As you know I have been stalking the Bellafina for a few years now, but my husband is not a memory foam fan. IF we truly decide to go with two twin XL mattresses and put them together in our king size bed, I will likely go with memory foam, mostly b/c that’s what I have truly wanted since we began this journey. Of course, I’ll likely hold on to our Sovn Berkeley Ergonomics for a while b/c if the memory foam route fails, I can always split our king in half (the way they are constructed) and keep just my side. And in all fairness, there is absolutely nothing wrong with our Sovn! I like it just fine and my husband just doesn’t like it, although he cannot put into words why not. But, as you know, we just like what we like as far as comfort and you can’t make another person like what they simply don’t. But, there has been no failure or issue with the mattress itself, or with sagging, or anything like that. But, if we switch his side, I just want to try a memory foam bed b/c I have had my eyes on one for years.
Which brings me to my question…
Yesterday I went and laid on the Tempurpedic Rhapsody b/c so many people seem to like that configuration (whether from Tempurpedic, or similar from Select Foam or Brooklyn Bedding). I didn’t think I’d like it b/c of the ‘sand’ feel, but I actually loved it. Of course, I haven’t had the luxury of laying on a Bellafina in over two years now and cannot locate one locally. But, I MAY have found some via stores in other states.
Assuming I like the feel of both the Bellafina and the Rhapsody, do you have any thoughts on which you think would be more likely to stay in tact in terms of durability & longevity over time? Less likely to over soften or sag? I know both the 5.3lb and 7lb foams are of very good quality. Of course, the Bellafina is 5.3lb over some type of latex, while the Rhapsody is 7lb over 5.3lb.
I do like the Weightless Supreme as well, but the layers are somewhat vague at this time. At least with a Select Foam or Brooklyn Bedding they are transparent about the materials in their layers when comparing to Tempurpedic models, which is nice.
The top layers of the mattress are the most important when it comes to foam softening and durability.
The top layers of the Bellafina are …
.8" - 5.3 lb memory foam … soft formula
2" - 5.3 lb memory foam … regular formula.
3" Tempur-Flex which is some type of latex (type and blend unknown).
The top layers of the Rhapsody are …
1.2" 7 lb memory foam
2.8" 5.3 lb memory foam.
Once you get past about 6 lbs density or so the benefits of increased durability with memory foam start to diminish although the 7 lb memory foam would still be more durable than 5.3 lb.
There are also many factors involved in durability and some of them are unique to each person (at what point foam softening takes you across the line of the range of pressure relief and alignment that works for your body and circumstances).
In most cases … latex is more durable than memory foam but the latex in the Bellafina is deeper in the mattress and the layers most likely to soften would be the 2.8" of memory foam above it.
Layer thickness and softness also plays a role in all of this.
With all the variables that are interacting that contribute to durability I don’t know of any way to make a specific prediction about durability outside of saying that both would be a very durable choice with no obvious weak links but if I had to give an edge to one or the other I’d probably lean towards the Rhapsody because the upper layers that are most subject to softening include higher density memory foam but that’s based on speculation more than on any evidence and I wouldn’t argue too strongly with someone whose opinion leaned in the other direction.
Thanks Phoenix! I do truly appreciate and respect your input. I meant to reply the other day, but it’s been a hectic week, so my apologies.
I plan to go try the Rhapsody again soon and see if I still like it as much as I did that day. I really was surprised how much I actually liked it. Very unexpected, but once I laid on it for a minute, I really got cozy! I have also really done a MUCH better job of sleeping on my back & side, rather than my stomach, so that is certainly better in the long run, but does change my mattress needs some.
I wondered one random thought about the Tempurpedic pillows - if you know much about them? Do you know if the Tempurpedic Cloud pillow is the same ES material as say the Cloud mattress (top comfort layer)? The reason I ask is that I have a few friends with the Cloud mattress and they LOVE IT. They are not small people either and they swear it’s held up well the past few years. But, I have the Cloud pillow and it did not take very long for it to develop a little dip right in the middle where my head rests primarily. It’s not a problem really, but I do find myself re-situating to get to one side or the other out of the dip. I certainly would NOT want that happening in my mattress. The pillow is like $100, not a biggie if I toss it in a year or two. Mattress, totally different ballgame. My experience with the Cloud pillow is my biggest hesitation with the ES foam comfort layers. That said - comparing the mattresses to the pillows may be apples to oranges?
7lb durability sounds very appealing! Will do another feel test soon to be sure it wasn’t a fluke
As far as I know … the memory foam in the tempur pillows are the same density as their mattresses. The Tempur HD is 7 lbs, the regular Tempur material is 5.3 lbs and the Tempur - ES is 4 lbs. All three of them are used in the different versions of their pillows.
Durability can sometimes be tricky to assess based on other people’s experiences or how well a mattress is holding up for them. It can be affected by weight distribution, body shape, and sleeping positions and some people are also much more sensitive to the effects of foam softening than others. Some people can still be well inside the range of comfort and alignment that works well for them after using a mattress for many years and be sleeping symptom free while others that are in the same general weight range can be much more sensitive to the effects of foam softening and can experience significant discomfort or pain on the same mattress in a much shorter period of time. Sometimes the difference is dramatic. That’s one of the reasons you will see such a diversity of experiences and different opinions about how long a particular mattress will last.
