Mattress in south eastern MA

Im looking to get a memory foam mattress hopefully for around $700.

I liked this one in the store: BROYHILL 12" GEL MEMORY FOAM CUSHION FIRM MATTRESS.

But I couldn’t find a lot of info on it. Looking at some local mattress manufactures I found on one of the posts here this weekend. Unfortunately I need to figure this out quickly because sleeping on the carpet is not going well. Looking for a queen. Any suggestions of good mattresses to look at would be appreciated I feel really overwhelmed with the number of choices.

I tried a bob’s cirrius gel. I guess it sort of makes sense, but I’d rather get something better.

Hi chicago77,

There is more about the most important parts of the value of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses.

Outside of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) which is all about how well you will sleep on a mattress, the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase is the quality and durability of the materials inside it which is all about how long you will sleep well.

In terms of durability and the useful life of a mattress, a mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality/durability of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label and I would always make sure that you know the density of any memory foam and polyfoam in any mattress you are considering before making a purchase so you can make sure that there aren’t any lower quality or “unknown” materials or weak links in the mattress before you purchase it (see this article). Regardless of how it may feel in a showroom, the price of the mattress, or how well you may sleep on it initially … there is little value in purchasing a mattress that will only maintain the comfort and support which is the reason you purchased it for a few months or a few years before you need to replace it and the loss of comfort and support isn’t covered by mattress warranties (see post #174 here).

I would also be aware that the “engineered latex” in the Broyhill mattresses is polyfoam and isn’t latex at all.

Buying a mattress that uses lower quality or “unknown” materials that would be a weak link in the mattress and the belief that a mattress warranty is a reliable way to assess the durability or useful life of a mattress before you need to buy a new one is one of the leading causes of buyers remorse much too quickly after a purchase.

You can read some comments about Bob’s Discount Furniture in post #4 here.

The first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the most suitable, the most durable, and the best “value” choice in your budget range … and perhaps more importantly will also help you know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

I’m not sure where you are in south eastern MA but post #2 here includes the better local options or possibilities I’m aware of in your general area (subject to the quality/value guidelines that I linked).

Phoenix

What do you think about health1st mattresses. I can’t find ifirmation in the foam density.

Hi chicago77,

Health 1st (and Mattress1st or Mattress First) are trademarks for furniture1st which is a buying co-operative and their mattresses are sold through many stores across the country.

Unfortunately it’s not possible to make any meaningful comments about the quality or durability of a mattress without knowing the specifics of the materials inside it (including the foam density of any memory foam or polyfoam). When you can’t find out the specs that you need to make an informed choice about the quality/durability of the materials in a mattress (see this article) then it would be safe to assume that they use lower quality materials and I would avoid them completely (see the guidelines here).

There is certainly nothing about them that would give me a reason to consider them compared to many other choices that use high quality materials that don’t have any “weak links” in the mattress and are more transparent and would be much less risky,

Phoenix

Yeah I had been asking but it is hard to get anyone who knows anything. Even the Internet is lacking info.

It’s hard around the 700 price range. I’m only looking for 10 years out of the mattress.

How did you find out the the broyhill wasn’t latex?

I can’t seem to find anything near 700-1000 that has info in density of the foam. I’d like to stay above 4 pounds.

The health1st has 3.75 on top layer and 4 on the second layer according to cardis.

I also looked at insight everfeel

Hi chicago77,

This is mainly because the manufacturers of the mattresses (possibly from from China) don’t provide the information to their retailers that lets their customers make an informed choice. In addition to that most consumers don’t realize the importance of knowing the foam densities in a mattress and the sad reality is that if you have spent more than a couple of hours on this website then the odds are high that you know more meaningful information about mattress materials than the majority of the salespeople in the mainstream industry that sell them.

It would be somewhat unusual in most of the mainstream industry to find a mattress that would have a reasonable expectation of lasting for 10 years in your budget range although there are certainly options available to you that would meet the foam quality/density guidelines here that would.

The link I posted in my previous reply included some of the better options that are local to you and post #4 here and the posts it links to also includes some of the better lower budget online options I’m aware of as well that may also be worth considering and would likely meet your criteria as well.

Broyhill mattresses are private label brands made by Boyd Specialty Sleep (see here) and they use the same materials including their “engineered latex” which is really just “latex like” polyfoam with surface modifications that will “feel” something like latex in a showroom but don’t have nearly the same durability. This is the type of information that many years of research into mattresses and mattress materials and thousands of hours of conversations with retailers and manufacturers uncovers. While the some of the Boyd mattresses do include some “real” latex … if you were to purchase this mattress for example which includes “engineered latex” in the description and doesn’t have any “real latex” you would find that the law tag describes the materials as polyurethane foam.

This would be a good minimum criteria for memory foam (as long as you aren’t in a higher weight range above the lower 200’s or so where I would reduce or minimize the use of 4 lb memory foam) but for polyfoam a minimum density that I would generally consider in a one sided mattress would be in the range of 1.8 lb density (memory foam and polyfoam come in different density ranges).

If you can find out the information listed here about all the layers and components in any mattress you are considering and post them on the forum then I’d certainly be happy to make some comments about the quality or durability of the materials or the mattress as a whole. I would also make sure you know whether the foam materials in the mattress were manufactured in North America or in China. Post #6 here has more information about the additional uncertainty and risk that can be involved in purchasing a mattress that has materials that are made in China.

Phoenix

Man you should really start your own mattress store

Name: Kauai Latex
SKU: JMFB-20047
Vendor: Jordan’s Mattress Factory
Mattress:80"L x 60"W x 9.5"H
Foundations:80"L x 60"W x 5.5"H
Mattress and Foundation dimensions are approximate
Quilt: Stretch knit cover with Max Breeze
FR Fibers
1/2" Bio based foam 1.2 density
1/2" Bio based foam 1.2 density
Comfort Layers: 2" Talalay 100% Natural Latex 24ILD
Support System: 6" Bio based 1.8lb poly core 23ILD
Mattress Type: Latex, Power Base Compatible
Origin: Made in New England

Name: 10" Memory Foam
SKU: JMFM-11001
Vendor: Jordan’s Mattress Factory
Mattress:75"L x 39"W x 10"H
Foundations:75"L x 39"W x 5.5"H
Mattress and Foundation dimensions are approximate
Quilt: Stretch Knit Cotton Cover
FR Sock
Comfort Layers: 3" 3LB Bio based memory foam

  • Certipur Certified Foam *
    Support System: 7" 1.6LB Bio based foam – 30ILD
  • Certipur Certified Foam *
    Mattress Type: Memory Foam, Power Base Compatible
    Origin: Made in New England
    Care and Warranty

Hi chicago77,

Thanks for the thought but I enjoy what I’m doing too much to consider running a store … and I can help more people this way and hopefully have a bigger effect on the industry than running a store as well :slight_smile:

You can see my comments about the Kauai Latex in post #4 here. If the mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of PPP then there are no obvious weak links in the design in terms of durability so it would be worth considering for those that aren’t in higher weight ranges (more than the low 200 lb range or so) where a higher density base foam would be more important.

This mattress has 3" of 3 lb memory foam which is lower quality/density than I would be comfortable with and I would consider it be a weak link in the mattress in terms of durability. I would avoid it.

Phoenix

What about stuff like this sears mattress

This Spinal Response memory foam mattress allows a comfortable rest. The 1-inch gel-infused memory foam top layers provide a clean and healthy night’s sleep.

Mattress measures 15 inches thick
Materials: Aloe-infused gel memory foam
First layer: 1-inch, 5-pound density Gel-infused memory foam
Second layer: 2-inch, 4-pound denisty high-resiliency Gel-infused memory foam
Third layer: 3-inch, 4-pound density high-resiliency memory foam
Base layer: 9-inch, high-density reflex base foam
Dimensions: 15 inches high x 59 inches wide x 79 inches long

It seems to have ok specifications according to the mattress guide. But how does one determine if that is accurate. It’s only a 600 dollar mattress on overstock.

Hi chicago77,

There are several reasons to be cautious with this mattress even though the specs “appear” to be OK.

The first is that it’s manufactured in China (see post #6 here) so there will always be some uncertainty about whether the specs (assuming they are correct in the first place) are an accurate reflection of the durability of the materials.

The second is that there are three different descriptions of the foam density in the Overstock listing. The first is the one you listed. The second is in the answer to one of the questions which says " Also, the density of the layers is 60 on the first layer, 50 on the second layer and 32 on the third layer" and the third is in the specs on the right side where it says “density 3 lb”. They also don’t list a shipping weight which would allow you to check and see if the densities worked out to what the mattress weighs. Overstock is not always very accurate in listing their specs.

Third is that Overstock also doesn’t allow any returns which makes buying an online mattress where you can’t test the mattress ahead of time very risky because if it doesn’t work out as well as you hoped for in terms of comfort and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) you would be stuck with it. The Overstock customer service reps also know very little about “matching” their mattresses to different body types, sleeping styles, and personal preferences and are’t good at providing meaningful guidance to their customers.

Overall I would consider this to be a very risky choice and there are certainly less risky and better quality/value options available to you IMO.

Phoenix