TOPIC:

Hi..I'm glad I came across your website! I spent about 2 hours at the local furniture store (Art Van's) looking and testing out several different mattresses, but ended not buying any. I just wasn't conviced that spending $1,000 on a new mattress was going to keep me happy for years. How did I know that what I'm feeling today on the mattress was going to be the way I felt 2 years from now? To me and my wife, spending $1,000 on a mattress is a BIG deal, that's lots of money, but at this point (with back pains and restless sleep) I'd spend even more for a quality mattress.
After researching the brands that were presented to me as my 'top 3' there at the store, I started to get nervous on the bad reviews that they got. Sleep to Live was very comfy to me at the store, but did not have great reviews. The other two were the same story.
I did run across your site and became much more educated over the past few days and I'm ready to take my knowledge and make a better decision. However, in the local Detroit Metro area, there doesn't seem to be a lot of choices of either manufacturers or retailers. I do plan on heading up (about 50 min away) to Mattress To Go and see what they have to offer, but I am also checking out the on line stores.
Here's my issue/question I suppose: with limited choices in the latex world (that's seems to be the best choice for me) near me, it feels like I should expand my options to buying online. But if I'm spending 2 hours testing out 10 different models at the local big box place, how the heck would one buy a mattress untested on line? I know the manufacturers members here offere free (or reduced shipping) for returns/exchanges, but it can't be easy to do this several times as the mattresses are heavy and buiky to lug up and down stairs and to box up. I know I can compare the ILD's/materials via their spec sheets, but not sure what combo I like best yet. And to go into a local (the MTG place) and test out and ask the questions, only to buy online, is a bit uncomfortable for me.
Any tips you would recommend?
Thanks
I'm in the 48070 zip code, city of Huntington Woods.

Hi Hilliap,

The first place i would start is post #1 here and the information, steps, and guidelines is links to. This will help keep you away from the major brands and the local chain stores which (as you have seen) will waste a lot of your time and lead to more confusion than anything else. The less time you spend in these types of places ... unless you know exactly what you are testing ...the better.

Some of the better options and possibilities I'm aware of in the Detroit area are listed in post #2 here .

Here's my issue/question I suppose: with limited choices in the latex world (that's seems to be the best choice for me) near me, it feels like I should expand my options to buying online. But if I'm spending 2 hours testing out 10 different models at the local big box place, how the heck would one buy a mattress untested on line?

I personally wouldn't spend any time at all at any of the local big box places even for testing unless you knew specifically what you were testing there and why. No matter how you feel on these mattresses ... for the most part you won't be able to find out any meaningful information about their quality or value or what is in them. There are certainly enough other choices around you that would either be good local value or could provide a guideline for an online purchase if that becomes necessary or desirable.

I know the manufacturers members here offere free (or reduced shipping) for returns/exchanges, but it can't be easy to do this several times as the mattresses are heavy and buiky to lug up and down stairs and to box up.

Just to be clear ... most only allow this once ... not an unlimited amount of times. Some allow either the return or exchange of the entire mattress with various costs connected to this and some offer layer exchanges where you can fine tune the mattress you already have ... again with various different costs connected to the service (usually low). This certainly lowers the risk of an online purchase but it isn't risk free either.

I know I can compare the ILD's/materials via their spec sheets, but not sure what combo I like best yet. And to go into a local (the MTG place) and test out and ask the questions, only to buy online, is a bit uncomfortable for me.

First of all I would focus on local outlets and then add online if that became necessary (I wouldn't start of with the assumption that online is the direction you are going). If you are going by specs ... it would be important to try to make "apples to apples" comparisons and you may not have access to mattresses that use the exact same materials and layers. It would be more realistic to expect that you would be "approximating" another mattress (if the materials and layers were the same) rather than "duplicating" it and to build in the expectation of either re-arranging the layers if that was an option (usually this is an option in higher budget ranges than yours) or a layer exchange if necessary. ILD is only one of many parts involved in approximating another mattress (type of materials, layer thickness, cover material, quilting, and others). The best approach is to test local mattresses as much as possible and then to add online options if that becomes necessary and any difference in value justifies the extra risk. Either way ... local testing on different types of mattresses is an important part of the process.

The more testing you do on mattresses with known materials, ask questions, and talk to people ... the closer you will get to knowing your ideal choice.

Phoenix