Hi Brad,
As you probably know … I don’t consider either the iComfort or the Novaform to be particularly good value. I also think that the current industry emphasis on gel memory foam is more driven by marketing than by fact or accurate information or even by real benefits. They are one of many materials and methods that can be used to make a mattress cooler (and in many cases they are not close enough to the surface to make a real difference anyway) and are also one of several ways to “offset” the softness and “risk” of memory foam in general because of it’s tendency to soften with heat, humidity, and time spent on the mattress which can lead to sleeping out of alignment if the layers in a mattress are not suitable for the needs and preferences of the person on it.
Comparing memory foam (including it’s variant gel memory foam) to latex is really an apples to oranges comparison because they are completely different materials. You can read a little more about latex here and about memory foam here to get a sense of the pros and cons of each. There are also different types of gel foams and the manufacturers are making sure that there is not enough information to make more meaningful comparisons between them but in general terms … some of the different types and my thoughts about them are in post #26 here. With the information available … I would tend to avoid the type of first generation gel foams that use larger particles because it is likely that they will weaken the foam that they are added to.
There are several larger manufacturers that use gel in a form that it becomes part of the matrix or that have smaller particles that can become part of the cell walls of the memory foam that don’t have the disadvantages of large particulates added to a foam. Flexible foam is one example of gel foam manufacturers that is making some good quality gel foam based on some of the feedback I have had from manufacturers although the specs of this category of materials in general is sorely lacking so it is very difficult to make any kind of meaningful comparisons (and this is by design because most manufacturers are hoping that consumers will believe that “gel foam” is “gel foam” so they can use lower quality materials that are sold at higher prices).
Your best odds of finding higher quality and value though is generally to avoid outlets that focus on the largest brands and to look for local factory direct manufacturers or smaller “sleep shop” types of outlets that sell mattresses made by smaller privately owned independent or local manufacturers. These are generally the types of outlets that tend to know more about materials and construction (particularly if they manufacture the mattress or are more “expert” in mattress materials) and that generally use higher quality materials in every price point.
“Western NC” is a little bit too big of an area for me to search for better options and I normally need a zip code or the closest city rather than a “region” but post #2 here includes the local manufacturers within 100 miles of Hickory, NC and with luck there are some that are close enough to you to warrant a visit. There is some very good value on the list. If you are committed to gel memory foam … I would give each of them a call or check their website to make sure that they make mattresses that use this material. Many of them make and sell high quality latex mattresses.
If you are somewhere else in the Western NC region, if you let me know your zip or the city you live in I’ll be happy to look for any I know of that may be closer to you.
Hope this helps
Phoenix