I’ve been to a few mattress stores here in Toronto Canada and even with all the great info here it’s still quite overwhelming. Of course comparison shopping is impossible with the different names at each store but after testing out at Sleep Country I’ve found a little outlet shop that seemed pretty legit and didn’t use and BS sales tactics on me like sleep country did. I’d like to buy from them but being more of a warehouse the only way to test the products out is with them covered in plastic which isn’t ideal.
I’ve narrowed what I like down to 3 mattresses, and looking for any thoughts people may have about them:
Beauty-Rest Harmony Cayman series tight top. Extra-firm.
This one seemed to be the most close to what I have traditionally wanted from a mattress.
Serta Perfect Sleeper Stratosphere Firm
Very similar to the Beauty-rest and liked it a lot as well.
3)Kingsdown Silent Partner Dane
Has a quilted top I’m not crazy about but something about this one just felt nice to me.
When looking for other people’s opinions I’d remember that each sleeper is unique and has unique comfort/support needs and preferences PPP (Posture and Alignment, Pressure Relief, and Personal Preferences) so their comments won’t tell how your experience will be on the same mattress. Consumer comments that talk about product quality after they slept on a particular mattress for a while can be very valuable and worthwhile taking into account.
Also, some personal sats may be useful in gauging the type of mattress that you may do well with. What are your stats (height, weight) and your sleeping position(s)? do you sleep through the night? Any health issues affecting your sleep? Any history with previous mattresses?
We often caution consumers about major mattress brands, as many of their lines may use lower quality components and materials, and frequently are not transparent about their mattress specifications and construction. Unless you obtain the mattress specifications you need to know so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the Mattress Durability Guidelines here I would not consider any of these mattresses; If you can find the density specifications for the foams, layer arrangement, and thickness, I can make some comments that may help you with your decision…
At a quick look on their websites here are some quick thoughts:
The (11") Serta Perfect sleeper is a hybrid gel memory foam with layer thicknesses and density unknown, This would raise a red flag in terms of durability and how well you’ll sleep on this mattress in the long term.
The (13") Beautyrest Harmony while having the foam thickness provided for the comfort layer, the foam densities are not provided. Their video states that they use some high-density foam, however, a 1.5 lbs/ft3 density HD foam is still a lower quality material that would raise a flag in terms of durability.
(12") Kingsdown Silent Partner Dane states that it uses HD foams & Gel High-Density Firm foams, Gel Visco memory foam Convoluted Comfort Foam. Again, densities and constructions are not disclosed, so I would always treat any unknowns as a red flag. Kingsdown like most of the larger brands won’t tell you any meaningful information about what is in your mattress and you will end up paying a lot of money for a lot of polyfoam.
I do agree that aggressive sales tactics can be very off-putting when you are trying to find a mattress, but going forward with more information and a better idea of what’s in a mattress will make the search process easier. There are quite a few companies in Toronto that you can visit and they would be happy to provide you with the info you need to know.
Maybe someone who has experience with any of the specific mattresses you narrowed down to can add to this conversation with additional information for you.
Thanks so much for the response Phoenix. Are you aware of any of the companies in Toronto able to advise me?
I’ve looked at the suggested members on this site and there’s only one which does latex mattresses as their sole option. I’m not necessarily opposed to an organic latex mattress but seems like I’m entering $3000 territory which isn’t out of the question but just seems so much further out of range than everything else on offer.
In the past I’ve also tended to prefer something spring based although I’m open to switching.
I’m a relatively standard BMI, 22, but have had some lower back issues. Specifically disc herniation in my lumbar. this is why I have tended towards the beauty rest which according to the sales material has better support for lower back. Whether or not this is just lies I don’t know!
I will visit the Dormio store if you think that’s a good option but beyond that there doesn’t seem to be much local recommended specifically from TMU.
Again, thanks for responding. I’m just trying to track down the best mattress for me and it’s so much stress!
I do know of a number of stores providing good quality mattresses in and around Toronto; you already mentioned you are planning on visiting one of ourTrusted members who are highly regarded by our subscribers, Dormio Organic Beds but as you say their organic lines, they are not inexpensive. They do have however lower budget range lineups that you may want to look at. Another Trusted Member, CBH Wood Furniture offers a very good quality/value bed system with a flippable (dual-comfort) mattress and a sleeping system that is innovative, unique, and robust that is worth checking out. They have a showroom in Toronto called Swiss Dream Beds. Also, our Trusted member Ghostbeds has a partnership with and is selling beds through Costco Canada. A few other Toronto options you may be interested in which have quality materials and products:
Factory Direct Manufacturers: non TMU members
• If you want to look at poly and memory foam options BB Bedding Manufacturers St Clair Ave West, 23 Westmore Drive Unit #4 Rexdale, ON M9V 3Y7 416-747-0968 - Factory direct manufacturer in Rexdale. He has about 25 mattresses on the floor and can custom-build most mattresses. Uses Carpenter memory foam normally 4 lbs but can order higher density on request.
• Factory Mattress1650 Bayly Street, Pickering ON 905-837-0288-Factory direct manufacturer in Pickering, ON. They carry a range of mattresses including innerspring, latex, memory foam, and polyfoam that use high-quality materials. Some of them are manufactured by themselves but they also carry some additional manufacturers such as Dreamstar and Easy Rest that would also be worth considering. A mom-and-pop manufacturer who is doing things right.
• A1 Quality Furniture 30-12612 Highway 50, Bolton ON 905-857-7899-Factory direct manufacturer in Bolton. Used to be Flexopedic Mattress owned by two brothers, using quality materials. One of the brothers has retired and one is still involved with the new business which has the same phone number and they are still making similar mattresses using latex, memory foam, coils, and custom sizes.
• Foamite Industries 1000Edgely Blvd Concord ON 905-66-0477- Factory direct manufacturer in Toronto. Makes a range of latex, memory foam, and hybrid mattresses.
• Springmade Mattress Inc. 110 Norfinch Drive Unit 7 North York ON 416-736-9003 - Factory direct manufacturer in Toronto. Has been making mattresses for 15 years and uses quality materials. He will also custom manufacture. Has access to any foam or density a customer may wish. See this thread for more feedback about them.
• Fantastic Sleep Shop 268 Rutherford Rd, South Brampton ON 905-455-0085 - Factory direct manufacturer in Brampton. Talked with Frank the owner and he can custom build any type of mattress but focuses on more economical models in the store due to the economy in the area. Good people.
• Ideal Mattress 5015 Maingate Drive Units 34-37 Mississaugua ON 905-624-2614 - Factory direct manufacturer in Toronto and Mississauga. Talked with Kristina who with her brother is the owner and she clearly is knowledgeable about mattress materials and manufacturing and uses good quality materials. They also carry Kingsdown but I would tend to focus on the mattresses they manufacture unless you have a compelling reason to choose a Kingsdown. Uses a zip cover so customers can see what is in their mattress. There are some good quality options here and we had a good conversation although there has been some occasional feedback on the forum that they were “downplaying” or steering some customers away from some of their lower budget mattresses that may also be good quality/value
• Quality Mattress Factory 2700 Unit 2 Toronto ON 416-760-7007 - Factory direct manufacturer in Toronto. They make traditional innerspring/polyfoam mattresses using a range of foam quality but mostly higher density 1.8 lb and higher. will disclose the foam densities for anyone who asks.
• Dreamtime Bedding 116 Milvan Dr North York ON 416-741-2337 - Manufacturer in North York. They are mostly wholesale but have a showroom at the factory and will sell direct to consumers as well. They make a full range of mattresses including innerspring, memory foam, and latex and will disclose and help educate their customers about the quality of all the materials in their mattresses.
Retailers:
• Soma Sleep 100 Bridgeland Ave Unit C Toronto ON 416-789-2337
Retail outlet in Toronto. Knowledgeable and they carry a wide range of mattresses made by many
independent manufacturers including Natura, Greensleep, Springwall, SleepTek, Savvy Rest,
Magniflex, Tempurpedic, and Hypnos which are all high quality but make sure you make some careful
“value” comparisons as many of these tend towards premium prices.
• Ton Furniture 647-839-5672 - Retail Direct outlet in Toronto. Works closely with Dreamstar (a wholesale manufacturer in Toronto) and knows his stuff. Is focused on quality and value and can also arrange to have a mattress custom built. Normally sells online only but will make an appointment to visit his warehouse with 2 hours notice. Sells latex, memory foam, and traditional poly and innersprings. There are some good comments about them in post #6 here
Wholesale Manufacturers: non TMU members
These don’t sell factory direct but through retail stores but are smaller manufacturers and are made in Toronto and will often have better quality/value than other larger alternatives (depending on the retailer). A call to each of these (or a retail locator on their site) will give you a list of the retailers near you that carry them. Local manufacturers like these will typically be much more open about providing the specs of the materials they use to their retailers.
• www.dreameasy.com/ Wholesale manufacturer in Toronto connected with Foamco. I had a long conversation with Arun there and they are doing things right and focused on quality and value and not giving into the pressures to use lower quality foams.
• www.dreamstarbedding.com/ Wholesale manufacturer in Toronto. They make a complete range of mattresses including latex, innersprings, memory foam, and hybrids that are good quality and can have good value.
• Endless Comfort . Wholesale manufacturer in Woodbridge, ON. Makes a range of mostly innerspring and memory foam/innerspring hybrids and makes some of the house brands that are seen around Toronto.
• galaxybedding.ca/ Wholesale manufacturer in Etobicoke, ON that, makes a range of innerspring, memory foam, and latex hybrids and may have some better quality/value as well.
• www.marshallmattress.com/ Wholesale manufacturer in Toronto, ON. they are the manufacturer that “marshall coils” (pocket coils) were named after and they make a range of high-quality mattresses.
• sleepinnmattress.com/ Wholesale manufacturer in Etobicoke, ON. they make a full range of mattresses including latex, innersprings, and memory foam.
There are also quite a few other manufacturers most of which don’t have websites and who I haven’t talked to so I’m not including them because the GTA is notorious for opportunistic manufacturers who are here one day and gone the next and use questionable materials and sources. There certainly is a wide variety of good choices here
You did not mention your sleeping position(s), but thanks for including your other stats… lower back issues can be indicative of spinal misalignment and lack of proper support; however because of disc herniation you may need extra attention to proper alignment – you may want to work hand-in-hand with your healthcare provider to ensure proper alignment. As you do have some very specific health considerations, nothing can replace your own personal testing. You’d obviously want to consider something that allows for enough surface comfort, and also assists with pressure point relief, while still overall being resilient enough and provide enough support while sleeping. Overall, the two basic functions of a mattress are to support and to provide comfort (you can read more about the basic functions of a mattress here ), with posture and alignment being the first priority and then comfort/ pressure relief “plushness” coming second.
Because you are lighter, depending on your sleep positions you might not need a very high mattress; this could cut down on costs a bit, you should discuss this with Dormio or CBH Wood when you visit.
Good luck and let us know how you are doing with testing and narrowing down a few good alternatives when you have a chance
Phoenix
Thanks again for all your help Phoenix, your in depth response provided me with a ton of great information to go on.
I went to a bunch of places you recommended and ended up really liking the Soma Organic Mattresses store. They really knew their stuff and took the time chat with me and figure out what would be best for my sleep habits without giving me the run-around.
I appreciated their honesty and directness and would definitely recommend the store.
I bought the hybrid M Green Sleep mattress (https://greensleep.ca/en/hybrid-collection-hybrid-m/)
with a latex topper in medium density. It feels extremely comfortable and looking forward to receiving my new bed!
