Hi HybridQuest
Welcome to The Mattress Underground 
You came to the right place for some guidance on your mattress shopping journey. I’ll start with a little word of caution because giving into the need to “get a mattress within a couple of days” and rushing this process may send you tumbling down a rabbit hole of trials, errors, and frustration and cause you to easily fall prey to marketing stories and sale rep promises.
Sure, we can point to you many companies that “offer the ability to have different levels of firmness in a queen mattress” but I am not sure this will serve you well without determining if the shoulder/hip issues are due to a lack of softness. While your guess that an inappropriate comfort is what causes your shoulder/hip issues may be right, I’d keep in mind there are other causes that you may want to take into consideration along the way.
You don’t describe the type of shoulder/hip issues you are having. Generally, they can be comfort (pressure point) related, support (spine alignment) related, or both. Some causes can include:
• Your needs changing over time due to aging or due to any personal stats and postural changes
• The foams in your current mattress breaking down and allowing your hips and shoulders to bottom out on the firmer layers below
• The foams in your current mattress breaking down and compromising your spinal alignment
• Inappropriate pillow
• Non-rigid and sagging foundation.
• Overlapping of any of the above.
Some questions that will give a better idea and how to guide you.
How long ago did your issues start (When did you first notice them)? Did your husband notice any changes as well? What are your sleeping positions? What is your body type and where do you tend to carry your weight? Did anything else change lately either in your sleeping postures or health-related? What kind of issues are you experiencing (numbness, tingling, etc.)? When in the course of the night do these issues tend to appear? Do they go away during the day? If you can find this info for your current mattress it would be useful to know the mattress type, thickness, and layering of your Sterns and Fosters and a brief history with them. Is mattress durability important to you or are you looking to purchase a temporary mattress that will last you 2-3 years?
This may be very appropriate in your case but again the process of finding a mattress that is a good match for your unique body needs and preferences can be a bit challenging especially if your needs changed over the years. As you most likely read throughout our site, the matching must be based on your PPP ((Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) as well as your stats (height, BMI, sleeping position(s), and any underlying health issues.
You are correct that there are many “other factors than the coils” height …(the coil count, gauge, and coil turn to name just a few) There are far too many variables at work that are interrelated and are responsible for how a mattress interacts with any specific person so judging just based on coil height only would be misleading. The first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or guess what your husband might have experienced with the mattress he tried in the store. If you can provide the details and specifics of the two particular mattresses, he tested I can certainly venture to make some comments. The combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see post #2 here ).
I agree that shorter sleepers have difficulties with zoning and in most cases, it would be unnecessary, especially for petite people. This said it all depends on how deep into the mattress the pocket coil is. The further away your body is, the less you’ll feel any of the zoning. Zoning, in general, is suitable for people that have more difficulty finding a mattress with the right “balance” between comfort/pressure relief (under the shoulders especially) and support/alignment (under the hips/pelvis especially) or who have more challenging circumstances or sensitivities, body types that are more difficult to “match” to a mattress, more complex medical issues, or who have a history of having more difficulty in finding a mattress that works well for them. There is more about zoning in this article and in post #11 here and the additional posts it links to but the only way to know whether any specific mattress (zoned or otherwise) will be a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP will be based on careful testing or your own personal experience.
It sounds like you put in a fair bit of research & consideration on your new mattress already! As mentioned above we’d need more data from you to be able to determine if you can get"around having to do the dual configuration".
[quote] Sleep EZ offers the 360 Hybrid Pillowtop which allows you to choose this split comfort and does not have zoned coils. So my main question is are there any other companies that will do this?
We would consider all latex too, although thinking the hybrid might be less heavy, more breathable, and possibly less expensive. Any help appreciated as I need to get a mattress in a few weeks so I’d like to order in the next day or so…[/quote]
That’s correct, hybrids generally are " less heavy, more breathable, and less expensive" but again it depends on the foams used on top of the coils. Memory Foam is notorious for sleeping hot which would detract from the good ventilation of a pocket coil, Memory foam is also less durable in lower density so you’d need to find the mattress specifications you need to know so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the mattress durability guidelines here
There are thousands of options available for both hybrids and all latex mattresses, but again it really depends on what feel you are looking for in a mattress. You can do a quick You mention Trusted Member of the site[url= https://mattressunderground.com/list-all/item/sleep-ez-factory]Arizona SleepEZ[/url] and I consider them to be among the best in the industry in terms of quality/value, and customer service They can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness, etc.) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs, options, and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else… Their [url= https://sleepez.com/products/360-hybrid-pillowtop]360 Hybrid Pillowtop[/url] has 1188 count 8" pocketed 16 gauge coils with 15 gauge coils around the edge, 2 layers of latex with different comfort levels, and the mattress can be flipped to provide even wear and comfort options as well. Many of the Trusted membersof the site offer latex and latex hybrid mattresses; Trusted member Flexus Comfort Mattress offers a dual comfort latex mattress with both a medium and firm side as well
I am not sure what you’ve read since you found us and if you came across tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make the best possible choices … and know-how and why to avoid the worst ones which would include the major brands such as Serta or any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the quality of the materials inside it. If mattress longevity is of concern you will certainly benefit from reading the Mattress Specifications you need to know here as well as theMattress Durability Guidelines hereto get a better idea of the various materials and how they hold up over time.
Once you’ve done a bit more ‘leg work’ to prepare for discussing your needs with the manufacturer you choose (provided that they are transparent and have your best interests at heart) they’ll generally help find the best option for you and your husband. Do let us know how your search progresses.
Phoenix