Hi BSchoppe,
[quote]The Comfort Layer seems to be HR Foam even though that are advertising it as HD Foam. Yay for me. The density is 2.5#/cubic foot. I didn’t understand what the salesman told be about the compressions modulus. He said something about 60% IFD (?) and 16# of softness. I could be miss quoting those so please forgive me.
So it seems this is a very good comfort layer and should last me a long time. I could not find on your site if 2 inches of HR Foam is OK or not. I know you say no more than 1 inch for the lower grades but I can’t find anything about how much is too much for HR Foam.[/quote]
The 2.5 lb density polyfoam they use is HD (not HR) but either way it is a very high quality and durable material and certainly wouldn’t be a weak link in any mattress. The IFD/ILD of a material is a comfort spec and isn’t important to know because with careful testing your body will tell you much more about whether a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) than the “comfort specs” of the materials or components inside it. The guideline of “no more than about an inch or so” of lower quality or unknown materials wouldn’t apply to 2.5 lb polyfoam or any other high quality material that meets (or in this case exceeds) the foam quality/density guidelines here.
[quote]More information about me. I am fairly average. I am about 5’4" and 150 pounds. When I am on my stomach, (which happens regularly while I sleep. I try to stop but I always end up there) I hang my feet off the edge of the bed so that doesn’t cause extra arching in the back. I prefer a fuller down pillow but that is mostly due to my chest size. I am currently a 32H so you can see why that causes problems when on my stomach. If my pillow is too thin, it causes more pressure on my chest. I also try to start my night on my side or back so a thicker pillow is more comfortable.
I need a comfort later that will allow my chest to sink in more but not give up support for my back. If my chest does not sink in, then they will naturally cause by back to arch and this is what is causing the majority of my back pain.[/quote]
The most reliable way to know whether any mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP is careful and objective testing using the testing guidelines in the tutorial. There are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to reliably predict whether any mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of PPP based on specs (either yours or a mattress" or "theory at a distance (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). There is more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) and how to identify and minimize the risk involved in each of them in post #2 here.
There is also more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability, durability, and value.
I don’t know why the showroom mattress is sagging (although showroom mattress can often be subject to some abuse that wouldn’t reflect real life conditions) and I don’t know all the rest of the specs of the mattress (see here) so I can’t make any meaningful comments about it but the 2.5 lb polyfoam is a high quality and durable material and certainly wouldn’t be a weak link in the mattress.
While all foam materials will soften or impress to some degree over time … 2.5 lb polyfoam (whether it is HR or HD) is a very high quality and durable material that certainly wouldn’t be a weak link or subject to any unusual sagging in any mattress under “normal” conditions.
Phoenix