HiMax,
You can see the criteria I use for memory foam mattresses in post #10 here.
Unfortunately you can’t “feel” the quality of the materials in a mattress and both very low quality andhigh quality materials can feel the same in a showroom. the difference is that low quality materials soften and degrade much faster and don’t keep the feel and performance that was the reason you bought it for nearly as long. The loss of comfort and support is the main reason people need to replace a mattress and this isn’t covered by any warranty. A warranty has nothing to do with the quality of a mattress or how long it will last for you.
$1300 could be way overpriced if the materials are poor quality or it could be good value if the materials are good quality. I would never consider a mattress where you have absolutely no idea what you are buying thugh. To use an analogy … you could be buying a particle board piece of furniture with nice veneer and paying real wood prices. Both will have the same function and performance but one won’t be as durable or have the same “value” as the other.
Advertising is the cost that most people mention and while it’s certainly a significant amount, it is only one of the reasons for higher prices and lower quality materials with major manufacturers. Others include debt servicing ratios, longer supply chains, and payments to shareholders or investors and their demands for constantly increasing profits and margins (see post #12 here).
The brand doesn’t matter … it’s always the ability to be able to find out the quality of the materials in the mattress that makes it possible to determine its quality and value. Of course the other benefits that may be important to you (such as a sleep trial) are also part of what you pay for. I don’t know who makes the Amerigel mattresses but there is an Amerigel that makes wound dressings and Amerisoft also used to make gel products for medical uses called Amerigel (they no longer seem to be in business) and Amerigel also seems to be referenced on the Southerland website but I don’t know if any of these make the mattresses you are looking at.
Phoenix