Local sleep shop

Hello Pheonix, I almost took the plunge to buy a Comforpedic Seabrook or the Temperpedic cloud supreme untill I found your website the day before. I love this site and the information you provide. I was wondering if you had any recommendations of good stores to shop at for my area? I currently live in east Tn. 37615 . I will keep reading and learning, but it would be easier if there was a listing of the top ten mattresses based on quality of materials from this site. Thanks for all your help… John

Hi shadowman1jb,

I’m glad you found us before you pulled the trigger on the Comforpedic or the Tempurpedic both of which aren’t the best value compared to other mattresses that use similar of better quality materials and/or sell for better prices.

Some of the better options or possibilities in your area that I’m aware of are listed in post #2 here.

Some other options that are a bit further away if you are in the mood to travel a bit more (or at least call and talk with them on the phone to see if a trip would be worth it) are listed in the Knoxville list in post #2 here and in the Hendersonville/Asheville list in post #4 here and in the Hickory list in post #2 here.

There are also some wholesale manufacturers in the lists (based in NC and TN) that have retail outlet finders on their site which would be worth searching for retailers in your area that carry them.

It would be great if this was possible but the truth is that mattress manufacturers all have access to the same materials so there are dozens of smaller independent or local manufacturers across the country which use good quality materials and sell mattresses with great quality and value that are sold either factory direct or through local sleep shops or online. Any of these would be a better choice than the mattresses that are purchased by the vast majority of consumers. 22 of them are members here but even this is nowhere near a complete list of the “best of the best” across the country and a “top 10” list of manufacturers or better sleep shops would exclude most of the better choices across the country that make and/or sell much higher quality and value mattresses. Many of the better manufacturers are only available locally or regionally and a top 10 list would exclude most areas of the country.

A top 10 list of mattresses would be even more unrealistic because different people have such a wide range of different needs and preferences that trying to put a “top 10” (or even top 100) list of mattresses together would exclude most of the population from finding a mattress that was best suited to their individual needs, preferences, and budget range.

It also wouldn’t take into account that a mattress purchase involves more than just finding the best quality and value because even the best quality and value mattress may be completely unsuitable for a particular person and there are more than 10 different types of people (based on body types, sleeping positions, preferences, and budget ranges). The “best” mattress for any particular person is the one that best “fts” their individual needs and preferences and includes all the objective, subjective, and intangible benefits that come from both the mattress and where you buy it from (see post #46 here). All of these together are part of any mattress purchase and involve more than just the mattress. Who you buy from can be even more important than what you buy.

While It would certainly make my job easier … it just wouldn’t be realistic :slight_smile:

Phoenix

I am more confused now than ever. I have done research on this website and have visited multiple showrooms to see what type of mattress me and my wife like and it would be the Tempurpedic cloud supreme or the Posturpedic Seabrook. I narrowed it down to one of the members of this sites company for a knock off version. But there is multiple negative reviews on this company and that is scary. I personally run a business and I do pay a monthly fee to BBB so of coarse I have an A+ rating so I do understand the system. I also had a downgrade from one of my creditors from a report from Dunn & Bradstreet to my creditor after I rejecting giving them any more money for a newer evaluation. I initially gave them $1,200 to get established. a couple years later when I told them I was established and didn’t seek any more of there services they contacted my suppliers. next thing I am downgraded. All businesses take note of this.

Back to the mattresses, I do like some of the mattresses I have seen from the members such as Select Foam Cirrus Supreme, They use a soy gel foam for the support layer and gel memory foam for top. but they don’t state what the base is made out of. I understand the Latex is the more durable over time and that would be a plus as long as it doesn’t make the mattress too springy. Another member of this site Rocky mountain mattress uses a 6" Talalay latex base from what I understand would be good. but they use Bayer foam and I have read that may not be the best memory foam, I don’t know what the Bayer foam feels like and question how far off from the Temp.cloud supreme or Seabrook. Me and my wife don’t like the super soft Talalay latex feel for the top, we like the cool gel memory foam feel like the cloud supreme or Seabrook. My wife wants me to just go buy the Seabrook, but I know I can get a better mattress for less I just need to find it, but I don’t want to get ripped off. Is there a mattress with latex base and gel foam top from good components that is like the Cloud supreme or Seabvrook? any suggestions.

I want to believe that this site would only have credible members and that not just anyone can join if they pay the fees. Somehow the consumer needs to have confidence in the members and I hope I have that here. I think you do an outstanding job Pheonix and I greatly appreciate your services. I think the members should be grateful to have such a Knowledgeable person as the leader. Thanks… John.

Hi shadowman1jb,

I think that testing mattresses made by major manufacturers can end up doing more to confuse than to help because no matter how they feel in a showroom … you are making a blind purchase and since you can’t feel quality or durability all that happens is that you waste a lot of time testing mattresses that aren’t worth buying but also can’t be used as a reference point or compared to other mattresses. This is the reason for the first guideline in this article which suggests avoiding them completely (and the chain stores that sell them) The only exception I would consider is if I knew the quality of all the materials and layers and they were good quality materials and value which unfortunately you aren’t likely to find. Excluding the worst choices (which is probably about 75% of them or more) will help you focus on the better ones without being overwhelmed and frustrated by the lack of information or misleading information that you will encounter or worse yet spending the time and adding to the confusion.

There are also some guidelines in post #1 here which can greatly increase your chances of finding the most suitable mattress that has the best possible quality and value.

One of the mainstream mattresses that I would use though for testing purposes though is Tempurpedic because they can be a model for other memory foam mattresses with similar or better quality and much better value. Most manufacturers of memory foam mattresses have a good idea of how their mattresses compare to the various Tempurpedic models and some have even designed and tested their mattresses to be as similar as possible in terms of both feel and performance and the type of layering and materials inside.

I agree with your thoughts about the BBB and know many examples where good businesses have in effect been held to ransom by a single complaint (such as an “F” rating) which “magically” disappeared the day after they joined and changed to an “A”. while they do perform a service … they are not my favorite business (and that’s all they are). The article and video here done by ABC News also has some good information about the BBB that is well worth watching.

To me … how a business deals with complaints is much more telling than the complaints themselves. The bigger the business of course the more complaints there tends to be (just by the law of averages) so the number of complaints can also be misleading in some cases.

The soy gel foam is actually a comfort layer or a “transition” layer (memory foam or gel memory foam is too soft to be used as a support layer in any mattress although some memory foam is relatively more “supportive” than others and is used as a transition layer) and the support layer under all the memory foam is made of polyfoam. I’m not certain (and they will tell you when you talk with them) but I believe the density of their polyfoam is 2.1 lbs or higher.

I don’t know where this came from but they are exceptionally knowledgeable about memory foam and they use good quality materials in all their mattresses (or good quality within a budget range because the lowest budget mattresses may not have the same quality materials as higher budget mattresses). If you have any doubts about the quality of the materials they use I would encourage you to talk with them. They wouldn’t be able to compare their mattresses to the Comforpedic Seabrook but most manufacturers would have a good idea of how their mattresses compared or at least approximated the Tempurpedic lineup. They also sell Aerus, Sensus, and Venus memory foam so they would be well able to tell you how their Bayer memory foams compared to other types of memory foam. They have some videos here which can give you a sese of how different memory foams respond and will also custom build a memory foam mattress.

I think it’s good to question any so called “expert” or “consumer information” site because many of them are not what they seem to be. How the members of this site are chosen and its neutrality have all have been challenged in the forum on many occasions and this is as it should be from time to time. Nobody is infallible and information is constantly changing. The last paragraph in post #2 here and the articles and much more lengthy post it links to go into much more detail about how the members here are chosen (it’s by invitation only and most merchants wouldn’t qualify for membership unless they really were among the “best in the country” in some quantifiable way).

I would also say it’s much more accurate to say that I “follow” the better manufacturers rather than in any way lead them. They have been in existence for much longer than I or this site have and much of whatever I may know has come from talking with dozens of good people who have spent many years manufacturing mattresses and willingly shared years of knowledge, experience, and information with me.

I would certainly recommend any member of this site and would encourage anyone who has an interest in any of the mattresses they make to talk with them and ask any questions that they may have. They are all open, knowledgeable, and transparent and all of them in different ways have exceptional quality, value, and service. I was suggesting almost all of them as great choices long before this website existed or I even had any thought of putting it together.

Hope this helps and while it’s unfortunate that you spent the time with the Seabrook (or most mattresses from major manufacturers where the layering or quality of materials isn’t known). While some of the materials are better quality (you can see the general layering here) such as the latex under the memory foam … there are also some lower quality materials (such as the memory foam) and worse yet is that they go to such great lengths to keep the most important information about the quality of the materials they use invisible. While because of the lack of information it will have little value to you either as a purchase or as a point of reference … at least your experience with the Tempurpedic can be very helpful as a reference point.

Phoenix

I wanted to start out by saying that I believe out of all the research I have done and all the help you have given me Pheonix I have decided that the best mattress for me is from Rocky Top mattress. You were right Pheonix, Dave the sales manager there really knows what he is selling. I was questioning his foam yesterday, but after talking with him it is clear he is knowledgable. I run a business and that’s how I sell, with information. I do believe he is focused only on quality materials.

I was looking at the Tempurpedic Cloud supreme and the Cloud luxe. The makeup of the mattresses are listed below.

The Cloud Supreme make up is:
2" Gel Infused Memory Foam
2" of 5 lb Bayer Softcel Memory Foam
3" of Medium Ultracel Base Foam
4" of Firm Ultracel Base Foam

  • Total 11" profile

The Cloud Luxe make up is:
3" Gel Infused Memory Foam
2" of 5 lb Bayer Softcel Memory Foam
4" of Medium Ultracel Base Foam
4" of Firm Ultracel Base Foam
-Total 13" profile

The Cloudcroft from Rocky top mattress consist of
• 2" of pressure-reducing Bayer Ultracel Supersoft Foam
• 4" of five pound Bayer Softcel Memory Foam
• 6" of tri-zoned Talalay latex base
• CoolMax by DuPont Damask
• 12 inch mattress profile

I wanted to go with a local sleep shop but there just are not any in my area that have good quality. I am not afraid to buy from a distance as long as I feel the seller understands what I want. You did state the the box stores sometimes should be avoided but being in a rural area that is sometimes the only option for research. I believe it was good because I could test what I like and then try and find that in a quality mattress.

I have decided to go with the Cloudcroft from Rocky Top mattress. and change the base to a Dunlop latex base for a little more firmness and longevity, and go with a gel foam for the comfort layer. I hope it will have the feel close to a Tempurpedic Cloud supreme with a better base of latex. I also purchased the Legget and Platt s-cape for a lift base. I do believe this will be a great bed. I am grateful to Pheonix for this site and all its members. Thank you all for your contributions …… John

Hi shadowman1jb,

Thanks for sharing your feedback and experiences!

Like you … I’ve always been impressed with all my conversations with both Dave and Andrew at Rocky Mountain. They really do know their stuff and its great to have them as a member here.

I am also a big believer in educating vs “selling” … and of course when you are dealing with more educated consumers … educating is what sells the best. I just wish more retailers and manufacturers followed the same approach.

Congratulations too on your new mattress (and adjustable bed) :slight_smile:

I hope you have a chance to give us a review when you’ve received it and have had a chance to sleep on it for a bit. It sounds to me like a great combination and it’s nice that you were able to customize it the way you wanted as well.

Phoenix