us (currently sleeping on a full-size innerspring with a 3 year old memory foam topper).

Other notes: We don’t want a bed that will sleep hot. It’s ok if it’s somewhat heavy since it’s a king. It seems like a multi-layered bed (without glued layers) would make sense, so we could transport the layers individually if need be.

We are located in Minneapolis, MN and I have seen the detailed post about local options, but I’m comfortable ordering it online (as I do with most things) as long as the members here approve of the seller. Since we don’t have back/joint pain concerns or weight concerns, I don’t think the choice needs to be too complicated. Still, considering the cost and how much time we spend in it, I recognize that I shouldn’t just grab something off the shelf at costco.

Thank you in advance for any advice!

Pete

After reading a bit more, I will clarify a few extra points:

  • Value to me would be a good ratio of cost for materials/craftsmanship. Something that will last long enough to be worth its cost, and still be in the 20-26ish IDP range. If that means I should buy a less expensive mattress and plan to replace it sooner, rather than buy an expensive one and expect to get a long life out of it, I’m open to that.

  • I’m open to going to a store as well, since I can tell that personal preference is so significant for mattresses, I just don’t want to be pressured for a decision like this. I feel like I can make a solid choice online based on the stats and reviews (rather than being misled by a salesperson in a store and then pressured to buy something from them). And it’s definitely not that I don’t want to support local businesses. I just like the options and customization available online.

  • Finally, I was led to this site while looking into the reputation of Astrabeds. Their listing is high on google (good SEO) and their site is very polished and convincing. I NEARLY purchased a soft firmness “harmonybed” from them (until I read about them on this forum). I imagine something similar to that bed would make us happy, but I’d purchase it from a more reputable/cost-effective seller if you’d recommend someone.

Thanks again!

More research has led me to a 10" “Natural Bliss” medium firmness (24-26) Plushbed. Seems like the Plushbeds brand is supported on this forum. The King size is currently $2300 with a set of sheets, mattress pad and pillows (no foundation). Quite a bit cheaper than the astrabed I looked at, with another inch of material.

Does that seem like a decent choice?

I also see that SleepEZ is highly recommended and has a good price and very customizable ordering system…I don’t know what firmness to select for my layers though :slight_smile:

Hi petefree,

The first place I would start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones. As you will read there … I don’t make specific recommendations for either mattresses or companies because I can’t feel what you feel or see you sleeping on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to recommend a specific mattress for someone else based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or theory at a distance (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). The site and answers to your specific questions can help you with “how” to choose but only you can decide “what” to choose.

Post #13 here has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses. While only you can know which mattress or materials you tend to prefer or which parts of your personal value equation are most important to you … I can certainly help you identify any weak links in a specific mattress or make comments about the quality of the materials, act as a “fact check” so that you can make choices based on more accurate information, or answer any other specific questions you may have that I may be able to help with. In general though the most effective approach is to follow all the steps and guidelines in the tutorial post (or the optional online step) one at a time.

Post #2 here and the other posts it links to has more information about the many variables that can affect sleeping temperature so you have a better sense of which types of mattresses or materials (or mattress protectors and sheets and bedding) will have the best chance of keeping you in a more comfortable temperature range over the course of the night.

You have some good options available to you in the Minneapolis area list and regardless of where you end up buying from it’s always a good idea to do some local testing on different types of mattresses and materials so you have better reference points about the types of mattresses you tend to prefer based on actual experience instead of “theory”.

Again … I would tend to buy the highest quality/value mattress you can comfortably afford and where there is either a meaningful difference in the durability of the materials or you can feel a meaningful difference between a particular mattress and other mattresses that are in lower budget ranges in terms of PPP so that any increase in price is justified and that you end up with the best combination of suitability (how well you sleep), durability (how long you sleep well), and the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you and so you can make meaningful comparisons. In terms of durability … post #4 here and the posts it links to has more information about all the variables that can affect durability and the useful life of a mattress relative to a particular person.

I would suggest both because each one can help with your choices with the other. Local testing can help you know the difference between experience and theory and online choices can act as a “value reference” for local choices. I would follow the guidelines and choose one or two local finalists and one or two online finalists and then once you are down to final choices between good and good (see post #2 here) make a final choice between them based on “best judgement” and all the objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

It seems you’ve already read this but for the sake of others that may read this reply as well … you can see some of my comments about Astrabeds and some of their sister companies in post #2 here and in post #3 here and a forum search on Astrabeds (you can just click this) will bring up more information as well. There are certainly better options available to you.

Plushbeds uses high quality materials and there are no weak links in their designs. They are certainly a “better than average” choice compared to most mainstream choices but for most of the forum members here they probably wouldn’t be in the “best value” range compared to the other options that the members here are aware of and are available to them. A forum search on Plushbeds (you can just click the link) will bring up much more information and feedback about them.

As you probably know from your reading here … SleepEZ is one of the manufacturing members of this site which means that I think very highly of them and I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency.

Again though … when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most effective approach is a more detailed phone conversation with an online retailer or manufacturer who can help “talk you through” your options and who will know more about matching their mattresses to different people with different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences and experiences than anyone else.

Phoenix

You perfectly summarized the steps I should take, even better than I thought you would. Thank you very much for your detail.

After I made my original post and read more of the forum, I realized you don’t make specific recommendations (which is commendable), hence me throwing a couple options out there myself in that third post :slight_smile:

I want to wait a couple days until we close on our house to make this big purchase, so in the meantime I’m going to try to make it to Moss Envy to try out their Savvy rest latex mattresses. Then I’ll most likely order a bed from sleepEZ after having a phone conversation with someone there about our needs.

This place is awesome. I will recommend it to friends!

Pete

Hello Petefree,

My name is Joey Holt, Co-Founder and Director of Operations at Astrabeds. It appears that I have reached you a little late (forgive me as we just joined the forum). While I do believe that the content on this site is helpful, its certainly not the sole authority on purchasing a mattress. Phoenix, I invite you to look at our New Organic Latex Mattress Lineup and ask any questions you or your readers may have.

Regards

Joey Holt

Hi Astrabeds/Joey,

You’re certainly correct about this and there are many knowledgeable and experienced manufacturers and retailers in every area of the country and online that do a great job of educating and providing great quality, value, and service to their customers. My role is always to help with “how” to choose rather than “what” to choose and to act as a “fact check” and reference source that can help the members eliminate the worst options and help with how to recognize their better options based on the information and personal criteria and preferences that are most important to them.

I have seen your new site and while I’m a little surprised that you no longer offer Talalay so that your customers have a choice of the type of latex they may prefer … there is no doubt that the organic Dunlop you are using is a high quality material.

Just as a reminder as well … the rules of the forum don’t allow for any self promotion or advertising which would include “invitations to purchase” or to “visit a site” by a manufacturer or retailer or anything that would cross the line from education into marketing although you are always welcome to answer any specific questions the members here may have about your mattresses or to provide more generic or “educational” answers to questions about different materials, components, or mattress designs.

Phoenix