I’m a new-bee here, and want to express sincere thanks to The Mattress Underground administrator(s)! Your site has been very helpful to me.
At Brooklyn Bedding’s online store, while looking for a soft/plush bed with good materials and good support, I settled on a choice between the “PureCool Luxe” and “Cool Luxe” memory foam mattresses. I got great answers from their “chat” person (thanks, Jacob!) to a couple of questions.
My question to this forum is: Is anyone aware of test data comparing the “PureCool” layer’s ability to remove body heat compared to the Gel-infused memory foam layer alone, enough to justify $600 difference in price between the PureCool Luxe and the Cool Luxe (queen-size)?
Based on their cost of materials then the $600 difference would be worth it (in most cases the margins on the mattress lineup of the same manufacturer would be similar throughout the lineup although they may be a little higher in the higher price ranges) and there may be other differences besides just their cooling abilities (such as durability) but I don’t know of any specific data that compares them (or any mattress to another one for that matter). If it exists or the foam manufacturer has any more technical information then they would be able to provide it to you. What I do know is that it incorporates all three cooling technologies in the same material (thermal conductive gel, phase change gel, and high breathability). There is more about these in post #9 here.
Post #2 here also has more information about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress that may also be helpful.
Thanks for this thread! I was wondering exactly the same thing. BB doesn’t give much real information about the PureCool material. I had been leaning towards the Cool Luxe instead ($700 cheaper for the king size), just because I didn’t see much reason to believe the PureCool would be significantly cooler.
Do you know what makes it breathable? On their web site it just looks like a solid block of foam, just like their other mattresses. I would have expected some kind of description of “air flow channels”, or a claim that PureCool is more porous than other gel memory foams, or something. They do mention that heat can leave the material “via convection”, but they don’t say where that convection would occur or where the heat would go.
I’ll probably start a new thread about my own situation, but since there was already this recent thread about my top question, I figured I’d ask for clarification here.
This would be controlled the chemicals they use in their formula and by the specifics of the foam manufacturing process which would both be proprietary to the foam manufacturer (and probably not understandable to someone that doesn’t have a degree in materials science).
Outside of knowing the specifics of “how” a foam manufacturers makes a specific foam … in general terms a more breathable foam has more open windows in the cell structure of the foam that allows for greater airflow. There is also more about some of the methods that can be used to affect the temperature of memory foam in post #6 here.
Since foam manufacturers don’t provide all the information you would need to assess the temperature regulation of a specific foam material based on specs (assuming a consumer could understand them in the first place) and there is no specific comparative information that I’m aware of anywhere that compares the hundreds of different types of foam (or different mattress designs) in terms of sleeping temperature, not to mention that it’s always a combination of many factors that includes the effects of every layer and material in the mattress and the bedding materials you use that will determine temperature regulation … the best way to assess how a mattress will perform for you would be a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced manufacturer or retailer that has your best interests at heart who will know more about the “real world” performance of their mattresses and the combination of materials they use than anyone else.
Thanks for your reply! I wasn’t even sure if it was a matter of more open cells or channels engineered into the shape of the layer. Sounds like it’s the former.
I actually just found this post from last September, in which someone received a PDF from Brooklyn Bedding describing the PureCool material, as described by the manufacturer of the material. At least, I think I’m interpreting that correctly. They said they had received a “powerpoint”, and when ended up posted was a PDF. Anyway, the material looks fairly legit.
I’ll ask a similar question through BB’s online sales chat, although I have a fundamental distrust of salespeople.
I think I saw another post (can’t find it now) where you said you thought PureCool was likely to be cooler than the Cool line, based on what you knew, and that alone may be enough to convince me… if I think there’s a 50% chance that I’ll get 5 minutes more sleep per night for the next several years, that’s probably worth $700 to me.
My previous thought was that there was a good chance I’d be too warm, whether I got a Cool Luxe or a PureCool Luxe, but that I would try to control it by adding a more breathable layer on top (wool or something). And therefore I would just get the Cool and save money. Leaning the other way now. Though it’s totally possible that the Cool would be cool enough by itself.
I’ve found a few user reviews of both models on the forums here, and they sound pretty good. I wish there were more reviews. I’ll add one for whatever I get.
[quote]Thanks for your reply! I wasn’t even sure if it was a matter of more open cells or channels engineered into the shape of the layer. Sounds like it’s the former.
I actually just found this post from last September, in which someone received a PDF from Brooklyn Bedding describing the PureCool material, as described by the manufacturer of the material. At least, I think I’m interpreting that correctly. They said they had received a “powerpoint”, and when ended up posted was a PDF. Anyway, the material looks fairly legit.[/quote]
Yes the information is legitimate (although it’s more generic than specific) and comes from the foam manufacturer. It indicates the three methods of cooling that the foam uses (ventilation, phase change materials, and thermal conduction) and as you mentioned the ventilation comes from the open cells.
While wool is certainly a good temperature regulating material … a topper on top of memory foam layers can affect the amount of heat that reaches the memory foam underneath it and can have a fairly significant effect on how the memory foam responds and the feel and performance of a memory foam mattress.
Check out Tempflow. I have had several conversations with Rick. He is the VP of product development and as far as I can tell he will answer any and all questions regarding their products. I have been researching for over a couple months, decided to try the Icompfort Prodigy just because I knew if need be I could return it up to a year from Mattress Firm and get a full refund. Well it didn’t last a month and it stated breaking down and hotter than hell. Came across Tempflow on this forum and have decided to go with the Harmonia. They probably have the best airflow system that I have seen or found plus they use all quality material all the way around as far as I can find compared to everybody else.