I’ve done a lot of research and spoke with customer service from Brooklyn Bedding. They only use a 1.5LB density base foam, which is inferior from what I’ve read on this forum. I am considering buying Ultimate Dreams Supreme Gel Memory Foam Mattress or the 13" version, but am hesitant based on the low quality density. Even the Dynasty Mattresses use a 1.8 Lb density base foam and this brand is criticized as low quality. Is 1.5 LB base foam acceptable?
Hi cpeters27,
I changed the title of your thread to remove the “rip off” at the end which is misleading for a question and thread title that will be ranked on google.
The support layers of a mattress are not generally the weak link of a mattress and it’s the comfort layers that are usually the “weak link” of a mattress. In a lower budget mattress where there is a tradeoff between the cost and quality of the comfort layers and the cost and quality of the base layers then the “best” place to put the highest quality materials would be in the upper layers that are the most subject to foam softening and breakdown. In this case a 1.5 lb base layer would be suitable. Their base layer is also a high performance material in terms of its performance and resiliency in spite of its lower density. A mattress will soften and break down from the top down.
Having said that … if someone was in a higher weight range (in the low/mid 200’s and higher) then I would certainly consider one of their more costly mattresses that used higher density foam in the base layer because they would tend to “go through” the top layers and compress the deeper layers more than someone who was lighter and the durability of the deeper layers would play a more important role although it still wouldn’t be the most important part of the durability of the mattress (see post #4 here about the factors that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress)
Serta iComfort, Sealy Optimum, and Tempurpedic mattresses all use 1.5 lb base foam in at least some of their mattresses and all of these are in much higher budget ranges.
You can read more of my thoughts about Dynasty and the accuracy of their information in post #4 here and the post and search results it links to. Post #6 here about Chinese foams and manufacturers would also be worth reading and mattresses that are compressed during shipping from China or warehouse storage can affect the durability of the materials.
Phoenix
Thank you very much. You are very informative and this forum is great for helping decide which mattress to get.