Hi gm968,
You can read more about how I approach the “value” of a mattress purchase in posts such as post #4 here and post #2 here and post #7 here.
There is sometimes a tendency to assess the “value” of a mattress based on the relative cost of the raw materials that are inside it but a mattress isn’t just a commodity and performs a specific function that can only be assessed by how well and how long it performs these functions so while this may be part of the value of a mattress (if all other factors were equal for example then I wouldn’t pay double the price for a mattress that used the same amount of the same materials inside it as another mattress)… it’s only part of the value of a mattress purchase. Of course a mattress isn’t a commodity where the value of a mattress or how well you sleep on it can be known or predicted by using the price per inch of foam or the price per pound of fabric and this would be similar to buying clothes based on the price per pound of the fabrics.
I agree that for some people a Tempurpedic mattress may be the “best value choice” as unlikely as that may be when there are so many other mattresses available that use the same or better quality materials, would be just as suitable in terms of PPP, and are available in lower budget ranges. I think that for most people if they were assessing the “value” of a Tempurpedic mattress compared to the other options they have available it certainly wouldn’t be their first choice but for some people it may be and if they are making an “informed decision” based on “real information” rather than on “marketing stories” then for that person it may be the “best value for them” regardless of what anyone else may choose.
Again … the brand of a mattress is not a relevant part of the significant part of the “value” of a mattress purchase. It’s not possible for anyone to keep track of the specifics of every mattress on all the showroom floors across the country or the prices of each one in a constantly changing market so instead I help with a set of guidelines where each person can do that for themselves. Which mattress is the “best value” for any specific person always depends on the parts of their personal value equation that are most important to them and a mattress that may be the “perfect choice” for one person may be a poor choice for someone else regardless of the price or the materials inside the mattress. All the lists in the forum are designed to increase the odds that you will “connect” with more transparent, knowledgeable and experienced retailers or manufacturers that have your best interests in mind so that you can find the best value based on your own criteria. These are the ones that will already know what you would otherwise have to learn. Once you have completed the first two steps of the tutorial and have set your budget then it’s a relatively easy matter to talk with each retailer you are considering before you visit them to make sure that they carry mattresses that are in your budget range, that you can find out the quality of all the materials and components in the mattresses you are interested in, and that you are interested in testing.
Once you have identified the retailers or manufacturers you are most interested in working with (based on their websites and your initial phone calls) then the next step would be to test mattresses and narrow down your finalists at each store so that you can make a final choice based on the criteria that are most important to you and then the last step would be to compare the “value” of your finalists based on your own criteria.
Each list on the forum is a starting point because it has already eliminated many of the worst choices that most consumers who “follow the advertising” and don’t know “how” to choose a mattress based on PPP or the quality of the materials would otherwise end up choosing. In other words … the lists already include the “better” options and possibilities I’m aware of in each area and don’t include the worst ones so along with the rest of the information in the tutorial you don’t have to spend many hours testing mattresses only to discover that they don’t use good quality materials and wouldn’t be worth considering.
Phoenix