Thanks to Phoenix for this amazing forum. I’ve learned so much and am hopeful that I will be sleeping in blissful comfort soon enough!
We had pretty much decided to go with Brooklyn Bedding latex mattress, with one of the Eurotop zip-off top options, in case we wanted to change our comfort layer. Based on our preferences, they recommended we should go with a level 3 firmness in the comfort layers.
However, we recently stopped by Bedworks in Cambridge, and tried one of their unique HR Foam mattresses. More info here:
We both loved the feel of their mattresses. They use 2.6lb HR foam, and we liked the Medium Firm (35 ILD) and Very Firm (45 ILD) options. They’re 8" high and $1200. The price seemed high to me, but maybe good quality foam is just this expensive. Any thoughts?
We loved the feeling of laying ‘ON’ the mattress and not being engulfed by it, like we feel with memory foam and our current mattress, which is a spring mattress with a layer of latex in it.
Are there other purely HR foam mattresses out there? Any thoughts on this option?
Can anyone explain how this would feel compared to a Brooklyn Bedding latex mattress? Is their bed ‘springy’ compared to the foam? If you’ve slept on a HR foam and latex mattress, how can you describe the differences?
True HR polyfoam such as what you are looking at is a very high quality material that has many similarities to latex. This will depend on it’s specific properties (different polyfoam formulas can produce different properties) but the best of them are very durable materials that have many of the same properties as latex although in most cases to a lesser extent (including resilience, durability, and comprersion modulus). Of course they are also completely synthetic materials which use many more chemicals in their formulations than latex for those who are concerned with this. They are typically less costly than latex itself but more costly than conventional foam.
The ILD of polyfoam is also tested differently from most latex so a particular ILD rating in latex will usually feel softer than the same IFD rating with polyfoam (see post #2 here).
There are many HR polyfoam mattresses that use it either in comfort layers, support layers, or both but I don’t have a specific list. They are much more common with smaller factory direct manufacturers than they are with mainstream manufacturers wehre you very rarely see them.
In an “apples to apples” comparison with the same softness level (not necessarily the same ILD) and depending on the specific HR foam formulation, they would “feel” quite similar yes although latex would be more elastic, a little more resilient, a little more conforming and point elastic, more breathable (in most cases), and more durable than most HR polyfoam.
I realize I’m resurrecting an old thread, but I wanted to ask if anyone has further thoughts or experience on this matter…
Phoenix gave a helpful response (thanks!), but I find myself in a situation where several of the options for mattresses I can afford (from manufacturers with good reputations) are this sort of single-layer high resilience foam mattress. Different manufacturers make different claims, but they all seem to suggest that HR foam (with a range of 2.5-2.8 support factor and 25, 35 or 45 ILD) can be considered a poor-man’s [sic] latex, and a single layer (6 or 8 inches usually) can provide good comfort and support for a wide variety of people.
Does anyone else have direct experience with such mattresses, in the short or long term? I don’t want to spend many hundreds of dollars to end up with a glorified camping mat or something!
Welcome to the TMU Forum ! Thanks for your question.
The “single-layer high resilience foam mattress” you describe is available in many of the under $1,000 “Bed-In-A-Box” compressed mattresses available online. Based on consumer preferences, many manufacturers offer 3 categories of a mattress “feel” either a soft, medium or firm, as indicated broadly in the specs you mention above. Often available too is a “sleep trial” period (length varies by manufacturer where offered), giving you the chance to make a “comfort” exchange of the mattress should you find the need for a more “soft” feeling or a “firmer” feeling.
Are there any local manufacturers with showrooms that you could visit? I would highly recommend for others who may be following your mattress shopping journey a read of TMU article Mattress Shopping Tutorial, in particular STEP 4: Connect with the “experts” at the better stores near you who are completely transparent about their mattresses and can help you identify the types of materials, components, and layering that best fits your needs and preferences and that will match all the most important parts your “personal value equation” (see post #46 here ) and that have the best value within your budget range. Make sure you also check for the various policies or benefits of dealing with the merchant which may provide additional value with your purchase (including any return or exchange policies). Use their help and guidance to help you test for PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).
There are many high quality mattresses available at reasonable prices in this category, you should check out our trusted member manufacturers/ retailers’ offerings. They welcome answering consumer questions, as do TMU consumer subscribers who are helpful in sharing product performance. Looking forward to hearing more updates on your research…
! Thanks for your question.