So wytstang, are you looking more like your avatar now-a-days!
I was in the same situation about 11 months ago. I was researching and reading all the forums as possible. My wife and I agreed to spend more for a quality mattress and initially set a budget of $2000. Being in Hawaii, we are more limited to the brands available locally as compared to the mainland. Prefer not to mail order as shipping cost would be expensive.
Being middle aged, we felt it was time we deserved a quality bed. A mattress that we can fall asleep in minutes and not want to get out of bed in the morning.
When visiting a store with multiple brands, I always ask which mattress the sales person prefer. My stats show, 4-5 sales people prefer the Simmons brand. After trying several models, we both agreed on the "Oprah Winfrey" bed, a whopping $3500!
My wife got out the spatula to get me off the floor! I told her, if we were going to spend that amount of money, let's at least look at the Tempur-Pedic and other foam mattresses.
All I can say is that for the last 9 months, each night is just as comfortable as your first 2 nights on your sister's Sealy. I used to stretch every morning due to lower back pain. After about 2 months, no more back pain. Even our kids know better, they are always asking to sleep in our bed. A foam mattress may not suit everyone as some say it is too hot, but we use 100% cotton sheets and have a ceiling fan.
I know it's more than your budget, but it's warrantied for 20 years, dust mite resistant, and never needs flipping. We are now considering Tempur-Pedic toppers for the kids.
The cheapest Tempur-Pedic was a bit too firm for our taste, but I think it starts at about $999. Check out ebay, but verify on warranty claims first.
When you do find that perfect mattress, would you consider changing that freaky avatar?
