Trouble finding a mattress -- where to go from here?

[phoenix]

Hi gu_obos,

I agree with dn that’s a ton of information I would also make very similar suggestions

We started at Jordan’s Furniture, where they “diagnosed” us to need a softer mattress, which knowing my back issues, I didn’t really agree with. We tried half the store (innerspring, latex, and memory foam–we had to specifically ask to see the foam/latex), and the only mattress we really liked was a latex unit made by Prana and costing around $5k (I was gobstruck by the price). We researched Prana online when we got home, having never heard of them, and found few reviews–and almost all the reviews we found were negative–though it wasn’t clear they had latex. Our second shop was Gardner Mattress, a local manufacturer.

You can find some comments about the Prana mattresses in post #3 here and in this thread and a forum search on Prana (you can just click this) will bring up more about them as well.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with Gardner as well. Your experience certainly confirms once again that not only do they make good quality mattresses but that their service is great as well. I would also agree with dn’s comments that it’s much easier and effective to soften up a mattress that is too firm with a topper than it is to make a mattress that is too soft in the support layers or too soft and thick in the comfort layers any firmer because this involves removing and replacing foam rather than adding to it.

At this point we decided to go shopping again and have tried Macy’s and Sleepy’s, and after lying on a number of coil, hybrid, and foam beds feel pretty certain we feel the most comfortable on the hybrid type–typically pocket coil with some sort of latex/gel/foam hybrid on top. The trick seems to be just what that top layer is made of and how thick or firm it is, as many with those basic specs alone aren’t comfortable.

As you will read in the tutorial post that dn linked I wouldn’t even walk through the front door of either of these retailers becasue you won’t be able to find out the information you need to make an informed buying decision or make meaningful quality/value comparisons with other mattresses. Outside of careful and objective testing using the testing guidelines … the most important part of a mattress purchase is to make sure you know the specifics of the materials in any mattress you are considering and this isn’t generally information they are either willing or able to provide you. After an hour or two on this site reading the links in the tutorial post you will likely know more meaningful information about mattresses than the large majority of people who sell mattresses in the mainstream industry and the reasons why it’s best to avoid these types of retailers and their lack of meaningful knowledge about their mattresses will quickly become apparent.

I came home last night after our trip to Sleepy’s (and a 2nd trip to Macy’s to recheck our previous favorite–still the leader) and did some research on Kingsdown (mixed bag) and as part of this ended up back at SLTD and here doing research again. The numbers of long term satisfaction on innerspring mattresses, particularly with pillowtop involved on SLTD is pretty scary, and I feel almost back to square one.

I would be very cautious about using reviews as the basis of a purchase decision … they can led to some very unsutable choices (see post #13 here).

A mattress will tend to soften and break down from the top layers down and innersprings are a support layer which means they are not normally the weak link of a mattress. The problem is that most mainstream innerspring mattresses use lower quality foams and materials above the innersprings which are the reason that so many of them soften and break down more rapidly but this has nothing to do with the innerspring itself. Innersprings can make a very good choice for the support layer of a mattress but it’s always important to know the quality of all the materials and components in any mattress … innerspring or otherwise … so you can confirm the mattress doesn’t have any obvious weak links in the comfort layers especially. If you use lower quality materials above any support core (latex, innersprings, polyfoam, or otherwise) they will have the same problems.

The same holds true for pillowtops. The problem with most pillowtops today is not the pillowtop itself but the quality of the materials in the pillowtop. While it’s true that softer materials tend not to be as durable as firmer materials … if you have a pillowtop mattress that uses high quality materials in the pillowtop … whether it’s memory foam, polyfoam, or latex) … durability won’t be a significant issue. It’s always the quality of the materials in the mattress that is the most important part of durability. This is especially important in higher weight ranges which will soften and break down comfort materials faster than lower weights.

Are any of the pillowtop beds we looked at going to be a good choice?

You would need to know the specifics of the layers in the mattress to assess this but I would avoid major brands where you won’t be able to find this information out and which tend to use lower quality materials in all their budget ranges compared to smaller independent manufacturers that either sell factory direct or through better sleep shops. Good quality materials make better and more durable mattresses … pillowtop or otherwise.

Are there other local mattress companies that could potentially make a better quality pillowtop we should try?

The better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Boston area are listed in post #2 here (including Spindle Mattress which is one of the members of this site) and there are some links with feedback about many of them in post #2 here. You certainly have some very good options available to you.

Are we better off going for the topper/firm mattress idea?

This can certainly be a good option if you can test the topper and the mattress together. if you buy a mattress with the intention of adding a topper and haven’t tested the combination in person then you are introducing another variable that you can’t test in person until after you buy it and choosing the most suitable topper to go with a specific mattress that also matches your specific needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) can be almost as difficult as choosing a mattress. You will also find that some mattresses have replaceable layers in a zip cover which allow you to customize or replace individual layers and some manufacturers will also make custom adjustments and layer replacements to their mattresses after a purchase and these can also be an important part of each person’s personal value equation.

Should we try to have Gardner build something special for us that I can’t lay on first/might not be returnable?

This is a question that only you can answer based on your more detailed discussions with them and would depend on your confidence that you can “get it right” vs your risk tolerance.

Phoenix