Still a bit overwhelmed and don’t know what the best plan of attack is. I was about to get an Ultimate Dreams Queen Latex, but I was afraid it would be too hot or firm compared to what I have now. I currently have a 4 year old pillow top that is extremely comfortable (no back or neck pain whatsoever), but it sags too much if I don’t switch sides every 4 nights.
Don’t know if I should check into latex or spring. Ideally I would like to try some out, but I don’t want to go into a store with nut jobs or cheapo products. Anyone know of any places around South NJ or the immediate Philadelphia area I could go to start a physical search?
I’m looking for something to last at least 4-5 years and I’m comfortable spending up to $700 for a queen (mattress only)
Latex is generally cooler than the polyfoam in the pilowtop you are probably sleeping on at the moment (it is the coolest of the 3 types of foam which are memory foam, polyfoam, and latex and Talalay is the coolest of the different types of latex). Of course the sleeping temperature of a mattress depends on other factors as well (see post #2 here).
The better options or possibilities in the general Philadelphia area I’m aware of are listed in post #4 here. Another member also has posted in this thread about some of their Philadelphia experiences which may also be somewhat helpful.
I would call the ones you are considering first along the lines of this article to get a sense of their knowledge, service, and transparency before I spent any time visiting them.
With your lower budget … you will encounter mostly innerspring/polyfoam mattresses so it would be particularly important to make sure you know the thickness and quality of any polyfoam layers. I would also tend towards a two sided mattress if you go in this direction because it will be more durable. You can see an example in the PS at the end of post #2 here of a mattress made by a local manufacturer who “knows his stuff” that would be in the lower budget ranges yet still have great durability. These are the types of outlets I would focus on if there are any close enough to be worth visiting.
With your lower budget … you will encounter mostly innerspring/polyfoam mattresses so it would be particularly important to make sure you know the thickness and quality of any polyfoam layers. I would also tend towards a two sided mattress if you go in this direction because it will be more durable. You can see an example in the PS at the end of post #2 here of a mattress made by a local manufacturer who “knows his stuff” that would be in the lower budget ranges yet still have great durability. These are the types of outlets I would focus on if there are any close enough to be worth visiting.
Phoenix[/quote]
Thanks a bunch for all of the help. I’m just kind of wondering though - I could always spring for the Ultimate Dreams Latex Queen for $600. Most people apparently love theirs. Though I could also shop around here for a standard innerspring in the $500-600 range. They would be two sided whereas the latex is only one sided from what I understand through the Amazon reviews.
Am I foolish for thinking that I can get a decent innerspring from a local manufacturer for around $500-600? Again it doesn’t have to be a bed for a king, just something that will hold up decently and not need to be flipped every few weeks. As long as I am not sleeping in a hole or waking up with back pain within the first 4-5 years, I’m sold.
Yes … the Ultimate Dreams is a one sided mattress but the comfort layers are a much higher quality material than polyfoam so it’s durability comes from the material rather than the type of construction.
If you are looking at a mattress that uses polyurethane in the comfort layers … then it becomes more important that it is two sided so that the polyfoam has a chance to rest and each side is only used and subject to repeated compression half as much.
You should be able to find a suitable mattress in your price range but the most important thing is who you buy it from so you can make sure you are dealing with an “expert” who knows the quality of the foam and construction they use rather than buying a mattress with “unknown” foam layers or construction or from someone who doesn’t know all the materials that are in the mattress…
If I was looking in your budget range for a queen, size mattress, I would focus on the factory direct manufacturers in the list. If you did decide to deal with a retailer, then I would call them first to describe what you are looking for and make sure that they have something that could be suitable and are able to tell you all the layers and the quality of the materials (with polyfoam and memory foam that means the density in lbs/cu ft) that are used in the mattresses they sell.
I would also take the opportunity while you are testing to lie on some latex … preferably Talalay (no matter what the price of the mattress may be) so you have a sense of what latex feel like if you do decide to go in the direction of the Ultimate Dreams.
Once you have found one or several options in the area that are suitable … then I would compare all your options (including the Ultimate dreams if you are OK with the additional risk of buying a mattress that you haven’t tested in person) and then one by one narrow down your choices and tradeoffs down to the one that is best for you.