Hi paddyb,
[quote]I can’t find much out about these variants, very little comes up online, but I found some references from 2012 to the range being exclusive to Dreams (there is a third variant call the Levanto, which is cheaper than the others, so I guess it’s based on the 5500).
The company said they would send more info, and I received this shortly after placing the order:
Mistral
• 3cm Top layer of Memory Foam
• 2 Layers of Individually placed Octaprings
• 5 Individual Eco-cell support zones
• Similar to the Octaspring 6500
Sirocco
• 3cm Top layer of Memory Foam
• 3 layers of individually placed Octasprings
• 5 individual Eco-cell support zones
• Similar to the Octaspring 8000
So it looks like the main difference is the Mistral has two extra “zones” and the Sirocco has three less?[/quote]
The description of the Octaspring 6500 on the UK site indicates that the top Octaspring memory foam layer has 3 zones and the Octaspring polyfoam base layer seems to have a single firmness level with no zoning so if this is correct it would have a total of 3 zones. Your description of the Mistral doesn’t indicate the number of zones in each of the Octaspring layers so it’s not completely clear how the design or zoning configuration compares to the 6500 but if the bottom polyfoam Octaspring layer (that they call the Eco-Cell layer) has 5 zones then the total number of zones would be 5 plus the number of zones in the top memory foam Octaspring layer.
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The description of the Octaspring 8000 on the UK site indicates that the top Octaspring memory foam layer also has 3 zones and then there is a 5 zoned polyfoam Octaspring layer underneath this with a bottom polyfoam Octaspring layer at the bottom which seems to have a single firmness level with no zoning so if this is correct then between the top and middle layers it would have a total of 8 zones. Your description of the Sirocco also doesn’t indicate the number of zones in each of the 3 Octaspring layers so it’s also not clear how the design or zoning configuration compares to the 8000 either. If the top memory foam Octaspring layer in the Sirocco also has 3 zones and the middle Octaspring polyfoam layer has 5 zones and the bottom polyfoam Octaspring layer is a single firmness level then it would also have a total of 8 zones (the same as the 8000).
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Zoning systems can sometimes be useful and worth considering for people that have more difficulty finding a mattress with the right “balance” between comfort/pressure relief (under the shoulders especially) and support/alignment (under the hips/pelvis especially) or who have more challenging circumstances or sensitivities, body types that are more difficult to “match” to a mattress, more complex medical issues, or who have a history of having more difficulty in finding a mattress that works well for them. There is more about zoning in this article and in post #11 here and the additional posts it links to but the only way to know whether any specific mattress (zoned or otherwise) will be a good “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) will be based on your own careful testing or personal experience.
There is also more about the 3 most important parts of “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
While nobody can speak to how any mattress will “feel” for someone else with any certainty because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances … outside of PPP the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the quality/durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new) so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
Unfortunately the specs you listed don’t include the density of each of the foam layers in the mattresses and without this information it’s not possible to make any meaningful comments about the quality/durability and useful life of the mattress or identify any lower quality materials or weak links that would be a reason for concern (regardless of how the mattress feels when it is still new). I would always make sure that you find out all the information you need to know about the quality and durability of all the materials and components in any mattress you are considering before making any purchase.
Other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful but I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about about using other people’s experiences or reviews on a mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you and in many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because most consumers have little knowledge about mattresses and mattress materials or how to assess the quality or durability of the materials in a mattress and any mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews in general certainly won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).
A forum search on Octaspring (you can just click the link) will also bring up more comments and feedback about the Octaspring mattresses as well.
Phoenix