Hi grandeson,
Thanks for the feedback about your trip to Shovlin Mattress Factory. As you mentioned they certainly make some very good quality mattresses and are very experienced and knowledgeable and transparent about the mattresses they sell which is why I think highly of them and they are one of the members of the site.
As you mentioned if a mattress is outside of the budget range that you can comfortably afford then there is little you can do except and you would need to look at other options no matter how “comfortable”, how suitable, how durable, or what the “value” of a mattress may be.
While I can certainly help to narrow things down and help with “how” to choose and what to avoid … I don’t make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or materials because only you can feel what you feel on a mattress or decide on the types of mattresses and materials that you are most interested in trying and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to know which specific mattress design or combination of materials would be best for you based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or theory at a distance (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). What is “best” for you either in terms of a mattress or a manufacturer/retailer can be very different from what would be “best” for someone else.
Having said that … the better options or possibilities in your area that I’m aware of are listed in the Monroe/Newark list I linked in my previous reply and if you are also comfortable with an online purchase then the mattress shopping tutorial also includes a link to a list of the members here that sell mattresses online (in the optional online step) that compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency. Many of them also make latex and latex hybrid mattresses that use different types and blends of latex that have a range of different designs, options, features, return and exchange policies, and prices that that may also be well worth considering based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including price of course).
If you follow all the 5 steps in the tutorial post one at a time then you will have the best chance of success.
Phoenix