Hi israelgd,
While both of these companies are members here, which means that I think highly of them, a general question like this (how is Brand A vs. Brand B?) isn’t something that anyone can answer for you, is much too general in nature, and isn’t the way you want to go about shopping for a mattress.
What I focus here on the forum is “how” to choose. It’s not possible for me to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
You stated that you’ve been reading here on the site, but I would recommend that you go back and read 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.
The tutorial, in in its simplest form:
Choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …
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Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.
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Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress (see the durability guidelines here).
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Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Sweet Dreams brings up a good point about being able to try out something in person, and my own thoughts about the different “directions” in buying a mattress would go something like this …
OPTION 1: My first choice would be to buy something I know and had tested locally. This would be particularly true if it involved a knowledgeable and experienced local manufacturer or retailer that was transparent about the type and quality of all the materials and components in their mattresses (so I knew the quality and value of what was in my mattress) and who would be able to provide some good guidance and/or has good options and/or suggestions after a purchase to help you make any “fine tuning adjustments” at a nominal cost if my sleeping experience didn’t quite match my testing. This is by far the least “risky” option and well worth a premium over other approaches IMO.
OPTION 2: If there were no high quality and value local options, or if the difference between what I wanted to buy locally was more than about 20% (as an arbitrary number that each person can decide for themselves) compared to a directly comparable mattress from an online manufacturer or retailer … then I would consider going in the direction of buying online with the help and guidance of a manufacturer or retailer who has the experience and knowledge to help you make your best choice out of the options that they offer. They often offer choices that can help you customize your mattress to different degrees and/or usually offer some ability to change your choices after a purchase at a reasonable cost if it doesn’t turn out quite right. While this is more “risky” because sometimes smaller changes from your “preferred” design can make a bigger difference than people suspect, this risk can be reduced with more detailed conversations with the manufacturer who you are considering. Sometimes the opposite is also true that some differences will be less important than someone who analyzes too much may think. If the price difference and your " personal value equation " justifies it though, it would certainly be worth strong consideration.
Phoenix
