My husband and I have read the info on this site and found it very helpful and informative. We live in the 27517 zip code of NC and are trying to locate a good supplier for a new mattress. We are back and side sleepers, 140 and 185 lbs in weight, that prefer a medium firm mattress that is not made from toxic materials like polyurethane. We are replacing a king size pillow top Kingsdown “Sleeping Beauty” that we purchased several years ago. The mattress is sagging and is not comfortable; however, we have the same mattress in a queen that is still very comfortable and is not sagging. We recently visted the Original Mattress Factory and looked at their orthopedic pillow top which is a two sided mattress. It appears from your comments that a two sided mattress would be a good choice. We also looked at several Simmons Beautyrest at Sleepy’s with a latex topper. We would like to know your recommendations for a good quality mattress we could try in our area. Any comments would be most appreciated.
JF
Hi JF,
I’m assuming that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information you will need to make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase 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 all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).
Any mattress (one or two sided) that is a good “match” for you in terms of PPP and that you have confirmed meets the minimum quality/durability guidelines here and that also compares well to the other mattresses you are considering based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you would certainly be well worth considering.
If all else is equal a two sided mattress can certainly last longer than a one sided mattress that uses the same materials and components but is only padded on one side of the mattress as long as you turn and rotate it on a regular basis. One sided mattresses also have more design flexibility because a two sided mattress is limited by the thickness of the comfort layers on the bottom of the mattress (if they are too thick and soft then they can compromise the support of the mattress). There is more about the pros and cons of one sided and two sided mattresses in post #3 here.
All the major brands (such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta) tend to use lower quality materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay and I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (and the major retailers that focus on them such as Sleepys) along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).
I would be cautious about buying a mattress with the intention of adding a topper unless you can test the specific combination in person. One of the challenges of buying a firmer mattress and then adding a topper when you can’t test the mattress/topper combination in person is that choosing a suitable topper that is a good “match” both for you and the mattress you are using it on (different mattresses will affect the choice of topper that works best for a particular person) can be almost as challenging as choosing a mattress that doesn’t need a topper in the first place because the only way to know whether the combination will be a good “match” for you will be based on your own personal experience (see post #2 here).
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … I don’t make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always 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 or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, 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).
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked in the first part of this reply) are listed in post #6 here.
In its simplest form … choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to first finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in (either locally or online) and that you have confirmed can provide you with all the information you need to know to make an informed choice and make meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …
1. Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.
2. Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.
3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Phoenix