Hi T.Haskins,
There are some guidelines in terms of what to look for here (your sleeping positions), and here (your statistics like weight and body shape etc) and here (your preferences).
More important though than the technical stuff is your own personal experience because each person is unique in how they interact with a particular mattress. This is why there is no “best” mattress in general terms but only best for an individual. Just as important is understanding the different materials that are used in a mattress and their general qualities and how they feel to you, and how to tell good quality from lesser quality in each material. Lower quality materials can make a very comfortable mattress that feels great in the managed environment of many showrooms. the problem is that they won’t last as long. There is really only a limited amount of materials that are used in mattresses even though the variations in each material is quite wide. In comfort layers the different materials most often used are here. In support layers the different materials generally used are here. Each person can have a different opinion about each of these and which they prefer so its a good idea to spend some time initially getting a sense of the different general feeling of each one.
The comfort layers that you will most commonly see are the different types of foam … latex, memory foam, and polyurethane foam. The support cores that are most common are innersprings (many types), polyurethane, and latex. So in the most basic versions you would have say a memory foam over polyurethane mattress (like tempurpedic), or a latex over innersprings, or a memory foam over latex mattress etc. Of course they can be mixed and matched in many ways and there are other materials but these are the “basic” ingredients of a mattress.
Much of this can get fairly technical so I personally believe that the most effective way to find a mattress is to find someone who already knows all of this and is willing to guide you in person in making the best choices. The best of these are almost always local manufacturers who sell factory direct or sleep shops with more knowledgeable staff and who sell smaller brands. Finding one of these and not spending your time and money in chain stores, department stores, on National brands that you hear advertised everywhere, or pursuing the “amazing sales” or “revolutionary new mattress” that you hear advertised will save you more time and frustration than anything else. Good mattresses using the best materials for a specific budget, that are well built, and that have great value, are available every day of the year at prices that don’t change much and don’t depend on negotiation. Good outlets don’t have “amazing” sales (occasionally they have smaller discounts for legitimate reasons) and they understand the basics of mattress construction and how different types of materials and layering can suit certain people.
There are a lot of options in the New York area and there are also some outlets that offer less common choices as well (such as the old style natural fiber over innerspring mattresses hand built in the “old fashioned” way). What I would do is to first spend time on the phone talking with some of these and letting them know your budget, your preferences in terms of what you like and the types of mattresses you have preferred, and of course your needs (based on height, weight, sleeping positions etc). The better outlets will be happy to let you know the choices that may work well for you and how much they cost. Some research on the phone (and on websites for those that show more information) will save you hours of going “store to store” and getting more confused as you try to remember what every mattress felt like and what it was made of. Your phone calls will give you a very good sense of a few outlets that seem the most promising for your own circumstances and are the most knowledgeable and helpful and these are the ones I would spend time visiting.
There is a list of some of the better places in the NYC area in post #2 here. There are also a few general descriptions of many of these outlets in post #7 here.
In essence … the more the person who is helping you knows … the less you have to know. The more they are willing to help “educate” you about their mattresses and how they compare to others rather than “sell you” on their mattresses based on “stories” … the more likely it is that you can trust them. These types of outlets will be more patient, won’t create a sense of urgency about buying now, and because they are proud of what they make and the value they represent, they will help you make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses rather than making comparisons more difficult. they are what I call “mattress people” rather than “money machines”.
Phoenix