Hello sleepy-in-az,
I’ll make a few quick comments before I give some more specific suggestions.
When you are looking at mattresses that contain foam in the upper layers … there are three types of foam you will encounter. Polyfoam, memory foam, and latex foam.
Of these three … polyfoam should be avoided (preferable at all but certainly no more than an inch) as it will soften and break down much more quickly … no matter how good it feels in the store. It is the cheapest foam of the three.
If you particularly like the feel of memory foam … then quality is determined to a large degree by density or lbs per cubic foot. 5 lbs/cu ft is considered to be the threshhold for high quality memory foam however some people don’t like the slower recovery and “dead” feeling or the higher sleeping temperature of many higher density foams and in this case a 4 lb memory foam or a more open celled memory foam is chosen as they are more breathable, cooler and have a little faster recovery … even though they would typically be less durable. Lower quality memory foams (under 4 lbs) have the same durability issues as polyfoam and should be avoided completely. There are cooler and hotter memory foams depending on the cell structure but all of them tend to sleep hotter than the other two foams.
Latex foam (rubber foam) has a unique combination of qualities that makes it the highest quality foam that can be used in a mattress. It is very elastic, supportive, and by far the longest lasting of all the foams. In a comfort layer it can be as pressure relieving as memory foam (if the correct foam softness is chosen for the individual), and it is the coolest of all the foams.
Most of the major brands (like Sealy, Simmmons, Serta, Stearns & Foster, Comfort Solutions (King Koil) and many others) use polyfoam in the upper layers of their mattress. They should be avoided as they will break down far too soon and there will be “soft spots” in the mattress far too soon. Even their best mattresses are significantly overpriced compared to smaller local or regional manufacturers who use much higher quality materials but charge much less than the major brands. All the major brands use various “tricks” (same mattress under many different names for example) to make meaningful comparison shopping based on materials and what is inside the mattress almost impossible for the average consumer. They sell their mattresses based on an initial perception in the store and are not open at all about the materials they use in their mattress which is the most important part of buying a mattress.
The Stearns and Foster you are looking at has at least 4" of polyfoam in the upper layers of the mattress and a meaningless .79" of latex for label copy so that they can say they use latex. This much polyfoam should always be avoided or if is necessary to use polyfoam … it should only be because your budget is in the extreme lower end of the range (which yours isn’t) and purchased from an outlet who is very knowledgeable about the different grades of polyfoam. Polyfoam comfort layers are the cheapest foams, have the lowest durability, and have the lowest level of “performance” of all the foams.
The iComfort Revolution has 5.75" of foam in the comfort layers. Of this … 2.75" is approximately 5 lb gel memory foam but above this is 1" of cheap polyfoam and then another 2" of a different kind of memory foam (what they call KoolComfort) which is a much lower quality and less dense memory foam. So this mattress has 3" of lower quality foam on top and 2" of reasonable quality memory foam over the support core.
In other words … both of these mattresses cater to the initial perceptions of a consumer in the store. These initial perceptions are very subjective and rarely translate into actual pressure relief and spinal alignment (the two main functions of a mattress) and real comfort in actual use. The foam that created these initial perceptions will also soften and degrade much too quickly and this softening and internal degrading is not covered under warranty as the actual depressions in a mattress happen long after the foam has internally softened and become unsuitable for use and even then the impressions have to be over the warranty exclusion so warranty claims are rarely honored.
So the bottom line is that either higher quality memory foam or latex foam should be the materials of choice in the comfort layers of a mattress.
Under the comfort layers … either polyfoam, innersprings, or latex foam is fine. In the support layers, polyfoam in a higher and firmer grade doesn’t have the same breakdown issues as it does in the comfort layers although even here it is important to use higher quality polyfoam. Innersprings range from poor to good but most in this price range are fine. Latex will outperform and outlast both of these in the support layer however a latex core is also more expensive.
Three of the top 4 manufacturers and their subsidiaries (Sealy (which owns Stearns & Foster), Simmons and Serta (both owned by the Ontario Teachers Federation), control about 50% of the mattress market share. Tempurpedic dominates the “specialty memory foam” market. All of these spend enormous amounts on advertising in co-operation with the mass market outlets that they closely co-operate with and are generally poor value compared to many other options. This advertising is designed to mislead and create brand loyalty rather than inform the consumer about materials and how to meaningfully compare mattresses. The top 6 manufacturers control about 75% of the market. Of the remaining 25% … many manufacturers follow the same path as the majors and manufacture and sell mattresses designed to cater to initial impressions in a store rather than a consumer who actually knows the different mattress materials and knows how to test whether a mattress will be pressure relieving, supportive, and truly comfortable in real life use over the long term. This is why independent manufacturers who sell factory direct and smaller sleep shops who have the knowledge and take the time to help you find out how each mattress they sell will fit an individual consumer are the only places where there is real value in a mattress. Unfortunately they are usually overwhelmed by the advertising and presence of the major manufacturers and the mass marketing outlets that depend on each other to sell cheaper materials at inflated prices.
There is a set of guidelines in post #6 here which will help you bypass all the misleading information and traps you are likely to encounter along the way.
You are fortunate that 2 of our members are in the Phoenix area and like all of our members and other high quality independent manufacturers, manufacture and sell among the highest value mattresses available in North America.
They are …
Both of these specialize in latex mattresses that can be customized to each individual. They also carry some memory foam options. They will share their knowledge with you about different materials and give you accurate and helpful information about their different mattresses. I have had extensive conversations with both of them and have come to trust them for their knowledge and the quality and value of their mattresses which is why I invited them to become members here.
There is one other manufacturer in or near Phoenix who I have talked with that I would also consider as a good source which is
ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: jamattress.com
If you decide to purchase from one of the manufacturing members here … then don’t forget to mention that you are a member (you have registered and posted in the forum) as that will give you an additional 5% discount on what are already very high quality and value mattresses.
I am guessing based on the prices you quoted (which were much higher than these mattresses alone or with a regular base) that you may also be looking at some type of an adjustable base rather than just a regular firm base as well? I’m mentioning this because the iComfort revolution King is normally in the range of $2200 and the S&F King is in the range of $1800 - 1900 depending on the model. A lower end electric adjustable bed (with head and foot elevation) in “split king” would be $1500 or in many cases significantly more depending on brand or model. If the prices you quoted were for either a mattress alone or a mattress with a regular base … then they were higher than the norm for these two mattresses. If the prices were for these two mattresses with an electric adjustable bed with head and foot adjustment … then they are significantly lower than “normal”.
The best prices I have seen for adjustable bases is here
ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: adjustablebeds.org/Category/Adjustable_Beds.aspx
although if you purchase a mattress and a base together then you may get a discount from a local outlet. There are also other ways available to change the position of the mattress that are lower cost if that is what you are looking for although they don’t have the same convenience or electronic features as an electric adjustable base. I wanted to mention this so that any mattress comparisons are “apple to apple” comparisons.
I know this was a somewhat long reply but hopefully it will help you “cut through” the noise and confusion and help you find a truly high quality and value mattress an/or sleep system that will last you for a long time.
Phoenix