I was looking at a few Diamond Mattress models and am concerned about the EcoFlex foam. I believe I’ve see the same foam in other brands so assume it is not exclusive to Diamond. Whatever.
Their literature shows that EcoFlex foam is 1.5 density. They are stating it is higher quality than the norm and has a graph showing EcoFlex 1.5 highest density compared to .85. The implication is that less than 1.0 is usual… thanks to you we know that .85 is not the norm, contrary to what they are suggesting.
Is there something about the manufacture of EcoFlex that would make its 1.5 density superior to 1.5 poly, as far as durability goes?
Ecoflex is just polyfoam and 1.5 lb density is on the upper end of the lower quality range of polyfoam density. It could be suitable in firmer versions as the support layer of a mattress in a lower budget range that used higher quality materials in the comfort layers or used very cautiously (meaning in a thin layer) in the upper layers of a mattress or quilting in certain combinations or in a two sided mattress with layers that weren’t too thick.
While every variation, type, or density of polyfoam can have different properties in terms of how they feel and respond (such as resilience or support factor) and some can have higher “performance” than others (depending on how “performance” is defined for the specific application) and any density of polyfoam can vary in terms of softness and firmness … density is the single biggest factor in the durability of polyfoam regardless of the type.
It’s easy to “look good” when you compare yourself to some of the worst quality foam available in the industry (such as .85 or 1.0 lb polyfoam which I would call “junk” and is certainly not “usual”).
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” … regardless of the type of material or the name of the manufacturer on the label.
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 whether an organic certification is important to you for environmental, social, or personal reasons or whether a “safety” certification is enough.
CertiPur* tests for harmful substances and VOC’s in the polyfoam and memory foam used in mattresses. They have a list of mattress manufacturers here* which are certified and the foam producers that are certified are listed here*. You can see what they test for here**.
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**Always check CertiPur site for the latest guidelines available