Hi Dldlaw,
The first place I would start your research is the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make the best possible choices … and know how to avoid the worse ones.
Unfortunately there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to know which mattress is the best choice for someone else out of all the thousands of mattresses that are available based on “theory at a distance” (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). The tutorial post will help with “how” to choose though but only you can decide which mattress is the best match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and your personal value equation.
While comfort and “feel” are very subjective … the quality of a mattress isn’t and if you know the quality of the materials inside it (and only deal with retailers or manufacturers that provide this information) then you will be able to compare them to the guidelines (or post the specific details here if you’d like some help identifying the quality of the materials or identifying any weak links) and end up with a much higher quality/value choice.
Outside of PPP … a mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality of the materials inside it and I would only deal with retailers or manufacturers that provide this information to their customers. If you are looking at online memory foam mattresses rather than a local purchase then the tutorial post also includes a link to some of the better online memory foam options I’m aware of.
You can see my thoughts about why mattress reviews are not an effective way to choose a mattress in post #13 here.
You can also see my thoughts about buying from a Big Box Store such as Costco (particularly with some of their lower quality mattresses such as most of the Novaform mattresses) in post #4 here.
Once you get to step 3 in the tutorial then if you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know about any of the better local options I’m aware of in your area so you can test some different types of mattresses to find out a little more about your specific needs and preferences.
See post #4 here.
Phoenix