I have spent quite a bit of time looking through the site and like everybody else am getting overwhelmed by options an cost.
I am athletic with broad shoulders and narrower in the waste/ hips. 5’10" 175# male. I live in the Vail Valley of Colorado and started shopping yesterday. My first stop was Denver Mattress in Frisco, CO. The salesman started me on a DMC product and it felt good on my back, but the comfort layer wasn’t thick enough so when on my side I tended to bottom out and my lower back waist had to sag to meet the mattress. He moved me to a Serta i Comfort F300 and it felt very good to me, but in reading on this website it sounds as though Serta and other large brands use inferior products that will break down. I also laid on a Tempur Pedic Luxe Cloud and really liked it. Are Tempur mattresses really that much better? Now, the salesman was doing his job and selling me on the fact that I get 4 months trial period etc. and also suggested the adjustable base that lets me raise my head and feet, etc., waterproof mattress pad and two new pillows. The price quickly got to $4879 for the package “deal” .
I then went to “Mattress Firm” and had a similar experience with their Tempur mattress (same one) and also laid on their Simmons Beauty Rest Black plush. I really liked that one as well. Their prices made the mattress the same price as the the package at DMC.
Do you have suggestions for dealers that will have products equal to or better than these I am looking at that will not have this steep of a price tag. That is much more than I was expecting.
Final part to my question: Is a mechanical base a good idea or not? I like to fall asleep on my back, but usually wake up on my side. I am not a good sleeper and that is why I am in the market for a new bed. I toss and turn a lot. I am hoping that a good pressure relieving mattress will let me remain in one spot and actually sleep.
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 (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” 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).
I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start your 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.
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”, firmness, 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 he will sleep), durability (how long he 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 (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
While nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
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 (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).
Unlike the other major brands … for the most part Tempurpedic uses good quality materials in their mattresses but there are certainly other options that would be better quality/value choices than Tempurpedic which tend to be significantly overpriced compared to other memory foam mattresses that use similar quality/density materials that may be just as suitable, just as durable, and better “value” choices (see post #2 here).
In most cases spending time testing major brand mattresses or any mattress where you can’t find out the specifics of the materials and components inside it and where another manufacturer doesn’t make a similar or better quality/value mattress that they specifically describe as being similar (which you won’t find in the case of Simmons mattresses) is mostly wasted because it would be too risky to purchase and it can’t be used as a reference point to purchase another mattress that is “similar” anyway.
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 and any quilting materials) 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 and quilting, layer thicknesses, layer firmnesses, and overall design (which would be very unlikely) then there really isn’t a reliable way to match one mattress to another one in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) based on the specifications of the mattresses (even assuming that you can find out all the specifications you would need for both mattresses you are comparing in the first place).
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 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 and/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 that have compared them (different people may have very different opinions about how two mattresses compare) … 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 (regardless of anyone else’s opinions of how they compare which may be different from your own) would be based on your own careful testing or actual sleeping experience on both of them.
Having said that … if you are researching online memory foam mattresses then the mattress shopping tutorial includes a link to a list of some of the better online memory foam options I’m aware of (in the optional online step) and several of them make memory foam mattresses that they describe as being reasonable approximations of the general firmness of many of the Tempurpedic mattresses. Several of the other retailers or manufacturers that are on the list that don’t specifically describe their mattresses as being similar to one of the Tempurpedic models would probably also be able to give you more information about which of their mattress would be the closest approximation to the Tempurpedic mattress that you prefer as well.
There may also be some local memory foam memory foam mattresses that may be just as suitable and just as durable but you would need to test these in person to make sure that they are just as good a “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP and you would also need to make sure that they are able to provide all the information you need about all the materials and components in the mattress so you can make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links that could compromise the durability and useful life of any mattress that you are considering purchasing.
I’m not sure where you are in the Vail Valley but subject to first confirming that any retailer or manufacturer on the lists you wish to deal with is completely transparent (see this article) and to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets your specific criteria and the quality/value guidelines here … the better options or possibilities I’m aware of that would likely be closest to you would either be in the Denver/Boulder, CO list in post #2 here or the Aspen, CO list in post #4 here or the Grand Junction, CO list in post #2 here.
There is more information about choosing an adjustable bed in post #3 here and the main adjustable bed topic that it links to that can help you decide whether it would be worth it to you and if it is can help you choose an adjustable bed based on price vs features comparisons and also includes some retailers that you can use as good sources of information about the features of the adjustable beds they carry and as pricing references as well (in post #6 in the main adjustable bed topic). Of course there are many other sources as well and prices can change on a regular basis so I would also include some internet searching in your research and I would also keep in mind that online advertised prices are often price controlled so make sure you contact the stores you are considering to find out their best prices rather than just looking at websites.
I would also keep in mind that an adjustable bed that is elevated at the head or foot isn’t really suitable for side sleeping (unless the elevation is very slight) so if you prefer to spend time sleeping on your side then you would need to keep the adjustable bed flat when you go to sleep at night.
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 (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …
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.
Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.
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.
Thank you for the detailed reply. In follow up, I have been on the phone today with Innomax in Denver. Do you have much for information on them? I am hoping to make the drive there sometime in the next week. I like the idea that they have many styles of beds from memory foam, to air and water as well as traditional coil spring. After a conversation on the phone, I am very intrigued by the idea of a soft sided mostly waveless waterbed. I had a free flow water bed when I was in my 20’s and slept very well on it. I have also had 3 different sleep number style beds and slept mostly well on them. I like the idea of being able to lay on a water style, air bed and memory foam in the same session and directly compare them.
Innomax is a smaller manufacturer that make a range of different mattresses and tends to use higher quality materials and have better value than the major brands and they are generally transparent about the type and quality of the materials and components in their mattresses as well. As always though the materials and components in any specific mattress you are considering is always more important than the name of the manufacturer on the label. A forum search on Innomax (you can just click the link) will also bring up more comments and feedback about them as well.