Need help on purchase...need recommendations...!

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hello all! This is my first post, although I’ve read quite a lot on here! There’s a huge wealth of information here, and I’m a bit over-whelmed actually.

This would be my first memory-foam mattress, I have a tempurpedic pillow which I love and which completely eliminates any neck pain I used to have in the mornings. Now I need to get a mattress and I’ve looked at tempurpedic, but they are so expensive for anything that felt good to me in the store. I came across this site while looking for suitable alternatives but feel I’m no further ahead after hours of reading.

I would prefer to purchase locally, due to the trial periods and what not associated with these beds. Also, it makes it easier to try them out before the purchase. However, with so many brands out there, I don’t know who represent a good value and build and who doesn’t.

My price-point would be $2,000-$3,000 or under for a queen or full size, and I live in Massillon, Ohio 44647. I’m mostly a side-sleeper, and am a bit concerned about the heat-holding properties of certain foams. I can’t sleep well if it’s too hot. These are my main concerns. Can anyone recommend a national brand which might be offered locally that would be considered a quality product for a reasonable price? I haven’t looked for beds in a long while, but I do remember laying on the tempurpedic beds to try them awhile back. There was a big difference in the higher priced offerings as opposed to the cheaper ones (that would have been in my price range). I’m hoping to find a lesser known name with the higher quality build of the higher end tempur’s…any suggestions? Thanks!

Brian

2

Hi brianj,

The best place to start your research is the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to know “how” to make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

As you will see in the tutorial … I would focus on finding the better retailers and manufacturers in your area and the materials in a mattress and I would tend to ignore the “brand” of a mattress which really isn’t relevant because all manufacturers have access to similar materials and the construction and the quality of the materials that are inside a mattress are much more important than the name of the manufacturer on the label (see post #5 here). Who you deal with and their knowledge, experience, service, and transparency can be one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase.

The better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Cleveland/Akron area (including the areas in and around Canton) are listed in post #2 here.

Phoenix

3

Phoenix,
Thank you so much for your response! I read through your advice, and I noticed that you linked to this page…

https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/local-manufacturers-retailers

In post #2, you mention several places in my area that are known for better mattresses. One of these that caught my attention was Country Bedding in Apple Creek. I read the posts that you linked there and thought I might check them out. I was in that area today, and while at a friends store there, I asked if he had ever heard of Country Bedding, he smiled and said, “yes, they are my neighbor…relation to my wife!” So, we went over there so I could talk with them a bit…here’s what I found out…

I can confirm the same as the other members about what they offer… a 6" core with 2" of memory foam on both sides to make a 10" double sided mattress. The core is 6" of what he called 24/27 foam…he said it has an ILD of 27 I believe. The outer layers are either a 4# Gel infused memory foam, or a 5# Standard memory foam. The 4# Gel infused is made by a company called Future Foam…the 5# is called Sensus, made by Foamex. If he said who made the core I don’t remember.

Now, I have a couple questions…

  1. What does 24/27 ILD mean? And is that good or bad?

  2. Have you ever heard of Future Foam, or Foamex? Are they quality products?

  3. Would the combination I’ve described make for a quality mattress?

  4. I’m a side sleeper, will the 2" memory foam be enough with the core I’ve described? Or will this likely cause issues?

I’m not concerned with name brand so much, but I do want a good quality mattress, something that rivals or beats the name brand guys at a better price point. But I don’t want to have to feel like I’ve “settled” for an “ok” mattress just to save a few dollars. I’m trying to determine if this would be a quality piece to last for years, as well as actually be able to give my body the correct support. It felt good to lay on for a bit today, I’m going back to try it for a longer period of time this week.

It’s my understanding that they buy the foam from the manufacturer and then THEY make the bed. In other words, they make the platform (what would be a box spring for a regular mattress) and they cover that as well as the mattress with their own quilting/material. At least this is my understanding. I know they make regular mattresses there as well. He also said that the platform could be whatever thickness/height I wanted since they make it in house, which I thought was a nice touch.

Any thoughts/insight you might have would be greatly appreciated. I’d like to be as prepared as possible with questions and what not when I return to try them out for a longer period of time.

I also have a price sheet for everything they offer here if you’re interested to see it…

Thanks for your time!

Brian

4

Hi brianj,

2427 polyfoam means that it has a density of 2.4 lbs (the first two numbers) which is a high quality material and well above the minimum density I would suggest for a support layer (see the guidelines here). The 27 is the firmness of the material (27 ILD) which isn’t either good or bad … just a firmness rating. If the mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) then it would be a suitable firmness level for you.

Both of these are American foam manufacturers and both of them are CertiPur certified*. Like all foam manufacturers they make a range of polyfoam and memory foam from lower quality to higher quality (depending on the density).

ADMIN NOTE: *Removed 404 link|Archived Footprint: certipur.us/pages/for-industry/find-a-foam-supplier/

It would be important to test any mattress to make sure it’s a good match for you in terms of PPP but the materials you mentioned are all good quality materials and there would be no weak link in either of them in terms of quality/durability.

Unfortunately I can’t feel what you feel or see you on the mattress so there isn’t any way for me to know. The most effective way to know if it’s a good match for you in terms of PPP would be careful and objective testing on the mattress using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post (see post #2 here).

Typical of most smaller independent manufacturers, they certainly use the same or higher quality materials than most mainstream brands in the same or even higher price ranges. While you will find 4 and 5 lb memory foam in some major brands mattresses (and many more that use lower quality/density memory foam than this) … 2.4 lb base foam is very uncommon in major brands which usually use lower quality/density polyfoam in their support layers.

Yes … they are an actual mattress manufacturer … just a smaller local company instead of a national company.

You can read about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here but you have already done most of the “work”. The two key parts to making the “best” choice is your personal testing for “suitability” and then making sure you know the quality/density of the materials for “durability” so you can make meaningful comparisons with any of your other final choices. They would certainly be well worth considering IMO.

That would be great if you could attach it to your post … thanks :slight_smile:

Phoenix

5

Thanks for that quick response! I’ll try the various evaluation points referenced in that guide and see how their product fits me. For reference, I’ve attached the price sheet as you requested!

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6

Hi brianj,

Thanks for posting the price list … I appreciate it :slight_smile:

I added a link to your post in their description so that others that are considering them can see it as well.

The list doesn’t show all the details of all their mattresses but on the face of it they certainly appear to have some very good quality and value.

Phoenix

7

Phoenix,

Is there any specific information that should be included other than what I’ve mentioned already? Maybe the maker of the core layer? Any other questions you’d like me to ask them when I go back this week? I know they don’t have a phone so you can’t call them directly, but I’d be happy to ask them whatever you like if you want more information.

Brian

8

Hi brianj,

No … you’ve covered all the information you need to make an informed choice and the manufacturer of the foam isn’t really important (and some mattress manufacturers don’t release this information anyway for proprietary or competitive reasons). All you really need to know is whether the mattress is a suitable match for you in terms of PPP (based on your testing) and to make sure that the quality of the materials inside the mattress meet the quality/durability guidelines here (which they do).

I already know that they are transparent about the materials in their mattresses and will disclose them to their customers and that they use good quality materials so they certainly fit the profile of the type of manufacturer that I think highly of and prefer to deal with. Other than this there really isn’t much more a purchasor would need to know other than the prices which you’ve already posted. Of course if you are able to post the specifics of any of their other mattresses as well (such as their innerspring mattresses or latex eurotop) it may be helpful for some of the other members that may be considering them but it certainly wouldn’t be necessary since I believe they would provide this to any of their customers anyway (who are knowledgeable enough to know to ask) and I generally suggest that consumers confirm the specs when they are testing a mattress because specs can sometimes change from time to time.

Phoenix

9

Ok, good to know…

I had another question…I’ve been reading up on adjustable bed frames as I find myself always propped up with pillows and what not while watching TV and reading, so I thought it was worth a look to see what’s available. I couldn’t however find a good resource for a who’s who of these frames and what the best value is. Is it like the mattresses where there is better value in lesser known names, or do you really get what you pay for in this realm? Do you have or know of a good list of quality frames with good value? Any help in this would be appreciated…thanks again!

Brian

10

Hi brianJ,

Post #3 here and the adjustable bed thread it links to should be helpful and also includes several sources that you can use for price or “value” comparisons :).

Phoenix