Alright, time for an update! I’ll try to break it down to keep it easy to skim.
I received the mattress about 3 days after it shipped, which was faster than the 5ish days Chuck had quoted me over the phone - always nice to have things arrive early.
When it was unpacked, it expanded to nearly full size out of the box; there was a little bit of loose fabric on one of the corners, and as it’s generally advised to wait 24-48 hours to let it “breathe,” I wasn’t too concerned. It did end up expanding just enough after a day, so no worries at all.
No smell. I mean, there was that “unpacking” smell that you get from anything that’s put in plastic, but the mattress itself had none of the chemical smell that is sometimes reported, and the unpacked-plastic odor was mild and dissipated within a few hours.
Pressing into the foam, it gave a bit more and felt a little plusher than my parents’ Tempur Cloud Supreme, but the base foam was just as supportive, and while I was a little worried about the extra softness, it turned out to be a non-issue.
As for actually sleeping on the mattress:
* Soft: When I sit on it, I sink ever so slightly (in a good way), and then it just molds very nicely to my weight/shape.
* Supportive: Once I’ve laid down, I just feel lightly “cuddled” in the sense that the foam condenses more around my pressure points (as a side sleeper, primarily shoulder, hips) so that there’s no, well, pressure, and therefore no discomfort or pain.
* Easy to move in: One of the listed differences between memory foam and innersprings is that, given the nature of foam, it takes more effort to turn from side to side. I don’t have issues with this at all. It feels a little different, but it’s not negative in any way.
* Temperature: I sleep hot most of the time, so I was wondering how I’d tolerate memory foam. I’m going to assume it’s because this is the gel model, but I have zero problems with more heat - I honestly can’t tell a difference. Which will be fantastic in the summer. But now I have to get a heavier comforter! :lol:
* The shredded latex pillow: Oh gosh this thing so far is wonderful. I have trust issues with pillows, so I’m cautious about how it’ll wear, but on nights when I feel like I’m tensed up too much or I just can’t get my neck in the right position, this helps with that. It’s big - about 5" high, IIRC. But it squishes down the right amount, and has enough resistance that my head doesn’t just sink into it the way a down pillow would. I’ve mauled it a bit trying to get it to conform to my head and neck at night, but when I shake it out, it seems to go right back to its poofy shape. :lol:
There have been two or three nights in the past week where I haven’t slept well due to a lot of stress, and honestly, even those bad nights have been better on my body than most nights were on my old mattress and transitory mattress. And on the nights I’ve slept well, I wake up and I feel good. No lower back pain anymore. No shoulder pain. A little neck pain, but that’s due to anxiety tension, and not mattress/pillow related.
End summary: Very, very satisfied with the purchase, all the way through. Chuck was great throughout the transaction, the mattress setup was problem-free, and the mattress itself feels wonderful, as does the complimentary pillow. I’m super paranoid about how it’ll hold up, because I slept so badly for about 10 months (!), but I have confidence in the product because of this site, Phoenix’s help, and Chuck’s assistance. Frankly, at the price, even if it “only” lasts 5 years, I’ll be perfectly happy buying a second. And this is starting to sound like a fake review so I’ll end it there for now. :lol: :lol:
I’ll check-in/do review update no.2 in maybe a month or two, but I don’t anticipate anything being different.
:lol: