Hi Northcountryfire,
There is more information in post #2 here and the more detailed posts and information it links to about safe, natural, organic, “chemical free”, and “green” mattresses and mattress materials that can help you sort through some of the marketing information and terminology that you will encounter in the industry and can help you differentiate between them and answer “how safe is safe enough for me” or “how organic is organic enough for me” so you can decide on the types of materials you are most comfortable having in your mattress. These types of issues are complex and are generally specific to each person and their individual sensitivities, circumstances, criteria, beliefs, and lifestyle choices.
Hopefully some of the members here that have purchased the same futon as you are considering will see your post and share their comments but in the meantime a forum search on thefutonshop (you can just click the link) will bring up more comments and feedback about them as well.
There is also more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress (or a futon) purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses. While there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the futon you are considering in terms of durability … how well a mattress or a futon matches your specific needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and how well you will sleep on it is the most important part of the “value” of a mattress or futon purchase and if you can’t test a mattress in person or are uncertain whether it would be a good match for you in terms of PPP then I would make sure that you are comfortable with the return or exchange policies and the costs involved just in case you make a choice that doesn’t work out as well as you hoped for and the mattress isn’t suitable for you to sleep on.
I would also make sure that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
The tutorial also includes several links to lists of some of the better online options I’m aware of as well (in the optional online step) and some of the better lower budget options I’m aware of are listed in post #4 here as well.
I would also be very cautious about “fake sales” that are only designed to create a false sense of urgency based on a “fear of loss” because they normally aren’t real (see post #5 here about fake sales) and as you can see from listing on the wayback for the same mattress on March 30th, 2015 here and for August 26th, 2014 here their 60% discount or at least a similar discount is really their regular price.
If you let me know your city or zip code in Tennessee I’d also be happy to let you know about any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area as well.
Phoenix