Hi djag67,
The quality of memory foam and polyfoam in terms of durability is directly related to its density so Tempurpedic tends to use good quality materials in their mattresses for the most part. 4 lb memory foam is usually the minimum density of memory foam I would consider and as density goes up then durability increases as well. In terms of quality/value comparisons with other mattresses I would use density and design (layer thickness and amount of memory foam) as the main basis for a comparison. there is more about the many factors that can affect durability in post #4 here.
In addition to this different types of memory foams have different properties (see post #9 here) and some people may like some types of memory foam more than others but this is a matter of preference rather than quality.
In addition to this there is some clear evidence that Tempurpedic has changed its support foam layers from about 2.2 lb density to 1.5 lb density and they have been removing their specs from the internet to make it much more difficult for consumers to make meaningful quality/value comparisons based on the quality of the materials in their mattresses.
You can see my thoughts about their Breeze models in post #6 here.
Some of their newer mattresses such as the Simplicity use 2.5 lb memory foam which is a very poor quality/density memory foam and they are using the “reputation” of their brand name to imply that these mattresses are high quality but this is not reflected in the quality of the materials inside it.
There are many mattresses that use the same or better quality materials in their mattresses that have much better value and for the most part I would categorize Tempurpedic as being good quality (with some exceptions including the Simplicity line which uses low quality/density materials) but poor value compared to other similar mattresses. You can see more of my overall thoughts about Tempurpedic in post #10 here and in post #2 in this thread.
In terms of any direct comparison between the Tempurpedic and the Comforpedic mattresses both of them are not in the best value range and they are too different in terms of design to make any direct or specific comparisons in terms of either quality or value so it would need to be based more on intuitive judgement than a specific direct comparison. There are also some unknowns in terms of the specific quality of some of the layers in each that aren’t included in the specs. Value would also depend on the prices of each of course.
Some of the “gaps” that would need to be filled in is the density of the Rhapsody Breeze layers (the Tempur-Breeze material would likely be 7 lb similar to the Tempur Rhapsody top layer and the Tempur-Climate would likely be similar density to the 5.3 lb Tempur material but these would be assumptions because tempurpedic doesn’t disclose this. They also don’t disclose the quality of their base layers although I would probably assume they are 1.5 lbs. With the Comforpedic they don’t disclose the density of the 1" “firm comfort foam” although this is within the “around 1” or so" guideline I would normally consider to be acceptable for the use of lower quality foam in comfort layers. It is likely 1.5 lb and probably less and will soften over time faster than higher quality materials but because it is only 1" the softening will have less effect than it would if thelayer was thicker. It would slightly add to the risk of foam softening of the upper layers as a whole. The “Independent support technology” is a generic term that can apply to any material and in some cases it can refer to slow response latex but in others to something else and they don’t disclose the specifics in this case. They also don’t include the density/quality of the Aircool polyfoam layer.
So overall … in terms of quality/durability the Rhapsody would likely have the edge because the comfort layers use the highest density memory foam. This would be followed by the Contour Select and then the Comforpedic which has the lowest density foams in the upper layers and would be most closely comparable to the Tempurpedic Cloud Series which use 4 lb memory foam.
In terms of suitability which of course is also a major part of value this would depend on how well each mattress matched the needs and preferences of each person in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) based on their testing experiences.
In terms of materials value the Rhapsody uses the most costly memory foam materials (4" of 7 lb memory foam and 5.3 lb memory foam which are more costly than lower density memory foams). The Contour Select would be next with 4" of 5.3 lb memory foam and the Comforpedic would trail with 3" of memory foam in the 4 lb range but if it also uses 2" of slow response latex then this is also a more costly premium foam as well so it now has 5" of premium foam so this would put it’s overall material value in a higher range. The support layers would have less to do with durability becuase they are deeper in the mattress but the Comforpedic probably has slightly higher quality polyfoam if the information I have about the support foam of the Tempurpedics is correct and applies to these specific models.
The price of course between them would also play a significant role in any value comparisons as well as all the other options that go with each mattress purchase that are mentioned in the post about all the other objective, subjective, and intangible factors that are part of a mattress purchase and can play an important role in each person’s “personal value equation”.
I normally don’t go into this type of detail because of all the unknowns involved and I would normally just suggest passing all of them by when there are so many better quality/value options available but I thought I’d go into a little more detail to give an example about some of the objective, subjective, intangible, and intuitive factors that can be involved in making comparisons between mattresses that are very different.
I personally wouldn’t consider any of these in terms of quality/value. In the case of Tempurpedic it would be more about the doubts I have about what is really in the mattress and in the best case their poor value and in the case of the Comforpedic it would be because there are too many unknowns to make any really meaningful assessment but if I was forced to make a choice between them based on the regular selling prices and excluding any factors that have to do with the comfort, support, and suitability of each mattress (which varies with each individual) then I would probably lean towards the Comforpedic in terms of overall “value” (although I would have to grit my teeth and swallow very hard to make this kind or purchase) unless I was in a higher weight range where the odds were higher that the lower density of the foams would soften and break down too quickly in which case I may go with the even worse value of the Tempurpedic Rhapsody or Contour Select (although in this case I would be seriously questioning why I was considering any of them at all).
Phoenix