Hi the utahn:
I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … if you are looking for a new mattress then the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
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 “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own 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 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 (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
While nothing has a 100% success rate … with a local purchase and for the majority of people … careful testing using the guidelines in the tutorial (rather than just testing for the more subjective “comfort” of a mattress which often won’t predict how well you will sleep on a mattress or how it will “feel” when you sleep on it at home) along with some good guidance from a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests in mind will usually result in a mattress choice that is well inside a suitable comfort/support range and will generally be “close enough” so that if any fine tuning is necessary it would be relatively minor and involve different mattress pads, sheets, mattress protectors, or perhaps even a topper if a mattress is too firm (see post #4 here and post #10 here).
You can see some of my general comments about air mattresses here. While any mattress can be a good match for a specific person because each person’s needs and preferences or the criteria that are most important to them can be very different … in general terms I would tend to avoid them unless there is a very compelling reason that an airbed would be a better choice in “real life” (outside of the many “marketing stories” that you will hear about them) than the many other options or types of mattresses that are available to you. For those that are committed to an airbed and are convinced that there are no other types of mattresses that will meet their criteria then there are some other airbed options that are listed in post #3 here that may be much better quality/value choices than Sleep Number/Select Comfort.
I would put little if any stock into sales claims from manufacturers or online “reviews”. Most online “review sites” are focused more on being “revenue” sites and either don’t provide complete detailed information about products, or take “reviews” from people unqualified to render an educated analysis about a product and then attempt to consolidate those and pass them off as homologated. And the sales claims from manufacturers are generally enticements to get you to purchase a product, not factual data. Proceed with caution in these areas.
It’s possible the foam used could be CertiPUR-US certified, but unfortunately most salespeople aren’t very well educated about product componentry.
Here’s some basic information about latex for your perusal.
I don’t have your zip code, but the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Salt Lake City area (subject to first making sure that they carry the type of mattress you are interested in testing and that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here) are listed in post #2 here. There may be other member of the site who have more information for you about latex retailers in Utah and they can chime in.
I hope that information is helpful to you as you begin your search. Let us know what you find!
Phoenix