Hi tallguyinia,
Thanks for the kind words
There is really no way to answer this for any individual because it depends on how each person interacts with their mattress and many other factors including budget. The goal with any mattress regardless of budget though is what I call PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Preferences) tand because each person has a different weight and shape, different sleeping positions, and different preferences in terms of how they want a mattress to feel … this can only be answered by the person themselves. Higher quality materials will generally mean a more durable mattress that will keep the eel and performance for much longer periods of time.
One thing I would suggest however is that if you are committed to memory foam is that you use mainly higher density memory foam in your mattress because lower density memory foams will soften much faster with higher weights. If you do choose a mattress with lower density memory foam (less than 5 lbs) because of the softer feel and faster response … or because your other half may prefer it … I would make sure the lower density layers were as thin as possible.
Having said all that … there are certainly better “value” options … regardless of the suitability of a mattress for any individual. There are some guidelines here for different weights and shapes and here for different sleeping positions that can act as a good starting point for testing but only your own personal testing will tell you which type of mattress is “best” for you.
The most important first step is often to find an outlet that has the knowledge, skills, and a range of good value mattresses which are more focused on educating you about what makes a good mattress for you and can help you make make better choices. They can save you a lot of time and research. The more they know the less tyou have to know. These types of outlets will helpp you find a mattress that is best for you rather than best for their profit margin.
Post #6 here has the better choices in the Des Moines area that I know of and one of our members … http://www.midwest-mattress.com/ has an outlet there and I would certainly recommend you pay them a visit.
Hope this helps
Phoenix