Hi LookingNow,
Unfortunately I guess I’ll need to retract my “that’s great news” comments from my last reply :unsure: .
You have certainly had more your share of challenges with finding a mattress that is a good “match” for you and your unusual sensitivities to certain materials or to the different mattress designs you’ve tried in terms of PPP certainly don’t make it any easier.
I don’t think that whether you cut out the middle man or not would have any bearing on whether a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP although I do agree that there is much more to the “value” of a mattress purchase than just the price (see post #13 here about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase).
You could be just as likely to purchase a mattress from a “high end” bedding store that isn’t a good match for you in terms of PPP (and possibly pay too much for it as well) as you would if you were dealing with a factory direct manufacturer or a retailer that carries high quality mattresses that operates on lower margins and makes or sells a similar mattress that uses similar materials. Don’t forget that you can’t “feel” the quality or durability of the materials in a mattress and the price of a mattress has little to nothing to do with whether it will be suitable for you in terms of PPP. The only way to know for certain whether any mattress is a good match for you (regardless of the price) will be based on your own personal experience when you sleep on it.
If your coils are too soft … particularly under the heavier parts of your body … there are some suggestions in post #11 here and the posts it links to about zoning to that may be helpful … particularly for combination stomach/side sleepers or others that find it more challenging to find a suitable mattress.
Phoenix