Yes … the quality is high without a doubt. I also like the range of different designs and the layering patterns they use so that almost anyone who likes their particular types of memory foam can fine a “match” with their personal needs and preferences. Assuming you like the feel of the Tempur memory foam vs the feel of other types of memory foam of equal quality but different properties … it would be a very good value at half price IMO. So you’re correct my only “concern” with Tempurpedic is based on its value compared to other equally high quality memory foam mattresses.
With the iComfort lineup … my “concern” is with price, the quality of some of the “ingredients” they use, and the layering in some cases which I believe could lead to some poor choices for those who make a purchase based on subjective ideas of “comfort” alone without regard to the more objective concepts of support and the effect that thick layers of soft materials in the comfort layers (which will get softer) can have on their long term sleeping satisfaction in the “real” world outside of the showroom.
Thank you very much for your feedback. It has really helped me in the process. Its nice to know there is still a forum where one can get unbiased advise. Wish we had this for everything out there including cars, TV’s etc!!
Post #2 here should be helpful. There are lots of very good choices there and while all of them aren’t in the San Fernando valley, some are in the valley or within reasonable driving distance.
A forum search on “Los Angeles” (without the quotes) will bring up a list of complete posts which you can scan for more information about various manufacturers that are included in the list or member experiences with some of them. A list of all the threads that include “Los Angeles” (but which only has the first few lines of the first post that includes the search term) can be seen with a site search (the search window at the top of the page).
Good luck … and feel free to post if you have questions along the way.
Step 1: First eliminate the worst choices. This article should help.
Step 2: Gather some basic information about mattress materials and construction which can help you ask better questions. Scanning the overviews in the mattresses section will help with this.
Step 3: Do some initial research into the local manufacturers and better sleep shops within reasonable driving distance. This article (or the fact that they are a member of this site) will help you identify them. For those who don’t know of any better possibilities in their area … feel free to ask on the forum and I’ll let know about any I may know of within reasonable driving distance.
In your case, you are fortunate to live where you do because you have some great choices in the area. Some of our members are very close to you which means that you have access to some of the best quality and value in the country. You will find them along with some of the other possibilities in your area in post #4 here. (for others who are reading this then a forum search for your city or question on the forum including your city or zip will give you the better possibilities in your area I’m aware of).
Step 4. Connect with the “experts” at the better outlets near you who will help you identify the types of materials and mattresses that may work best for you and fits your budget. Use their help and guidance to help you find the one that best meets your needs and preferences. This is what I call PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal Preferences). Choose your “top choice” at each manufacturer or retail outlet you are working with.
Step 5: Narrow down your top choices based on all the factors and tradeoffs that are most important to you (post #2 here may be helpful with this). At this stage all your choices will likely be good ones (and better than anything you would have found with a major brand or at a mass market outlet). While narrowing them down to one based on your own personal “value equation” can be difficult … in the end you may need to just close your eyes, grit your teeth … and pull the trigger. At this point you really can’t make a mistake and the one you choose may just have some fine detail that tips the balance.
In those areas of the country where there are no better quality and/or value choices available in your area … then I would look online and use the experience and expertise of the members listed in post #21 here who are all very experienced and knowledgeable and specialize in providing the type of help and guidance on the phone that can help you make good choices. Their detailed knowledge of their mattresses and how they fit with different body types and sleeping positions along with your feedback from local testing, a customer base of many people that they can use as reference points, and any exchange policies they may have can greatly lower the risk of an online purchase. They can also be a good “value reference” for local purchases to make sure that any “premium” you are paying for a local purchase (in exchange for the kind of “in person” guidance, service, and value that comes with dealing with a local retailer that can help you make more “accurate” choices that you have tested in person) is not too high.
I am currently looking at an iComfort but after this read I guess I will cross that off my list. The more I read the more confused I become. There a couple of mattress factories near me but not on your list of members. Have you ever heard of Verlo or Bemco? Thank you in advance.
Verlo is a Regional factory direct manufacturer which makes a wide range of different mattresses including innersprings, latex, and memory foam. Because they are a manufacturer … they are much more open about the materials that are in their mattresses which of course is the best way to know the quality and value of a mattress. They tend to have better than average value and are certainly a better choice than the mainstream outlets or brands. Their are many references to them in the forum (a forum search on “Verlo” will bring them up) and I usually list them as one of the better possibilities in areas where they have an outlet. The knowledge and service levels at most outlets are generally better than average but this can vary from outlet to outlet as you can see in post #18 here. In most areas … they would represent some of the better “local” value.
Bemco is a licensing group and each factory that uses it builds their own mattress and attaches the Bemco name to it. Once again … the particular quality or value of any mattress will depend on the materials that are in it but the better manufacturers will provide you with this information. A forum search on Bemco (you can just click this) will bring up some more references to them as well.
There may also be some other good options near you depending on where you live and if you let me know the city or zip where you live I’d be happy to let you know of any of the better factory direct outlets or better sleep shops I’m aware of that are within reasonable driving distance.
Post #2 here includes some of the better options in the Springfield, IL region. The ones that are right in Springfield include …
Directory of Verlo Mattress Locations. Find a Verlo Mattress store in your town. Springfield IL. (and others in the area). Regional factory direct manufacturer. Makes a full range of mattresses of all types including innerspring, memory foam (incl gel) and latex. Was previously part of Vymac but was recently sold in the beginning of 2012 to Marcus investments so I don’t know how this will affect their product or service. Hopefully it will as good as it was.
www.furniturerow.com/locations/locations...e.jsp?state=Illinois Springfield, IL (and others in the area). Regional factory direct manufacturer. Also makes a wide range of mattresses including latex and memory foam with better quality and value than the major brands but no memory foam. I would avoid the major brands they also carry
www.lebeda.com/locations.html Springfield (and others in the area). Another regional factory direct outlet that produces a range of mattresses including latex, memory foam (incl gel) and innersprings.
http://www.thebackstoreonline.com/cats/locations.htm Retail outlet in Springfield, Bloomington (and other locations). Carries Pure Latex Bliss which are a line of high quality talalay latex mattresses with “better than average” value compared to other mainstream mattresses.
Post #6 here also includes some additional choices in the St Louis area if you wish to travel a little further afield or if you go there anyway).
Thank you again for all the valuable info. I didnt realize there was so much to learn about a mattress. Right now I think I am leaning towards the Select Foam Aurora HD but I want to explore the options that you have listed.
As you probably know I think highly of Select Foam and they are a member here so the extra discount or bonus for forum members is also a nice perk but it’s always great to have a few final choices where you are comparing “good to good”.
Your choices are certainly well ahead of the iComfort in terms of quality and value
Phoenix: Do you have any info on memory foam mattresses available in the Salem/Albany/Corvallis Oregon area that are better quality for price than TempurPedic or I Comfort? I’m furnishing a new home and cost is important but quality is even more important. Thanks for your time.
Your best quality and value choices that I know of are listed in post #2 here. One of these, Parklane Mattresses, is a member of the site (which means I believe they are among the “best of the best” in the country).
Make sure you call and talk to any of these you are considering first to make sure they either make or carry memory foam mattresses (that don’t use less than 4 lb memory foam or better) and to get a sense of the level of knowledge and service you can expect when you go there.
This is the thread that brought me here when one of the methodologists at work suggested Tempurpedic or iComfort. I learned so much more and would scoff at paying the price tag for these cookie cutter items now…I didn’t realize how cheaply / better you can actually make analogous versions yourself! Even more custom made for your body/preferences. The mattress industry is turning is becoming the used car industry, though sadly in both these areas its involving people’s health and hard earned money.
There are “many roads to Rome” meaning that there may be many different layering combinations that feel the same or similar to you. If you test the mattresses carefully and limit your testing to only the mattresses that they can provide the details of every layer in the mattress then I would let your body tell you which felt similar rather than specs which can be misleading when it comes to how a mattress may feel. I would avoid “brand” shopping and focus on the materials in your mattress along of course with how it feels and performs.
You can see the layering of the Genius here and it has 2.75" of memory foam (gel memory foam is a type of memory foam) over a 2" layer of firmer polyfoam over a “regular” firm polyfoam base layer. A similar mattress “in theory” would have about 3" of memory foam over a few inches of firmer polyfoam (to provide the firm feel that “comes through” the memory foam) over a regular polyfoam support core. It may be quite surprising though that a different construction may feel similar to you. The goal is to get the “feel” and performance you want using higher quality more durable materials at a lower cost than the iComfort.
Again … no matter which merchant you are considering … I would focus only on mattresses where the details of every layer in the mattress is available to you regardless of brand so you can make meaningful comparisons between mattresses. I would also tend to call any merchant I was thinking about visiting before I went there to let them know the types of mattress I was considering and make sure they had something mattresses for me to test and that I was happy with the information they provide and the way they treat their customers on the phone.
