Which Beautyrest Hybrid?

After we coincidentally realized that two of our favorite hotel mattresses were Beautyrests, we went to several mattress stores and consistently liked the feel of the Beautyrest hybrids. (We also liked the Tempurpedic hybrid, but their refusal to be tested by Centipur is a good tiebreaker). But of course there’s no one place to compare the different Beautyrest hybrids. Mattress Discounters and Sleepy’s has the three Phenoms. Macy’s has a few lines (3.0, 5.0, 7.0 – supposedly thickness of the foam). The Beautyrest website has several tiers of hybrids. How can I decide among them? If the platinum really is better than the worldclass, etc., how can I figure out which store’s brand tracks the higher ends of the Beautyrest hybrid spectrum?

Hi lotus125,

The major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (along with all the major retailers that focus on them as well) regardless of how they may feel in a showroom along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).

Unlike the other major brands … for the most part Tempurpedic uses good quality materials in their mattresses but there are certainly other options that would be better quality/value choices than Tempurpedic which tend to be significantly overpriced compared to other memory foam mattresses that use similar quality/density materials that may be just as suitable, just as durable, and better “value” choices (see post #2 here) … and the memory foam or polyfoam in many of these would be CertiPUR-US certified as well.

I would also avoid buying any hotel mattress that is made by a major manufacturer as well as any “similar” mattress … particularly if they don’t provide the specs about the quality and durability of the materials. They are generally significantly overpriced compared to similar consumer mattresses made by the same manufacturer (which I also wouldn’t purchase) because hotel mattresses don’t need to be as durable as a consumer mattress that is used every night and that is generally used for longer periods of time than a hotel mattress before it’s replaced. They are one of the most common sources of buyers remorse because lower quality and less durable materials can lead to premature softening and the loss of comfort and support and the need to replace the mattress much too quickly after a purchase (and foam softening and the loss of comfort and support isn’t covered by mattress warranties). You can read more about hotel mattresses in general in post #3 here and the posts it links to.

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” 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.

If you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know about any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.

Phoenix