I am considering the new Cool Luxe memory foam matteress from Brooklyn Bedding. Would love to hear any experiences and feedback from any current owners.
Phoenix, what is your opinion on this mattress? It is considerably more expensive than their other mattresses ($2200 for the King) - is it a good value?
Both me and my wife love the Tempur Cloud Luxe feel which is the biggest attraction to going with this mattress.
Also, would you recommend going with the shredded latex or shredded memory foam pillows? Both of us have neck and shoulder pain.
Phoenix, thank you for your efforts in hosting this site - its an invaluable tool to people like us who are making in the process of making this important decision of choosing the right mattress.
You can read a little more about the Cool Luxe and my thoughts about it and its “value” in post #9 here.
These would be choices based strictly on personal preferences so of course I can’t offer advice for others on which they may like better. There are a few “needs” connected to pillows but it is more about individual preferences than a mattress because subjective issues play a much larger role. There is more information and feedback and links to resources about pillows in the pillow thread here.
I personally would choose latex (shredded or solid) over memory foam and because of the nature of memory foam I would personally tend towards solid memory foam over shredded but assuming the pillow keeps me in good alignment … the individual “feel” of a pillow and its cover would be more important to me than its specific material (assuming it is a “safe” material) and I am always open to being surprised about what I think about a specific pillow. For me it can even change with my mood or circumstances. I don’t think I have really decided which is the absolute “best” pillow for me (and I certainly couldn’t for others) because my own opinions seem to change back and forth over time but I think I lean more towards shredded latex than solid latex although I have and use both (and other types as well).
You’re very welcome … and thanks for the kind words
Thank you for your comments. One more quick question - I read your comment that the wire frame bases weren’t ideal for latex mattresses - does that comment hold for memory foam mattresses as well?
No … the comment refers to mattresses that have latex top to bottom so the latex is resting on the wire grid. You can see more of my comments about this in post #10 here but it wouldn’t apply to a latex hybrid or memory foam mattress that used a firmer layer of polyfoam as the bottom layer.
I think the Cool Luxe looks like an AMAZING mattress. With that said, I ordered and just received the Ultimate Dreams 13" Gel Memory Foam Mattress today from Amazon (it is still in the packaging- waiting on the frame from Sams Club). It is the same company, but a different line. For me, price was a significant factor, but that may weigh more/less on your scale.
“Both me and my wife love the Tempur Cloud Luxe feel which is the biggest attraction to going with this mattress”. If this is the case, then you could probably go with either mattress, I would assume (check with Chuck with Dreamfoam/Brooklyn Bedding). The UD is described as slightly firmer than the Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe (between the Luxe and the Supreme). According to Chuck, the Ultimate Dreams 13" Gel is about an 8 on their 1-10 scale (10=softest). From what I can tell in the description, the Cool Luxe would be pretty close to the same firmness level. Again, talk to Chuck.
My husband and I did some testing in stores and thought something in between the Tempurpedic Luxe and Supreme would be right for us. We also found a local store, recommended through this site, that was an “8” on their scale (the Gel Comfort 120 from Lake Mattress http://lakemattress.biz/gelcomfort120.html), but it is $1900 compared to under $1k for the UD. As long as the description for the UD Gel holds true after we have slept on it (I can’t wait!), I think it will be what we need/want considering all our factors.
The return policies are different for Brooklyn Bedding vs Amazon, but it depends on how confident you are in your decision too.
In regards to your pillow question- you can get a free shredded latex pillow regardless. If you order from Amazon/Dreamfoam, and then email with your order # and your Mattress Underground forum name, you will get one free pillow. If you order from Brooklyn Bedding, you get a 5% discount for your MU forum discount. If you like their facebook page, you get 2 free pillows with your order. If you call and talk really nice to Chuck, you might could get both the discount and pillows with Brooklyn Bedding (no promises).
I’m looking forward to trying our mattress, but even without testing it, the customer service from Dreamfoam/Brooklyn Bedding has been excellent. I don’t think you can go wrong either way.
Congratulations on your new mattress! Thanks for sharing your experience with Brooklyn Bedding and your thoughts on Cool Luxe vs. UD. The UD gel model (and John’s feature on Amazon home page) is what dragged me into this wonderful learning experience about mattress types, layers etc. UD is still on my short list, and I am planning to speak with Chuck about the plushness compared to Tempur Cloud Luxe.
I am also revisiting the Latex vs Memory Foam, and looking at the Total Latex and some other models from a few other vendors (Sleep EZ 13000).
The BB Cool Luxe is still on my radar. I am revisiting my consideration for latex mattresses, and we’re going to find some stores to try some out in person.
I had a quick question about the BB Cool Luxe. This model has a total of 5.5inches of memory foam. Is this too much memory foam, especially given our stats below:
Wife curvy, myself average build (working on building some muscles so might be mildly muscular in future)
I have read some posts here that state that one should look for the lowest possible thickness of memory foam that one can get away with. I also read the following statement on the selectfoam site:
Too little memory foam and the mattress will be too firm and cause you to bottom out the memory foam; too thick of memory foam may cause improper spinal alignment. The sweet spot tends to be 3" to 5" for most people.
Is 5.5 inches of memory foam too much given our weight and size? Will we sink through and drown in memory foam? Or do you think this much foam should be fine?
I did ask BB, and the answer I got was - if you don’t sink through the Tempur Cloud Luxe, you won’t sink through on this either. The only concern is - given the composition of the BB Cool Luxe is different from the Tempur Cloud Luxe, I am wondering if the post 30 minute experience would be the same on both mattresses.
Disclaimer: No intention at all to pit selctfoam’s info against BB. Both are on my shortlist, and I value the info both provide. Just trying to understand if 'too much of a good thing (memory foam layers) ’ is good or can be detrimental.
I think it’s important to remember that “guidelines” are really just that … guidelines and each person has a unique body shape and sleeping style that in some cases you can even throw more general guidelines out the window because of individual differences and circumstances. For example some people will sink into a mattress more evenly than others because of differences in weight distribution (lighter pelvic girdle for example with a higher surface area or heavier shoulders) and all of this can make a difference in how well each person is aligned on a mattress.
The best way to use various guidelines that can’t possible take into account all the differences between people and different materials is as a way to know when you need to be more cautious in your testing to make sure that a mattress really does provide you with good PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) and that you are not just choosing a mattress based on “subjective comfort” alone.
I would agree with the comments by Select Foam about a general average as far as the amount of memory foam but it will also depend on the type and density of the memory foam as well as the layers underneath it. For example … a thinner 2" layer of memory foam may work very well with softer foam underneath it so you are “going through” the memory foam into a softer more resilient layer instead of a firm support layer. This type of construction can provide a more resilient feel to the memory foam (you will feel more of the properties of the layers under the memory foam) and this may be a preference over thicker layers of memory foam.
In the same way … in some cases thicker layers of some types of memory foam may be firmer, have a higher compression modulus, or higher density which don’t allow you to sink in as far as lower density memory foams or even other memory foams that have an equivalent density. Memory foams can have very different properties even with equivalent densities.
The “risk” of comfort layers that are too thick and soft (regardless of the material) for a particular person is that they may allow your heavier pelvic girdle to sink down too far before it is “stopped” by the firmer support layers and “tilt” the spine in the lumbar area which can lead to back discomfort and pain if the spine isn’t in its neutral alignment. Memory foam has some additional risk from layers that are too thick and soft for a particular person because it has a property called “creep” which means that it will get softer with both constant pressure or a buildup of heat over the course of the night so you may go to sleep in good alignment but wake up with a back ache.
For all these reasons … “just enough” in terms of thickness and softness is usually “safer” with comfort layers regardless of material and knowing this may help people avoid the common tendency to choose mattresses that are softer than they really need.
They know their mattresses better than anyone and I would use their assessment as being the most accurate one you will find. Different memory foams will have different properties and their gel memory foam (like others as well) has gel microcapsules in it which will increase the compression modulus of the foam and reduce foam creep. Sometimes different designs can have different “pathways” to a similar result. This is one of the benefits of dealing with good manufacturers who have engineered a mattress with a different design but have tested and “translated it” into a meaningful comparison with a mattress that is widely available and I would feel quite comfortable testing what they say is an “equivalent” mattresses because neither of them would make these comparisons lightly.
Yes … too much of a “good thing” can be risky or detrimental if the balance between comfort and support is tilted too much in one direction or another for a particular person … but too much (or too little) can vary depending on the types of materials used. Again … guidelines are a good starting point but not necessarily the best ending point. This is where the expertise and comparative testing of each manufacturer can be important along with your own personal testing on mattresses that are equivalent to the designs you are looking at. With both of the manufacturers that you are mentioning … I respect their judgement and the comparisons they make to other mattresses that they are familiar with or that their mattresses are designed to “approximate”.
Hope this helps … and you are looking at some very good options IMO
So my wife and I had a chance to visit the Healthy Back Store in Durham NC and compare the Healthy Back Bliss Pristine Pure Latex Mattress vs. Cloud Luxe, and decided to go with memory foam.
This is twice the warranty requirement for indentation for others like tempur pedic and select foam (3/4 inch) - would you have any idea why this might be the case? I was going to call and discuss this with them tomorrow, but wanted to bring this to your attention and ask for any information and insights you might have.
The select foam has a free solid wood foundation offer ending tonight which is very attractive,but i might miss that deadline since we are still deciding.
I don’t know the specifics of why they have the warranty they do or whether their warranty covers all their mattresses or just most of them so for this you would need to talk with Brooklyn Bedding directly.
I typically pay much less attention to warranties than I do to the quality of materials in a mattress (see this post) because warranties only cover defects and foam softening or the gradual breakdown or change in feel and performance in other materials and the gradual loss of comfort and support that goes with it is not a considered to be a defect even though it is the main reason a mattress needs to be replaced. A warranty is really only as good as a manufacturer’s responsiveness to customer service issues and which way they tend to “lean” in the grey areas of warranty coverage when they have unhappy customers. Smaller manufacturers tend to work towards resolving issues in ways that are more personal and focused on customer satisfaction than most larger manufacturers who tend to be more focused on finding reasons to deny warranty claims.
Select Foam has a series of rotating sales that don’t end … just change. If you do decide to go in this direction … it may be worth talking with them as well about replacing one “sale” version with another.
Pulled the trigger and ordered the BB Cool Luxe. I also confirmed the warranty question - Jacob told me that he needed to update the warranty for smooth top mattresses - its 3/4 inch indentation not 1.5 inches.
Mario with BB helped answer my questions and assured that the Cool Luxe would provide adequate support even at my 210 lbs.
Chuck confirmed this as well, and Jacob helped with a number of product questions over chat. Overall I would say it was a positive experience learning about their various models, and making an informed decision. I highly recommend speaking with any of these gentlemen for any of your BB questions. They also helped me iron out my memory foam vs latex questions as well, and are very knowledgeable.
I’ll share my experience with the mattress once it arrives.
I thank Phoenix for his unbelievable amount of dedication to this forum as well as the very smart questions that other forum members pose here, both of which help consumers like me make a better decision. A big thank you!
Just ordered this last night. I will make a new post with a review when we get it. I’m hoping its worth the additional cost over the Dreamfoam one :).
I’m not going to weigh in on the value of one brand versus the other on this one, but it should be noted, that the data is looking as though cool memory foam doesn’t really sleep cooler than regular memory foam. So regardless of which one you choose, you may benefit from some really breathable bedding, or specialty mattress pad that will reduce the sweatiness of both those mattresses.
I agree with you about the value of ventilation in a mattress and of course bedding material (see post #2 here and post #29 here about temperature regulation) and this is the “primary” cooling technology which is the most long lasting over the course of the night IMO … but having said that there are some benefits of either thermally conductive gel or phase change gels that can provide some cooling benefits in a different ways. There is a bit more about the three main cooling technologies and their pros and cons and limitations at the end of post #4 here.
Accurate technical data about gel materials is difficult to find and in the current overall environment there is more marketing material available (which can be very misleading) and more “gel hype” than there is technical or specific information but there are some benefits of using gel in foam materials that can improve some of the inherent weaknesses of some foam or memory foam formulations. besides any cooling benefits … this includes gel’s ability to improve the creep properties of memory foam and increase the compression modulus both of which together can improve the tendency of memory foam to continue sinking in over the course of the night.
This particular mattress is using some of the most advanced gel memory foams available on the market.
I am working on an article that will cover gel materials more completely and have talked with many people who are knowledgeable about foam chemistry and the properties of the different types and generations of gel materials that are reaching the market but post #8 here has some preliminary information and links to other posts that can provide a fairly good overview on gel materials or gel memory foam.
We received this mattress today. Hauled it upstairs and opened it on the Malouf frame. Its been 2 hours and the mattress has expanded to 12 inches. Hoping it will be fully expanded when we sleep on it tonight so we can get an accurate feel of the mattress.
Brooklyn Bedding sent me queen pillows with the mattress by mistake. I let them know and they immediately let me know that 2 Kings will be going out today. Very happy with my experience interacting with Mario and Jacob.
Will update more once the mattress is fully expanded on the feel, and a more complete review.
I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback because this is one of their newer mattresses and the feedback so far of course is somewhat limited.
