A July 2013 review of the DreamFoam Ultimate Dreams 13-Inch Gel memory foam mattress

A July 2013 review of the DreamFoam Ultimate Dreams 13-Inch Gel memory foam mattress

Mattress description

Size: Queen
Merchant SKU: 13Gel_Q_C4
ASIN: B0092UCN0Y
Condition: New
Price: $799
July 31, 2013

The manufacture describes this bed as using a three layer construction consisting of 3" of 4lb gel memory foam, 2" of 5lb memory foam, and an 8" base of premium base foam. 100% made in USA and 100% made in USA components. They also state to compare it to the Tempur-Pedic Cloud Luxe. Because I’m a side sleeper this bed seemed to be the best fit from what I’ve read online.

History

After trying six different mattresses over a decade my wife and I began to get desperate to find a mattress that was not necessarily perfect, but close. We are young and felt we should be able to wake up without pain and have a restful night of sleep for under $4,000.

I hope all the lying mattress companies with their endless models and worthless descriptions of their products go out of business courtesy of these new and innovated retailers. I hope Tempur-Pedic faces real competition. I hope my experience and others can help you find the bed for you. I personally feel that memory foam beds are the answer and that the differences between them only amount to extra preferences, not true sleep providing capability.

Body type

My wife and I are in our 30’s, weight under 170, and generally healthy. I used to have lower back pain and still have to be careful about helping move really heavy furniture. We have 3 kids that require lots of our attention and we stay up too late. I generally have a small snack before bed.

Installation

Came in a tall cardboard box busted out at one end. The bed inside was fine. I helped the FedEx man carry it to my front door. He asked if there was a dead body inside. At around 100lb it certainly seemed so. It is shrink wrapped tightly. After placing the roll on the base and cutting away the plastic it sucked in air quickly. It looked ready in 10 minutes. Five hours later I would describe it as having reached full height. The pictures of the bed online make the bed look ugly. In person, I would say it is only slightly better. Thankfully it will be covered by sheets and not seen. The white top feels like fur or velvet.

Subjective feel

The bed is mushy and soft to move around on. Very similar to the Cloud Luxe I tried in the store. However, it is not as perfectly reacting as the Tempur which may have had a better top material that moves more in sync with the foam below. Hard to say. I don’t expect this to matter enough long term. But for $3,200 more you want to believe it is better somehow.

For those of you who have experienced the clay like melting foam sensations of Tempur-Pedic’s original design note that this DreamFoam bed and the Tempur-Pedic Cloud Luxe of 2013 don’t react that way. Both of these beds fill in the hole you make a little quicker. Note that sheets firm up a bed. I’ve never laid on a Tempur that had sheets on it, only models in the store.

I did not get hot in this bed thus the Gel must have worked. We do keep our house thermostat on 74F, however, I’ve been hotter in our old Serta Tresor. Humorously, the Serta describes itself as a “perfect sleeper”. Ummm, no its not!

First night

I was really nervous about the bed because it gives a sensation of sinking in deep. I was wondering if I should have bought the Ultimate Dreams 10". This is just a mental reaction I had to the bed pulling me into itself, something I’m not used to feeling for more than 15 minutes in a distracting store. But the deal was done … I have to sleep tonight in this bed!

The first thing I noticed was that watching a movie or using a laptop required different support pillows and placement. You feel like you’re “in” not “on” this bed. But I told myself I bought this thing for sleeping, not watching movies. I’m sure I’ll be able to work out a way for both.

When it came time to turn out the lights, the bed was right there to give me a hug, a non-stop 8 hour one. At first I was really put off by this. If I had a choice right then and there I would have rejected that sensation. But I’ve made errors in the past from initial sensations so I know I can be wrong about what makes for “sleep”.

When I relaxed and let the bed have its way I went to sleep quickly. Several hours into the night I needed to move and I realized I could not move as I normally do. My hip and pelvic areas were surrounded and supported and thus I had to use my upper back to get out of this thing and move. As you put an arm or hand into another area it sinks in too. It took much more effort that I was used to. If you’re not careful you can feel like you’re fighting the bed.

In fact, the following morning, I actually woke up sore in my upper back. Strangely, I felt rested and great. The soreness was from use, not discomfort if that makes sense. I had another sensation in my lower back that I’m going to keep to myself for the moment. This bed is different. I believe it is going to work just fine because the science says so. I’ve been on bad beds for so long my body has adjusted to them.

Conclusion

I understand why there are different models of foam beds. You can’t choose one from my statements. All you can do is try one for an entire night. I’m going to try this bed for a year because I believe it is special. In that amount of time I expect to get good sleep and relearn what I want in a bed. Do I want to sink in so much? I don’t know yet. Do I want more firmness around my lower back? I can’t tell from one night.

What I hope is that the DreamFoam bedding company is a real and caring company here for the long haul. I hope they make a respectful profit and we all get a good product. See you back here one year later.

Reserved for next year.

Hi pcunite,

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed and amazingly insightful review.

You have clearly done your homework and all the points you made are great ones and well worth reading :slight_smile:

You comments are also particularly descriptive and I can almost “feel” the mattress based on your comments alone.

I’m looking forward to your updates as well.

Thanks again !

Phoenix

Thanks for the review

Thank you for the review!

Any chance you can give a mini-update now (mid-term)?

Almost a year now, how are you liking the mattress?

I’m back! I still have this mattress. However, I’m looking to get something more firm. I suspected this would be the case after about 90 days. But by then, I could not return the item. The mattress itself is holding up well and I would say the Dreamfoam Bedding company makes a great product.

Hi pcunite,

Thanks for taking the time to share an update.

I’m sorry to hear that your mattress turned out to be too soft for you although it’s good to hear that it has held up well.

Phoenix