Hi jmb0070,
I would start by reading the tutorial post because it sounds like you may be trying to “talk yourself into” a mattress purchase that you may end up regretting and may not be happy with in the medium to longer term (and possibly the short term as well).
I would keep in mind that there are three parts to the “value” of a mattress purchase.
The first part is testing for the suitability of a mattress in terms of PPP and how well you sleep on it. A mattress needs to keep you in good alignment and relieve pressure points in all your sleeping positions and if you use the testing guidelines in the tutorial they can help you decide which mattress is most suitable for you.
The second part is the durability of a mattress and how long you sleep well. Even if a mattress feels great and is a great “match” for you when it is new and you sleep well on it … there would be very little “value” in a mattress that uses lower quality materials that will be subject to premature foam softening and breakdown and the loss of the comfort and support that was the reason you purchased it relative to the price you are paying. Again … this would be particularly important if you are in higher weight ranges where the quality and durability of the materials will be even more important.
The third part is the “value” of a mattress purchase compared to the other mattresses you are considering based on all the other parts of your personal value equation (including price) that are most important to you.
Again … there is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase that can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in post #13 here.
I personally wouldn’t minimize the importance of using good quality and durable materials by just calling them “negative points”. They are obvious weak links in a mattress that can lead to premature softening and breakdown much more quickly than you may realize. It’s also not correct that all mattresses use lower quality and less durable materials or have a weak link in their design and there are many mattresses even in much lower budget ranges than you are considering that don’t use lower quality materials that would be a weak link in the mattress.
Only you can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to make specific recommendations or suggest a specific mattress or combination of layers or materials based on specs (either yours or a mattress), health conditions, individual circumstances, or “theory at a distance” (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). I can certainly help you narrow down your options by avoiding the worst ones and with “how” to choose or act as a fact check but not with which specific mattress, company, or manufacturer to choose.
Having said that … outside of comfort and PPP … the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability and a mattress is only as good as it’s construction and the quality of the materials inside it. City Mattress doesn’t list the information that I would need to make any meaningful comments about the quality/durability of the materials in their mattresses on their website but if you can find out the information in this article about any of their mattresses I’d certainly be happy to make some comments about the quality and durability of the materials inside it.
As you can see in the guidelines here … I would avoid all of the the major brands and mattresses that you mentioned (which all use lower quality and less durable materials) and I would encourage you to “reset” how you are looking for a mattress in the first place if you hope to avoid a similar experience to your Stearns & Foster.
If you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.
Phoenix