Phoenix,
Thanks so much for your site and your expertise. I am so much more informed.
I would like your help identifying some of the better sleep shops/local manufacturers in
the Winston-Salem, NC area.
Any help you could provide, would be great.
Thanks again.
Hi slicm,
Some of the better options within reasonable driving distance of the Winston-Salem area I’m aware of are listed in post #2 here.
There are some good choices in the area 
Phoenix
Phoenix
I’m in Winston Salem and your website here has been a huge help in research and finding places around us to order. My wife and I have visited Lake Mattress and Dilworth Mattress as well as tried contacting some of the others on your list for places to purchase in this area but not a lot of luck there.
We found a mattress at Lake Mattress that both my wife and I liked and were considering, it was a King Koil. Then I tried contact the manufacturer to find out about the quality of the materials used in this mattress, foam densities, etc in which I got a response from their customer service saying that they do not provide this detailed information.
We really like Dilworth as well but the price is a bit of a factor. We’ve determined we both like latex after going around and trying them out as well as a hybrid. I’ve also talked to Ken Hightower at Arizona Premium Mattress about their Ultimate Hybrid.
My aunt came along and has suggested that we go see her friends at Mattress by Appointment but from what I see… it’s just another chain mattress store that sells all the “big” brands that won’t really provide you any information into the quality of the materials in the mattress. Is this correct? Do you know anything about them?
I am pretty much ready to pull the trigger on the performance model from Dilworth but the price is a huge factor for my wife. She hates spending money like this.
Thank you ahead of time.
MWard86,
I’m not Phoenix but I can throw in a few comments that you may find helpful.
Places like MBA have been discussed previously here on the forum. You’re correct that they feature the typical brands you mentioned, many which tend to use lower density foams. Follow the advice Phoenix presented in the reply I linked to as far as what questions to ask (it’s unlikely you’ll get accurate answers to your foam density questions, but here’s hoping you will) and to not fall prey to “special offers just for you today” nonsense (see this video).
As for your contact with King Koil, phoning them at their corporate offices wouldn’t be the way to get information about their product - that’s something that you should procure from your local retailer and that’s part of their responsibility (should they have that information or choose to share it with you). The corporate offices aren’t set up generally to deal with consumers, but instead to interact with retailers directly. If you’re not getting good answers to your questions about the basics such as product componentry, then you may wish to move on and search for a new retailer.
Jeff Scheuer, The Beducator
Beducation / Mattress To Go
I did ask about the King Koil at Lake Mattress to the owner of Lake Mattress and no offense to him, he’s a great guy or seems to be but he basically just read everything to me off of the placard for that mattress not really citing more information on it.
They can also make a latex mattress there but felt like everything was a little more unprofessional and maybe thats because he was just throwing things together for us to try out.
The decision is just hard to make really. I’m a heavier guy at 5’10" and 290 and my wife is 5’8" 230. I just want to make the most educated decision and ensure we get the best product for us for the money.
Thanks for the response Jeff.
MWard86,
It may be that the local King Koil licensee doesn’t share more detailed specifications with the retailers in your area. It could also be that your local retailer isn’t as interested in that information. It could be a combination of both. There are plenty of nice retailers out there who can’t or don’t have access to the information you need to make an informed shipping decision. If you were buying a car, you’d demand to know what type of engine was on the inside.
For a higher BMI, there’s a popular reference post #3 here that has some guidelines for higher weights you might find interesting.
Jeff Scheuer, The Beducator
Beducation / Mattress To Go
I’m not able to get that link to work for the higher BMI guidelines.
Weird. I can’t get it to work now either. Maybe Phoenix can get it to work.
Here’s some information from it:
[i]Higher BMI ranges will need more durable materials and components in a mattress and in a BMI range of 30 or higher I would include any 1.8 lb polyfoam or 4 lb memory foam as a “lower quality/density” material (relative to a higher BMI only) and minimize their use to a total of “about an inch or so or less” in the mattress.
Polyurethane foam: If your mattress is one sided then I would look for 2.0 lb per cubic foot density or higher. If the mattress is two sided then I would use a minimum density of 1.8 lbs per cubic foot or higher.
Memory foam (or gel memory foam): If your mattress is one sided then I would make sure that any memory foam is at least 5 lb per cubic foot. If the mattress is two sided then I would use a minimum density of 4 lbs per cubic foot.[/i]
Phoenix got the link working again.
So I’ve been talking to the owner at Dilworth Mattress more and I feel like I’m getting the run around now there. He did give me more specifics on the density of their latex foam. It runs from 3.9LBS to 4.8LBS depending upon the ILD is what he told me.
Here is where I am torn as I found out about Dilworth through this site and felt they were pretty honest with my first impression after talking to and visiting their location. However, I feel like the delivery fee changes everytime I speak to them, even after asking about the fee that was quoted to me the first time I still can’t seem to get them back to that price. They do use a 3rd party and told me its my responsibility to pay that 3rd party. The bad taste from the run around on the delivery fee makes me not want to purchase here.
Density and ILD have an almost direct correlation with latex, so you’re not “getting the run around”, at least not with the reply you received. Plus, if you’re able to try out the mattress in person, knowing that information would be more of a comfort specification and not something that was necessary to learn about as far as quality - all latex is generally a good quality material. Foam density would be more important to know regarding the polyurethane foam contained within the mattress. I’d suggest reading this article for some more complete details about what you need to know when investigating mattresses. It should be quite helpful to you.
As for delivery, if they’re using a third party, why not phone that delivery company directly to get the exact rate? It would most likely be that the delivery company determines the rate and the store is offering a general idea of what the actual delivery fee might be. If you want an accurate rate, ask for someone to phone the delivery company while you are in the store and have them write it down for you. I use two off-site delivery companies in my store and the rates I quote when people visit are approximations and the amount I quote may vary from a customer’s visit day to day (but they’ll be in the ballpark), and until the actual item is chosen and the complete delivery address is acquired (along with things like old set removal and main floor or upstairs locations) at the time of the sale an accurate delivery fee won’t be obtained. The customer pays the delivery company directly, so there’s no interest for me to inflate or quote an inaccurate delivery fee, as I have no “skin in the game”. Again, I personally don’t feel that this amounts to getting a “run around”. It just sounds like you’re getting a few different delivery quotes, and I think that’s easy enough for you to address if you want.
Jeff Scheuer, The Beducator
Beducation / Mattress To Go