Hi oceanmd,
There really is no way to make an assessment of a mattress without knowing the quality of the materials in a mattress. It sounds to me that you have been dealing with some very uninformed salespeople which is unfortunate. My answer tothese types of borderline ignorant and rude comments would be to ask if there is anyone in the store that is more knowledgeable than they are … up to the owner of the store. When a salesperson thinks that wanting to know foam specs is the “domain of engineers” then they are only showing their own ignorance. This is also true when a customer knows more than they do about what they are selling.
I would also need to know the size you are looking at and also make sure that the prices you are quoting are for mattress only.
so while I can’t make any meaningful assessments or comments because there is too much information missing … I can make a few more general comments.
[quote]Mattress 1
Continuous inner springs: 12 ¾ gauge / high density polyfoam, 4.5 -5 lbs. Price $1,300
According to sales person, continuous springs are the best on the market. From what I read in your posts, continuous coils are the cheapest to make and the worst to assist with pressure.
They also have pocketed coils / latex mattress. Price $3,200 - $3,800[/quote]
As you know I would want to know the thickness and the actual density of the foam. Continuous coils are also among the lower cost type of innerspring. Whoever told you that this has 4.5 lb HD polyfoam has no knowledge of foam. This is in the memory foam density range not polyfoam and if it was it would be HR not HD. This is not someone who knows what they are talking about.
The price for the pocket coils latex also seems high although there is also no real information to go by and again … I don’t know the size.
[quote]Mattress 2 OMF Orthopedic
Offset innersprings / polyfoam As recommended by Phoenix, I called the store to inquire about the depth of polyfoam. There are 3 different layers of different polyfoam: 2.5", ¼’ and another depth, but the sales person said it very fast, I was not able to write it down. When I asked about the density of each type of polyfoam, the reply was “It is unknown, I am not an engineer. Why do you need to know? If you really need to know, call the factory” Price: $700.00[/quote]
I would ask them to repeat the information if you didn’t have a chance to write it down. The good news here is that the OMF mattresses are better value. The not so good news is that your salesperson is not only not an engineer … they are also a poor salesperson. Once again I would ask for someone who knows more about the mattresses they are selling and let them know you have no intention of dealing with someone who has such little basic knowledge about mattresses. Asking about foam density is like asking if there is wood or particle board in a piece of furniture and what kind of wood it may be. A salesperson that doesn’t at the very least say “I don’t know but I’ll do my best to find out for you” is not the type of person I would want to deal with. There are typically much more knowledgeable people at OMF. At least you can be fairly sure that hat are selling is good value compared to many others although you still need to make sure that the use of polyfoam is minimized as much as possible (“just enough” in terms of pressure relief) and that it provides you with good alignment.
[quote]Mattress 3 Paramount HD 1500 Firm
12.5 steel gauge, 5 turns coils (according to the sales person the best in the industry)
1.5" memory foam, sales person does not know the density. According to him, “sales people do not get involved in this, because it does not matter, the mattress might have all the best materials, but if it does not feel right- it does not feel right”. End of quote
Price: $999[/quote]
It seems that your misfortune in finding poor salespeople continues here. To have anyone imply that these are mutually exclusive or that it doesn’t matter is another indication of a salesperson who knows little and is just “covering up” their lack of knowledge. Of course comfort and support is important … and obvious … what is also just as important though is having a reasonable idea of how long the comfort and support will last relative to other mattresses and for this you need to know the quality of the materials. If they don’t know this or or immediately offer to find out … and given the other comments they made … this person shouldn’t be selling mattresses. Once again I would look them straight in the eye and tell them you want to deal with someone who is much more knowledgeable than they are … even if it’s the owner. If the owner shares the same ideas … then I would walk away. Paramount has some good quality and value mattresses and I have also talked with retailers that have told me they are very open about their materials so this may be a good possibility … if you find a salesperson that has any idea what they are selling.
What I would suggest is that if you have a clear idea about the type of mattress you are looking for (latex innerspring hybrid) that you call each of the retailers on the list and describe what you want to test and ask them if they have it on their floor before going there. I would also consider testing latex/polyfoam hybrids.
Unfortunately no one person could possible know or keep up to date with what each retailer carries on their floor. My role is to help provide you with the information that can help you with “how” to choose but I would never tell anyone what to choose based on “theory at a distance”.
Have you talked with Michelle at Bedcrafters?
I would also call and try to find more knowledgeable salespeople at some of the retailers you have already visited to make sure that there is nobody there that can answer your questions. if there is then I would make sure I dealt with them when I went there
The more you do on the phone … the less you will have to do when you get there and the less likely it will be that you will encounter these types of salespeople … and the frustration that comes from dealing with them.
Phoenix
