Mattress recommendation

Hi there, I’m new to the mattress underground so please pardon any ignorance. I’ve been lurking around for a couple days and reading the stickied posts, and I think I’ve decided I wanted to buy a memory foam mattress, and I probably want to buy online (so I understand the risks I’m taking).

About my sleeping habits, I’m mainly a side or back sleeper, so I was thinking a relatively intermediate firmness would suit my needs best for the PPPs. I’m upgrading from a small twin, very cheap and inadequate memory foam mattress from walmart. I believe its spa sensations. Very low density memory foam.

I was looking at higher density memory foam mattresses and came across this from Amazon.
Queen Size 10 Inch Thick, 5 Pound Density Visco Elastic Memory Foam Mattress Bed With Gel Made in the USA
https://www.amazon.com/Density-Elastic-Memory-Foam-Mattress/dp/B00M0D8YTO/ref=sr_1_13?s=furniture&ie=UTF8&qid=1436547627&sr=1-13&keywords=queen+5+pound+mattress

I was wondering if someone could tell me their thoughts on this particular model, or on the corresponding 4lbs density memory foam model from the same seller. It seems to me like a pretty decent budget mattress considering the 4 inches of 5lbs memory foam comfort layer. I just emailed the seller about the composition and density of the support layer, but haven’t received a reply as of yet. But does this mattress have potential to be a fairly long lasting bed for me on my small budget?

If not, are there any other mattress recommendations in the ~$300 or less midpoint range?
I’d like latex but it’s too pricey for me at the moment.

Thank you in advance.

Hi jlyr3mixed,

You can see some comments about Memory Foam Solutions and Allsleep in post #2 here and post #12 here and post #2 here and in post #14 here. As you can see there are many red flags here and I would be very cautious about the accuracy of their listings and the “real” quality/density of their memory foam based on their history over the years.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists.

Since the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is PPP and how well you sleep on a mattress … it’s important to make sure that a mattress is a good “match” for your body type, sleeping style, and preferences and one of the issues in dealing with an online retailer that is part of what I call the “race to the bottom” is that they are generally more interested in selling you anything that you are willing to buy rather than educating you about whether a mattress that will be the best match for you. This can be very risky because they are also well aware that if you don’t like the mattress that you can’t re-compress it and ship it through a courier so they need to be returned with a common carrier and the cost of returning it can often be more than the cost of the mattress itself so they have little risk of comfort or warranty returns regardless of how their customers like the mattress or how long it may hold up because of the quality of the materials they use.

In many cases … the knowledge, experience, and guidance of the manufacturer or retailer you are dealing with can be one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase (unless you are one of the fortunate few that can sleep on anything at all without any discomfort or “symptoms” that can come from sleeping on a mattress that isn’t suitable for you and the quality and durability of a mattress isn’t an important issue for you).

Some of the better lower budget online options I’m aware of are listed in post #4 here but again … if your maximum budget is only $300 (which would generally be suitable for a guest mattress or a mattress that is only for temporary use or perhaps for a child) it may be worth avoiding memory foam completely because it’s very unlikely that you will find any good quality memory foam mattresses in your budget range (see this article) and it may be worthwhile considering other types of materials and mattresses (innersprings and polyfoam for example) where you may be able to find higher quality and more durable materials in your budget range.

If you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know about any of the better local options or possibilities I’m aware of because there may also be some local options that are also worth considering.

Overall … you are in a budget range where it isn’t realistic to expect that you can buy a good quality memory foam mattress and with the mattress you are considering I would also say you are deep into “buyer beware” territory.

Phoenix

Hi, thanks for the in depth response.

I’m in the process of moving and my zip code is 75235. I may only be living there for 4 years, and then I may need to move to another state, so I am hesitant to invest a lot of money into a mattress that may not move with me in 4 years. However, if the extra bump in budget to 400 or 500 is worth it, then I can raise my budget if it’ll mean I sleep better at night for those 4 years.

Thank you again for all the help! I would prefer not to have a innerspring mattress, so I’ll try to look into some polyfoam options.

Hi jlyr3mixed,

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Dallas/Ft Worth areas (subject to the quality/value guidelines I linked in my last reply) are listed in post #4 here.

I would check their websites and then call and talk with the ones that interest you the most to confirm that they carry mattresses on their floor that fit your budget and quality/durability criteria and that you would be interested in testing before you visit them.

Phoenix

post #4 looks great, thank you so much. I’ll post back again here if I have any more questions after looking at those retailers. I didn’t know you were also in the dallas fort worth area. I haven’t moved there yet but I hear it’s been scorching! Stay cool!

Hi jlyr3mixed,

I actually live in the Pacific Northwest in the Seattle/Tacoma area not in Dallas. I’ve visited Dallas a few times but the last time was many years ago,

Phoenix