Hi jamaes22,
There is more information about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here 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 suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase to “fine tune” a mattress or the exchange/return options that are available to you).
While I can’t speak to how any mattress will “feel” for someone else because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances … outside of PPP the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability and assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses (including innersprings) are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article). I certainly wouldn’t assume that innerspring mattresses that use high quality and durable materials and that don’t have any “weak links” (in the comfort layers especially) are any less durable than any other type of mattress. I wouldn’t have any concern with a mattress that uses “less than about an inch or so” of lower quality or “unknown” layers in the quilting layers especially since this isn’t thick enough to compromise durability.
I’m guessing that the “26” is the ILD of the base layer although this isn’t important to know because with a local purchase that you are testing in person your body will tell you much more than specs about whether any particular mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP. The “Q” could mean Qualux which is a family of foams that in general are a good quality material made by Carpenter (see post #2 here) but of course I have no way to know for sure and I would avoid speculation and find out the density for sure from the manufacturer. If a specific salesperson doesn’t know then I would insist that they find out from someone else that knows the type and quality/density of the polyfoam and any other information you need to know to make an informed choice.
There are many individual specs that can combine together to make a significant difference in the feel and performance of a mattress other than the thickness of a layer (see post #2 here).
Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like “medium” for someone else or even “soft” for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they “rate” a mattress as well (see post #15 here) so different people can also have very different opinions on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness as well and some people may rate one mattress as being firmer than another and someone else may rate them the other way around. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science.
The first “rule” of mattress shopping is to remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
If you can find out the information in this article about the Gardner mattresses I’d certainly be happy to make some comments about the quality and durability of the layers and let you know if I can see any obvious weak links in the mattress that would compromise durability but I would be very surprised if any of the Gardner mattresses had any lower quality materials or weak links in their design. Without this information it’s not possible for me to make any meaningful comments about the quality or durability of the materials in a mattress or the mattress “as a whole”.
There is more about the BestMattressEver and the KISS mattress in post #2 here in the simplified choice mattress topic and both of them use high quality and durable materials and there are no lower quality materials or weak links in either of them in terms of durability relative to any weight range.
The thickness of a mattress is really just a side effect of the design and is also only one of many variables that can affect the feel and performance of a mattress and by itself also isn’t particularly meaningful (see post #2 here). In some cases higher weight ranges will sometimes do better with a mattress that is a little thicker than lower weight ranges but even this depends more on the specific design and combination of materials in the mattress and on how well the mattress “as a whole” matches your specific needs and preferences than anything else.
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 or how long the mattress has been sold so I wouldn’t have any concerns with any mattress that meet the quality durability guidelines I linked regardless of how long it has been available on the market.
There is more about the different ways to choose the most suitable mattress (locally and online) that can help you assess and minimize the risks involved of making a choice that isn’t as suitable for you as you hoped for with each of them in post #2 here.
There is also more about the pros and cons of an online purchase vs a local purchase in post #2 here and this topic.
While your own careful testing or personal experience is the most reliable way to know whether a mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort and PPP … when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
You are certainly looking at some good quality/value choices but once you have narrowed down your options to a list of finalists that are all choices between “good and good” and none of them have any lower quality materials or “weak links” in their design and if there are no clear winners between them (which is usually a good indication that you have done some very good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a suitable choice and post #2 here can help you make a final choice based on your local testing or mattresses you have slept well on, your more detailed conversations with each of them, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, your preferences for different types of materials, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress or individual layers, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Phoenix