Hi ctroxtell,
“Better” has a few different meanings and all of them are important when you are looking for a new mattress.
The “better” I usually talk about on the forum means mattresses that use better quality and more durable materials than the Saatva in a similar price range and by this definition there are many mattresses that use better quality materials in the same price range. In other words they have better “value”.
But “better” is also about making sure that a mattress is suitable for you in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences). If you buy a mattress that isn’t suitable for your needs and preferences then no matter what it’s value it would have little value to you.
You can test for comfort/pressure relief and support/alignment and many of your preferences in a showroom but you can’t test for the quality of the materials or their durability because you can’t “feel” quality in a showroom. You can only know this by knowing all the details of what is in the mattress. The quality and durability of the materials in the mattress will determine how long the comfort and support that a mattress starts out with will last.
Post #1 here and the information it links to will give you all the information you need to make sure that you can find a mattress that is both better quality and value and also suitable for all your needs and preferences. In about an hour or two you will know more than most of the people who sell mattresses and know what to look for and what to avoid.
There are some very good options available to you in the general High Point, NC area and the better ones I’m aware of are listed in post #2 here.
Phoenix