Hi cristyhawaii,
Hopefully you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to 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” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) 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).
While I can’t speak to how any mattress will “feel” for someone else in terms of firmness, “comfort”, or PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances … outside of PPP (which is all about how well you will sleep on a mattress) the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is it’s durability and in terms of durability a mattress is only as good as its construction and the type, quality, and durability of the materials inside it (which is all about how long you will sleep well) regardless of the name of the manufacturer or the name of the mattress on the label. In other words I would make sure that you can find out the information listed here so you can confirm there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress before making any mattress purchase regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label. I would only deal with retailers or manufacturers that are both willing and able to provide you with all the information you need to make an informed choice.
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 generally suggest avoiding all of them completely 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).
[quote]Now I am trying to decide between an expensive organic latex mattress that may be very expensive to return if it doesn’t work out, since I live in Hawaii, or to just purchase the Signature Sleep Contour 8-inch Queen size mattress on Amazon.com which costs about $250 and has super high reviews/stars on Amazon.
Has anyone used this mattress and is it decent?[/quote]
I don’t know which organic mattress you are considering so I can’t make any meaningful comments about it.
The Signature Sleep Contour is a typical “cheap Chinese import” that would use very low quality materials and I would be very cautious about any mattress in this budget range. I would even hesitate to purchase this mattress for a child and I certainly wouldn’t consider it for an adult.
While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful … I would be very cautious about about using other people’s experiences or reviews on a mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you and in many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because any mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range) and othe people’s experiences or reviews in general certainly won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).
Post #2 here includes a link to a list of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Hawaiian Islands (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply) and some links to other topics with feedback from some of the forum members that live there as well.
If you are looking at online options then the tutorial also includes several links to lists of the better online retailers and manufacturers I’m aware of (in the optional online step) that include a wide range of different types and categories of mattresses in a wide range of designs, firmness levels and budgets. Many of them also have very good return policies as well so you can try the mattresses in your bedroom instead of a showroom with little risk.
Phoenix