Quick little update for all you researchers –
I thought the bed would get softer after it expanded but it actually is firmer than it was after the first night
Its getting more firm than I prefer actually… uh oh
little bit of sore shoulder action
and it’d say its a LITTLE BIT FIRMER than a “luxury hotel bed” now.
that’s for the BME Medium
hopefully the “break in” will happen and it will soften up
i stamped around on it today for like 5min lol
Hi cowtweets,
As you’ve only had the mattress for a few days, there will be a break in and adjustment period for any new mattress or sleeping system as the mattress loses any of its “false firmness” and the cover stretches and loosens a little 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 at least a few weeks but it can be shorter or longer depending on the specifics of the person and the mattress.
Feeling “firmer” would be odd and perhaps more of an issue of the final expansion of the product, you adjusting to the new product and/or perhaps the additional of the mattress pad/protector and fitted sheet. Rolling around on the mattress and gently walking upon it (be careful!) certainly can help expedite this “break-in” process.
Hopefully in the next month the comfort will be closer to what you desire. If not, as least you had the foresight to choose something that offers a good exchange/return policy.
Keep us updated!
Phoenix
I’m almost positive that I’ll be ordering a BME in the very near future. However, I have a question about firmness. I have a fairly low BMI (18-ish, 110-115lbs) and I prefer a mattress that’s slightly on the firmer side (which, yes, is relative ). I’m torn between the soft and medium. Will the medium be very firm for me?
eta: I’m a side-sleeper, if that makes any difference.
Hi dontberidiculous,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum!
Unfortunately, I can’t feel what you feel and I can only help with “how” to select a mattress, not “what” to choose. There are simply too many personal variables involved that make it too difficult to accurately select a mattress for someone else.
The best advice I can provide is to place a phone call to Brooklyn Bedding (not an email or chat) and discuss your particular situation, sleeping style, somatotype and BMI. They are in the best position to help you choose what might work best for you, as they have the experience of assisting thousands of consumers with similar sleeping styles in your range of BMI and the level of success they’ve achieved with different combinations through the years. While there is no accurate algorithm that can predict with 100% certainty what is the best fit for you, this would give you the best chance at success. And if your mattress doesn’t work out for you as well as you would have hoped, they do offer a 120 night trial period and other options for exchange.
I’ll be interested in what you end up deciding.
Phoenix
Hi, I was wondering if the BB was good for a side sleeper? I tried the Casper and hated it. It was soft but, still hurt my back pretty bad. After 100 days it never got any better and I returned it. Right now I’m sleeping on an old box spring and I’m desperate for anything as even that Casper was better then what I have now.
I was going to go for the Leesa but, that’s may a bit out of my range.
Hi DarkJojo,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum!
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
There are three different comfort designations for The Brooklyn Bedding Best Mattress Ever (Firm, Medium and Plush), and for side sleepers the Medium and the Plush are most commonly recommended. My best suggestion to you would be a detailed phone conversation with Brooklyn Bedding where you could discuss your needs and they could do their best to provide a suggestion that they feel would give you the best possible chance as success. As you may know, Brooklyn Bedding is a member here, which means I think highly of them, their products and the advice they provide.
I’m sorry your Casper didn’t work out well for you, but at least you had the foresight to choose a product that allowed for a return. I would make sure that you’re not using a true coil box spring under your new mattress, but instead something that is a flat and firm surface, more like a semi-flex grid network or a platform foundation. An old worn foundation that allows for sag or flex will make even a quality mattress sink and feel uncomfortable, and diminish comfort life while potentially voiding your mattress warranty.
Phoenix
I am a side sleeper and like the soft (Plush) BME; however, without the proper pillow it would not be as good as it is – That goes for any bed.
I like the shredded Latex from Dreamfoam and the Plush BME Mattress together but as Phoenix has always said…Call the company and discuss it with them. I assure you they have never tried high pressure sales tactics and didn’t give me any attitude when I told them I need to discuss it with my wife and get back to them.
I am the owner of 5 mattresses from BB and Dreamfoam (Sister companies). I am very happy with them as you can tell.
Sleep well,
Jeff
Hi jefmoody,
Thanks you for your thoughtful reply, especially with your pillow suggestion – great tip!
And I’m glad that you’re happy with all of your mattresses!
Phoenix
I initially emailed the warranty email on January 9th, 2017 and heard nothing, so I emailed again on the 17th and was told by Mario that they never received anything (which is highly unlikely as it is clearly in my sent folder, but I didn’t sweat it). He told me to send the email again and I did, which must be around when you spoke to him.
Mario agreed to replace both the high rise foundation and mattress, which was great. I was pleased with this solution until I received the shipment only to find I received a easy-ship foundation instead of a high rise foundation. Very odd, since the order form Mario sent for the replacements has heavy duty high rise on there.
Now I alerted Mario of the situation and he seems to be very confused about what has happened.
This is becoming so frustrating as it has been almost a month since I first sent the email to their warranty email about these issues.
I almost feel like this deserves its own thread as now it is kind of disrupting this one.
EDIT: Mario has made it right. He said he has been very busy.
Hi craiggrove91,
I’m glad that Mario is helping you get things straightened out, and that they are replacing both the foundation and mattress for you.
I’ve had days like that where I’m going in a million different directions. I just had that happen to me yesterday where I was going to get something and I read it and said it out loud, and then I proceeded to grab the incorrect item because it had been on my brain!
Anyway, hopefully you’ll have the correct foundation soon and all will be well.
Thanks for the update.
Phoenix
Thanks, like I said I’ve tried the Casper in stores and it felt amazing but, that was not sleeping. The casper was soft but, firm all the same and hurt my back. Do you think the Plush is softer then the Casper?
This box spring is from the 80s. I don’t have the money or means of getting rid of it. My casper never had a sinking feeling.
Hi DarkJojo,
Unfortunately, there is no universal scale of plushness, and even then there are different “qualities” of plushness that different individuals can interpret differently as well. These mattresses use different componentry, so the only way to tell would be your own actual testing when trying out the product. The upper double layers of latex in the BME would certainly have a more buoyant feel as compared to the Casper, but I wouldn’t be able to tell you if you would think their soft version was softer than the Casper you tried.
I’m guessing your “box spring” isn’t truly a coil box spring, but more than likely a torsion modular system, which was what was commonly used in the 80s. Just realize that even a slight bit of flexion in the box/foundation will impact the comfort of the mattress.
As an aside, if you’re on a more restricted budget then post #4 here and the posts it links to also include many of the better lower budget online options I’m aware of as well.
Phoenix
I’ve had the king medium for just over a year now and it is firmer than the firm innerspring mattress it replaced, you definitely won’t sink into this one. A lot of the properties of this mattress vary on how you set it up. I originally laid it on top of my old box springs till I had a chance to build a platform. Using this setup, it had similar motion transfer as an innerspring and the boxspring added some give to the mattress. After building a wood slat platform and removing boxsprings, its true firmness showed through and the motion transfer really died down - I think when these foam/latex mattress companies list less motion transfer as a quality, it really has to do with the elimination of box springs. I’m a side sleeper and with this firmness I wake up a number of times to flip sides, more suited for a back sleeper imo. My wife agrees that it is on the very firm side. We have a 3" novaform topper on it to cut the firmness which works for her, but I can’t say I love the overall results. I think I miss the properties of an innerspring and how it supports the body and probably would not buy a foam mattress again from any brand. I tend to get the same aches on foam/latex as I do when camping and sleeping on an air mattress. Also it being smaller at the corners and overall than the innerspring mattress it replaced is an annoyance since it doesn’t fill the king bed frame fully, I don’t believe its a defect, that’s just the way they make them.
Hi JW,
Thanks for your comments and feedback. A few things I’d like to add to your notes:
Motion transfer definitely has much to do with the products upon which any mattress is placed. Standard metal bedframes contribute to motion transfer issues, as does placing a mattress upon a true coil box spring or torsion modular system. The more solid the base under a mattress, the better the minimization of partner disturbance. One thing to note is that most foam mattress (and innerspring) manufacturers do not recommend placing their products upon anything but a firm, solid and flat surface. A platform bed (decked or slatted) or a foundation would be your proper choice. Using an improper surface can allow you to sink into the mattress too much as well, and often will void any manufacturer’s warranty.
Industry standard for a king would be 76" x 80", +/- 1" or so. In general, any foam mattress tends to be closer to this industry standard, as it’s easier for the fabricators to slit the foam in more exact dimensions. Industry wide, you’ll tend to find more variations in innerspring mattresses because of the mixture of different componentry and the amount of handwork involved. But variations still do exist.
I’m sorry you’re not enjoying your mattress/topper as much as your wife. As I mention often on the forum, a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). Hence, the reason that reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t be a reliable indicator about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person
Thanks again for visiting again and providing your feedback!
Phoenix
Hi all - first post.
First of all, just wanted to say thanks for this great resource and awesome thread on the BME from BB. I ordered one of these in soft last week after far too much research into the mattress industry and different manufactures. I settled on the BME because it represents a fantastic value IMO - particularly with the return policy in the event this doesn’t work for me.
I just wanted to post quickly here to note that BB has redesigned the website, and with that came a new photo of the inner layers of the mattress which indicates that the bottom support layer of polyfoam is now a convoluted layer of foam, rather than a solid layer. I reached out to BB today to inquire about the change and they confirmed that the new photo reflects a new construction, but the base foam is still 2lb density.
My question for you all is whether you think the convoluted foam construction will have any effect on support and durability. BB ensured me that it will not, but I’m finding that hard to believe from a pure physics standpoint (more air and empty space in that layer should theoretically mean the foam will compress more).
Thanks,
Cory
Hi coreno16,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum!
Congratulations on your new mattress! You certainly made a good quality/value choice.
Your question is a good one. In this particular situation I wouldn’t have a concern.
In general, convoluted layers are less durable than a solid layer of the same material, so if there are convoluted foam layers in the upper layers of a mattress and the material is also at the minimum density range for a particular BMI then it could have some effect on the durability and useful life of the mattress and I would lower your expectations slightly. I would also make sure that there isn’t more than one convoluted layer. If the convoluted materials are higher quality (as in this case at 2.0 lb), located deeper within the mattress, and more durable than the minimum guidelines for a particular BMI, then it wouldn’t be an issue.
If we were comparing a 2" piece of 1.2 lb convoluted polyfoam versus the same in a solid sheet in the quilt panel of a mattress, the solid sheet would be more durable, even though both would be lower-quality materials. In this case the 6" polyfoam core is 6" with a slight convolute on top to allow for increased airflow and also a bit “gentler” transition from the top comfort layers to the support core. As this is deeper within the mattress and the density is a high-quality 2.0 lb, the differences in durability would be minimal and not a cause for concern, IMHO.
Thanks for bringing up the question.
Phoenix
Long time reader of this form, first time poster. I think I’ve actually read 50% of this thread and it’s what lead me to get the BME mattress.
My experience as a light dude with medium BME
I’ll keep this as brief as I can, but I wanted to give back a bit of my experience and see what you all think. I’m a tall thin dude (6’2", 166lb) that side-sleeps so I went for the medium (I saw the photos of kettle bells sinking deeply into the medium and thought ‘sounds good!’. Immediately .I had lower back pains, but from what I read I knew I should give it time so I did. Fast-forward 2-3 months of different pillows and giving it as much chance as I can it’s still not rejuvenating to say the least and I’ve become more of a back-sleeper.
The gel topper
I finally reached out and was given the 2" cool gel/foam topper to try and it helped! Except despite being “cool” I’ve woken up sweaty quite a few nights now and the foam being blue colored shines through my white mattress cover and makes the bed look turquoise. Not ideal for a nice mattress.
What now?
I really love BME from what I’ve seen on here and the construction of the mattress but just don’t think it’s wise to keep. I’m stuck thinking foam and side-sleeping just don’t go well together and am considering trying Purple’s mattress (maybe for logical reasons, maybe because they’ve retargeted me so heavily on Facebook).
Does all this make sense for a lightweight side-sleeper and knowing that should I try a mattress like Purple’s or someone else’s? Wish I could try the BME soft worry-free 
Hi rytiedye,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum!
That’s quite a bit of reading!
I’m not sure what you mean by “not rejuvenating”, but I’m guessing that you still would prefer a bit more surface comfort for sleeping upon your side.
As the memory foam topper assisted with your comfort, that of course leans in the direction of you desiring a bit more surface plushness on top of your current mattress, confirming my earlier thoughts.
Memory foam will tend to be the least breathable of the most common foam materials. With the gel infused into your memory foam topper, gel foams will tend to have a temporary effect on temperature while you are first going to sleep until temperatures equalize but have less effect on temperature regulation throughout the course of the night. You can read more about phase change materials in post #9 here and at the end of post #4 here) and you can read more about the various different types of gel foams in post #2 here.
Regarding the color showing through your sheets, I would strongly recommend that you protect your topper with a zippered encasement, even if it’s a basic one from a department or linen store. Right now, your topper should be covered at a minimum by your mattress pad/protector and your fitted sheet.
Sleeping on your side comfortably can be achieved with traditional innerspring or “foam (polyfoam, memory foam, latex, or a combination of thereof). It just comes down to finding the combinations that you prefer. If you decide to keep your mattress but wish to try a latex topper that you can return, you may wish to take a look at site member MattressTopper.com. They offer 3” Talalay toppers in three different firmnesses, and the Talalay will be more breathable than your current memory foam topper.
Regarding Purple, a forum search on Purple will also bring up much more information and feedback about them as well. They are using a layer of buckling column gel which is a good quality and durable material. There is more about buckling column gel in this article and in post #2 here and the posts it links to and a forum search on " buckling column gel " (you can just click the link) will also bring up more comments and feedback about it as well. The buckling column gel is 2" thick and then there is a 3.25" layer of 1.8 lb polyfoam under the buckling column gel (this may be 3.5" thick because they list two different thicknesses in their FAQ and the description for each size) and a 4" 2.0 lb polyfoam base layer which are both good quality materials so there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress that would compromise the durability or useful life of the mattress although I would add a caution for those that are in higher weight ranges (mid 200’s or higher) because of the 1.8 lb polyfoam comfort layer.
As you should already be aware, choosing a product based upon advertising and/or reviews would generally be the least reliable way to select a mattress (see post #13 here). I can assist with the “how” to choose a mattress, but I can’t select a mattress for you or make specific recommendations, as there are too many unknowns, variables and personal preferences involved to do so with any accuracy. If you do decide to select a new mattress, I would be sure that you start your process with a review of the Mattress Shopping Tutorial and the steps listed within that will help you select a mattress.
Let me know what you decide to do!
Phoenix
Thanks for the thorough response Phoenix!
By “not rejuvenating” I just meant it wasn’t over-the-top, new-level-of-comfort a lot of people tended to raptly talk about on the forum.
I’ve definitely noticed the foam heating up overnight. From my research on the forum about Purple it seemed it should provide cooling and good side support? You mentioned a husband I don’t think I mentioned haha but I think your point of caution for heavy weight ranges means the buckling column gel might work well for a lighter weight side-sleeper? I know it’s all personal opinion and to look beyond the reviews, but am just curious if there’s anything you’d recommend seeking out or avoiding for this kind of sleeper.
Thanks so much!
Hi rtiedye,
Got it. As I often mention, your own personal results are the most important thing to consider, so if it’s not the best for you, then that’s all that matters.
It doesn’t provide cooling, per se, but the buckling column gel can provide added spaces for airflow and the gel does conduct well, but like any gel will load over time. Whether or not the product has enough support for you can only be told through your own careful personal testing.
Oops! :S Looking at too many posts at once. Sorry about that. The caution is for the poly foam layer at 1.8 lb for larger individuals.
My advice would be the same that I mentioned in my last reply by starting with the Mattress Shopping Tutorial, which not only assists with guidance on how to find mattresses that contain good quality components, but also how to avoid ones that are not as high of a quality.
Phoenix