My husband and I are in dire need of a new mattress - our innerspring mattress has outlived its usefulness by a couple of years (although to be fair, this off-brand mattress gave us more than 15 years of restful sleep)! We have tested Serta and Sealy innerspring mattresses, an iComfort, a couple of Tempurpedics, and several Optimums, and had just about decided on the 12" Optimum for $3000 “on sale” when I discovered this forum. After reading the articles and quite a few forum topics, I have serious reservations about our choice.
He and I both sleep on our sides and backs, and he occasionally sleeps on his stomach (although not lately due to the mattress). I tend to be a hot sleeper, and I also have contact allergies to latex and wool. This doesn’t worry me so much after reading some of the posts here, but it’s still a little concerning. He tends to like a firmer mattress, and I like something a little softer; our weights are 295 and 180 respectively. Even after reading the articles, I’m very confused about what mattress would work best for us.
We live in eastern North Carolina near Greenville. Are there any outlets you might recommend within reasonable driving distance? It appears that the closest member is in Norfolk, Va. (more than a 3-hour drive).
The first place I would start is post #1 here which along with the information and guidelines it links to will help you eliminate most of your worse choices (such as the major brands you have been considering) and focus more on your better options. These are usually mattresses made by smaller local or independent manufacturers that are either sold factory direct or through better sleep shops which tend to have much higher quality materials and better value.
The easiest way to cut through the confusion is to work with “mattress people” who already know what you would otherwise need to learn and have your best interests at heart. One of the most reliable signs of these types of manufacturers or retailers are the ones who will provide you with the quality details of every layer in any mattress you are considering.
Both wool and latex in a mattress are generally covered by other materials so with contact allergies they may still be fine in a mattress. Your personal testing will usually tell you if there is any reason to be concerned. In addition to this … latex allergies are usually to the surface proteins of the latex which are mostly washed off during the manufacturing of latex foam (unlike latex gloves, condoms, or other solid rubber products). You may have read this but there is more about latex allergies in post #2 here which may help relieve most of your latex allergy concerns.
Some of the better options and possibilities in the Greenville area are listed in post #2 here. While the members here are certainly among the best quality and value in the country (and it would be well worth a reasonable drive in most cases to visit them) … there are also many other manufacturers who are not members here who make and/or sell high quality and value mattresses in and around most areas of the country including Greenville.
Thanks for the fast reply. One problem, though - the post you referred me to for dealers is for the wrong Greenville area. I’m nowhere near Greenville South Carolina, Charlotte NC or Asheville. Those are 6 to 8 hours away. I’m near Greenville NORTH Carolina, in the eastern part of the state, near the coast. Any suggestions?
Oops … lets see if we can get the right Greenville this time.
There aren’t as many options in the Greenville, NC area where you are but the ones I know of are listed in post #4 here. It will take a bit of extra research to make sure that the retailers listed there will provide you with the quality details of the materials in their mattresses so you can make meaningful comparisons.
The closest factory direct manufacturers to you are listed in the Raleigh thread here.
Thanks Phoenix - the suggestions in the linked posts are all within driving distance. I’ll make some phone calls and then we can take a few road trips to “test rest.”