I am in the processing of searching for a new mattress. At Macys I liked the Serta iseries firm Luminous Retreat Hybrid super cushion pillow top. I would like suggestions for similar mattresses from higher quality manufacturers/retailers in the northern NJ /NYC area.
Hi Hirize,
The first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones including the major manufacturers such as Serta (see the guidelines here).
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists (based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).
Mattress manufacturers generally try to differentiate their mattress from the mattresses made by other manufacturers and they don’t normally try to “match” another mattress that is made by a different manufacturer so it’s unlikely that you will find a mattress that is specifically designed to “match” the Serta Luminous Retreat Hybrid in terms of the specific layers, components, and design. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t other mattresses that would be just as good or even better in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and PErsonal preferences) … only that they wouldn’t be the same.
There is more about the different ways that one mattress can “match” or “approximate” another mattress in post #9 here but unless all the materials. layers, and components in two mattresses are the same the only way to know how they will compare in terms of how they “feel” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) will be based on your own careful testing or personal experience.
Making durability comparisons is a little bit less subjective because in terms of durability a mattress is only as good as the type and quality of the materials inside it (regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label) and would involve comparing the quality and durability of the materials and components in each of the mattresses you are considering to make sure that they don’t use any lower quality materials or have any weak links in their design (see this article and the quality/durability guidelines it links to). Serta and the other major manufacturers tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than many smaller manufacturers (which is one of the reasons I would avoid them completely) and you could certainly do much better in terms of durability than buying a major brand.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Monroe Township/Newark, NJ. region (subject to making sure that any specific mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply) are listed in post #7 here. There is also a link to the list for the NYC area in the same post…
Phoenix