Comparable matresses to latest iComfort Savant Plush?

[phoenix]

Hi Braden,

I would start with the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible choice … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones. The information that it links to will answer most of the questions you are asking but I’ll make some additional comments in my reply here as well.

I am new to the forum and have perused the materials. I am in the metro Detroit area and stopped by the Mattress To Go store as recommended. The gentleman there was very helpful and knowledgeable and his business practices are excellent, however, he only sells latex mattresses. There is nothing wrong with this; they seem like fine quality product. But, I prefer the comfort/feel of the iComfort Savant Plush (seemed to have no pressure point issues at all) and was looking for something similar in feel, but at a better price and hopefully with better quality materials since I am a little more weary of it after reading about materials and iComfort longevity on this website.

I’m not sure which of their mattresses you were looking at but they sell many mattresses other than latex and they carry memory foam mattresses as well. Some of the other options or possibilities in the Detroit area are also included in post #2 here.

Do iComforts go on sale at Black Friday, or will it just be a free pillow or something? Is it worth waiting for Black Friday for a deal on a good memory foam mattress? If so, which quality brands partake of this ‘holiday’?

You can see some comments about “fake sales” in the guidelines here and in post #5 here. I would treat these types of sales as a red flag.

Can anyone recommend any mattresses or foundations that are comparable in comfort/feel but perhaps better quality and cheaper? Anything I can try out beforehand in the metro Detroit area?

There is more about the different ways that one mattress can “match” or “approximate” another one in post #9 here but unless a manufacturer specifically says in their description of a mattress that a mattress is designed to “match” or “approximate” another one then the only way to know if a mattress will feel similar to you would be based on your own personal testing and experience. I would also keep in mind that “feel” is so subjective that two mattresses that feel the same to one person may feel very different to someone else.

Unfortunately, nobody else can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able know what a mattress will feel like to you or to suggest a specific mattress that would be suitable for someone else with any degree of certainty (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

I would also be very cautious about purchasing a mattress based on feel alone rather than more careful testing for PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post because “feel” is a preference and often doesn’t “translate” into a mattress that works well in “real life”. Your posture and alignment and the pressure relief on a mattress are essential and are much more connected to the quality of your sleep than the “feel” of a mattress (you can’t feel a mattress when you are sleeping). When you choose a mattress based only on the more subjective parts of your experience then your odds of success can be less than random chance alone (see this study).

I would also be very careful about using one mattress as your ideal “target” and I would suggest “rating” all the mattresses you test based on a common set of criteria that are part of your personal value equation (see here). Two mattresses that feel the same to one person may feel very different to someone else.

There is also more about the most important parts of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses.

Outside of PPP … it’s also very important to make sure you know the type and quality of the materials in a mattress (see here) because no matter how it feels when it’s new if the materials in a mattress are low quality and less durable then they can soften or break down too quickly and you can lose the comfort and support that was the reason you purchased it in the first place much too quickly relative to the price you paid. There is little value in purchasing a mattress that “feels” great or that is a great match for you in terms of PPP when it is new if it breaks down very quickly and you end up needing to replace it much too quickly.

Have any of you tried anything comparable in an online-only retailer like AmeriSleep or Novosbed? All these online stores offer 90 or 120 day money back guarantees, but I am wary that there will be a loophole and they won’t take it back, or I will have to waste a bunch of time packing an enormous bed up and shipping it back somewhere if I don’t like it. Is this the case? Which online retailers would you trust most that would have something comparable?

The tutorial post includes this link to a list of some of the better online memory foam manufacturers that I’m aware of and many of these make comparisons in their descriptioins to some of the major brands (most often Tempurpedic) so you can test a local mattress to give you a better sense of the firmness and feel of their mattress before you purchase it. Novosbed is on the list for example and has 4 memory foam mattresses that approximate either the Tempurpedic Contour Select, the Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme, the Sealy Optimum Destiny, and the Sealy Optimum Inspiration so you could test these mattresses locally to get some sense of their firmness level and feel.

You can read more about Amerisleep and their sister companies and their so called “expert sites” that pose as being independent in post #2 here and the posts it links to. A forum search on Amerisleep (you can just click the link) will bring up more about them as well. While they are in a “better than average” value range compared to most mainstream choices … there are also other options available to you that may be a better value choice.

When you can’t test a mattress in person and you are considering an online purchase then I would also make sure that you have a more detailed conversation with the online retailer or manufacturer so they can help “talk you through” the options they have that would be the most suitable choice based on the information you provide them and on the “averages” of their customers that are similar to you. I would also make sure that you are comfortable with their return or exchange options so that if in spite of “best efforts” your sleeping experience indicates that the mattress isn’t a good match for you that you are comfortable with the options you have to return or exchange it.

ALSO, have any of you tried the iMattress G4? Is it firm or soft like the Savant Plush? Is it a high-quality mattress?

Your own personal testing will tell you whether the mattress feels firm or soft to you because each person can have a very different perception of firmness and softness and and it may feel firmer or softer to you than it does for someone else.

If you can list the type and density of all the materials in the mattress (see here) and post it on the forum I’d be happy to make some comments about the quality of the mattress and the materials inside it and help you identify any weak links in the mattress. Without this there is no way to know and if you can’t find out this information from the retailer that sells it then I would pass the mattress by.

Choosing the mattress that is “best for you” will really come down to three things …

First is testing for suitability and PPP (or a more detailed conversation with an online manufacturer when you can’t test a mattress in person).

Second is checking for the type and quality of the materials inside the mattress so you can make sure there are no weak links and make more meaningful comparisons with other mattresses.

Third … once you are confident with the first two and you are down to finalists that are between “good and good” … then you can make meaningful comparisons with the other mattresses you are considering based on the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price and the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return it) and make the final choice that is best for you.

Phoenix