Hi Mikew096,
On a whim I thought I would check the shipping weight of the 4 lb Aerus mattress at Sams Club because I was curious about the quality/density of the base foam they used (and I would want to know this even though the price of the mattress would make a lower density base foam more “acceptable”).
So I calculated the weight of the memory foam layer which is 33.3 lbs (queen)
The shipping weight of the mattress is 44.6 lbs
That means that the polyfoam base would weigh 11.3 lbs.
Since 7" in a queen is 19.4 cu ft that would mean that the base foam was 11.3/19.4= .6 lbs/cu ft which of course isn’t possible.
The twin size produces a similar result.
Using 3 lb memory foam it still only produces a base layer of 1.2 lb density (which is extremely low for a base layer).
Something isn’t adding up here and either the shipping weight or the listed specs of the mattress.
With the 12" mattress … using the numbers for 4 lb memory foam the base layers work out to just under 1.5 lbs which is about what you would expect for a mattress in this price range.
Warranties are mostly meaningless and have little connection to how long a mattress will last. the quality of the materials in a mattress are a much more important indicator of the relative useful life of a mattress. Even low quality foam will soften so you can feel like you are sleeping in a valley when you are on the mattress but when you are off the mattress the foam comes back close enough to level that it is still within the warranty exclusion so only a very small percentage of warranty claims are actually accepted. Most warranties are mostly about protecting a manufacturer from warranty claims than protecting a consumer from materials that soften or degrade too quickly. They are also used to justify higher prices in a mattress because manufacturers are well aware that consumers believe that a longer warranty indicates a more durable and higher quality mattress and are willing to pay more for it regardless of the quality of the materials. The biggest reason that most mattresses need to be replaced is because of the loss of comfort or support which are not covered by warranties.
Amerisleep is part of the same family of companies as Astrabeds and Simplyrest.
Polyfoam and memory foam uses two main chemicals in its manufacturing which are a polyol and an isocyanate. Both of these are petrochemical based. Many of the so called “plant based foams” or “biofoams” or the other names that are used as “greenwashing” have replaced a percentage of the petrochemical polyols with a substitute that is made from chemically altered plant oils such as soy. The percentage of the polyols that are replaced are usually less than 20%. While this means that they are using a more renewable resource as a source of their chemicals … they are not green or anything remotely close to natural and they aren’t even biodegradeable. They are basically just polyfoam.
While I haven’t talked directly with Amerisleep, you can see an example of a conversation I had with Astrabeds in post #3 here, they aren’t exactly known for getting their facts straight.
Having said all that … I would put them in the “better than average” value category but not in the best value category and their customer service and knowledge levels leaves something to be desired IMO. I would personally rather deal with more knowledgeable sources that provide better customer service and more accurate information.
When marketing information or mattress sales leave you with a sense of urgency … it’s a big warning sign IMO. They have “sales” all the time and the “cyber monday” sale is not a lot better than the discount they had on Veterans day or probably other times of the year. Good value from better manufacturers is available 365 days a year and it’s not worth getting caught up in “fake sales” that are used to create a false sense of urgency which at best are only a little better than sales at any other time of the year and still aren’t the best quality/value available to you anyway.
Phoenix
