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