Hi Phoenix, We have already learned so much from your mattress forum. We had a Stearns and Foster’s ordered, then I reread your info and we cancelled that order because of your point of not knowing the quality-or lack there of-of that mattress’ materials used.
We then started researching and asking Q of Saatva. We felt pretty much ready to order a Cushioned Firm from them. Next we checked your Membership and found out to our surprise, that we live within 3 miles of Mattress To Go. I listened to all of Jeff’s You Tubes and we gathered more info from him.
So here’s our thing. We were ready to order a Saatva, but it seems like we are limiting our choices not to meet with Jeff at M to Go. Although I feel like I’d want to end every bit of info with, "Does that make it better than a Saatva? I think it would be insulting to Jeff to ask him to compare his favorite mattresses with the Saatva offerings. So I guess we gather info from Jeff, don’t bring up Saatva, but try to see after our visit to his store, which seems to be the better choice for quality of materials, posture alignment etc. Does that sound about right?
Thanks so much for your site. You’re a million times better than blogs that are subtly trying to steer you to buying from their own stock. Decision making is difficult re: mattresses and it is nice to have someone in your corner.
You may have read this already but there is an extensive analysis and some of my thoughts and information about the Saatva mattresses in post #1 here. A forum search on Saatva (you can just click this) will bring up more information and feedback about them as well.
I would also make sure that you’ve read the tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices … and know how to avoid the worst ones and make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses. It also includes links to some of the better online choices I’m aware of if you are considering buying a mattress online.
I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to mention what you have been considering to Jeff (or any good retailer or manufacturer you are working with). He will always give you good feedback about any mattress he knows about (regardless of whether he sells it or not) and he may have some thoughts about Saatva that he can share (I know that he is aware of them).
I would certainly agree that a visit to Jeff and Matt-to-go would be well worthwhile before making a purchase decision
Well, we feel that we have been through a process made so much more knowledgeably by info from you and Jeff at Matt-to-go.
At first we purchased a Stearns and Foster King from Macy’s-then read your forums, bed tutorials etc. - and canceled that purchase. We now know that Stearns and Foster’s are not the same quality bed they were about 8 years ago. Then we were on the cusp of buying a Laatva bed, then read your latest info re: their exaggerated claim of being a premiere bed, and why that was not accurate due to the quality of some of their materials - then we put that plan on hold.
Yesterday we visited Jeff at Mattresses To Go after seeing that he was a membership partner He was incredibly helpful, informative and based on the info we provided, he showed us a bed - that we happily ordered. We tried many different beds in his store, but the one he had us try first was an exact fit. He’s very good at matching customer needs to the bed that will fulfill those needs.
We purchased an Exceptional Touch, Ultra-Premium Hand Crafted Bed that is a part of the Therapedic Line for less than we would have spent for a Saatva mattress. All the particulars about its quality were impressive plus we received a 5% discount for being Mattress Underground consumers. It was further gratifying to return to your mattress forum last night and read an entry by a M.U.participant re: what an excellent choice Exceptional Touch is as an ultra premium mattress. :cheer:
Thank you so much for steering us in the right location - 3 times!!! My husband and I are very confident that we’ve arrived at the correct bed for us. Jeff even gave us the number of a Furniture Bank so that our current mattress can be recycled to someone in need.
Jeff is a very cool guy. Besides being knowledgeable, not at all pushy, and patient, his background of being a luge coach for the Olympics was fascinating. We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon with him and will recommend him to family and friends - that is after we have them read your mattress forum for the great info that you provide.
The bed should arrive in a week or two. It’s cool that they make the bed after Jeff orders it from the company. So our bed is just a gleam in our eyes at the moment. Because we live so close to the shop, Jeff is even going to help us to transport the mattress to our home.
Thanks for all of your good advice and for pointing us towards Jeff through your membership list and your answer to my questions-all much appreciated.
Congratulations on your new mattress … I think you made a great choice
Thanks too for your feedback about Jeff and your experiences there. He is great to talk with and I have spent many hours on the phone with him sharing stories and information about mattresses and the industry in general. He really is an “expert” and his experiences as a Luge coach and knowledge about ergonomics and physiology in general are also part of his ability to help his customers.
Your experience also goes to show why who you deal with can be one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase.
I’m looking forward to any feedback you have the chance to share once you’ve received your mattress.
Well we are now well ensconced in our Exceptional Touch Mattress that we purchased from Jeff at Matt to Go. It is wonderful. Sometimes when I wake briefly during the night, I think this mattress is so comfortable and best of all - I am SO comfortable!
Your site and answers to my questions and Jeff’s guidance and helpfulness at his store all went in to helping us make this good decision. We’re both very grateful that we didn’t buy the other two mattresses we were considering before we heard about your site and Jeff’s “Bed-ucation” on You Tube. Jeff gave us the 5% off for being forum members and went out of his way to make this purchase an easy experience.
Our thanks go out to you and Jeff for your help with this. We are very satisfied customers.
I switched your posts to a new topic title that was a little more descriptive so that others will have an easier time finding it and benefitting from your experience and feedback.
It’s always good to see when people make a great choice and are sleeping better!
Hey Phoenix,
I just found the Mattress Underground Site. I appreciate the fact that you are trying to enlighten thee Public on what can be a very Blind Item. I run a small store. We carry off brands, from local companies, but quality products. A manufacturer called Sherwood they have been making mattresses across the U.S. for a hundred years. No one knows of them, but they have made the “House Brands” for many of the Big retailers. Older retailers would know them by their old name I.B.C.or International Bedding. But there are many smaller manufacturers who make great quality products all across the country.
While I don’t mind that you mentioned the name of your store in your original post as an introduction (which I replied to as well) … I removed the name of your store from this post because any advertising or self promotion is against the rules of the forum.
As you may know from your reading here … I would certainly agree with this.
Phoenix
PS: you resurrected a very old topic and since the forum is almost 4 years old … it isn’t quite so new any more
Just joined The Mattress Underground. Very glad for such a site to help sort out this important decision since we typically spend 1/3 of our lives on matresses and it greatly impacts the quality of the other 2/3 of our lives!
Looking forward to having what appears at first visit to be a very content-rich source of seemingly unbiased information all in one place.
I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding … and of course any comments or questions you may have along the way that I can help with.
Hi everyone. I just found this forum and have already found some good info. I am shopping for a new mattress but unfortunately know little about them.
I’ve checked a couple of stores near me where I learned about the special financing deals but not much about mattresses. Yes you can buy that TEMPUR-PEDIC for less than $100 for 36 months. Who wants to tie themselves to paying 3 years for a mattress. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t money. I used to sell jewelry in a well known department store but because of my back had to give it up. I make less than half of what I use to make so I have to stretch every dollar as far as I can.
I’m hoping that a new mattress will help my back because the surgery did almost as much damage as it did good. Ok, enough of that. I’ve been doing lots of reading about mattresses and have just about decided to get a Leesa. I have thought about getting an adjustable frame but I can’t justify the price so I think I’ll just get a new foundation. I can get both for about $1000. Anything I should look at for about the same money?
I’m about 5’10, 220lbs and I sleep on my side.
TIA for your input.
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible 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 (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) 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).
I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … 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 you will sleep), durability (how long you 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.
You can see some general comments about what I call “simplified choice mattresses” in general in post #1 here and you can see some more specific comments about the Leesa mattress along with many of the other “simplified choice” online mattresses in post #2 here in the same topic. A forum search on “Leesa” (you can just click the link) will also bring up many more posts with comments and feedback about it as well.
I would be cautious here because the 2" of 3 lb memory foam in the Leesa is a lower quality/density material than the minimums I would generally suggest in the guidelines here and I would consider it to be a potential weak link in the mattress although the 2" of Avena polyfoam above the memory foam would improve the durability of the memory foam somewhat compared to having the same lower density memory foam in the top layer of the mattress.
Outside of the simplified choice list … if you are looking at online options then the mattress shopping tutorial also includes several other links to lists of many of the better online options I’m aware of (in the optional online step) that include many different types and categories of mattresses in a wide range of budgets, firmness levels, and with a range of different return/exchange policies that may also be worth considering.
There may also be some good options available to you locally and if you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.
This site is a wealth of knowledge!
Hey you’re going to spend a 1/3 of your life in bed, might as well put some thought and research into it!
Thanks Phoenix!
Hello, and thanks for making all of your wonderful research available to the public. We live in Paducah, KY and I found one post from 2011 that lists manufactures/retailers in our area. We were planning to visit Sterling Mattress in Herrin, IL, however, it appears they are no longer listed on your “Trusted Members List”. Are they no longer in good standing? Is there anyone in our area that you would recommend that was not listed in the post from 2011? Thank you.
Thank you for your kind words …I am glad that our website is helpful and that you have found us.
You are correct that Sterling Mattress is no longer a member of the site but I’d still recommend that you visit them as they make good/quality products at a good price and it would be well worth driving to do some local testing. I don’t know what mattress type you are interested in or if you decided what is best for you, but this would be a great place to start with your mattress testing. As you already discovered there are some good options listed in posts # 6, 7, 18 here but we do not have site members that are close enough to you… all our members in that region are massed North from Paducah across the state My Green Mattress and Quality Sleep Shop in are located LaGrange, and Sleep On Latex in Chicago, IL.
I’d be interested to find about the results of your visits
Phoenix
