I’m looking at Stearns & Foster Scarborough and Therapedic Brentwood (both pillow tops). Any thoughts on these?
Hi trl12345,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! 
Unfortunately, you haven’t provided any information about the componentry within these products to allow me to make any meaningful comments for you, but I think I can help provide you with some guidance as you go about selecting a mattress.
The major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (along with the major retailers that focus on them as well) regardless of how they may feel in a showroom along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here). Therapedic does make some mattress that use higher-quality materials, but it varies by regional licensee.
You should always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
So, the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well he will sleep), durability (how long he will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
Once you’ve done just a bit of reading, you’ll be much better prepared the next time you venture out looking at mattresses, and you’ll know what to ask about and look for in order to make the best possible choice.
Phoenix
Sorry, I guess I assumed people on this site would know these brands and lines. But, given how incredibly difficult it is to find information on these beds and lines online (probably because different stores use different names for the lines), I apologize for making this assumption. I couldn’t find any specific information on the Therapedic. The Stearns & Foster lists the following information:
Luxury Plush Euro Pillow Top
Features:
FlameGuard Silk Wool fiber
1 Inch PrimaSense Gel Foam
1/2 ounce Natural Fiber
1 Inch PrimaSense gel Foam
1 inch PrimaSense SS Gel Foam
4 centimeters Advanced Adapt Foam
1 and 1/2 inches PrimaSense Gel Foam
1/2 inch PrimaCore Gel Foam
IntelliCoil 2
Solid Brass Air Vents
Precision Edge System
The
Hi trl12345,
[quote]
Sorry, I guess I assumed people on this site would know these brands and lines. But, given how incredibly difficult it is to find information on these beds and lines online (probably because different stores use different names for the lines), I apologize for making this assumption
[/quote].
No worries! It really would be an impossible task for anyone to begin to maintain a database of the specifications of the tens of thousands of different mattresses available – it would be a bigger job than anyone could possibly maintain in a constantly changing market. This is really supposed to be the responsibility of the retailer to provide you this information, but often many major manufacturers won’t even provide this detailed information to their own retailers!
While you were able to provide the different layers of what is inside of the mattress you’re considering, there isn’t enough meaningful information about the quality of the foams for me to provide comments to you. In my first reply to you, I listed the information you need to know when considering any mattress. Please take a look at that link and then go back to your local retailer and see if they can get you that information. Specifically, you need to focus on nos. 2, 3, and 5.
If you can reply back with that information, please do, and then I can be more accurate in my assessments for you.
Thanks!
Phoenix