Thank you so much! That is exactly the type of information I was looking for, but I guess the mattresses are so new no a lot of people are reviewing them.
I’m sorry to hear you have a problem with satisfation from Sleep Country and Dormeo, but thank you for helping to educate others.
I think I will probably go back to a Simmons Beautyrest. We had one for years and it was our best one. At least it turned out to be after our short-lived excitement with the Novaform died.
Hi CHERYL,
Brand shopping is one of the worst ways to choose a mattress and I would also completely avoid Simmons mattresses or any manufacturer that doesn’t disclose the quality of the materials inside their mattress or that uses low quality foams in their mattress (which is the case with Simmons on both counts) and that are likely to soften and develop the same issues you are having with your Dormeo much too quickly.
Before you buy a mattress I would encourage you to read the tutorial post which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make the best possible choices … and know how to avoid the worst ones.
Phoenix
Another question about Dormeo. Maybe you can help me, Phoenix.
I went to Natural Bed Co (a company you had positive things to say about ~6 months ago, but it was in a transitional period with the owner passing away, and passing the business on to his nephew), and they were closed. Apparently all locations have shut down, so I am without any local retailer of the latex mattresses I was hoping to test drive.
I didn’t want to waste the trip so I stopped at a couple chain stores. Mattress Warehouse had two Dormeo beds in stock that had latex top layers. The “rest bed” (bottom of the latex range, with one layer of their octosprings) and the “bliss bed” (with two layers of octosprings). Dormeo also apparently offers a “luxo bed” with 3 layers, but that one was not in stock. They listed the top layers as, if I remember correctly, 3.5 lb 100% natural latex. It MAY have been 5 lb as I might be getting it confused with something else.
I did quite a bit of searching online for these beds, and couldn’t find much. I asked the salesman about the 5500/6500/8000/etc models, and he said those were last years models, and they’re all gone now. But even Dormeo’s website doesn’t have these new beds.
I laid on both beds for ~15 minutes, and both felt great. I couldn’t test breathability or get a feel for what might happen after 5-6 hours, but they were very comfortable.
I stopped at the Original Mattress factory, and they had what they called a latex bed. The mattress was one solid, bonded piece with a layer of 3-3.25 lb “synthetic blended latex”, a thick layer of poly foam, and another layer of 3-3.25 lb synthetic latex. It was much cheaper, but felt REALLY soft - much too soft for me.
Do you or does anyone know anything about the new Dormeo beds with latex, and why they aren’t even on the website yet?
Hi carpetdenim,
I added a caution to their listing in the Cleveland list a couple of months ago to call first and make sure they were still in business but their numbers are no longer in service and it’s clear that they are gone so I’ve removed them from the Cleveland list completely.
[quote]I didn’t want to waste the trip so I stopped at a couple chain stores. Mattress Warehouse had two Dormeo beds in stock that had latex top layers. The “rest bed” (bottom of the latex range, with one layer of their octosprings) and the “bliss bed” (with two layers of octosprings). Dormeo also apparently offers a “luxo bed” with 3 layers, but that one was not in stock. They listed the top layers as, if I remember correctly, 3.5 lb 100% natural latex. It MAY have been 5 lb as I might be getting it confused with something else.
Do you or does anyone know anything about the new Dormeo beds with latex, and why they aren’t even on the website yet? [/quote]
Dormeo does have a new Octaspring line with latex in the top 2" layer. They told me they were in the process of updating their site with the new models. The retailer should be able to provide you with any information you need about the specifics of the materials inside the mattress (see this article).
Phoenix
I thought I would go back to an innerspring mattress, but after 2 days of research, I have decided to give BedInABox a try. I know you are not a fan of the company, but they have the highest satisfaction rate and a great return policy (not that I can find a single bad review) so I feel that’s a pretty good endorsement. I do feel reviews are important and leave them all the time myself.
Hi CHERYL.
You can see my thoughts about mattress reviews and why they are among the worst ways to choose a mattress (unlike other types of products) in post #13 here.
They do have a great return policy (120 days) but unfortunately that’s not nearly long enough to give an indication about the durability of the materials and if the lower density memory foam they use softens prematurely and you lose the comfort and support that was the reason you bought it in the first place then this wouldn’t be covered by the warranty (see post #174 here).
Having said all that … as long as you’ve done your research and are aware of and OK with the higher risks and lower durability involved in choosing a mattress that uses lower density and less durable memory foam then that’s what is most important. At least you are making an informed purchase and are aware of the higher risks involved in what you are buying ahead of time.
Phoenix
And I’ve read through pages of reviews and–while not finding a single negative one–some as old as 5 years are still happy. I don’t believe any mattress will actually last 10 years nowadays so if I get 6 or 7 I will be happy. 
Hi CHERYL,
There are certainly mattresses that will last for 10 years (or longer) and the useful life of a mattress is also relative to each person. There is more about the variables that affect durability and the useful life of a mattress in post #4 here).
As long as you are aware of the greater risks of your purchase and it’s a good match for the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you … then at least you’ve made an “informed choice” and the site has done what it’s designed to do
Phoenix
Being in the mattress business has taught me some things with regard to hip and shoulder pain. I believe that the problem is this. People lay on their side and put pressure on their hips and shoulder joints. How can you expect your hip and shoulder joint not to hurt when you distribute most of your weight on them for several hours at a time while you sleep? Whenever a customer comes to my shop we talk about sleeping positions. (Back sleepers have lower back problems and side sleepers hip and shoulder). What is most interesting is that many customers come in asking for a “soft” mattress because of their pain. I believe that soft mattresses help to create the problem. A soft mattress almost requires that you sink into the position that puts pressure on these areas. If you lay on the floor on your side you will find that you will not be able put your weight on the joint for long. You will soon turn to the front or the back of you shoulder and hip joints. Therefore it is my opinion that the firmer, the better. I personally have had hip and shoulder problems in the past. I changed over to a very firm latex mattress about 3 years ago. I have trained myself to rotate my shoulder so that my body weight is behind the joint and not on the joint. I can tell whenever I lay on the joint for a short time that it will create damage. Don’t expect your mattress to fix your problems. That is not going to help. Learn to quit putting your weight on your joints at night while you sleep. A firm mattress will help you to do this.
Hi charlestonbedding,
While it’s certainly “safer” to choose a mattress that is a little too firm than too soft because you can always “fix” it with a softer topper … and I also agree that a mattress that is too soft can create just as many issues as a mattress that is too firm … I’m not so sure I would agree with your main point that “firmer is better” … especially for side sleepers … or at least I wouldn’t make it nearly as general.
I understand that rotating the pelvis or the shoulder can increase the surface area of the pressure point and relieve pressure … but it can also lead to rotational alignment issues that could be solved with softer pressure relieving layers that are suitable for the person on the mattress without having to learn to change their rotational alignment to “accommodate” the firmness of the mattress.
There are a few forum posts that mention or discuss this including post #6 here and post #2 here and post #6 here and post #7 here.
I certainly appreciate the thoughts and insights but I believe that taking what you are suggesting too literally could lead to some poor mattress choices so I wanted to add some additional thoughts and information to add some “counterbalance” your comments as well.
Phoenix
Hello,
We want to make sure you have the correct information regarding the Dormeo Octaspring. Below is a comparison chart detailing the difference in the mattress options from the 6500 to the 9500. The major difference in the 8500 and 9500 is that the 8500 has a 12" profile and the middle layer has 2" EcoSprings™ while the 9500 has a 13" profile and the middle layer has 3" EcoSprings™. Both will offer a Medium to Soft feel, but the 9500 will offer a bit more support. The 8500 is our most popular. Feel free to contact Dormeo at 1-855-436-7636 for any questions.
Hi Dormeo,
Thanks for posting some of the updated specs for your mattresses … I appreciate it.
Can you also provide the type and density of the layers (or a density range) for those of us where this is an important part of choosing a mattress?
I also understand that there are some new models coming out that include latex and it would also be great if you could provide more information about these as well.
Thanks again
Phoenix
Here’s a bit of an update. First, The cover on the Octaspring bed has changed. The new models look like this. Most of this is aesthetic (you can no longer easily see the layers through the side mesh), but it also has a slightly more luxurious feel.
Also, they now have two lines. Last years models (5500, 8000, 8500, etc) line had a memory foam sheet on top of a memory foam octaspring with poly springs and sheets below. They also featured three firmness zones in the memory foam layer and many models had five firmness zones in the poly layer. Individual octasprings also allowed a single row of extra-firm poly springs along the outside edge: the only foam bed I know of with edge support (but that outside row isn’t always in their illustrations).
In the new models, in addition to the cover change and a name change, that very top 2" dual memory foam sheet is available in latex.
Old name = 1) Memory foam sheet on memory foam octaspring, 2) latex sheet on memory foam octaspring
5500 = 1) Simplicity, 2) Rest
6500 = 1) Vitality, 2) Bliss
8000 = 1) Tranquility
8500 = 1) Harmony, 2) Luxe
9500 = 1) Felicity, 2) Zen
The chart above is a gross over-generalization. For example, the five beds with a memory foam top layer have cooling phase changing material in the cover while the four latex beds have bamboo. Another example, the Zen has both a 2" latex sheet and a 2" dual memory foam layer on top of the memory foam octasprings and the middle octaspring layer is 1" thinner than in the Felicity (for a total height difference of 1").
Hi demackison,
Thanks for the pictures and the information about the new Octaspring … I appreciate it.
While it’s a relatively minor difference … according to Dormeo (2 posts before yours) the top layer is now 1.5" rather than 2".
I don’t know if this is the same with the models that have latex in the top layer (Dormeo didn’t reply yet to my reply asking for updated information).
Phoenix
Are you sure that is not the other way around? Since the Dormeo post has the old names, did the old models have a 1.5" top layer?
I am also starting to get some densities: the two firmnesses of memory foam octaspring are both 5 lb density and the lower layer eco-cells are either 3.5, 3.0 or 2.5 lb density.
Hi demackison,
According to the information that Dormeo posted on the forum … the current versions of the Octaspring mattresses from the 6500 to the 9500 all have 1.5" top layers of memory foam (they used to be 2").
Dormeo also sells two other lines of mattresses (the Dolce and the Serenite) which would have different designs but they didn’t post the thickness of the top layer for these. The Serenite line uses Talalay latex in the top layer instead of memory foam.
Phoenix
The Dolce and the Serenite lines are the new beds with the black cover, names instead of numbers, etc I was talking about.
Wow, I forgot to subscribe to this thread and see that it’s gotten really long. Thanks for that tutorial, but we have no money to do this again. Our income has gotten progressively worse since 2008 and we’re avoiding credit card slavery.
But I’m having problems with this memory foam one. I’m overweight and most of the weight is in my hips and torso area. I’m also a side sleeper and so my torso sinks in, but it tries to make my legs stick up, unless I put one leg on top of the other, to weight it down. I wound up having a meniscus problem in my left knee, that won’t go away now, and the only time it gets worse instead of better, is when I wake up after the mattress has pushed my left leg up in the air, while sleeping on my left side.
Has anyone ever heard of mattresses actually causing injuries like this?
Which model did you buy. We ordered the octaspring 6500 from Brookstone and should get it next week (king size). The price was good and they have a 90 day trial period less initial shipping. I’ll let everyone know what we think.
Hi Mama Bear,
Yes … anything (or a combination of things) that leads to misalignment of the joints or spine so they are outside of their neutral position or that causes repetitive stress can either cause or aggravate an injury over time.
These all appear to be “symptoms” of a mattress that may be too soft and isn’t a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).
It’s very difficult to “fix” a mattress where either the comfort layers are too thick and soft or where the support layers are too soft without removing and replacing layers in the mattress but there are some suggestions in post #4 here that may be “somewhat” helpful.
Phoenix
