Hi Kirsten,
Bragada has been around for some time and has gone through some ups and downs. They are owned by Sun Mattress LLCwhich is an affiliate of Sun Capital Systems which is an investment buying group who specializes in leveraged buyouts. Apparently they were bought out late last year by Global Mattress Group LLC which could well be an affiliate of Sun Capital as well. I’m mentioning this to show that they are run by an investment company … not “mattress people”.
Their specs are nothing like Tempurpedic and nether is the quality or probable durability. In their lower end mattresses they use 3 lb memory foam which I would avoid completely (very low quality and durability), in their mid range they use 4 lb and in the upper range they use some 4 and some 5 lb. Their layering is also different from Tempurpedic. They do use a good quality support core underneath the memory foam (2.1 lb vs 2.2 lb in tempurpedic). To me they are no different from a million other companies selling memory foam and I would base my comparisons on the actual type and density of memory foam used and the layering in the mattress.
There are literally hundreds of memory foam formulations made by many companies and every one of these different types of memory foam has different qualities and properties and interacts with other layers in a different way. If you are buying a memory foam mattress online … it becomes critical to know who makes the memory foam or at least that it is CertiPur certified. It is also important to know the return or exchange policy. In the case of Bragada … it would cost you a minimum of $300 to return the mattress which means that in many cases a big part of the mattress cost is eaten up by return charges if you guess wrong about which mattress is suitable for you. Memory foam mattresses that use different layering patterns or different types of memory foam are very different from each other and each manufacturer and each model in a manufacturer’s lineup may be suitable for one person (based on weight, body shape, sleeping positions, tendencies for back issues, and preferences of feel) but completely unsuitable for another. Online purchases that have a huge return charge or that can’t be adjusted after you receive it (by exchanging layers for example) are a big risk and a risk that is not necessary to take.
Overall I would always prefer to make any mattress purchase through a local factory direct manufacturer or a sleep shop that carries high quality and value mattresses and that can tell you the differences between cheap memory foam mattresses and quality memory foam mattresses that also have great value. Lying on a mattress is the only way to know for sure if it is suitable for you.
For those that don’t have a local manufacturer or quality sleep shop near them and want to order online … then the options available and the return policy becomes very important along with the ability to somewhat “match” your mattress testing to the model you are buying online based on similar layering patterns and density of foams used in both the memory foam layers and the polyfoam support layers underneath it. This thread may also help you in terms of some online options.
Phoenix