Hi cadman777,
Please don’t tell me rhetoric about me living in a fantasy.
I know what materials cost, how cheap corporate slavery is, the investor screw-the-world game, and I know how corporate extortion works.
I won’t tell you that at all…. In fact, this is exactly why TMU was started. You came to the right place. This is a community of knowledgeable, experienced, and customer-oriented manufacturers/retailers that don’t rip off and deceive their customers with well-crafted advertising stories for the sake of profit. From this perspective we constantly see disproportionate marketing efforts of corporate Mattress Industry instead of delivering plain honest bed quality and especially transparency so that you know what you buy and pay for. Ditto on the Chinese products as well. You can read @Phoenix thoughts about Chinese foams in post #6 here .
To start off just remember that it is not only about the quality of the materials (which should come first to ensure you’ll sleep well for many years to come without the mattress deteriorating) but also about how well a layering or construction will suit you and your wife… any mattress you choose will be unique to those sleeping in it. This is based on your Stats(height, BMI, sleeping position(s) and any underlying health conditions), and your PPP(Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). You might want to take a look at the Mattress Shopping Tutorial as well as the Mattress Specifications You Need To Know and the Mattress Durability Guidelines to get a better feel for how different materials and components work together, and how long they can last. Thanks for providing some of your Stats; as you have varied BMIs and prior back and neck injuries, it’s important to find the correct comfort and support levels for you both, on whichever type of mattress you finally choose.
As for suggestions on where to find a reasonable, quality mattress at a reasonable price, the Trusted Members of the site have been vetted, use quality materials and are transparent about their components and construction, and offer great customer service with generous return policies; By providing them both you and your wife’s’ Stats and PPP and some mattress history they can assist you in finding a spring mattress and topper for under $2000…such as Arizona Premium Mattress who offer the Eco-Sleep Hybrid which has a Pocket coil layer and a 3" latex topper in plush, medium or firm…Flexus Comfort carries the Quadra Flex Hybrid Latex Mattress also with pocket coil layer with edge support and a 3" Latex comfort layer offered in soft, medium and firm, and Quality Sleep Shop offers a number of hybrid options with foam or latex comfort layers at far less than $2,000, even if you want an additional 1" topper.
If you don’t want to pay for the seller costs of doing business (which is included in the mattress of course) then you can choose the more adventurous path of doing your own DIY under the guidance of an expert. You can get components one by one from one of the component suppliers such as DIY Mattress, or DIY natural Bedding if you choose to go the organic route, or Arizona Premium Mattress.
Again, if you find a few mattresses you are interested in we can perhaps comment on how they may work for you same with opting for doing a DIY.
~ Basilio