Been shopping around for a queen mattress & it sucks! First time buying one & had no idea I’d be looking at spending over $1500 for something decent. Have a friend who used to work at a factory or warehouse or something & said the stores mark them up 400% OMG.
I’ve been to mattress firm, mattress one, & some mattress/furniture outlet type place so far.
The guy in mattress firm was very aggressive. I’ve heard great things about tempur pedic/high end memory foam mattresses but after laying on a tempur pedic model I thought it was too firm & moving/rolling around felt awkward. I tried a couple Serta hybrids & they felt great but were $1500+. They had a basic Serta pillow top he tried to sell me for $800 but I just wasn’t that impressed.
The guy in mattress one was nice & not too pushy. He had me try a Simmons pillow top & it seemed nice but at this point everything was starting to feel the same. The sticker on it said $1200 & he said he’d give me the set for $800. When I went home I checked the mattress one website & that model was already priced at $800!!! Almost got me.
The outlet store was kind of junky & not much to look at. They had a small selection of random off brand beds. Mlily caught my eye only because my coworker recommended them. I tested the tranquility model briefly. I think it’s 12inches with density in the 4lb range, can’t remember the exact specs. Tag said $849 but he said he’d give it to me for $600…
Hating this process. All the stores seem kind of shady & I just don’t know how I can get a good feel after only 10 min. I’ve been trying to do research but there’s so much information it’s very overwhelming.
I’m still open to memory foam or latex because it sounds like they simply last longer. Durability is definitely very important. I also want something comfortable. I’m 5’4 and weigh 240#. I only tried a couple memory foam mattresses in the store & they were either way too hard or I was sinking. I need that softer plush feeling on top but I want that support underneath also. If I can get 8-10yrs out of it I’ll be pleased and I’m hoping to stay under $800 on the high end.
I just purchased a platform bed & I’m also wondering if I need a box bring or just the mattress??? Here’s a link to the exact bed. I havent received it yet to know how sturdy or high it sits.
The first place to start your research is the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that will help you make the best possible choices … and avoid the worst ones such as chain stores and major brands.
mLily is a Chinese manufacturer that makes some good quality and value memory foam mattresses and are CertiPur certified (see the memory foam guidelines I would suggest in post #10 here) but like any mattress purchase I would make sure that in addition to testing a mattress for PPP that you also know the specifics of every layer in the mattress so you can identify any weak links in the mattress and make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses.
I would make sure that it has a center rail with good center support to the floor but other than this it would depend on the mattress. For most foam mattresses it would be fine without a foundation. With a mattress that had a latex support core I would make sure that the distance between the slats was no more than 3" in which case it would also be fine. With an innerspring mattress I would check with the manufacturer or retailer of the mattress to make sure that a slatted foundation / platform bed was suitable for your mattress and met the warranty criteria.
Once you get to step 3 in the tutorial post … some of the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Houston area are listed in post #2 here.
I think latex might be the best material for someone of my size (BMI 40). Seems like it’s most likely to retain it’s density & comfort.
The issue now is budget. I can realistically afford something under $800. I’m seeing that $800 is not a lot to work with. I spoke with a couple manufacturers with “budget” models but of course they recommended the higher end/100% latex models because of my weight, which bumped me to the $1500-$2500 range. I’ve gone thru most of the sellers on your list & talked to a few already.
Your budget may be too low for a latex mattress or even a latex/polyfoam hybrid that uses thick enough layers of latex for your body type and you may need to consider a mattress with other materials that are also very durable. High density polyfoam (in the 2 lb range and above) or memory foam with 5 lb or higher density with either a strong innerspring or a good quality polyfoam support core may be a suitable option that is in a lower budget range
Alternatively you may want to consider a mattress that uses synthetic Dunlop latex or mostly synthetic latex (if there are any available in the area) although I would tend to lean towards a higher natural latex content in Dunlop latex with your higher body weight.
If you don’t find any suitable mattresses in your budget range locally then some of the members of the site listed in post #21 here that sell latex mattresses online have some lower budget options available and may be worth talking to if you are comfortable with an online purchase.
There are also some online memory foam options listed in post #12 here that may also be worth talking to.
You can read a little more about the factors that can affect durability and different materials post #4 here and the posts it links to. Latex is generally the most durable of all the foam materials but higher density memory foam (5 lbs or higher) or polyfoam (2 lbs or higher) are also very durable materials that are often used in mattresses that work well for higher body weights.
Any feedback/help on breaking down the differences between the Brooklyn bedding 10" essence & the 10" spindle abscond? Pretty sure I definitely need to splurge on 100% all natural latex for my size & I’m thinking a Dunlop base because it’s firmer than talalay, with a softer talalay layer on top. The essence is about $2200 while the abscond is $1399.
The layers and specs are on their sites but for reference the Spindle Abscond uses three 3" layers of either natural or synthetic Dunlop latex (made using a continuous pour process) and has a thin 3/4 inch layer of quilted polyfoam in an organic cotton cover. The layers can be rearranged or exchanged after a purchase (Note: Spindle is now only using 100% natural continuous pour Dunlop and wool quilting in their mattresses).
The Brooklyn Bedding Essence uses a 6" core of 100% natural Dunlop and a 3" comfort layer that uses the more costly 100% natural Talalay latex and has a cover that uses wool quilting in an organic cotton cover. Wool is also more costly than polyfoam and is a very good temperature regulator and is also used as the fire retardant in this mattress. The comfort layer can be exchanged after a purchase.
Dunlop and Talalay both come in a wide range of firmness levels so one isn’t necessarily firmer than the other although Dunlop has a higher compression modulus (gets firmer faster with deeper comprression) so if they both had the same ILD (softness level) and the ILD was measured with the same method then if a layer is compressed less than 25% then Dunlop would generally be softer and if a layer is compressed more than 25% then Talalay would generally be softer. They would be the same at exactly 25% compression.
Both of these mattresses use high quality materials and have no weak links in the mattress and both manufacturers are members of the site which means that I believe they compete well with the best in the industry. You can read more about the different types of latex in each of them in post #6 here.