I’m looking for a mattress like my cousin has, it’s a Sealy Posturpedic Firm Pillow Top, the tag only says it’s made up of 69% polyurethane and 21% polyuretheen(sp). I can’t seem to find anything but ones that are made of memory foam, which would be too hot for me and I’ve heard you have troubles turning over also. Can I go into a mattress store and tell them, the above information and find the mattress I want? Thanks for any info. I’m going to be buying 3 Queen sized beds and want two of them to be the like the mattress she has. It’s so comfortable.
Hi MrsViggins,
Assuming that it’s still being made … unless they carry the specific Sealy model you are looking for (the name should also be on the law tag) or another mattress that they carry has exactly the same materials and components inside the mattress (the major manufacturers often make the same mattress with different names for different stores to avoid being able to make price comparisons) then you probably won’t be able to find an “equivalent” mattress.
Even if you could find an equivalent mattress though I would never buy a major brand mattress anyway. 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 avoid any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see this article) and confirm that they meet the quality/durability guidelines here which would exclude almost all of the major brand mattresses and the major chain stores like that specialize in them (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).
There is more information in post #9 here about the different ways that one mattress can “match” or “approximate” another one. Every layer and component in a mattress (including the cover) will affect the feel and performance of every other layer and component and the mattress “as a whole” so unless you are able to find another mattress that uses exactly the same type of materials, components, cover, layer thicknesses, layer firmnesses, and overall design (which would be very unlikely) then there really isn’t a way to match one mattress to another one in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) based on the specifications of the mattresses.
Mattress manufacturers generally try to differentiate their mattress from the mattresses made by other manufacturers and don’t normally try to “match” another mattress that is made by a different manufacturer so while you may find some local mattresses that use “similar” materials or designs and there would be many others that are in a similar general category or firmness range … they will generally have different combinations of foam layers and components.
Unless a manufacturer specifically says in their description of a mattress that one of their mattresses in the same general category is specifically designed to “match” or “approximate” another one in terms of firmness or “feel” and PPP (or they are very familiar with both mattresses and can provide reliable guidance about how they compare based on the “averages” of a larger group of people) … the only reliable way to know for certain how two mattresses would compare for you in terms of how they “feel” or in terms of firmness or PPP would be based on your own careful testing or actual sleeping experience on both of them.
If you have the specifications of all the materials and layers in two mattresses you are comparing (see this article) then making durability comparisons based on the specifications of both mattresses is simpler than trying to compare “comfort” and PPP (which is much more subjective) but the durability of the materials in a mattress has very little to do with how if feels or performs because a mattress that uses lower quality and less durable materials can feel the same or very similar to a mattress that uses higher quality and more durable materials in a showroom or when it is still relatively new … it just won’t last as long. The major brands also don’t generally provide the information you would need about the type and density of their foam layers to be able to assess the durability of the materials in their mattresses or the mattress as a whole.
In other words … I would reset how you are looking for a mattress and look for a mattress that is just as “comfortable” but uses higher quality and more durable materials and is a better “value” choice.
The first place I would start your mattress research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones (including the major brands).
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).
No matter how “comfortable” a mattress may feel in a showroom or when it is relatively new … there would be little “value” in buying a mattress that uses low quality and less durable materials that would only maintain the comfort and support that was the reason you purchased it for a few years (or in some cases considerably less) before you need to buy another mattress.
If you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.
Phoenix