Hi Djehuty,
A mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality of the materials inside it and one of the most important parts of a mattress purchase besides good objective testing for PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and personal preferences) is to know the specifics of all the layers in the mattress. This would include the type and thickness of all the layers, the density of any memory foam or polyfoam, and the type and blend of any latex. Without this there is no way to be able to assess whether a mattress has any “weak links” that can affect its useful life. This is especially important with the comfort layers of a mattress which are usually the first to soften and break down which leads to the gradual (or sometimes rapid) loss of the comfort and support of the mattress.
There are many manufacturers around the country including some of the Restonic licensees that will provide all of this information to the retailers that sell their mattresses and it’s important that the retailer provides this information to their customers that want to make more informed decisions about the mattresses they are buying and want to make more meaningful comparisons with other mattresses.
If your retailer calls the factory and provides you with the layers in the mattress but doesn’t have the knowledge to be able to “translate” them for you … if you list them here I’d certainly to share my thoughts about the Restonic you are considering and help you identify if there are any “weak links” in the mattress.
When you are heavy it’s especially important to make sure that the upper layers of your mattress uses durable materials and that there is no more than “about an inch or so” of questionable or lower quality materials in the comfort layers or the quilting layers of the mattress. you can also read more about some of the factors that can affect the useful life of a mattress in post #4 here.
You can read more about latex and allergies in post #2 here from earlier today and the other posts it links to (today seems to be the day for latex allergy questions :))
There are tests available that can determine if you are allergic to latex proteins (Type 1 latex allergies which are very rare but more serious) or any of the chemicals or substances that are used to make latex foam (Type IV allergies which are skin contact allergies and not really an issue with mattresses because there is no contact with the latex).
Phoenix