Hi southernbelle91,
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Raleigh/Durham area (subject to following all the steps and guidelines in the tutorial post) are listed in post #6 here.
There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here but in most areas where they have a store OMF would be among the better quality/value choices in the area. Of course they only have two memory foam options so if neither of these are a good match for you in terms of PPP then you would need to look elsewhere because the suitability of a mattress in terms of PPP is always the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase.
There are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to make specific recommendations for someone else based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” so the best I can do is help with “how” to choose rather than “what” to choose (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
Having said that … Dreamfoam is one of the members of this site which means that I think very highly of them and I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency but like every mattress choice I would make sure you are confident that any mattress is likely to be a good match for you in terms of PPP (or has a good exchange/return policy if you aren’t) and that you make sure that the materials inside them are suitable for your body type as well.
You can also see my thoughts about Tempflow as well in post #9 here and they are also included in the list of the better online memory foam options I’m aware of that are also linked in the tutorial post (in the optional online step).
This would depend entirely on the materials and components that were inside the mattress because the thickness of a mattress or the individual layers inside it are only one of many variables that can affect whether a mattress is suitable for you. You may find for example a 9" mattress that is a “perfect match” for you and another one that uses different types or combinations of materials that is 15" thick that would be completely unsuitable for you to sleep on. In very general terms … higher weights may do better with some extra thickness in either the mattress or the comfort layers but this is only a very generic guideline and the materials inside a mattress will have much more to do with its suitability than just its thickness alone. Reading too much into very generic guidelines that you have read on the internet can be very misleading. There is more about the effect of thickness in post #14 here.
The most effective way to choose a mattress that is a good match for you is your own careful testing (using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post) but when you can’t test a mattress in person then the best approach is a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced online retailer or manufacturer that can help “talk you through” the options they have available that have the best chance of success based on the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about their own mattresses and helping with “matching” them to different body types, sleeping styles, and preferences than anyone else.
Phoenix