Hi s3bash, welcome to The Mattress Underground 
Glad to have you here.
[quote] I am looking for good value matresses but have limited selection to me locally, I live on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, great for sun and sea and weather, not very good matress brand selection.
I have read through a lot of the intro articles here on the site and I’m certain I’ve forgotten most of what it said when I went out to try mattresses today. I visted 4 stores spent most of the day lying on different models and going back and forth AB testing them.[/quote]
We know that it’s a challenge for people in Hawaii to find a decent quality mattress, and many do order products from the “mainland.”, unfortunately the shipping costs are quite high so you’d need to add that to your cost. It’s worth though taking a look at some conversations we have had with Hawaii-Based consumers in This Thread and also This Thread and there is This Thread as well.
While you have looked at some of the articles on the site, you have likely already read ourMattress Shopping Tutorial, you did not mention any of your personal stats that may be relevant to mattress shopping (Height, BMI sleeping position(s) and any underlying health conditions) which are important to understand how they’ll impact your mattress choice in terms of appropriateness and mattress longevity.
[quote]The mattresses that I liked the most are from Stearns and Foster (may have the exact models inforrect as this as I didnt realize all the words were important to model number, except the third one I know that one is correct)
- Hurston estate Luxury cushion firm
- Hurston estate firm pillowtop
- Rockwell estate Firm euro pillowtop
I didnt get any usful info on what they are made of but did learn they all come from a factory on the mainland and are shipped in.[/quote]
Although you did find a few mattresses that you tested and liked, it may be a little bit of a “blind try” as for a couple of reasons.
- If the mattress is made with lower foam densities (inexpensive) then it may lose the qualities that you liked when testing in the shop, usually a year or two down the road and sometimes even months. If you have not already done so, you should take a look at the mattress specifications you need to know as well as the mattress durability guidelines to get an idea of how any potential mattress fits yourpersonal value equation.
- Finding a mattress that is similar to the ones you like may be very difficult, especially as you are the only one that feels what you feel on any particular mattress and it’s very unlikely that two individuals have the same needs, preferences, tested the same mattresses and have enough experience and knowledge to know how all the layers and components in a particular mattress are acting together and will affect each other and interact with any particular sleeper. For a good enough estimation you would need to carefully asses the design and the specs of each mattress that uses exactly the same type of materials in order to determine if that the mattress in its entirety will be a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP(Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences)
The Stearns and Foster mattresses you mention are all memory foam and gel memory foam with pocketed coil support. While you did not provide your stats (height, BMI, sleeping position(s) and any underlying health conditions) its difficult to ascertain how your stats would fare in relation to a memory foam mattress, especially one of unknown materials and density. In general terms, while memory foam is popular with some consumers, It does tend to ‘break down’ much faster. If you have a higher BMI will break down faster yet. These may be perfectly suitable for you, but a word of caution if you are considering any mattress with memory foam or poly materials. I would not buy anything without fully knowing both materials they use, (density and layer thickness being the most important in terms of durability and how long the mattress will maintain its shape). Any lower density memory foams will break down prematurely, and leave depressions or divots on the mattress. Memory foam also can make consumers sleep ‘hot’ if that is an issue, as you live in a warm climate. Are you considering other mattress types, like a hybrid or all latex besides memory foam?
The other mattresses you mention – Purple, Serta, Tempurpedic, Kingsdown and Eastman house all fall in this same category (you may want to take a look at thisarticle on the top 20 mattress retailer)of unknown consistency and density in the foams used.
Local testing will give you a better sense of the many different types of materials and components that are used in mattresses and some reference points about the types of mattresses (see this article) and general firmness levels you tend to prefer which can help you narrow down your choices regardless of whether you end up purchasing locally or online
Though shipping costs are obviously a consideration and based on your preferred material for a mattress, you can take a look at the offerings of the Trusted Members of the site and reach out to them. They have good quality products, disclose the materials used, and have great customer response. If any of these mattress people happen to have experience with the mattresses you liked in the shop, they won’t hesitate to try to closely match the ‘feel’ of a particular mattress to find a suitable new one if you can provide a little information.
I hope this helps,
Basilio