Hi KevinM,
I’m not sure where you live but if you let me know your city or postal code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.
There are a wide range of different memory foam formulations with different properties including differences in their recovery time but many of the memory foams in the current market do have a faster response time than they did years ago because of consumer complaints.
As you probably know Novosbed is a member of this site which means that I think highly of them and that I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency.
In terms of durability it would depend on which version of the Novosbed mattress you were considering (they use different combinations of memory foam) and which of the Sealy Optimum mattresses you were comparing it to (which also use different combinations of memory foam) but in general terms they use higher quality/density and more durable materials than any of the Sealy Optimum mattresses.
In terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP … when you can’t 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 “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” 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 “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” 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.
For the most part Tempurpedic uses good quality materials in their mattresses but there are certainly other options that would be better quality/value choices than Tempurpedic which tend to be significantly overpriced compared to other memory foam mattresses that use similar quality/density materials that may be just as suitable, just as durable, and better “value” choices (see post #2 here).
I can’t think of a specific reason or set of circumstances where I would personally consider a Tempurpedic and I would need a compelling and clearly identifiable reason that there was enough of a difference in “real life” between a specific Tempurpedic mattress and another similar mattress I was considering that was in a much lower budget range to justify the higher cost.
Phoenix