kgressler,
If it helps any, I bought the soft mattress. So far I haven’t experienced any pain like I had with the Leesa. I had a topper on my old bed that was really soft. When I went to this it was a bit firmer but still soft…and the most important part is I don’t wake up in the middle of the night with any pain.
Hi kgressler,
Thanks for the update.
I’m sorry to hear that your firmness choice didn’t work out for you as well as you hoped for but the good news is that you had the foresight to choose a mattress that has a great return policy so you could try out the mattress in your bedroom instead of a showroom without any risk. As you know the only way to know for certain whether any mattress will be a suitable choice for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) will be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience when you sleep on it so the return or exchange policy for an online choice would generally be a more important part of each person’s personal value equation.
A good quality topper will generally last more than just a “few” years and if a mattress/topper combination is a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP then having a separate topper has the advantage of being able to replace just the topper without replacing the entire mattress if it softens or breaks down before the upper foam layers in the mattress (which is very likely because the upper layers of a sleeping system tend to soften or break down before the deeper layers) or if your needs or preferences change over time. A suitable topper can also help extend the useful life of the mattress underneath it because it will absorb some of the compression forces that can soften or break down the top layers of the mattress underneath it over time.
Of course this would be a moot point if you don’t like the mattress/topper combination and regardless of any advantages or disadvantages of any type of “sleeping system” (such as having “just a mattress” or a mattress/topper combination) … different people can have very different preferences and criteria relative to all the many parts of their personal value equation that are most important to them.
Phoenix
Hi npolite,
Thanks for taking the time to share an update as well.
It’s great to hear that your choice is working out well for you 
Phoenix
After sleeping on my new medium firm BME for a few nights, here are my thoughts. Before I begin, I am a 5’11, 210lb male and was rocking a 10yo innerspring mattress with this memory topper:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AR5X92/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
(The exact same one that another poster in this thread had.)
When I unboxed the BME and laid on it, first thing I thought was ‘wow, this is really firm’. So much so that I assume they just replace the quilted cover with a slab of plywood on the firm version 
I had laid on a latex mattress locally which was a ‘luxury retreat firm’ - it felt nice, if a little hard. So I thought this medium firm mattress would be a bit softer than that, but it doesn’t appear to be so. (Keep in mind though that I traditionally prefer soft mattresses, so it might not feel as firm to you as it does to me.)
That being said, although I’m not exactly comfortable laying on it, I toss and turn a lot less and wake up less stiff than I did on my old mattress, so this is actually an improvement over what I had. I’m not sure if I’m going to keep it yet… will at least ride it out through the 30-day initial break-in period and see how it feels. For the time being though, at least it feels good enough to sleep on without a lot of soreness, and it seems like a solid mattress for what they ask for it.
One thing I’ve noticed recently is that I prefer firmer mattresses as I’ve gotten older. After 10 years on your last one you may be noticing the same thing. It sounds a lot like what I experienced.
The thing about the medium bme is that it’ll feel a lot firmer during the first couple weeks than what it ends up being. If you can stand it, definitely wait a month before making up you mind.
Hi worknman,
Thanks for the update.
Based on your comments about how you are sleeping and how your “symptoms” have improved it certainly sounds like you made the most suitable choice in terms of firmness and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences). I would keep in mind that posture and alignment is the most important factor in how well and how deeply you will sleep followed by pressure relief followed by any other more subjective preferences you may have.
As you also mentioned there will be a break in and adjustment period for any new mattress or sleeping system as the mattress loses any of it’s initial “false firmness” and the cover stretches and loosens a little and the materials settle and your body gets used to a sleeping surface that is different from what it is used to (see post #3 here). This would typically be a few weeks but it can be shorter or longer depending on the specifics of the person and the mattress (higher density materials like latex can take longer) and it can be surprising to many people how much their sleeping experience can change over the course of the first month or so.
I’m looking forward to any additional updates you have the chance to share.
Phoenix
That’s encouraging to hear, and I’ll definitely sleep on it for at least 30 days, probably longer.
One thing I forgot to mention is that this mattress sleeps cooler than the memory foam topper I have. This is a big reason I wanted to try out latex, as I tend to sleep hot. I very much enjoy the ‘sinking in’ feeling that memory foam offers, but I don’t enjoy waking up roasting in the middle of the night.
So far, I’m able to keep the temp in my apartment 1 degree warmer than usual. And during these hot Texas summers, if this mattress manages to last a decade or longer, it might go a long way toward paying for itself
Aonian,
Thank you for this post, I wish I had read it before purchasing.
I too had a similar problem with my Medium BME, and found myself sleeping in a jacknife position, which led to crippling mornings after. I am 6 foot male weighing 230 lbs.
Like you I ws interested in a firm but theBB rep strongly pushed a medium and I regret it. They will be taking mine back.
I haven’t gotten through the return experience, but hopefully it will be better than yours.
Hi Royce,
While you certainly made a great quality/value choice … I’m sorry to hear that the firmness level you chose didn’t work out as well as you hoped for.
Their firmness suggestions have the best chance of success based on the averages of other customers that are similar to you in terms of their body type and sleeping positions and in the large majority of situations it would be the most suitable choice but there will always be some cases that are “outside the averages” with any online purchase so it’s unfortunate that you were one of the few. Of course this is also the reason that a good return policy can be an important part of any online purchase.
Aonian is the only member I’ve seen that had any delays or issues in returning their mattress and this was likely because they had only been available for a few months at the time and hadn’t had a return from that area previously (their post is almost a year old) so you certainly shouldn’t have any issues returning your mattress.
Phoenix
You know I was told the same thing by the sales team with BB and read it here. But this was definitely not what happened in my case… It never softened up.
The bed itself seems like a quality bed and I enjoyed it but it was just way too firm.
They finally picked the bed up from from us 3 days ago and was contacted by Mario that our credit has been applied. Haven’t seen it on our card as of yet but hopefully in the next day or so it will show up.
kgressler, where do you plan to go from here? Are you gonna try the soft version?
BB did infact apply my credit this morning and I’ve talked with them about ordering the soft version and making sure we are in fact still eligible for a return after the 120 days.
I think we are leaning that way but my wife and I haven’t discussed it much…I think she is still hesitant about the firmness of the soft mattress. If we do in fact go this route I will for sure check back in.
Hi kgressler,
Thanks for the update.
Their return policy here says that it can only be used once per customer per calendar year.
Phoenix
[quote=“Phoenix” post=64412]Hi kgressler,
Thanks for the update.
Their return policy here says that it can only be used once per customer per calendar year.
Phoenix[/quote]
Huh well this is not what they told me just 3 or 4 days ago. So either they lied to me or they need to retrain their customer service people. She even put me on hold to “go ask” to make sure. Well this has basically made up my mind for me now.
kgressler,
My name is Mario, I manage our Brooklyn Bedding site.
I do apologize for any miscommunication, it is possible the information was simply misunderstood. We do offer the ability to return or exchange the mattress due to the fact we are one of the only companies offering multiple comfort levels. Like many other online companies we do offer a risk free option for return but this option can only be used once per customer. We offer the ability to exchange the mattress so that you are able to get one that is softer or more firm if the original mattress is not working out for you. In the event that the new mattress is not working for you either there would be a fee to return the mattress, that fee would depend on your location. We truly wish to allow our customers the ability to be fully satisfied with our mattress, we feel it is one of the best options that is available but also understand comfort is subjective to each individual.
Please feel free to contact me directly and I would be happy to discuss this with you in more detail if you like.
Thank you,
Mario
Brooklyn Bedding
480.323.8831
Just wanted to give my feedback on the BME. Very strong smell, we are trying to air it out…mattress is not a full king size, its too short on the sides. I’m waiting to see if it expands more but its been about 48 hours so far. We got a firm and it feels very firm. We have not slept on it yet due to the strong odor - strong enough that you can smell it on the whole floor.
I will report back with more and what we decide after a little time passes.
Hi eeks,
That’s very odd. Your experience is certainly the exception and it’s possible you either have a much more sensitive sense of smell than most people or perhaps you are more sensitive to the normal smell of latex because you are the first one to mention a strong smell out of hundreds of people that have given their feedback about it on the forum. It’s also possible that the smell may be coming from something else besides the mattress (such as a mattress protector or mattress pad if you are using one or even a new pillow) but of course I can’t know that for certain.
Assuming that the smell is coming from the mattress … there are some suggestions in post #3 here that may be helpful. I would make sure that you remove all the sheets and bedding when you aren’t sleeping on it so that it can air out until the smell has gone away.
What are the measurements of your mattress?
There are some comments about standard sizing and sizing variances in post #2 here that should be helpful but it can sometimes take a few days or in a few cases even up to a week for a mattress to completely decompress and regain it’s correct size within a normal spec tolerance of +/- 1". While it won’t affect the comfort or support of the mattress … assuming that you’ve measured the mattress correctly and it’s still out of spec after that I would call Brooklyn Bedding to let them know that your mattress is out of spec and they should be able to help you.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Regarding smell - I know…I’m surprised. I know that I am sensitive to smells and that was one of the main reasons I have searched for a chemical free (as much as possible) bed. I had asked on this forum and other places and most people said BME was little to no smell. So that gave me the confidence that this would have little odor and little off gassing.
Its a very strong smell - and its the mattress. We have nothing on it, just sitting on the foundation airing out. Its making almost the whole upstairs smell. Very strong - even my husband who is not sensitive to smells agrees its a strong smell. Not like the one we got at Ikea a few years back that we returned, but he agrees it smells. Its like a chemical smell. Its not a latex smell - I have latex samples and this does not smell anything like that. Latex smell does not bother me.
We are trying to air it out and see if it gets better - I do notice I’ve had a slight headache after being in that room. I hope I can be able to sleep on it - if the smell is too much for me I wont even be able to do that!
I will measure it - its been 48 hours and the length is fine but the width is not, and all the corners are rounded, not coming all the way out to the foundation…
I’m going to give it some more time.
Hi eeks,
As I mentioned your experience is certainly very unusual so I really don’t know where the smell could be coming from but regardless of what it is it should dissipate fairly quickly. I would also keep in mind that harmful VOC’s may or may not have any smell (some VOC’s that are harmful have no smell and some that are completely harmless have stronger smells) but regardless of any smell there would be no harmful VOC’s from the materials in the BME because they all have a reliable certification.
Rounded corners are normal with a finished mattress that has a tight fitting tape edged cover.
I would also keep in mind that a foundation may have slightly different dimensions than a mattress as well so it’s a good idea to measure the mattress rather than compare it to a foundation.
Phoenix
Phoenix
I just went upstairs to smell it again - I don’t notice the smell so much from the top unless I put my face up against it, it seems to be coming from the polyfoam bc if I lift up the mattress slightly its a very strong smell underneath. Its a weird smell, not really like a new mattress smell, or new furniture smell etc. It honestly smells like body odor or sweat. Its not a polyfoam smell that I have smelled before.
We just put it up against the wall to see if that helps the smell to go away - its not a pleasant smell.
I measured it and its about 79.5 inches in length and barely 74.5 inches in width. Definitely not close to 76 inches wide.