Hi Phoenix! First of all, thank you so much for the wealth of knowledge on the site, it’s been very helpful to my & my husband as we search for a new mattress.
We are located in Panama City, FL - I wanted to see if you hand any updated recommendations on manufacturers or retailers in the area, I know it’s been a few years since the ones you originally posted.
Also, using the guidelines you’ve posted for PPP we managed to find a couple mattresses that seem to give both my husband and myself good postural alignment and pressure relief. They’re both Sealy Optimum mattresses, the Dreams and the Meadowcrest. Preference on my side being the Dreams, which is a bit former, and my husbands being the Meadowcrest with is just slightly softer. My biggest concern with these mattresses would be the quality of the foam used within them - I haven’t yet gotten specifics as to denisities used, but will plan to do so. Other issue being the price, the mattress retailer we went to see had everything listed at mark and didn’t seem willing to work with us on that which honestly was off putting to me. So a couple questions,
the thickness of those two mattresses is an inch different - if we chose to do two twin xl, and each chose the mattress of our preference, do you think the inch difference of elevation would be significantly noticeable or bothersome? Is this something people generally do?is there a reason not to do this?
Any recommendations on perhaps a better quality or value product that might be similar in feel to these mattresses? The salesperson said these two mattresses were the firm and plush versions of the sealy optimum latex line if that helps (which, I know, latex content is pretty low, 2" believe. But the determining factor wasn’t the latex feature for us, it was the posture and pressure relief of these mattresses.)
I haven’t yet been able to find something like this, but the feel of these mattresses were very “on top of” the mattress, and I think my personal preference would be something more “in” the mattress. However, so far, I haven’t found something that feels this way but give me the posture and pressure relief I’d be looking for.
Thank you so much for the site, looking forward to hearing the recommendations.
The better local options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here ) would be in the Panama City list in post #16 here or in the Pensacola list in post #365 here . My primary focus of this site isn’t maintaining brick and mortar retailer lists for certain geographic regions across the country, so I tend to update these area as people let me know of businesses coming and going. If there is a certain store that isn’t listed that you’d like me to “take a look at”, please feel free to let me know and I’ll be happy to oblige. I did add one store that has latex mattresses to the Panama City list.
While you may have taken a look at some of the information about PPP, which is wonderful :cheer: , you’ll want to review again the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here of the mattresses you’re considering. Unfortunately, you aren’t likely to be provided that information in this case, as Sealy is notorious for not sharing density specifications about their foams with their representatives and retailers… The major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality and less durable 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 which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (along with the major retailers that focus on them as well) regardless of how they may feel in a showroom along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it.
This is strictly a personal preference and the difference in the middle depends upon the style of mattresses being “married” to each other, as well as how much time you spend in the middle of the bed. Traditional innerspring products tend to have a bit more of a radius along the edges and the gap in the center can be noticeable, especially if there is an edge reinforcement system present. Memory foam and latex mattresses, being a bit more square, tend to fare better when paced next to each other when they are different heights.
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to 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”, firmness, 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, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable 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).
If you get an idea of the types of foams used in these mattresses (you said they had a little latex in them but I don’t know where that is located in the mattress itself), you may end up wanting to find other products that use higher quality componentry, but similar in configuration, as a starting point for comparing to these particular products.
Again, I’d have to reference you back to my answer just above, that I can’t feel what you feel, nor provide recommendations out of the tens of thousands of mattresses available, as to what you may like or perceive as “in” rather than “on”. Without even knowing the specifications of the mattresses you tested, it’s difficult for me to even provide generalized advice (which I generally try not to do!). It could be that the mattresses you tested used latex on the top layer, which will be more supportive, and that you may prefer the feel of a memory foam in the upper layer, which will let you feel more “in” the mattress. It could also be that you prefer the feel of latex, but you personally might respond better to an all-latex mattress that uses a bit of a softer latex layer on top. But I would only be guessing at this point.
My best advice to you would be to find a local reputable retailer carrying higher quality mattresses than the one you just visited and let them know what you tried and see if they have something to offer that they could compare for you, but uses better quality materials and also allows you to feel as if you’re a bit more “in” the mattress, as you mentioned, while still providing adequate support. You’re being quite specific with the feel you want, and I think that local testing in person will be a better option for you than an online purchase.
If you find out any more objective information about these mattresses or find another store with different products with more detailed specifications, please let me know and perhaps I can be more helpful.
