Christeli Palais Grand Royale vs. Tempurpedic Cloud supreme

We are in the process of purchasing a Memory Firm Mattress after struggling for years with inner spring, pillowtop and a Macy’s Kuft Aireloom Vitagenic Latex which we returned because of its strangeley tufted top that felt like sleeping on my son’s air mattress. I have tried many mattresses and have come to the conclusion that the Cloud Supreme by tempupedic is the right amount of soft firm contouring support. Almost bought one until I started reqlly researching and educating myself about memory foam and the literally countless choices and opinions available out there. I came across Christeli mattresses which seem to be a high quality adjustable comfort memory foam. My main. Their Palais Grand Royale is listed as being most comparable to the Grand Bed by Tempupedicand the Luxury version of Cloud Supreme while offering the additional feature of being highly personalizable. Briella and Luxe Estate were also listed as good choices. This would be great for my husband and I who have very different tastes and preferences in terms of sleep. He is also a big guy at 6’4" and 250 lbs and I am 5’8 and 185.
The main problem I have with the Christeli is its top layer, which unl8ke the Cloud Supreme is highly padded. Salesman said it was approximately 2inches. It seems to me that this would greatly impact its comformability which I really need and want due to the presence of scoliosis, rheumatoid. Arthritis and numerous shoulder/hip/leg injuries fr9m which I am just recuperating.
I have looked at the Bed in a box offering and Sleep Science, Tempflo which have the attraction of easy returns as opposed to Christeli which has only a 40 day trial and you need to arrange shipping and packing. Hiw do you repack a memory foam mattress that comes in 3 pieces. It will cost a small fortune to ship back if I don’t like it. Help! My head is spinning from information overload
We live in Illinois.

Hi EvanChi,

The first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible choice … and more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists (based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).

There is also more information in post #3 here and the posts it links to that would be helpful for those that are in higher weight ranges. While the process of how to choose a mattress would be the same … most people in higher weight ranges will generally need or prefer firmer mattresses (firmer materials will feel softer than they would for those that are lighter because you will sink into them more) and materials and components that are higher quality and more durable (the materials and components in a mattress will soften and break down faster for those in higher weight ranges than they will for someone that is in a lower weight range that doesn’t compress the mattress as much).

The top quilting layer of the Christeli is a little less than 2" and is tightly compressed so it wouldn’t be a weak link in the mattress in terms of durability but it does provide a more resilient and less “motion restricting” sleeping surface and helps with temperature regulation as well compared to sleeping directly on memory foam so it will have a slightly different “feel” compared to the Tempurpedic mattress they are comparing it to even if it provides the same pressure relief and is the same firmness level.

Christeli does provide free returns and they will arrange to have the mattress picked up but you will need to roll up (but not compress) the individual components. They also don’t compress their mattress when they ship it (they are just rolled up manually by two people) so it shouldn’t be an issue to roll up their mattress with two people (although it can be done even with one person with more difficulty) and return it using the same box if you are one of the minority that ends up needing to return it. If you have any issues with packaging any of their mattresses for a return then they will provide you with any additional help and guidance you need on the phone to make sure that you are able to return it.

You can see my comments about Bedinabox in post #2 here. I would be very cautious with any mattress that uses 3 lb memory foam which is a lower quality and less durable material and I would consider this to be a weak link in their mattresses.

Sleep Science has some better quality mattresses and some that I wouldn’t consider (because of the lower quality/density materials) so it would depend on the type and quality of the materials in the specific mattress you are considering.

Tempflo also makes some very good quality mattresses that don’t have any lower quality materials or weak links in their design but I would make sure that you are comfortable with their return/exchange policy and any costs involved just in case you are one of the minority that needs to return a mattress.

As you may have seen … the tutorial also includes several links to lists of the better online options I’m aware of (in the optional online step) that include many different types and categories of mattresses in a wide range of budgets and firmness levels and includes a link to a list of the better online memory foam choices I’m aware of.

When you can’t test a mattress in person and you are uncertain about which mattress or firmness option to choose then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.

I’m not sure where you live in Illinois but if you are near Chicago then the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the area (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply) are listed in posts #2 and #4 here.

If you are in another part of Illinois then if you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the area.

Phoenix
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Hi Phoenix,
Thanks much for your prompt and highly detailed reply. It offers much food for thought.
To answer some of your questions.
the BedinaBox I am considering is the Natural Silk Elegance Comfort Adjust Gel Memory Foam with the reversible topper, in the hope that with the many options we will be able to arrive at the perfect setting… Sleep Science would be the Ara or the Escape due to its suitability for larger individuals. Not sure how the firmness/support/conformability would compare to Tempurpedic models. Tempflo would probably be Copia or Opulence even Eros. I am pressure sensitive but really don’t feel comfortable with some of the overly cloud like mattresses that have the feel of sleeping on cotton candy. The Cloud Elites being a perfect example.
I checked out some of the suggestions in Illinois but notice that many of them seemed to be only medium firm which would likely be too hard translate pain inducing for me. I am also not really interested in a hybrid. At the least’, I would like a memory foam with a latex core. The added possibility of after purchase fine tuning in my home would be ideal to avoid the back and forth of mattress returns.
I live in North Chicagoland in the 60202 zip code.
Thank you again for your feedback. It has made me feel hopeful that my mattress search journey is coming to a close.

Hi EvanChi,

I would avoid any mattress that uses more than “about an inch or so” of lower quality materials which would include 3 lb memory foam.

If the specs they listed for the Sleep Science Ara here were correct (and assuming that the base layers are also a good quality material) then there would be no lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress but I’m not so sure they are correct because their specs don’t add up to their shipping weight. If the top two layers are really 5 lb memory foam then they would weigh (in queen size) a total of 92 lbs and if the mattress weights 109 lbs (again in queen size) then the base layers would only weight 17 lbs which would be impossible so either the shipping weight is wrong or the density of the foam layers are incorrect.

The specs on the Escape add up to the shipping weight so there would be no lower quality materials or weak links in this mattress so it would be worth considering.

There is also more about buying a mattress from Costco in post #4 here.

These all use high quality materials that would be suitable for your weight range and there are no lower quality materials or weak links in any of them.

I’m not sure which mattresses you were looking at but like every other city the retailers or manufacturers in Chicago would carry a wide range of mattresses from very soft to very firm and everything in between.

There are also no “standard” definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer. Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like “medium” for someone else or even “soft” for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they “rate” a mattress as well (see post #15 here) so different people can also have very different opinions on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness and some people may rate one mattress as being firmer than another and someone else may rate them the other way around. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science.

In other words the only way to know how firm or soft a mattress feels to you and “how” it feels firm or soft (feel firmness/softness, pressure relief or comfort firmness/softness, or support firmness/softness etc) will be based on your own careful testing or personal experience. With your weight at the very least you will need firm support.

That would rule out all the mattresses you mentioned in your last reply although if for some reason that is the only combination of materials that you are considering then the Christeli Palais Grand Royale and Lux Estate would both fit this criteria.

The list I linked in my last reply includes the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.

Phoenix