So many mattresses.So little time

Hi folks,
My husband and I are looking to purchase a mattress.I usually like to purchase items that
consumer reports recommends for we have had great success with recommended products
in the past.However,they recommend the Charles Rogers Powercore Estate 5000,Sealy Posturpedice hybrids Elite Kelburn and Trust cushion and on other review sites they do
not get very good reviews.In addition I have always felt that a flipable mattress is better which would eliminate some of these.We both have back issues so we like our mattress to be firm
and I overheat easily so I would prefer latex or innerspring.I have read about memory foam vs latex vs innerspring and totally confused.There are so many variations of mattress products my head is spinning.Any help would be appreciated.Thanks!

Hi wnderwn,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

I know it can be confusing when shopping for a mattress, and your questions are spread out over a very wide range of topics, so overall the very best suggestion I can offer you is to perform a “reset” on how you are going about looking for a mattress and follow the steps I’ll list below. It will be a bit of reading, but don’t attempt to memorize things, and instead use these writings as a reference and a guideline of how to shop for a mattress.

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 (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own 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 (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).

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 the 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.

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 …

  1. 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.

  2. Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.

  3. 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.

Regarding reviews, while other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful … I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific 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. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general 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).

I’ve also previously commented about the Consumer Reports mattress ratings and recommendations in post #2 here and in this topic. While they may be a good source of information about more “objective” purchases … as you can see I would consider them to be an unreliable source of information or guidance about purchasing a mattress and their “ratings” are somewhat nonsensical and meaningless. My thoughts are also shared by most of the more knowledgeable people in the industry (see post #5 here for an example).

If after reading through the information I’ve presented here (I know it will take a bit of time) you have some more specific questions, feel free to post back here and I’ll do my best to be assistive.

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix.I have posted my dilemma on my facebook page as well and lots of responses.Majority of my peeps have posted about mattresses you would buy online.I really like the Zenhaven made by Saatva but not in the budget.
I am currently getting opinions on My Green Mattress Natural Escape although that
doesn’t come with a new boxspring.Not sure how much of a difference that really makes.

Hi wnderwn,

For My Green Mattress, from their web site:
Any firm flat surface will work for your new mattress, including the floor. If you choose a slatted foundation or boxspring, we recommend that the slats be no more than 3 inches apart. If you are not sure, try adding a Bunkie board or piece of plywood between the slatted foundation and the mattress. The flat surface will offer the proper support needed.

Phoenix