I have spent hours on this site in the past two weeks and am still confused. I recently tried out two Jamison mattress at a local store (La Jolla and St Simon) and neither seemed right. I am trying to stay away for the major brands but that is what is mostly available in my area. (South Carolina 29646))
I have been sleeping an a Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme for two years. I wake up two to three times a night and when I get up my lower (and now upper) back are so stiff I can barely walk. The latest reviews on mattresses from Consumer Reports rates the Cloud Supreme at the very bottom for memory foam and rates in [b]below average for side sleeping and poor for back sleeping. [b][b][b]I spend most of the night on my back!! I sleep with a pillow under my knees and most of the this mattress actually feels comfortable. When I was on vacation in May I slept on a traditional coil mattress at a privately owned condo for five nights and noticed my back did not hurt when I got up. I am a 67 year old female, 127 pounds with spinal stenosis in my low back.
A local furniture store sells Park Place and King Coil which are manufactured here in SC. I can not find much information on quality or reviews. At this point I don’t have an idea if I should go back to a coil mattress, try another memory foam or latex or a hybrid. If I purchase from the furniture store they will not take it back! I would appreciate any help you can give me.
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 choices … 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 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, durability, and value.
I don’t have any specific suggestions 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 would be the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (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).
You can see my comments 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. My thoughts are also shared by most of the more knowledgeable people in the industry (see post #5 here for an example).
The choice between different types of materials or mattresses (such as innersprings, memory foam, latex, hybrids etc) is just a preference choice not a “better worse” choice and different people can have very different preferences. No matter which type of mattress your testing and personal experience indicates you prefer … as long as it uses good quality and durable versions of the materials and components inside the mattress it can make a good choice as long as it’s a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).
I would also be very cautious about using other people’s reviews or experiences on a mattress (either positive or negative) as a reliable source of information or guidance about how suitable a mattress may be for you or the durability of a mattress and in many cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person may be completely unsuitable for someone else either in terms of suitability and PPP or in terms of durability (see post #13 here). Reviews about the knowledge or service at a particular store can certainly be helpful but when it comes to the specifics of a mattress they won’t provide you with the type of reliable information you will need to make an informed choice about how well you will sleep on a mattress, how long you will sleep well, or the “value” of a mattress purchase compared to all the other options that are available to you either in your area or online.
It’s good to hear that you are avoiding major brands. I would also avoid any mattress which uses lower quality and less durable materials or unknown materials in their mattresses which could be a weak link in the mattress in terms of durability. If a retailer either isn’t willing or able to provide you with all the information you need about the type and quality of all the materials and components in a mattress to make an informed choice (see this article) then I wouldn’t consider it because it would be a very risky choice (see the guidelines here).
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of that are reasonably close to you (subject to the quality/value guidelines I linked) are listed in post #2 here for the Greenville, SC area and in post #41 here for the Augusta, GA / Aiken, SC areas.
While I didn’t have a chance to talk with any of them … I took a quick look in the area closer to Greenwood, SC and based on the information on their sites, some of the possibilities that are a little closer to you that may also be worth including in your research and the brands they carry that may be worth considering (but only if you confirm that they are able and willing to provide you with the information you need about the type and quality of the materials in their mattresses to make an informed choice) include …
Thank you for the quick reply. I have read all of your information and it has been very helpful. One of my problems is that I am a widow and am doing all the testing alone. No one to actually see how I look on the bed except the salesperson and most are not very helpful.
You did mention two low end furniture stores in my area that carry Southern Lady and Paramount which I have never heard of before. I am going to check them out.
A knowledgeable and experienced salesperson should be willing to provide some guidance (which is one of the reasons that where you shop can be one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase) although of course I would keep in mind that only you can feel what you feel on the mattress.
I’m looking forward to your comments after your visit. I would make sure that both of them are able and willing to provide you with the information you need to make an informed choice about the quality and durability of the materials in their mattresses (see this article).