Hi Bagglady25,
You can see the guidelines I would suggest for minimum foam densities in the durability guidelines here. While 4 lb memory foam and 1.8 lb polyfoam would be suitable for your BMI range … your husband is in a BMI range where I would suggest looking for a mattress that doesn’t contain more than “about an inch or so” of memory foam that is less than 5 lb density or polyfoam that is less than 2.0 lb density in the upper layers of the mattress especially. Slightly lower density in the base layers would have less effect on the durability and useful life of a mattress than lower density materials in the upper layers of a mattress.
Both mattresses contain more than “about an inch or so” of 4 lb memory foam and 1.8 lb polyfoam which would be fine for you but would be a little lower than than I would suggest for your husband.
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 he will sleep), durability (how long he 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).
If you are considering online options then the mattress shopping tutorial includes several 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 (see this article) that use different materials and components in a wide range of designs, budgets, firmness levels, and with different return/exchange policies that may be well worth considering. One of the links is to a list of the better online memory foam options I’m aware of.
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
A good online retailer or manufacturer will generally suggest a mattress that they honestly believe has the best chance of success based on the information you provide them when you talk to them on the phone because this is in both your own and their best interests but again at the end of the day the only way to know for certain whether any specific mattress is a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP will be based on your own careful testing and/or your own personal experience so if you can’t test a specific mattress in person then the options you have available after a purchase to either exchange the mattress or individual layers or components or return the mattress for a refund (and any costs involved) would generally become a more important part of your personal value equation just in case a mattress you purchase doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for.
I don’t keep a record of the individual mattresses or components or their specs that the retailers and manufacturers in the hundreds of local or online forum lists throughout the forum carry on their floor or have available online (it would be a bigger job than anyone could keep up with in a constantly changing market) but checking their websites and especially making some preliminary phone calls to the retailers/manufacturers that are on the lists that you are considering is always a good idea before you decide on which retailers or manufacturers you wish to deal with or visit anyway. This will tell you which of them carry mattresses or components that would meet your specific criteria, are fully transparent about the materials and components and/or the mattresses that they sell, and that carry the type of mattresses or components that you are interested in that are also in the budget range you are comfortable with. Once you have checked their websites and/or talked with the ones that interest you then you will be in a much better position to decide on the ones (if any) that you are most interested in considering or visiting based on the results of your preliminary research and conversations.
Off the top of my head though … I believe that Rocky Mountain Mattress, Novosbed, Tempflow, Foam Order, Christeli, and Sleep Warehouse make one or more memory foam mattresses that use 5 lb or higher memory foam. Some of the Sleep Science memory foam mattresses at Costco also use 5 lb or higher memory foam as well although the Costco customers service may not be able to provide the same kind of guidance about which of their mattresses may be the most suitable for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP as some of the other more knowledgeable and experienced online suppliers so while they do have a great return policy … the risk of choosing a mattress that you don’t sleep well on and needing to return the mattress will be higher…
If you are also interested in local options that you can test in person before a purchase then if you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.
Phoenix
