I’m writing from Toronto, Canada. For the past 12 years I’ve been sleeping on a very firm Sears memory foam mattress. I’m a terrible sleeper to begin with, and I’ve been experiencing several years of body aches and chronic pinched nerves. I recently went to a reputable mattress shop, Sleep Country Canada, and tried every memory foam mattress they had, specifically looking for a mattress that was softer than my current one. I discovered the Dormeo brand (model 6700; queen) and felt very comfortable on it. I was surprised that while I lay on it for a good 20 minutes I experienced a noticeable reduction in my chronic body pains. I went back the following day and lay on the same mattress for another 20 minutes and then returned again today and lay on it for almost half an hour. This particular mattress seems to agree with my body. My primary concern is that I’ve read a few negative things online about it: three separate customers have complained that the top layer of foam had developed splits while the mattress was still quite new. This is very concerning to me; as much as I want to find a mattress that is supportive and comfortable and alleviates my chronic pains, I also want a mattress that will give me at least 12-15 years of solid, quality durability. I know there are never guarantees and one can be simply unlucky with a particular product - but I am not quite at ease and I am finding it difficult to take a chance on this brand. The shop does offer a 100-day exchange or store credit, but I would hate to be stuck in a situation where I am not satisfied and can’t find another mattress in the shop that satisfies me (and puts my fears of poor product construction/reliability at ease). I would greatly appreciate some advice and some information about the predicted reliability regarding build quality of this Dormeo brand as it ages. Thank you! Roberto
Hi Roberto,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! 
There is also more information about the Dormeo Octaspring mattresses in post #2 here that may be helpful but I would make sure you can confirm the thickness and density of all the layers in the mattress (see this article) before considering it.
There are a few comments about the previous Octaspring 9500 in post #2 here which was somewhat similar but I don’t know the specifics of the current line so you would need to call Dormeo because it’s unlikely that Sleep Country will provide you with the information you need to make an informed choice. It’s also possible that Dormeo may not provide it either.
If you can find out the thickness and density of all the layers and components in the 6700 and post them on the forum I’d be happy let you know if there are any lower quality materials or weak links that would be a reason for concern.
Just in case you haven’t read it yet … I would make sure that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
You’ll have to correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that the mattress ticking is permanent on the 6700, so how would consumers know if the foam in their mattress had tears? I could be wrong here, but I don’t see anything on the Dormeo site about the cover being removable.
Overall, I would be very cautious about using reviews (either positive or negative) as a reliable source of information about either the suitability or the durability of a mattress and in many cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a good choice for one person may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (see post #13 here). Instead, focus upon finding out the information I referred to earlier about finding out the actual material and the density used inside of the mattress you’re considering.
If a mattress is well inside the comfort/support range that is suitable for someone and isn’t close to the edge of the range that is too soft for them when it is new and it doesn’t have any weak links in the design then it would be reasonable to expect a useful lifetime in the range of 7 - 10 years and with higher quality and more durable materials like latex or higher density memory foam or polyfoam (in the comfort layers especially) it would likely be in the higher end of the range or even longer. But it’s more realistic to think of about 10 years as a maximum reasonable expectation for any mattress no matter what the quality of the materials and then treat any additional time after that as “bonus time” because after about 10 years the limiting factor in the useful life of a mattress will often be the changing needs and preferences of the person sleeping on the mattress and even if a mattress is still in good condition after a decade … a mattress that was suitable for someone 10 years earlier may not be the best “match” any longer.
I would be careful with purchasing and make sure that you are completely familiar with the exchange policy, as the offerings at Sleep Country are brands containing the level of quality of material I tend to advise to avoid, and if you perform an exchange you may be in a situation where your store credit forces you to choose from other lower quality options. The major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (along with the major retailers that focus on them as well) regardless of how they may feel in a showroom along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).
Dormeo hasn’t been on the market for long enough for anyone to be able to really be able to make any meaningful comments about their durability based on actual experience. Outside of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) … a mattress is only as good as it’s construction and the quality/durability of the materials inside it regardless of the specific mattress or the name of the manufacturer that makes it and there are much more reliable ways to assess the quality/durability of a mattress or know whether it has any weak links in its design than using reviews (see this article and the quality/durability guidelines that it links to). There is also more about the many variables that can affect durability and the useful life of a mattress in post #4 here.
Phoenix
I found these specs on their website. Does this mean anything to you?
It has the thickness but not the density. I’m on my way to Sleep Country right now to ask about the density. Thanks in advance! Roberto
OCTASPRING ™ Technology:
Top Layer:
3-zoned, Medium/Soft,
2" Memory Foam
MemoryCoils with .75" Ecocell Support Layer
Middle Layer:
5-zoned, Medium/Medium Soft/ Medium Firm,
2" Ecocell ™ EcoSprings TM with .75" Ecocell Support Layer and 4-sides foam encasing Base Layer
Bottom Layer:
5.25" Ecocell ™ Support Core
Hello Roberto,
No, those specifications provide little meaningful information, and have been posted elsewhere on the forum, but unfortunately there has been no detail of the density of these layers in the current Dormeo lineup.
Phoenix
I got a call back from customer service. I was told there is nothing less than 2lbs of density in any part. I’m not sure if that is helpful. As well, I visited two separate Sleep Country shops and both salespeople told me the foam was polyurethane; however, one guy said it was plant-based and the other guy swore it was petroleum-based. This discrepancy was very offputting. Any thoughts?? Thanks - Roberto
Hi Roberto,
Unfortunately, as I suspected, you weren’t provided the information you need to make an informed decision about this mattress, and that lack of information would make considering this product a risky purchase, IMHO.
I don’t know if the polyfoam or memory foam used in the Doremo uses some plant-based polyols, but that wouldn’t be a reason to consider it if it did. In post #2 here I describe in more detail the use plant based polyols in polyfoam. In a nutshell, part of the polyol portion used to create polyurethane foam is replaced with a plant-based polyol. There’s a brief explanation of this from one of the polyol manufacturers here.
Phoenix
Ok, so… apart from Temperpedic, what is a quality-built memory foam mattress I could find (in Toronto)??? Please and thank you - Roberto
Hi Roberto,
Unfortunately, I don’t have the capacity to act a personal mattress concierge and I don’t keep a record of the individual mattresses or their specs that the retailers and manufacturers in the hundreds of forum lists throughout the forum carry on their floor or have available online or in certain geographic regions, as it would be a bigger job than anyone could keep up with in a constantly changing market.
However, subject to first confirming that any retailer or manufacturer on the list that you wish to visit is completely transparent ( see this article) and to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here … some options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around Toronto are listed here. When researching any stores in your area, use the guidelines I’ve posted in my previous reply to evaluate the quality of any memory foam offerings you’re considering.
If you do decide to venture online, I would consider using the expertise of the members listed in post #21 here who are all very experienced and knowledgeable and specialize in providing the type of help and guidance on the phone that can help you make good choices. There are a wide range of latex options included in the choices there and I believe that all of them compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency. There is also a list of online mattress sources for Canadians in post #21 here.
Phoenix
Thanks for the list of local, independent manufacturers and distributors! We spent all of yesterday visiting and investigating. My eyes were opened to SERENE foam (made by Carpenter). I’ve watched the online info videos - fascinating stuff! I can’t seem to find out if it’s latex-based and more natural or polyurethane-based. Reading about the off-gassing of harmful chemicals is very concerning, as I am a cancer survivor. Do you know if SERENE foam is “safe” and “natural”? Thank you. Rob
Hi Roberto,
I consider myself somewhat ‘mattress obsessed’ and am familiar with most related products in the marketplace, but your mention of Serene foam was the first I’ve ever heard of it. So I did some research and checked out their product videos, and like most such promotional material they were quite convincing of it being a revolutionary and groundbreaking new type of foam. I continued my search and found that their Serene mattress products are sold at Costco and Amazon for a very reasonable price so I then went on to read about it and check out its reviews.
While I think you have to be very careful about putting too much faith in any particular review, and since everyone has different needs and priorities no single review can be an accurate predictor of what you may think experiencing the same mattress. However I have generally found that issues identified by a number of reviewers often have some basis in reality and can identify potential problem areas warranting further investigation before proceeding with a purchase.
If you look over their lower rated reviews there are several such problem areas reported which would raise some red flags to me, in particular sleeping hot, loss of support developing sags over time, pressure point pain, and a strong chemical smell. The actual Serene foam is only used in a top 2" layer with other foams below it taking up the majority of the mattress construction, and I found a product description which clearly states “the company’s Serene product is a polyurethane foam”.
If you have the opportunity to check out the Serene mattress in person I’d strongly suggest doing so before purchasing, but if not at least be certain that you have a full return option where you do buy it in case it doesn’t meet your objectives. While latex is more expensive I’ve found it to be the best option for me with the exceptional combination of support, conformity and pressure relief which it provides.
Good luck in your search!
- Bill
Hi Roberto,
Serene foam is one of the "newer’ generation of high-performance polyfoams, which are a higher density and good at pressure point relief, but does not have any of the viscous properties (it is not a memory foam). It is also not a latex foam. Carpenter introduced Serene in 2015 and re-launched it in 2016. It is generally a higher density (2.5 lbs as an example) and it is CertiPUR-US certified (but polyurethane would not be considered a “natural” product). This generally would be a good quality and durable plush material.
Regarding durability, Costco doesn’t list the density of the polyfoam core in their 10" Comfort Tech mattress (or the older 13" that they used to offer), so there would be no way to determine the durability of this product. And regarding the “reviews” mentioned by Sweet Dreams on the Costco site, those would be very unreliable indicators for the appropriateness of the mattress for any one individual, nor a reliable indicator of quality or durability, as there are far too many variables involved that go into determining performance/durability besides the density of the foams, including firmness, position within the mattress, layers combined within the mattress, thickness, formulation, usage, mass of the person using the product, foundation used under the product, etc. – see post #2 here). Your best course of action would be to learn of the density of all of the componentry within the mattress in order to begin to make an informed decision.
As for “safety”, the only reliable way to assess the “safety” of different materials in more general terms is based on lab tests and the certifications they have for harmful substances and VOCs (regardless of whether they are organic or natural or synthetic) so that you have some assurance than the VOCs are below the testing limits for the certification. If the materials in a mattress or the mattress itself has a reliable “safety” certification then for most people they would certainly be “safe enough”. There is more about the different types of organic and safety certifications such as Oeko-tex, Eco-Institut, Greenguard Gold, C2C, and CertiPUR-US in post #2 here and more about some of the differences between organic and safety certifications in post #2 here and there are also some comments in post #42 here that can help you decide which certification is the most important to you for environmental, social, or personal reasons.
Phoenix
Bill, thank you for taking time to write. After much investigation I also discovered that SERENE foam is polyurethane-based. No thanks! I’ve visited an impressive little shop today, Dormio. Their specialization in only natural latex mattresses was a nice discovery. I spent over an hour there talking with the daughter of the owner, who I found to be extremely professional, informative, and proud of the product they offer. I was impressed overall with the experience and am almost totally convinced that I may purchase one of mid-range models (an almost-50% sale is attractive as well). I’m going to make some calls tomorrow morning to check on who else may offer natural latex mattresses - otherwise, I may very well go with a Dormio mattress. Thanks again, Bill!