Denver Mattress Co

I had a Denver Mattress Co “breckenridge” mattress for a couple of years to find it sagging after experiencing increasing back pain in the AM’s in the lumbar and sacral areas. It’s under warranty and I am in the process of picking out a new mattress. I am middle aged, 140 lbs and a side sleeper and have never had back problems in my life until now. :frowning:

I feel I do need both softness and support, but I am wary of choosing the wrong mattress having now experienced what a bad mattress can do to your back! My bed is a platform variety with drawers underneath. The mattresses I have laid on in the store are Richmond, Madison Plush, and Teluride. They all feel similar to me and soft/comfortable, but I don’t want to make a decision based on comfort alone. Are these mattresses good options for me or would I be better off to consider others? I cannot get my money back thus am restricted to getting a mattress from DMC.

I know nothing of how good or durable these mattress models are and the salesperson does not seem very attuned to my particular circumstances so I hope this forum can offer some assistance. Thank you!

Hi 1sweetdream,

It sounds to me like you have a defective mattress because the materials in the Breckenbridge should be more durable than your experience seems to indicate. Defects in a mattress tend to show up relatively early in the life of a mattress.

The Richmond Eurotop, the Madison Plush, and the Telluride all use good quality materials and have no obvious weak links in the mattress. The top layers in all of them are the same with 1.5" of 1.8 lb polyfoam and 1" of 1.8 lb polyfoam (the soy based bioflex) so the differences are in the way they are quilted and in the foam underneath them.

The Richmond has 2" of 5 lb memory foam and then 1 1/4" of convoluted 1.8 lb polyfoam underneath the quilting.

The Madison Plush has 2 3/8" of 1.8 lb polyfoam underneath the quliting.

The Telluride has 2" of blended Talalay latex and then 1 1/4" of convoluted polyfoam underneath the quilting.

In terms of materials … I would give a slight edge to the Telluride followed by the Richmond Eurotop followed by the Madison Plush (latex is usually more durable than 5 lb memory foam which in turn would normally be more durable than 1.8 lb polyfoam).

Another factor would be the relative softness of each mattress because a softer mattress may have less “room” for foam softening before you are outside of the comfort and support range that is ideal for you so if all the other factors are equal and there is little difference between them that you can feel I would tend to choose a little firmer rather than a little softer because it’s generally a less risky and more durable choice.

If you do choose another Telluride then hopefully it won’t have the same defect but this isn’t likely. It would be interesting to take the mattress apart to see which layer or component was the source of the sagging but of course it’s not possible for a customer to know this.

Phoenix

Phoenix said:

That would be some seriously badass polyfoam… but I’m guessing you meant to say “5 lb memory foam.”

Hi Bedimpediment,

You’re right … and thanks for catching the mistake (now corrected) :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix. Which one would be the least soft? I agree, too soft wouldn’t be good for me. Since they all feel close in terms of softness, which one offers the most support? I am not sure what happened with the Breckenridge because I am not a large person, yet there was a 2.5 inch sag in the mattress in such a short time period. The worst is that I didn’t even think about it - just felt stiff and tightness in the AM’s, until one morning I could barely walk and a friend told me I should take the mattress pads off and check the mattress to see if it had gone bad. Sure enough, it had.

My fear at this point would be a mattress that would hammock me and make it difficult to turn in bed because I turn frequently and am a side sleeper. I do need softness as I am a very active person and need the comfort at bedtime so I can fully relax. I would be open to looking into other mattresses at DMC beside the ones I mentioned if there is one that would be better for my back. I very much appreciate your words of wisdom and look forward to your response. Thank you :slight_smile:

Hi 1sweetdream,

I don’t have any personal experience with any of them and even if one felt softer to me I still wouldn’t know which one would feel the softest to you. There are different types of softness (see post #15 here) and softness/firmness itself is subjective and depends on individual perceptions, body type, and sleeping positions so your own testing using the testing guidelines is the only reliable way I know to assess which one would be softer and is the best “match” in terms of PPP for you.

I would make sure that you test each of them for at least 15 minutes completely relaxed, with loose clothing, in all your normal sleeping positions, and with your favorite pillow (or a pillow that is suitable for you). With the Richmond I would spend a little longer to give the memory foam a chance to soften with your body heat. The closer you can “replicate” your sleeping habits the more effective your testing will be.

I’m happy to speak to the quality of a mattress but again your own testing or experience is the only reliable way to know if a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

As long as a mattress uses good quality materials so that you have some reasonable assurance that it won’t soften or degrade too quickly relative to the price you paid (assuming that there are no defects) … then your own experience (with the help of a knowledgeable and experiences salesperson) is the only reliable way to know which of their other mattresses would be suitable for you. Nobody else can feel what you feel on a mattress. All of the mattresses that they make themselves use good quality materials as far as I know but if your testing indicates another candidate may be a suitable choice then if you list the layers here (or link to the specs) I’d be happy to make some comments about whether it has any obvious weak links in the specs.

It may also be worth considering their iChoice mattresses (outside of the airbeds) but these are in a significantly higher budget range and may be outside of the budget range you are comfortable with.

Phoenix

Phoenix, Thank you. Is latex the best option in ichoice?

This is the Ichoice Latex:

3" Talalay Latex Top
Quilt Layers:
Stretch Knit Ticking
2" Talalay Latex
1" 1.35 Density Foam
Natural Rayon Fire Barrier
Support System:
4" Talalay Latex Core
3" 1.8lb High Resilient Foam

I’m not sure it’s within my budget, but curious how you feel this one stacks up against the Richmond/Telluride/Madison Plush. Thanks :slight_smile:

Hi 1sweetdream,

That would depend entirely on whether you prefer memory foam or latex in your comfort layers. Post #2 here has more about the differences between them but your own personal testing is the most reliable way to know which one you prefer.

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix, I read the articles and am now sure that I need latex over memory foam. Thank you so much. I am a side sleeper and change positions frequently, also would be good to have some degree of “bounce” to push back and support my lumbar while I’m turning. I do not like the feeling of being “in” a bed, but rather would prefer being “on” (providing it feels soft and comforting).

The question now is on whether the Telluride will be too soft to give the support for my spine that I need after the (defective) Breckenridge almost did me in! I know “too soft” is a relative term, but based on it’s materials beneath the initial top layer of latex, do you feel it would give good spine support or am I just asking for (more) trouble? Thanks again.

A side note: I also read a bit about the chemicals in memory foam. The Richmond has “antibacterial” memory foam- are the chemicals in it concerning? Thank you!

Hi 1sweetdream,

Most people that would be comfortable with the chemicals that are used to manufacture any memory foam (or polyfoam for that matter) would be fine with foam of either type that was manufactured in North America and/or was CertiPur certified for harmful substances or VOC’s.

There are certainly people that are more sensitive that for health or personal reasons tend to avoid memory foam or any synthetic materials in their mattress or the rest of their household environment completely but this would be a relative minority and can involve a great deal of time consuming and detailed research into some complex, conflicting, and often misleading information about the different types of foam, glues, and fire retardants used in mattresses. For those who are willing to do this type of research to help them answer the question of “how safe is safe enough for me?” then post #2 here and the other links and sources of information that it leads to would be a good place to start but for most people the much simpler process of making sure that the foam is either manufactured in North America or CertiPur certified (or in the case of latex Oeko-Tex certified) would be “safe enough”.

Phoenix

Thank you for that info, Phoenix. What do you think regarding the support of the Telluride mattress based on the materials used? The only reason I would feel concerned about softness is if it lacked good support for my spine to be kept in alignment. Can you do a comparison of the Telluride and the Ichoice Latex? Thank you.

Hi 1sweetdream,

The quality specs of a mattress are a completely separate issue from testing for PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) because any quality/density of foam or other components such as innersprings can be made in softer and firmer versions. The only way to know how well a mattress keeps you in good alignment in all your sleeping positions is with your own personal testing or experience and this isn’t something that you can tell based on the quality specs of the materials.

The top 5" of the iChoice is latex while the upper layers of the Telluride are a mix of latex and polyfoam and since the upper layers of a mattress are the ones that will soften or break down the most quickly the iChoice would be the more durable choice. It also has the advantage of having a removeable topper so if the top layers softens or breaks down faster than the rest of the mattress you can replace just the topper instead of the whole mattress. Again though … only your own personal testing or experience can tell if any mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of PPP because the quality or durability of a mattress is a completely separate issue from whether it is a suitable choice for you.

Phoenix

Hi, Phoenix! Happy New Year! Wondering which type, memory foam or latex, has the greater chance of developing mattress dips that I experienced previously? Thank you.

Hi 1sweetdream,

It will depend to some degree on the specifics of each material and you can read more about the factors that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress in post #4 here but in general terms latex is more durable than memory foam.

Phoenix

Thank you!