My wife and I haven’t bought a mattress in 15+ years, so we wanted to know what brands do people on this forum currently own and/or recommend. We would also like to know, if possible, which brands to avoid.
We are both side sleepers, so we were thinking of a memory foam mattress. How do latex mattresses compare?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. We’ve been reading your mattress forums and articles all day, but still feel like we need more help and/or insight.
Thanks.
I’m sure Phoenix will provide a ton of direction for you but I too was in the position of replacing a 17 year old Serta innersprings mattress. I am also a side sleeper. I started my mattress search online researching, decided I still wanted an innersprings mattress (wouldn’t consider memory foam due to the chemicals, sinking factor, and heat retention) and I ended up with an all latex Savvy Rest Serenity mattress and, after a few adjustments, could not be happier.
So my advice is nothing replaces trying mattresses in person (if at all possible) and to remain open and try all types of beds before you buy, even ones you may not have considered. You may just end up with your future mattress 
Good luck!
p.s. I did stick to my own advice and try memory foam for kicks too when I was in the store. While “comfy” I felt like a turtle on its back and just could not move around. So if nothing else, confirmed quickly that type would not work at all for me
Hi Adriorn,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum!
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).
You said that you’ve been doing some reading on the site, but I would suggest that 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 (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) 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 (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).
Outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out the 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.
I’m sure that other forum members would be happy to share what they’ve purchased (and you certainly can browse through the thousands of threads here to see that), but while other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful … I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).
Phoenix
Hi Adriorn,
I sleep on 6" of 2 lb / 30 ild high density poly-foam core with a 3" high resilience 2.75 lb/20 ild top. I love the support I get from polyurethane foam, and the fact that it’s softer on my shoulders and hips than dunlop latex.
I suggest you go to a local store to try out polyurethane foam, talalay, dunlop latex, and coil mattresses to see what materials you like the most.
Good luck in your search!