Hi Pheonix,
Do you Know of any local manufacturers in the Boston/New England area?
Rich
Hi rjm,
I think that post #2 here should help 
In terms of manufacturers that are near you ā¦ I would focus my attention on the first 3 on the list.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix, I just joined this site - Iām having back issues and I know that my mattress is saggy and not right for me. I went to a Sleepyās today and it was as unpleasant as a used car salesman experienceā¦ I put a deposit on a MySide 6 series - when I got back to my computer and googled that brand I came across another post in this forum where you had some scathing words for that mattress. Iām considering cancelling.
Iām replying to this particular thread because I am also from the Boston area and had a few additional questions:
- How did you come up with that list of mattress stores?
- Jordans?? Really? Iām surprised to hear that they are not the same sleezy used car salesman type of joint as sleepys - whatās different?
- You post a lot of information on this site, including details that are way over my head. I was wondering what your credentials are as far as being a mattress expert?
I can see that you spend a lot of time helping people on this site and would like to extend a big thank you!
Hi kregan,
The first thing I would recommend is to read this article which gives a good sense of where I believe you are far more likely to find the best quality and value and why.
Buying a mattress is one of the most important purchases you can make and has a major affect on both the quality of your sleep and the quality of your waking life as well. It only makes sense to me to make a purchase from an outlet where you can actually find out what is in your mattress so you can make more meaningful comparisons with others based on the quality of the materials and the suitability of a mattress for your needs and preferences. Knowing how to do this or better yet to work with someone that has years of experience and already knows, is happy to share with you what they know, and is more inclined to find the best mattress for you rather than the most profitable mattress for them, only makes sense to me. Buying a mattress without knowing what is in it is like buying a car and only knowing what it looks like and having no details of what is actually in it.
I have a list of almost all the local mattress manufacturing in North America and when someone comes to the forum from a particular area ā¦ I give them the list of the local manufacturers that are near them. Sometimes I also include some of the better retail outlets that I know about (and the brands they sell which may include some mattresses which have better value). These are based on my online research and/or conversations with the outlets. Every local manufacturer or sleep shop of course isnāt āgreatā but knowing that they are there and knowing that you have better odds of getting reliable information and finding better quality and value makes meaningful comparisons much easier. It is usually a list of places which are worth including in your research and which often includes comments with a brief description what I know about them or my thoughts about them. The only āofficialā recommendations I make are the manufacturers and outlets that are members of the site (which is by invitation only). Of course over the course of time there are likely to be several dozen more members which I consider to be the ābest of the bestā in terms of their quality, value, and service.
They make their own line of mattresses and are much more transparent about how they make them and the materials they use than the major brands. While they are not in the same quality and value range as many manufacturers ā¦ they go on the list because they are a local factory direct manufacturer with ābetter than averageā value and worth including in someoneās research if for no other reason than as a reference point. The other brands they carry I would ignore of course. Besides ā¦ a visit to their āsleep labā with āuniformed attendantsā may be worth it
The only ācredentialsā I have are a willingness to do the research and talk with the most knowledgeable people in the industry and to āamalgamateā what I have learned (and what they have been so generous to share with me) and put it all into one place. This site is the result of literally thousands of hours of conversations with people in the industry (many of whom have made mattresses for generations) and thousands of hours more of research into materials, specs, and mattress design theory. This is added to actual testing of mattresses to āmake senseā out of what I have learned.
The main goal of this site is to help educate consumers and connect them with the better retailers and manufacturers that have the best quality, value, and service and to help people understand how to know the difference. The first article on the front page includes the reasons why this site exists.
Of course thereās much more than this and there was some synchronicity involved that led to this website but in essence ā¦ I tend to enjoy projects that involve both extensive technical research and intuitive or āright brainedā processes in equal combinations. I also enjoy helping people and in this industry there is a genuine need for better and more reliable information. If you had told me two years ago that I would be spending 16 hours a day 7 days a week doing this I would have told you that you were crazy ā¦ yet here I am!
Of course if you want an alternative version of what qualifies me ā¦ you can find it here
Youāre very welcome ā¦ and thanks for posting your questions.
Phoenix
Iām planning a visit to Worley Beds in New Bedford this week, itās about two hours away from me in CTā¦ but they do have a good reputation and I will have the opportunity to see a few mattress styles Iām considering. Or I can spend ALL DAY driving around CT trying to find stores where I can try a bed at each. Itās worth it to me to have multiple choices at one location. Plus after two hours itāll be nice to lay down for a few :cheer:
I hope you post your experience here. I visited Mattress Maker in Brockton today - itās very much a warehouse setting with a room with a few mattresses laying around for you to try. I really liked one of them but I feel like maybe I didnāt ask enouhg questions. They had the materials the yuse lying around and the one I liked had a latex core and a memory foam top. Queen size was only $1250 with box spring!!! My āget what you pay forā instinct is screaming right nowā¦ I might call them back and ask for a full list of materials, layer by layer. The guy was saying how he uses all the same raw materials that the big names like sealy/certa/etc. use when I asked him what the difference between his mattress and the big name brands was.
Like kregan1013, I went to a Sleepyās store looking for a latex mattress and their only option was Kingsdown/MySide. My wife and I lay down on it for an extended period of time and were comfortable and interested. Based on some machine analysis for recommended firmness, I was a blue and she was a green. The cost was in the vicinity of $3500. I hadnāt heard of the brand so didnāt want to purchase or deposit on something that expensive until I done some further research. Luckily, I found this site which has a wealth of information and I think it put me right.
Our last two mattresses lasted less than 18 months each before they sagged enough for my wife to frequently wake up in the morning with a sore lower back so Iām looking at spending a little more for something more durable. I live in NJ and my wife is not keen on going to another mattress store therefore Iām looking to buy online. Iām 6ā 0" and 190 lb while my wife is 5ā 5" and 160 lb. Weāre both side sleepers but if sleeping comfortably will end up on our backs. She likes it softer than me.
I like the look of SleepEZ range of latex mattresses as they have customizable layers of Tatalay (blended or natural) and/or Dunlop natural at what I think are very reasonable prices. Iāve contacted them regarding their Natural Latex Mattress 10,000 Eastern King and they were very helpful. Iām looking at the following layer combination:
Me: soft, firm, extra firm
She: soft, medium, firm
the top layer being Tatalay blended and the lower two being Dunlop.
If this doesnāt work out then we can always swap out the middle layer.
If all goes as planned, then we may well save $1500 and have a longer lasting and more comfortable bed.
Hi kregan1013,
āYou get whet you pay forā can certainly be true when comparing mattress within a certain outlet where all the mattresses may have similar value but it also may be true in different ways when comparing mattresses made by different types of outlets because what you are paying for can include many factors that most people donāt consider and are āhiddenā or obscured. For example ā¦ when you are buying a mattress from a major brand that is being sold through a typical chain store ā¦ you are paying for multiple levels of much higher profit margins (each one built on the pricing of the level below it), a much larger infrastructure, training and support programs, more people who each need to āeat from the same pieā, investment groups and shareholder interests and pressures, and advertising that is designed to enhance a particular marketing story rather than focus on actual materials, construction, or education.
In most cases ā¦ all manufacturers have access to the same materials as any other (with only a very few exceptions) but it is what happens in between the manufacturer of the components or the foam and a final consumer purchase that makes the biggest difference. In general ā¦ smaller manufacturers use higher quality materials and charge significantly lower prices than even the best (fake) sale prices of the larger outlets ā¦ even if these sale prices have been even further discounted through ānegotiationā. Very few people are truly aware of how easy it is to influence consumer perception in the absence of real information about the quality of materials used in a mattress and how far the majority of larger manufacturers will go in their efforts to make meaningful comparisons difficult or even impossible.
It is easy to validate this with the questions you are asking. Simple questions such as what type of latex are you using, what is the density of the memory foam, what are the other materials in the mattress can and will be answered by a manufacturer who wants you to know but will be avoided or only partly answered at best by a manufacturer who wants to avoid the types of comparisons that lead to real value.
In the case of David at The Mattress Maker ā¦ he is exceptionally knowledgeable about mattress materials and is more than happy to share what he puts into his mattresses ā¦ and what other more mainstream mattresses do as well. He is also planning to move into a larger showroom where he will be able to show more of his mattresses.
In any case ā¦ I certainly understand the confusion and the āvoicesā that are screaming. These are the same voices that the major players that currently dominate the industry count on to steer consumers in the direction of their marketing tactics and āstoriesā and discourage the distribution of more meaningful information and comparisons.
So āyou get what you pay forā is more true when comparing different mattresses made by the same manufacturer in the same outlet, slightly less true when comparing different manufacturers in the same outlet, and more untrue than true when comparing completely different types of outlets or manufacturers where basically identical or even superior mattresses can cost much less than even the ābestā sale prices in outlets that are more oriented towards marketing and profit margins than quality, value, and service.
Phoenix
Hi noroke61,
IMO ā¦ Your current choice is certainly better than the one you were considering before which is a LOT of money to pay for a machine (which isnāt as accurate as it could be anyway) and a whole lot of lower quality foam. The āscientificā story that is being sold by Kingsdown may have some relevance and even some truth behind it but it also is a reason to charge exorbitant prices for the mattress that it says is your best āfitā. No machine can take into account all the infinite variables which come together to make āyour perfect mattressā. At best it is a guideline and accurate testing with the guidance of a knowledgeable person (or even online guidance with enough information about your needs and preferences) can be much more accurate.
There may be a few better outlets in NJ and surrounding areas that may either be better choices than the chain stores or provide a general reference point for an online purchase (in terms of how Dunlop and Talalay of different firmness levels feels for each of you). If you let me know which city in NJ you are from ā¦ Iād be happy to let you know of any that Iām aware of.
Itās always great to see one more person discover that the more heavily advertised brands, āstoriesā and outlets are nowhere close to being the best value in a mattress and find the ābetter choicesā that are available to them
Iām glad you did a bit more research before making your purchase!
Phoenix
Ahh yes, David - he was actually not in the showroom and another gentleman helped me - I do have Davidās card though so maybe Iāll call him back.
The other guy, I forget his name, was friendly but he wasnāt getting into specific details of what was in the mattress (and I didnāt really know or think to ask the right questions). I know the one that I liked supposedly had a big chunk of latex (I think he said IDL 32??) and then memory foam as the cushion on top. I also asked him about the issue with memory foam and sleeping āhotā and he said that that was mainly a problem with tempurpedic brand mattresses because their foam is so dense. Is it true that you can sleep on memory foam and not suffer from the heat issues? I tend to get hot easy so that is a pretty big issue for me.
Thanks again for all the information, you do mattress buyers everywhere a great service!
Hi kregan1013,
The latex would likely be a 6" support core and the 32 ILD (indentation load deflection) would be the level of firmness of the foam. This would be considered in the medium range.
Memory foam is one of the three main categories of foam (memory foam, polyfoam, and latex) and as a category it tends to sleep the warmest of the three. This is because it has less open cells and because you will tend to sink in more deeply into memory foam and it closely forms itself around the shape of the body so acts as a better insulator. There are dozens if not hundreds of different types of memory foam though each with a specific combination of qualities. Tempurpedic tends towards the warmer end of the memory foam range compared to other memory foams of similar density.
As a general rule ā¦ lower density memory foam will tend to be more open celled and breathable, faster reacting, and cooler. They give up in durability however what they gain in other qualities. There are some types of denser memory foam which are more open celled and there are also other methods that are used to help memory foam sleep cooler (such as punching holes in it). There is more about the different qualities of memory foam and some of the tradeoffs involved in post #9 here and there is more about the different parts of what makes a mattress sleep warmer or cooler in post #2 here.
It is not uncommon for people to choose slightly lower density memory foam (in the 4 lb range) in the top layer of a mattress in order to gain some of other qualities they are looking for and are willing to ātradeā durability for these qualities. As a general rule though ā¦ if someone is more than 200 lbs I would think carefully about using memory foam in densities under 5 lbs unless the layer was quite thin (so the softening would have less of an overall effect on the mattress).
Even for those who tend to sleep hot ā¦ using natural fibers in your bedding (sheets, mattress protector, any toppers or mattress pads) instead of synthetic polyester and a more breathable mattress ticking (cover) or certain specialty fabrics such as coolmax can help reduce temperature. Different types of additions to foam such as gels (which absorb heat through convection like a marble countertop) or phase change materials can also slightly reduce sleeping temperature if they are close to the surface of the mattress and not underneath other thicker layers.
There is certainly a lot to learn for those who tend towards more detailed research but I personally believe it is more effective to find someone who already knows what you want to know and willingly shares it. Post #15 here has some thoughts about this which in essence says that the more the person who is giving you guidance knows ā¦ the less you have to know.
Hope this helps
Phoenix
I talked to them again at the mattress maker and found out htat the memory foam is 4.3 density but they also have 3.3 and 5.3. Iām 190lbs and the 4.3 felt good so I figure that should be fine. He said that the mattress has no poly foam at all - just 9" latex 32 ILD and 3" of the memory foam. Still seems like an unbelievably good deal at $1299 (including box springs)!!
Hi kregan1013,
I agree that the value is excellent and if the mattress āworksā for you in terms of pressure relief, alignment, and preferences ā¦ I wouldnāt hesitate to buy it.
Phoenix
Visited Worley today, it was a nice experience. I was suprised at the ammount of different mattresses he has on display. I was expecting a few of their in house mattress and a Pure LatexBliss or two but they had a lot more. No pressure and as informative as I needed. If youāre on the fence about what type of mattress (i.e. latex, inner spring, memory foam, etc) one showroom and try them all! And again, no pressure to go one way or another.
I donāt know why, but just looking at their website I get a better feeling than the place in Brockton. It may be silly, but something about how it feels like a couple of guys hocking mattresses out of a garage at the place in Brockton bugs me a bit. Unfortunately, I canāt find reviews online for either of the places which would be a bit more settling 
Worley is a family business. Patrick (thatās who I spoke with) has been around the Mattress business his whole life. Their website may not be to fancy, but Iād rather they make a great mattress than a great website! I spent over an hour there and didnāt even realize it, comfortable atmosphere and lots of beds to lay in :cheer:
If youāre not going after the 100% Latex stuff, their in house brands can save a lot of $$$. PLB Nature is $2600 (set), their latex core, double sided premium mattress is $1800 (set) for Queen size. $800 more than pays for the gas to get there and a nice lunch on the water too.
Phoenix,
Hi. This is my first post - just registered today after stumbling onto this site and reading the forum for hours last night. This seems like and honest legitimate site with good information. (Didnāt totally understand your ābackboneā story about yourselfā¦but guess I get the drift :-).
Iāve noticed you often recommend going to a local manufacturer if possible. I hadnāt even thought of that but there is one here in my city of Evansville, Indiana and it has been here over 50 years. It is called Mattress Factory Showroom. Here is the website link. mattress-factory.com. I read and really liked their verbiage on Memory Foam Myths on the sidebar and the About Us info. (Not sure about the apparent only āChristianā businesses Link)? I think I remember buying a Queen innerspring set there many years ago that is now in a guest bedroom. Anyway, I got all excited about gong there until I saw their RETURN POLICY which reads, āReturns ā¦ Mattress Warranty: When it comes to bedding there are many restrictions and regulations regarding returns. While most of our mattresses do come with a warranty, our warranty is for repairing structural defects. The Indiana Board of Health restrictions prohibit us from exchanging or allowing returns. However we can repair your mattress. All Other Productsā¦ We offer a 30 day exchange warranty on defective productsā¦ā After all my perusing on the net at many different sites, almost all of them offer an in-home trial of 30, 45, 60, or 90 days, albeit with some fees/charges probable. It seems kind of risky buying an expensive set with no chance of return, doesnāt it? Also, under their mattress sets link on the sidebar, you only get, āMattress Sets: Currently we do not have any mattresses available online. Our site is still under construction so please check back with us soon. Until then, you can stop in our showroom to see our full line of mattress sets.ā What do you or any forum members think? Thanks so much!
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Hi podbay1,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum!
The fictional story about the āilluminati conspiracyā was written on another forum when I was in a light hearted mood one Christmas Eve in response to a question āhow come you know so muchā. I used to get asked this fairly often and of course the real answer is that I have sought out (and still do) and had dozens of very knowledgeable people who have been in the industry or who have made mattresses for a long time be kind enough to share their thoughts with me about mattress construction, materials, and the industry as a whole. In addition to this I have done thousands of hours of research, both technical and otherwise, to help explain why some of these ideas seemed to conflict with each other when they all seemed to be āauthoritativeā and in an ongoing effort to answer the many questions of āwhyā does someone believe what they do. On that night though ā¦ and maybe it was the couple of glasses of wine I had ā¦ I thought I would answer the question in a more lighthearted and ādifferentā way
Yes ā¦ local manufacturers and better sleep shops that carry local or alternative brands are almost always the source of much higher quality in combination with better value. They are also much more accountable to their local community and consumers and tend to have the knowledge and skills that can help their customers make much better choices.
There are several factory direct manufacturers relatively near you (including Mattress Factory Showroom)
https://www.sterlingmattress.com/ Herrin, IL. Factory direct manufacturer. They are a little farther away but still within 100 miles. I have talked with Mike the owner and he makes a wide range of mattresses including innerspring mattresses with higher quality polyfoam and construction methods that make the mattress more durable. Also carries latex mattresses and memory foam. They are also a member of this site which means I believe they complete well with the best in the industry. He is āmattress peopleā and is committed to making a good mattress at a good price. He can customize a mattress according to the needs of each person and has been making mattresses for almost 20 years. There are some comments about them in this thread and they would be well worth the drive if they were close enough.
mattress-factory.com/ (factory direct) and superiormattress.com/index.htm (sells wholesale only). Evansville, IN. While I donāt have specific knowledge of their mattresses or prices ā¦ they certainly fit the profile of the type of manufacturer that I like and their website has good information and what I consider to be āaccurateā and helpful information on it. They also seem to use quality materials and the odds are good that their quality and value is also good. I would definitely include them in my research.
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http://www.wisebuyingmall.com/bandybedding Owensboro, Louisville, Bowling Green, KY. Another local factory direct manufacturer. I have talked with John there (the founder Maryās son) and he is very open, honest, and knowledgeable. Makes a full range of mattresses including memory foam, latex, and high quality polyfoam with good quality and value. Would also be well worth including in your research. They are truly āmattress peopleā.
bowlesmattress.com/html/where2.htm Evansville, IN. They are a regional factory direct manufacturer in Jeffersonville that has their own outlets and also sells through various retail stores. They also make a full range of mattresses and are a licensee for Lady Americana as well. There are two retail outlets (not owned by Bowles) in Evansville. One of them is a factory outlet (which means they at least 20 models on their floor) and one is a showroom outlet (at least 12 different models). These are more āretail directā outlets.
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Furniture RowĀ® Store Locations - Store Hours & Addresses Evansville, IN Regional factory direct manufacturer. They make a āmostly latexā mattress which can include either a latex or memory foam topper in addition to traditional innerspring/polyfoam mattresses. The mattresses they make use good quality materials for their budget range and have good value but I would not consider the other brands that they carry.
Locations Directory | Mark's Mattress Outlet Retailer with many stores in the area. Carries their own line of private label memory foam and latex mattresses called Sleep Natural that may include some better quality/value options. I would avoid the major brand and liquidation mattresses that they also carry.
I am not a big fan of return or refund policies for local purchases because all it really does is increase the odds that someone will make a poor decision (thinking they can return it anyway instead of carefully testing the mattress) and increases the cost of the mattresses at the outlet as well. Most local manufacturers or better retailers have the knowledge to help you choose a mattress that is best for you and many manufacturers will make adjustments to the mattresses they sell at a reasonable cost which means that you are not starting all over again but simply fine tuning what you already know from your testing is very close to what you need and prefer. This is a far more 'accurate" and cost effective policy in combination with an outlet that is knowledgeable and doesnāt apply pressure or use marketing techniques to gimmicks to sell their mattresses.
Of course when someone is buying from a mass marketing outlet or chain store ā¦ then the odds are much greater that you will buy a mattress that doesnāt work based on sales techniques and the managed perceptions of a showroom rather than careful testing with the help of someone who really knows mattresses so in this case a return or exchange policy may be necessary and the cost of this is built in to their much higher profit margins (lower quality mattresses at higher prices). These policies however are usually put together in such a way that any mattress exchange actually becomes a new profit center and a āreasonā to get you to spend more money than you already have.
With a online purchase where you cannot test the mattress first ā¦ a refund or exchange policy makes much more sense and can help to alleviate the āriskā of buying a mattress that you havenāt personally tested.
My overall thoughts about Mattress Factory Showroom and the other outlets I listed are that your odds are much higher that you will find the kind of knowledge, guidance, quality, and value that will help you make much better choices than most of the other options available in your area. You have some very good choices here and I would certainly focus on these 5 over any other outlets in your area.
Phoenix
I am trying to make a decision for an online purchase of new mattress. I live in a semi-rural area with no good access to try out much, except did get to try some tatalay options at Denver Mattress to at least see how it felt. A little unclear because they call their product HeveaPur but I was told itās tatalay. I think there are better online options for price. I have read lots of your info but still confused when presented with options, and trying to keep within a modest price range (maybe $1500 tops?). Certainly understand that tatalay is a more expensive option. But my limited experience was that when on top of 3" of a fairly soft version,(Denver lists it as 14 ILD) with a 6" 32 ILD support system, it felt good. But that was one expensive product (one in their āorganicā line).
I am a side sleeper and have had issues with arm numbness with current old mattress. And lower back issues. My weight is 155. I am very active so also appreciate comfort after a hard day of activity e.g., cyclingā¦ I also tend to sleep hot.
I have looked at a few other options; some do use Dunlop but I am concerned it will feel too firm for me, not sure of how comfortable it would feel as a comfort layerā¦ Although price is certainly better., This included My Green Mattress, couple of options with Dunlop totally or the Natural Escape with the coils. Talked to helpful sales person Kathy who also mentioned their Katharine model at their main? Quality Sleep location that could be shipped to me, again coil base. But also started looking at Sleep EZ options; havenāt had chance to talk with themā¦ Their natural line is more in price range probably but they list their tatalay as blended; that confuses me. I do like that I could easily switch out a layer if itās not working in the future, vs a whole new bed. Their organic line is enticing but up there in price, depending on number of layers purchased.
Based on your info and my limited testing do think I need a 3" layer at the comfort layer level. Not sure if I know at this point if coils are okay (Denver Mattress did have tatalay on top of coils, that did feel okay but also had about 2.5" of combination of foam in upper padding, some of which described as 1.8 lb density convoluted foam; somehow thinking I donāt want that due to possible long term durability questions and possible to warm of product for me.) I really donāt know if there might be concerns with a blended tatalay product. I donāt understand how that affects the product.
Any insight would be helpful, other options for online companies also although I certain have been going through list of those you have listed. (Also looked at Sedona Mattress but think donāt want separate tatalay layer).
Thanks for all of your information, certainly has given me some insight for sure before getting a mattress.
Hi msmandy,
If you let me know your city or zip code Iād be happy to let you know about any of the better options or possibilities Iām aware of in your area.
The choice between different types and blends of latex is more of a preference and budget choice rather than a ābetter/worseā choice and any type or blend of latex is a durable material relative to other types of foam materials. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and more about how Dunlop compares to Talalay in general in post #7 here but the best way to know which type or blend of latex you tend to prefer will be based on your own testing and/or your own personal experience.
Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here relative to your weight range ā¦ the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a ābetter/worseā choice (see this article). The most reliable way to know which types of materials or mattresses you tend to prefer in general will be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience.
There is also more about convoluted foam in post #2 here. You are right that convoluted layers will generally be less durable than solid layers of the same material.
Iām not sure what youāve read since you found the site but just in case you havenāt read it yet ā¦ the first place I would 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 ā¦ 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 youāve 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 āmatchā for you in terms of ācomfortā 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 doesnāt turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the āvalueā 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 I can certainly help with āhowā to choose ā¦ itās not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first āruleā 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 make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best āmatchā for you in terms of ācomfortā or PPP or how a mattress will āfeelā to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or ātheory at a distanceā 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 mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
You may have seen this already but if you are looking at online options then the mattress shopping tutorial includes several links to lists of many of the better online options Iām aware of (in the optional online step) that include many different types and categories of mattresses in a wide range of budgets, firmness levels, and with different return/exchange policies that may also be worth considering.
One of the links is to a list of the members here that sell mattresses online and many of them sell latex and latex hybrid mattresses that use different types and blends of latex that have a wide range of different designs, options, features, return and exchange policies, and prices that would be well worth considering.
When you are looking at online options and you canāt test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help ātalk you throughā the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and āfeelā of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best āmatchā 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 āaveragesā of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about āmatchingā their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
I or some of the more knowledgeable members of the site can help you to narrow down your options, help you focus on better quality/value choices that are available to you either locally or online, help you identify any lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress, act as a fact check, answer many of the specific questions you may have along the way that donāt involve what you will āfeelā on a mattress, and help with āhowā to choose but only you can decide which specific mattress, manufacturer, or combination of materials is ābest for youā regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or whether anyone else (including me) would have the same criteria or circumstances or would make the same choice.
In its simplest form choosing the ābest possibleā mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then ā¦
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Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of ācomfortā, firmness, and PPP ā¦ and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or āfine tuneā the mattress and any costs involved if you canāt test a mattress in person or arenāt confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.
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Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.
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Comparing your finalists for āvalueā based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Phoenix