Looking for my first "real" mattress with my soon to be wife, have a few questions/thoughts.

[phoenix]

Hi miles4,

When I find out what is in my mattress what’s the best thing to do with that information to find out if the mattress is a good fit. Compare it to the durability test you posted above?

The only way to know whether any mattress you are considering will be a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP or how well you will sleep on a mattress will be based on your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) or your own personal experience when you sleep on it.

The specs you need to know will give you a way to assess the durability and useful life of a mattress … not whether it’s a good “fit” for you.

While again nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.

I’m not sure what type of mattress we’re looking for yet, latex or innerspring likely. But that’s what we’ll find out. I’m 6’3" and 220 with a BMI of 27, which density in foam should I be looking for in the brands I mentioned before. Purple, Leesa, and Ghost bed? Thanks again!

Assuming that the materials and components in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the durability guidelines I linked relative to your weight/BMI range … 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 “better/worse” choice (see this article). The best way to know which types of materials or mattresses or firmness levels you tend to prefer in very general terms will be based on your own local testing or your own personal experience.

The minimum specs that I would suggest for different weight/BMI ranges are in the durability guidelines.

Are there certain recommend bed frames and platforms or should I go to Ikea and see what they have, or just see what they have on Amazon?

There is more information about the different types of support systems (bedframes and foundations or platform beds) that are generally suitable for different types of mattresses and some examples of each of them in post #1 here. I would also keep in mind that these are general guidelines and some manufacturers have requirements that may be different so I would always confirm with the retailer or manufacturer of your mattress that any support system you are planning to use under the specific mattress you purchase meets their warranty requirements and guidelines.

In its simplest form choosing the “best possible” 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 …

1. 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 “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.

2. 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.

3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.