Its time to release the initial founding group of manufacturing members of The Mattress Underground. Each one of these represents what I believe to be one of the highest value mattress manufacturers in North America and I am excited that they are part of this.{kunena_discuss:41}
I am fortunate to have had the chance to speak at length with each of them and every one of them are what I consider to be “mattress people” who are dedicated to making great mattresses at great prices. While they each of course have differences in their mattresses and in the markets they target, they share in common a commitment to quality and transparency in what they produce and sell and there isn’t a single one of them that I would hesitate to purchase from. I am also grateful for their support of this project as it is not always easy to be an “early adopter” of a new idea and go against the natural inclination to “wait and see” before becoming a part of anything that represents something different.
This is a great beginning … but of course, it is only a beginning. While there will be more over time as I continue to talk with other manufacturers and invite those who share these same values to become a part of what we are doing, I will always be grateful to this initial group who were instrumental in the launch of The Mattress Underground.
While all of these may not offer the same quality of materials or value as the members of this site, I am listing them to give you an idea of what is available in your general area. Some of these would be well worth a phone call and/or a visit as part of your mattress research and field testing and they would certainly help to give you a good idea of the type of mattress construction and materials that can work for you.
Once you know the type of materials, construction and layering that is most suitable for your needs … then it is a simple matter to compare the value of a local mattress manufacturer with an online manufacturer which manufacturers a similar mattress to decide the best place to make your purchase.
If you have any more specific questions about any particular mattress or materials … feel free to ask
great site with lots of good info, but im not quite sure if im missing something here. you are constantly referring to local manufacturers and im all for that, i just don’t know what u mean. how do i go about finding one of those local guys? i used to sell yellow pages and know of a small shot, something like “the foam store” in brighton, ma. nice guy and all, he once told me that he can build any foam mattress i want, just pick the faom density, thickness and so. well, the problem is i have no clue! im 6’10" 230 and my wife is 5’7" 110, she likes everything super soft (for sinking in, i suppose) we made a mistake of buying bobopedic some years ago, now we moved into new house, bought our son queen bedroom set and buying ourselves a king, need 2 mattresses, looked at my side 6 series and comforpedic, but after reading reviews on 6 series, no way am i spening 3k+ and taking that of a gamble. i like the idea of latex foam, but don’t know where to go to buy a quality mattress.
any advice would be much appreciated, we live in boston area.
thanks,
There are many smaller manufacturers in most areas of the country who make mattresses that use higher quality materials than the major brands … better construction methods … and best of all sell for significantly less than anything comparable that you will find with more heavily advertised major brands or chain stores. Many of these sell direct to the consumer and some wholesale their mattresses to local outlets who then sell them to consumers. They operate at a smaller profit margin and have a smaller supply chain and less “mouths to feed” between the manufacturer and the customer which is a big part of the reason they are such great value.
These manufacturers can be rather hard to find as they are often smaller and don’t advertise at all and rely much more on word of mouth and their own local reputation. In many cases they have been in business for decades or even three or four generations but as strange as it may seem … most of the local population has often not heard of them and tends to “follow the advertising”. They can be found of course with time searching on the web although even then some of them only show up deep into a search. A big part of the reason for this site is to help people find them.
The difference between these and many foam shops (which can also be great) is that they have a showroom where you can actually try out their mattress rather than having to design it yourself (which can take a lot of knowledge that many people don’t have). They are also very good at making adjustments in their “standard” models if necessary to fit a mattress to your needs and preferences.
They are also very good at choosing materials and using construction methods that they know will last because their reputation depends on it. Buying from a good local manufacturer can save a lot of research as well because as a general rule … they are far more interested in making sure you are happy for the long term than they are in making the sale.
With the size difference between you and your wife … it can be particularly important for the person who sells you a mattress to really understand the benefits of different materials and constructions and even make a mattress which has “split” layering if necessary to accommodate different weights, body shapes, and sleeping positions.
You are wise to avoid mattresses like the MySide series 6 as they are considerable overpriced IMO based on the materials that are in them. Some guidelines which can help people avoid most of the lower value choices can be found here.
There are some good options in the Boston Area and other helpful information in this thread which hopefully can help steer you in the direction of better quality and value.
