My wife and I got to test a couple mattresses today. We both liked the Tempurpedic Contour Supreme HD and the Contour Elite. I am a stomach sleeper and my wife is a side sleeper but felt the firmness of these were ok, at least while laying on them in the store.
Unfortunately we can’t afford the price (~$4000 for a king) of these at the moment. We are looking for suggestions of other mattresses that would be similar to those mentioned above but be at least 50% less in cost.
We have not been able to try any latex mattresses to see if we like them better.
Our 3rd favorite option at the store (Mattress Firm) was the Beautyrest Black Hybrid Plus Tolliver Firm. My wife liked it but I still preferred the firmer Tempurpedics.
We live in O’Fallon, MO 63368 and look forward to any recommendations!
Hi reveillee,
[quote]My wife and I got to test a couple mattresses today. We both liked the Tempurpedic Contour Supreme HD and the Contour Elite. I am a stomach sleeper and my wife is a side sleeper but felt the firmness of these were ok, at least while laying on them in the store.
Unfortunately we can’t afford the price (~$4000 for a king) of these at the moment. We are looking for suggestions of other mattresses that would be similar to those mentioned above but be at least 50% less in cost.[/quote]
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 fairly 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 are designed and described to be reasonable approximations of many of the Tempurpedic mattresses (including the Contour Supreme and the Contour Elite) and 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 likely be able to give you more information about which of their mattress would be the closest approximation to the Tempurpedic Countour Supreme or Contour Elite as well.
The major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all 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 which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (and 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).
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 better quality/value mattress that they specifically describe as being similar (which in this case they wouldn’t) 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”.
Subject to confirming that any retailer or manufacturer on the list you wish to deal with is completely transparent about the materials and components in their mattresses (see this article) and to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here … the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the St Louis area are listed in post #6 here.
Several of the stores on the list carry latex mattresses that would give you a chance to test a range of latex mattresses in different firmness levels to see how you like the overall properties and “feel” of latex.
Phoenix
Thanks Phoenix! Don’t worry, we weren’t going to buy the Black Hybrid. I had read enough from this site and others not to trust those. I only used it as a point of reference for how firm we liked our mattresses.
I will definitely look into the list of St Louis stores you provided. Are you able to tell me a only 1-2 online stores that you feel have the best quality (5 lb+ density) foam or latex for a firm king mattress for $2000 or less? Just as a starting point? I highly appreciate all your time in helping me and others try to find great options!
Mike
Hi reveillee,
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … I don’t 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).
I also don’t keep a record of the individual mattresses or their specs or prices that the retailers and manufacturers in the hundreds of forum lists throughout the forum carry on their floor or have available online (it would be a bigger job than anyone could keep up with in a constantly changing market) but checking their websites and making some preliminary phone calls to the retailers/manufacturers that are on the local or online lists is always a good idea before you decide on which retailers or manufacturers you wish to deal with anyway. This will tell you which of them carry mattresses that would meet your specific criteria, are transparent about the materials in their mattresses, and that carry the type of mattresses that you are interested in that are also in the budget range you are comfortable with. Once you have checked their websites and/or talked with the ones that interest you then you will be in a much better position to decide on the ones that you are most interested in considering and/or visiting (if they are local) based on the results of your preliminary research and conversations.
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.
Phoenix