excellent site =>
. Avoid buying a mattress made by any of the major national brands such as Sealy, Simmons, Serta, Tempurpedic. While they are not all "bad" mattresses and some may even be good quality, ... none of them have good value when compared to similar mattresses made by smaller independent manufacturers. NONE
2. Buy a mattress based on the quality of materials that is in it and how it is constructed ... never by the brand. Every mattress outlet should be able to tell you exactly what is in every mattress they sell layer by layer (from a cutaway or spec sheet) and the reason for each material and layer. If they can't or won't ... pass them by.
3. Focus your attention on local factory direct manufacturer outlets or smaller sleep shops who carry alternative brands and have a direct relationship with the manufacturer. These will generally have the most knowledgeable salespeople and the best value and will be more interested in helping you find a mattress that is perfect for your own unique needs instead of selling you something they can get you excited about with a (mostly misleading) story. These are the places which usually will be open and transparent about the materials in your mattress and encourage comparison shopping rather than using sales techniques.
4. Never buy a mattress with more than an inch of polyfoam in the comfort layers (upper pressure relieving layers) and the quilting combined as this will become the weak link in your mattress and it will likely be subject to early softening and body impressions. Warranties will not usually cover this because of their exclusions and because the softening of memory foam and polyfoam is considered "normal". If you must break this rule because of a very low budget, only break it with a local manufacturer or sleep shop like those in #3 who can tell you the exact quality and specs of the polyfoam they use (and why) and will tell you truthfully how long it will last.