Hi Snagged,
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Greenville, SC area (subject to the “value” guidelines I linked earlier) are listed in post #2 here.
I would keep in mind that a pillowtop is a method of construction and not a firmness rating. It describes a mattress that includes a separate layer or “topper” on top in its own compartment which is attached to the main body of the mattress with a recessed edge so that the “pillowtop” layer can act and compress a little bit more independently and would feel a little softer than if the same layer was inside the main body of a mattress. While “most” pillowtops are in a softer range … they come in a very wide range of firmness options and some of them that use firmer materials in the pillow top attachment that would be in a firmer range as well. There are also some “non pillowtop” mattresses that would be softer than some pillowtop mattresses if they use softer materials in the upper layers of the mattress.
You can also add a softer topper to a firmer mattress instead of buying a mattress that has an attached pillowtop so when the top layers begin to soften, break down, or compress before the deeper layers in the mattress (which is what generally happens) then you can just replace the topper instead of replacing the whole mattress.
There is more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that can help you identify and minimize the risks involved in each of them in post #2 here. If you can’t test a mattress in person then as long as you know the type of materials you tend to prefer sleeping on (memory foam, polyfoam, latex, innersprings etc) then your best source of guidance to help you make a suitable choice will be a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced online retailer or manufacturer who will know more about “matching” their mattresses to different body types and sleeping styles than anyone else.
I would be very cautious about using someone else’s experiences as a guideline for your own because each person’s needs and preferences can be very different and a mattress that is “perfect” for one person may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on.
All of these would make good quality/value choices but they are also different types of mattresses and only you can decide which type of mattress or materials you tend to prefer sleeping on.
The Ultimate Dreams Natural Latex Mattress uses 100% Natural Dunlop latex on top of a polyfoam base layer.
The Ultimate Dreams Pocketed Coil Ultra Plush Pillow Top Mattress with Gel Memory Foam has a pocket coil support core and gel memory foam in the comfort layer. This is an example of a softer pillowtop.
The Ultimate Dreams Supreme Gel Memory Foam Mattress is a more typical memory foam mattress that has a similar firmness level to the Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme (which you could probably test locally as a reference).
If you are uncertain about which type of materials or mattresses you would prefer then again your best source of guidance will be a more detailed conversation with Dreamfoam who can tell you more about the differences between them.
Two of these have memory foam comfort layers and one has latex and there is more about the differences between memory foam and latex in post #2 here.
I would also keep in mind that if you purchase a Dreamfoam mattress directly from the Dreamfoam site instead of Amazon then there is an additional 10% discount and you would also have the benefit of their 45 day comfort guarantee
Phoenix