foamex memory foam mattress

[phoenix]

Hi conceptcar3,

Thank you Phoenix! So you would recommend I spend the 300 to 400 more, after speaking with dream foam or the sleep warehouse?

No not at all … I hope that’s not what you read into my last reply. There are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for me to know which mattress would be “best for you” (or anyone) so I don’t recommend specific mattresses … only “how” to find a mattress that is the best match for you and all the parts of your personal equation that are most important to you.

The most important step is to talk with each of the companies you are considering so you can answer the most important question in any mattress purchase which is “how suitable is this mattress for me in terms of PPP and how well am I likely to sleep on it?” with reasonable confidence. Your answer to this question is by far the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase because if you don’t sleep well on a mattress (especially with back issues) it would have little value to you regardless of the quality of the materials or the cost of the mattress (as you discovered with your Sealy).

Your next most important step would be “are there any obvious weak links in this mattress relative to my body type?”. Regardless of how well you sleep on a mattress it would have little value to you if a mattress is likely to soften or break down too quickly relative to the price you paid. The loss of comfort and support that goes hand in hand with the softening or breakdown of the materials isn’t considered to be a defect and won’t qualify for warranty coverage unless there are visible impressions that are deeper than the warranty exclusions (which is only a minority of cases … see post #174 here).

Once you have answered the first two questions with reasonable confidence then you are in a position to make meaningful comparisons and make a final choice between mattresses based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are important to you. Part of this would be the cost of course and part would also include the options you have available if in spite of the best efforts of both you and the manufacturer/retailer you are dealing with the mattress turns out to be a less than ideal choice for you and you don’t sleep well on it.

Based on the weight of that mattress , I was able to calculate the density of the 9" base layer to be 1.56.
91.6lbs/42.2222 cubic feet total volume = 2.17 lb/ft total mattress density.
2.17 x12 inches (mattress height) = 26.033
3inches x 4lb/ft= 12 ; 26.033-12= 14.033
14.033/9 (remaining mattress height) = 1.56
Do these appear to be the exact same to you, or is ordering from SAMs club the way go go?

Wow, I actually just noticed the amazon mattress has a higher total weight of 104.6lb
Crunching the same numbers, that gives the base 9 inch poly foam layer a density of 1.97!

I would talk to both of them to confirm that their shipping weights are correct and to confirm the density of the base layers. If they are knowledgeable and experienced enough to give you accurate answers and you are confident in the answers they provide then you will know whether they are the same with reasonable certainty.

Finally, given my options with my approved sealy warranty, what would you advise regarding that?

I made some comments about your exchange at the end of my last reply …

As you will read in the tutorial post I would tend to avoid the major brands as much as possible and I certainly wouldn’t spend any more on them than I had to. As you can see here … the Sealy Optimum Radiance Gold uses almost the same or lower quality/density materials as most of the other mattresses you are considering (about 4 lb memory foam and 1.5 lb polyfoam base layers) but is considerably more costly so I certainly wouldn’t spend any more “good money after bad” than I had to on any major brand mattress or on an “upgrade” unless there were no other suitable options available when the other mattresses you are considering use the same or better quality materials.

How long did you own your Sealy Optimum and how long did you sleep well on it before you began to experience back issues? Was your exchange because of a defect in the mattress (visible impressions deeper than the warranty exclusions) or was it due to a comfort issue? What is the likelihood that you will experience the same issues in about the same period of time with the same or a very similar mattress? Your answers to these questions will be an important part of deciding what to do next.

Phoenix