Hopefully powerattack or any of the other members that own the mattress will see your post and share their comments but I would keep in mind that even a very low quality mattress will generally hold up for more than 6 months so this type of very short term feedback won’t really tell you much if anything about the durability of a mattress.
While there is no way to quantify how long any mattress will last for a specific person or predict exactly when you will decide to replace it because it is no longer suitable or comfortable for you (because this is the only real measure of durability or the useful life of a mattress that really matters) because there are too many unknowns and variables involved that are unique to each person … if a mattress is well inside a suitable comfort/support range and isn’t close to the edge of being too soft when it is new (see post #2 here) and you have confirmed that it meets the minimum quality/durability specs that are suggested in the guidelines here 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 and the chances that you would have additional “bonus time” would be higher as well.
Just wanted to chime in to say I ordered the Dreamfoam Arctic Dreams mattress from Amazon. I’m not sure if the free pillow promo applies if we order it from Amazon instead of directly from Dreamfoam, but either way, I’m looking forward to my new mattress. Hoping for the best!
Thanks again Phoenix for this website. Lots of good information here.
Posting again to confirm that I chatted with Chuck via dreamfoambedding.com chat function and he told me that I do qualify for the free pillow promo. Thanks, Chuck!
As you know I think you made a great quality/value choice and I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback once you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.
[quote]I’m not sure if the free pillow promo applies if we order it from Amazon instead of directly from Dreamfoam,
Posting again to confirm that I chatted with Chuck via dreamfoambedding.com chat function and he told me that I do qualify for the free pillow promo. Thanks, Chuck! [/quote]
The pillow bonus that they provide to the members here normally only applies to mattresses that are ordered from the Dreamfoam site and not to Amazon orders (regardless of whether they are fulfilled by Dreamfoam or by Amazon itself which is a completely different company from Dreamfoam) so you were very fortunate!
I’m trying to decide between the Dreamfoam Arctic Dreams and the Brooklyn Bedding BME. While I know the construction of these two mattresses is different (one HD Energex polyfoam over a polyfoam base and the other latex over a polyfoam base), it seems like both are medium firmness, responsive/springy, favorably reviewed, and made of high quality materials. While I assume the latex BME would probably have somewhat better durability and a slightly different (though not necessarily better) feel, it doesn’t seem like the differences are great enough to offset the big difference in price… Durability is important to me because I’m a bigger guy at 6’6", 250 lbs, but it sounds like the Artic Dreams is made of solid enough materials to hold up for me.
I think I’m talking myself into the Arctic Dreams.
There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “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 I can’t speak to how any mattress will feel for someone else or whether it will be a suitable “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) … the BME certainly uses higher quality, more durable, and more costly materials.
Latex in general is the most durable of all the foam materials (although the Energex is certainly a durable material as well that would also be suitable for your body weight) and the BME also uses a 2 lb polyfoam base layer which is also a higher quality and more durable version of polyfoam that meets the quality/durability guidelines here vs the 1.8 lb polyfoam base layer in the Arctic Dreams.
I would also talk with both of them on the phone because when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
The BME also has a better trial and return/refund policy as well and this can also be an important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase if you aren’t certain whether an online mattress will be a good “match” for you in terms of PPP.
Of course the much lower cost of the Arctic Dreams may also be enough to offset the additional risk involved both in terms of the trial period and return/refund policy as well as the durability and useful life of the mattress.
They are certainly both great quality value choices and both of them are members here which means that I think highly of both of them and that I believe that they both compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency but you are the only one that can decide which one would be the best “value” for you based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding.
I did talk to Chuck from Dreamfoam, who was very helpful. Interestingly, he seemed to talk down the durability of the Arctic Dreams. He indicated that I should expect 7-9 years of performance from a latex topped mattress like the Ultimate Dreams Latex or the BME but only 3-4 years from the Arctic Dreams. This was surprising to me, as it runs counter to your (Phoenix’s) guidance that 3.0 lb Energex polyfoam is a high quality, durable material. While I understand that latex is likely to be more durable than HD polyfoam, I had assumed that the difference would be much less than indicated by Chuck .
Perhaps he was being conservative in his estimates or perhaps he was trying to sell me on the higher cost latex mattress, but if the Arctic Dreams is really only likely to last 3-4 years, it’s not as good a value as I originally thought. I’m not sure what to believe now, although I’d rather pay the higher price for the BME if it will really last more than twice as long as the Arctic Dreams.
When you sleep on a mattress the upper layers of foam will compress and deflect more than the deeper layers partly because the comfort layers are usually made to be softer than the deeper transition and support layers of a mattress (and firmness/softness is also a factor in the durability of a material) and partly because they are closer to the sleeping surface and subject to direct compression without any layers above them absorbing some of the compression forces first. It’s this constant deflection of the foam materials in the upper layers of the mattress that softens and breaks down the foam and leads to the loss of comfort and support in the mattress.
Higher weight ranges will compress the deeper foam layers in a mattress more than lighter weight ranges and the BME has 4" of latex above a 2 lb base layer while the Arctic Dreams only has 3" of Energex above a 1.8 lb base layer so not only is there a difference in the type of comfort layers, there is also a difference in the thickness and you would certainly be compressing the base layer in the Arctic Dreams more than the base layer in the BME and the base layer is a lower density and less durable material as well.
As I also mentioned in an earlier reply in this topic … there is no way to quantify how long any mattress will last for a specific person or predict exactly when you will decide to replace it because it is no longer suitable or comfortable for you (because this is the only real measure of durability or the useful life of a mattress that really matters) because there are too many unknowns and variables involved that are unique to each person.
While there is no doubt that the Arctic Dreams would be less durable than the BME … it’s impossible to know for certain exactly how much less until a mattress is no longer comfortable or supportive to you and you decide to replace it because this will vary for different people. Some people may sleep well on a mattress before they decide to replace it for much longer than others even if they are in the same weight range. The information they are giving you could be somewhat conservative in the spirit of “underpromising and overdelivering” so that you have more realistic expectations of how long the mattress will maintain a level of comfort and support that is suitable for you over time even though you may have more “bonus time” beyond that range.
Thanks for your feedback Phoenix. It sounds like the Arctic Dreams may still be a good value for lighter folks but probably is not a great long term choice for those of us in a heavier weight class, unless you are on a very tight budget.
With this product still being too new for any long term durability reviews and considering Chuck’s opinion that this mattress is only likely to provide 3-4 years of good performance for me, I think I will go with something a little beefier than the Arctic Dreams. I do appreciate Chuck’s helpfulness and candor and will probably move on to one of the latex models from the Brooklyn Bedding/Dreamfoam family (most likely the BME due to its solid specs and generous return policy).
By the time there are enough reviews to show clear patterns about the durability and useful life of a mattress relative to different body types, weight ranges, and sleeping styles that provide longer term feedback over a period of 5 years or more (less than this wouldn’t be particularly meaningful to provide any meaningful information about the durability of a mattress) … in many cases a mattress is no longer available for purchase anyway or if it is the design and materials may have changed. This is even assuming that the longer term reviews provide clear information about each reviewers body type, weight range, and sleeping style which they usually don’t.
I would agree with you that the Arctic Dreams is a great quality/value choice and uses higher quality and more durable materials than the vast majority of mattresses in it’s budget range (and that are also higher quality and more durable than many mattresses in much higher budget ranges as well).
Having said that … If you can comfortably afford it I would also lean towards a mattress that uses higher quality and more durable materials if I was in your weight range as well.
When you look back on a mattress purchase years from now (assuming that you purchase a good quality and durable mattress) you will remember much more about how well you slept on it and how long you slept well than you will about the price you paid and relatively minor differences in price that have only a small impact on the yearly cost of ownership spread out over the years will probably be much less important to you.
As you know you certainly made a great quality/value choice and I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback once you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.
I’ve had a few weeks to sleep on the Arctic Dreams Mattress at this point, and I really do like it. This was my first real mattress “purchase,” as everything I’ve had prior were hand me downs. We moved from a full to a king- and were looking for exceptional value with a small budget. As an FYI, I weigh around 175# and my wife is probably around 140#.
So far, we have really loved the bed. I think we had some growing pains the first few nights, but that may have been also trying new king size pillows- which we’ve now realized we don’t like. Some of it was also no doubt adjusting to the change in size and material of the bed- we’ve both only ever slept on springs. I really do love the slight “sinking” in feeling of the bed- but certainly wouldn’t call it plush by any stretch. In reality, I wish the bed was slightly more plush- and oddly enough my wife wishes it were more firm. This probably tells me we found a good middle ground.
I do notice that belly sleeping seems slightly less comfortable, as I feel like my head is sinking a bit into the bed too much. I’ve found that I’m adapting somewhat (probably small adjustments to my positioning)- and overall the bed seems more comfortable each night. I do sleep on my side, back, and stomach in rotations- so I’ve tried them all- and other than the issue with stomach sleeping I think this is a huge improvement all around over our previous spring Serta.
Of note, we did go on vacation to visit my folks in NC. When my wife and I were there, we shared an older spring bed- and I must say I was SO happy to return to our Arctic Dreams! It made the springs seem so uninviting in comparison.
Thank you for all the other reviews and advice- I like seeing what everyone else thinks.
I just bought the Arctic Dream as well and am really looking forward to it!
I’ll post an update once I’ve had a chance to sleep on it a while!
I’ve been lurking here for a while and this site is an amazing resource of information. I’ve referred the site onto several of my friends who are in the midst of mattress shopping as well.
Here are my thoughts so far after a little over a week sleeping on the new bed:
Firstly, the package arrived in great condition for being a 70+lb box. Before receiving it, I saw some horror story pictures of boxes other people had received (not all from DreamFoam, just in general) and I was happy to see that ours was delivered safely.
It was not difficult at all to unpack, and my order came with the free pillow as well for mentioning the site here. They sent me the shredded latex pillow with the zippered outer cover, and I have to say, for a free pillow, this thing is fantastic.
It’s not hot at all, even though I expected it to sleep a little warm. As far as I can tell, it sleeps the same for me as our previous inner spring mattress. We do keep our bedroom quite chilly because the cold helps us sleep, so that may contribute as well.
There’s not a ton of “sinking in” to this mattress, which is what I prefer. I tried some other memory foam mattresses and it felt like I was sinking into sand after initially laying down. The foam on this mattress is firm enough that my wife and I can sleep right next to each other and it doesn’t feel like we’re in a hole.
Not that this was a huge surprise, but there’s not much in the way of support on the edge of the mattress, so when I sit on the edge before getting into or out of bed, I sink down quite a bit. Like I said though, I kind of expected this, so I can’t really complain.
I guess time will tell as far as how it holds up over time, and for those curious we’re using the UNDREDAL bed frame from IKEA with the LURÖY slatted bed base. It seems very sturdy and we haven’t had any issues with it so far.
I know this is probably a bit of a terrible mindset to have also, but I look at it this way: The mattress is SUPER cheap compared to name brand equivalents so if I have to replace it in a few years, fine by me. It’s not like I dropped $4,000 on a Tempurpedic or anything.
