Foam (icomfort-ish), mattress protector, foam pillows

I’ve been looking to get a new mattress to replace our King Koil from 10 years ago. My husband I have decided it was time since we’re now sleeping in our own individual “pods” that have been created with this mattress. No real hard feelings, it has been a fine mattress.

Based on the website (thank you!!) we have gone through the PPP process and found what we like for comfort. Now I’m hitting a wall at “translating” what that mattress would be in a better retailer/product. I don’t know how to find an independent retailer here. I’m in the central region of BC and all I’ve found is either big box (The Brick, Sleep Country, Costco) or really simple stores that seem to just sell camping foam.

Issue #1
Can you help me translate how the icomfort Curiosity 2 (what they call it at The Brick) would be understood in any other mattresses? I even tried to look it up on the serta site, but I can’t figure out which one it is. Based on the “Kool Comfort” memory foam and the Cool Action Plush Gel memory foam - I think it might be the Savant.

We also liked the newer Simmons comforpedic “plush” – but again I can’t seem to find good info on what that is, so I don’t know how to buy from an independent retailer (or even costco for that matter) and get something similar.

My aunt and mom have the firmer Novaform Gel Memory Foam, but I think I like something a little less firm and I have no idea how to “look that up” on websites.
http://www.costco.ca/Novaform®-35.6-cm-(14-in.)-Gel-Memory-Foam-Mattress.product.100031023.html

The iComfort up here comes in at $2000 before taxes etc. If I thought it was good quality, I’d get it even though it was outside my budget. But honestly, I tend to put my spending zone more in the $1500CAD range.

Issue #2
The salesmen at all the big retailers have been on about how memory foam will eat up moisture (holding up bottles of water next to their display racks of mattress protectors saying "this is what you’ll put into your bed EACH NIGHT) and then pointing out the $150 dritec mattress protector with wicking. I just get so overloaded on The Speel that I can’t handle it when they get going. Plus, “wicking” would not be a great term to use since that means to take away from our bodies – and what? put into the mattress? But I digress. If memory foam needs a mattress protector, I’ll invest in one. But can you please help shed some light on any specific needs of memory foam?

I read up some of your mattress pad suggestions, but I couldn’t find specifics on memory foam. Could be there aren’t any specific issues on foam protectors, but thought I’d try asking outright.

I read that you like the Luna protector in one thread, and I found this one on Amazon.ca
https://www.amazon.ca/Bed-Guard-Hypoallergenic-Waterproof-Protector/dp/B007TTSUWU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380407470&sr=8-1&keywords=luna+mattress+protector

The guy at the big retailer wants us to buy this one (bedgear dritec) at $140:
http://bedgear.com/product.php?pid=4

Issue #3
(edit: I found the pillow thread. Now readinghttps://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/pillows)

Unfortunately my husband tested out a bedgear ASPIRE ADVANCED PERFORMANCE POSITION PILLOW and promptly lost his mind over it.
It is a “side sleeper” with vents and memory foam and a dozen baby doves that fly out each morning to confirm that life is beautiful and the pillow was worth $130.
Okay, not quite. In all, my husband says it is “cool” and like sleeping in heaven.

Are there any other pillow links you have (or links to posts) so I might try to learn a little more about pillows in general. In all, his birthday is coming up and I’m sure I’ll get him one. (And I don’t mind paying if they last and are like sleeping in heaven… who am I to turn that away?)

Any input from members here would be much appreciated. I’m hitting the wall right now. I kind of just keep shutting down (not buying a new bed) and then my husband will just go and buy from the big guys and spend about twice as much as I’d want.

Hi Jenna88,

Outside of your own side by side testing … it’s not likely you will be able to “translate” the feel and performance of one mattress design or combination of materials into another based on specs alone. You can read more about matching one mattress design to another in post #9 here. In terms of feel and performance … without personal side by side testing in real time you would be dependent on how familiar a retailer or manufacturer was with how their own mattresses compared to another one you have tested in terms of feel and performance. Of course it would also be important to make sure you know the specifics of the layers so you can also make more meaningful comparisons in terms of quality/durability and value as well.

In general … if you are testing mattresses where you can’t find out the specifics of what is in the mattresses you are testing then most of the time you spend would be wasted. In these cases … even if you like a mattress … there is no way to compare it to other mattresses that may interest you in terms of its feel and performance or in terms of its quality. The only “value” of testing mattresses where you don’t know the specifics of what is in them is that they may give you some generic sense of the types of materials you prefer (if you at least know the types of materials in the mattress). Other than this … most of this kind of testing is wasted time unless you actually decide to purchase the mattress that you are testing.

You would need to know the specifics of all the layers in the Curiosity 2 to be able to match it to another iComfort that may have a different name. The Brick doesn’t provide this information. If you know the thickness of the mattress then you could compare it to other iComfort mattresses that are the same thickness but these may still not have the same layering.

Again … Simmons is the same thing and it’s unlikely you will be able to find out the specifics of what is in it or use it as any kind of meaningful reference point to compare it to another mattress. This is why I generally suggest avoiding major brands and chain stores in these guidelines which are linked in the basic mattress shopping reference post in post #1 here.

I would follow the steps in the reference post one by one and only test mattresses or visit retailers where you have confirmed beforehand (on the phone) that they are willing and able to provide you with the specific information you need about all the materials in any of their mattresses you are interested in testing … and specifically the thickness and density of any memory foam or polyfoam layers or the thickness, type, and blend of any latex in any mattress you are considering. This type of information is not generally available on the spec sheets that many retailers have.

If your initial “phone interview” of a retail store you plan to visit indicates that they know very little about foam types or density or have little meaningful knowledge or information about their mattresses … then it’s probably best to avoid them completely.

It’s a good idea to use a mattress protector with any mattress you purchase regardless of the type of materials or foam used. It will help protect your mattress from the normal body fluids and oils that each of us lose each night and also from accidents and even dust mites. It’s easier to wash a mattress protector than a mattress cover to maintain good mattress hygiene and any kind of stain on a mattress (even a slight watermark that remains if you try to remove a stain) will void the warranty. You can read more about the pros and cons of different types of the more common types of mattress protectors in post #89 here.

It’s not surprising that you are hitting a wall if you are considering major brands or visiting chain stores. The BC interior is a big place and if you let me know the specific city or postal code where you live I’d be happy to let you know about any better options I’m aware of in your area (or time permitting scan some of the retailers near you to see if any of them may be better “possibilities”).

Phoenix

Thanks so much for the reply, you are all kinds of awesome.

I’m in the Okanagan Valley - biggest center in our area would be Kelowna.

And thanks for clarifying the issues with my side-by-side approach. I somehow got it into my head that… Okay, I have no idea what I thought I was going to do once I tested out beds at the big stores. Main thing was that 5 years ago we didn’t like foam, and now it seems it is what we liked in the store. So the testing did help us with that.

Any insight on good local people to buy from or legit online retailers who ship to (or are in) Canada would be great.

Hi Jenna88,

One place in Kelowna that I know of that would be well worth visiting is …

http://www.sleepys.ca/ . They carry Restonic (two sided innersprings), Ironman, Sprout, Renelle, and their own custom latex mattresses. Geoff there is very knowledgeable and helpful (see post #17 here).

There are a few others that may be worth considering out of over 30 stores and chains I looked at in Kelowna, Vernon, and Penticton. I’ve only looked at websites and didn’t call any of these and I’ve also listed the brands their site says they carry that would have better odds of being able to find out the details of the materials in the mattress.

Redirecting... Kelowna, BC. Foam supplier but may also make their own mattresses.

http://www.mattressmattress.com/promotions.html Kelowna, BC. Sova, Pure Latex Bliss, Springwall

http://www.duckydown.com/ Kelowna, BC. Latex Gold component latex mattresses.

http://www.treehouseinteriors.ca/ Kelowna, BC. Springwall

http://www.designersgallerycanada.com/bedding/index.html Vernon, BC. Restonic, Natura, Springwall.

http://www.pentictonhummingbirdfurniture.com/index.php Penticton, BC. Springwall.

I’ll make a few calls early next week to see if there are any others that are worth adding to the list (and confirm the mattresses that these ones are carrying).

I would make sure that you only test mattresses where you have confirmed that they will be able to provide you with the specifics of all the layers in the mattress including foam densities for any polyfoam or memory foam and the type and blend of any latex.

A few US and Canadian retailers or manufacturers that ship across Canada are listed in post #21 here.

Phoenix

According to their website, the Brooklyn Bedding iPedic Savior “is comparable to” the iComfort Savant…

This is great. I live near Vernon, but it is easy enough to get down to Kelowna. I’m making note of all this info and reviewing the other links you’ve given me.

I’m feeling better with the idea that I might just get a new mattress before winter :slight_smile:

Thank you! I’ll take a look. Unfortunately, shipping cross-border can be a real PITA so I’ll be sure to see how they ship. Funny enough USPS/UPS/etc are the best at crossing the border without major headaches or weird random fees. Not what you’d expect :wink: But yeah, couriers can be great, freight trucks are so hard to deal with.

Thanks for the link to Sleepys and the link to the other thread. Based on all that, I stopped by Sleepys yesterday and got to test out latex, which I hadn’t even really known was an option. Geoff offers a few different latex options, including two custom designs with his preferred mix of layers. There’s an 8’’ and an 10’'.

I mentioned that this site had sent me his way, and he was very intrigued with the continued pattern of people coming in with the same story (and I’d assume asking some of the same questions about his latex and his knowledge).

We’ve ordered his 10’’ latex mattress, the Ironman boxspring (prorated), a mattress protector, and two latex pillows (standard lower profile for me, bigger/thicker queen for husband). They’ll deliver and remove our old set.

With 120 night sleep trial, I know we’ll have the time to see that it really works for us.

There’s no way we would have ended up there and buying this particular mattress without this website.

Thanks so much!

Hi Jenna88,

You’re very welcome and I’m gad the site could help. You certainly made a good quality choice.

Most importantly … congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

I’m looking forward to your feedback when you have a chance to sleep on it.

Phoenix