Speaking of which, What brand do you recommend for a higher quality but lower priced mattress?
Hi neocatcher,
As I mentioned in my last reply there is no way to quantify how long any mattress will last for any particular person but if a mattress is well inside the comfort/support range that is suitable for someone and isnât close to the edge of the range that is too soft for someone when it is new and meets the minimum quality specs that are suggested in the guidelines here then it would be reasonable to expect a useful lifetime in the range of 7 - 10 years and with higher quality and more durable materials like latex or higher density memory foam or polyfoam (in the comfort layers especially) it would likely be in the higher end of the range or even longer.
Itâs always more realistic to think of 10 years as a maximum reasonable expectation for any mattress no matter what the quality of the materials and then treat any additional time after that as âbonus timeâ because after about 10 years the limiting factor in the useful life of a mattress will often be the changing needs and preferences of the person sleeping on the mattress and even if a mattress is still in good condition after a decade ⌠a mattress that was suitable for someone 10 years earlier may not be the best âmatchâ any longer.
With higher quality materials throughout a mattress and/or for people whose needs and preferences or physical condition or body type hasnât changed much over 10 years then âbonus timeâ or even âextended bonus timeâ with higher quality/density materials like latex or higher density memory foam is much more likely than with materials that are in a lower quality/density range.
As I mentioned in the post I linked I have talked with them about their Green Choice mattresses. They list the quality/density of the memory foams in their descriptions so that part is easy to find out.
I couldnât agree with this more and this is one of the reasons that I started this site and wrote much of the information that you will find on it. There are many high priced mattresses that use low quality/density materials that certainly wouldnât be worth considering. There is more about the most important parts of the âvalueâ of a mattress purchase in post #13 here.
3 lb memory foam is certainly a lower quality and less durable material than I would consider in layers that are more than âabout an inch or soâ which would be a weak link in a mattress. The density of memory foam and polyfoam is the single biggest factor in its durability and higher density memory foam and polyfoam would generally be more durable than lower density versions of the same materials.
There is more about durability in the previous post I linked but if you want some additional reading then post #5 here includes some links to more industry information about foam density and durability and if you are interested then there are also some links to more technical information about polyfoam and memory foam in post #2 here that are also very interesting but more technical reading.
I donât make specific suggestions or recommendations about âwhatâ to choose (either for a specific mattress or a specific manufacturer) ⌠only âhowâ to choose a mattress that is the best match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here) but some of the better lower budget options Iâm aware of are linked in post #4 here.
Phoenix
We recently bought and returned the green choice Meditation mattress at Denver Mattress. The first problem was it didnât meet the specifications advertised-13 inches tall with 1.5 inches gel memory foam, 3 inches vis. mem. foam, 7.5 inches hyb. core, 1 inch support foam. Our king mattress was less than 10.3 inches tall with only 1.5 inches vis .mem .foam and a 6 inch hyb. core, also, it was only 78 inches long instead of 80. We called our saleslady, who told us the less expensive form mattresses vary in size and to wait a month, but 3 inches short in height and 2 inches short in length seems too much. We wanted to exchange it, but youâre only allowed one and these mattresses come air-vacuumed, taking 4 days to inflate to its actual size.
We came in and asked another saleslady if it could be sent to the store and inflated there and if it met specifications, we could exchange it and not be burned a second time. She agreed and ordered it. The mattress arrived, but our original saleslady and a manager said they wouldnât allow it to inflate at the store.
My wife went to the store to measure the queen Meditation on the floor. They had told her their mattress was 12.5 inches tall. But when the cover was removed, it was only a little over 10.5 inches high and 78.5 long. With that knowledge, it wasnât worth exchanging, odds are the majority, if not all, fall short. Also after a month on the mattress, we started having sever back pain. The hybrid core does not appear to be solid, but looked like broken pieces of foam from the outside.
Fortunately, their policy allows a 4 month return to get a 100% refund or exchange. We decided not to buy at Denver mattress, since the measurement problem was not an issue to them. It would have been nice if they had offered to pick up our bad mattress, because we felt it had been falsely advertised, but they didnât. These mattresses are very awkward, heavy and difficult to handle plus if there is any soil, marks, or stains, it voids the warranty.
We did a lot of research and purchased an organic/natural latex mattress that is 12 inches with an organic 1 inch cover, online at Sleep EZ, [a member of this sight]. This company was so helpful, they even measured the length for us and e-mailed the picture of it being 80 inches long before shipping it to us. Everything they advertised was true. We love this mattress, it is extremely comfortable as well as supportiveâŚwe highly recommend this company and itâs products.
Hi Whitelite,
Thanks for taking the time to share your comments and experiences ⌠I appreciate it 
[quote]We recently bought and returned the green choice Meditation mattress at Denver Mattress. The first problem was it didnât meet the specifications advertised-13 inches tall with 1.5 inches gel memory foam, 3 inches vis. mem. foam, 7.5 inches hyb. core, 1 inch support foam. Our king mattress was less than 10.3 inches tall with only 1.5 inches vis .mem .foam and a 6 inch hyb. core, also, it was only 78 inches long instead of 80. We called our saleslady, who told us the less expensive form mattresses vary in size and to wait a month, but 3 inches short in height and 2 inches short in length seems too much. We wanted to exchange it, but youâre only allowed one and these mattresses come air-vacuumed, taking 4 days to inflate to its actual size.
We came in and asked another saleslady if it could be sent to the store and inflated there and if it met specifications, we could exchange it and not be burned a second time. She agreed and ordered it. The mattress arrived, but our original saleslady and a manager said they wouldnât allow it to inflate at the store.
My wife went to the store to measure the queen Meditation on the floor. They had told her their mattress was 12.5 inches tall. But when the cover was removed, it was only a little over 10.5 inches high and 78.5 long. With that knowledge, it wasnât worth exchanging, odds are the majority, if not all, fall short. Also after a month on the mattress, we started having sever back pain. The hybrid core does not appear to be solid, but looked like broken pieces of foam from the outside.
Fortunately, their policy allows a 4 month return to get a 100% refund or exchange. We decided not to buy at Denver mattress, since the measurement problem was not an issue to them. It would have been nice if they had offered to pick up our bad mattress, because we felt it had been falsely advertised, but they didnât. These mattresses are very awkward, heavy and difficult to handle plus if there is any soil, marks, or stains, it voids the warranty.[/quote]
Itâs not all that uncommon that a mattress that was shipped from China doesnât return to itâs full dimensions after being compressed for a longer period of time and you also may have dodged a bullet by returning it instead of exchanging it since as youâve probably read in this topic the Green Choice mattresses use lower quality/density materials that would be a weak link in the mattress in terms of durability anyway. Some of the mattresses that they make themselves would certainly be worth considering but I would avoid the Green Choice mattresses and the major brands that they also carry.
Congratulations on your new mattress
As you know I think very highly of SleepEZ and the mattress you purchased is certainly a much better quality/value choice than any of the Green Choice mattresses.
Itâs also great to hear that you are sleeping well on it and that the choice you made was such a good âfitâ for you as well!.
Phoenix
I know this is late, but to help future shoppers I thought Iâd leave an ownerâs review. Iâve owned 3 of the Green Choice Bliss mattresses for about 3½ years. First of all, the 2 that are for my children are fine, they still like them, and have no issue. It is a great cheap mattress for children and people under 115lbs.
Now for adults (115lbs+) usage, Iâm large semi athletic build 225 lbs, my wife is around 125ish lbs⌠It was very comfortable when we first got it. However, the memory foam has become softer and softer with usage. Now when you lay on it, it has 2 sags in it (one on my side, one on my wifeâs). The middle is still at original firmness, so if we snuggle, one of us is on a ridge. It was fine at first, but not any more. I would not recommend this mattress if thereâs more than one person sleeping on it, and you want to have any intimacy after it is âbroken inâ this happens about year 2. We did notice it softened some at about 6 months. The mattress is supposed to be flip free, however we flip it about every 3 to 6 months. We have also rotated it. This was due to its starting to bring the sags/soften. Letting the mattress ârestâ seemed to help at first, but not any more. As for sleeping on it, year one was great, year 2 was okay, year 3 you start to fuss, but for the past 3 months weâre wanting to sleep on the floor.
And the warranty is rubbish. In order for them to warranty it it has to have a sag of more than one inch⌠Itâs memory foam. The problem is not a traditional sag. The problem is that the memory foam is worn out, and creates the SAG as soon as you lay on it. when you get off of it it returns to normal shape, it just loses all of his support. So you canât take it back for warranty. If youâre looking for a cheap mattress, and you will get a new one in 2 or 3 years, get it. But if youâre looking for a long-term mattress, look elsewhere. That is my opinion.
Hi Wolf68,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum!
Iâm sorry your Green Choice mattress didnât work out well for you. As I think youâre already aware, this mattress uses lower density materials (see details earlier in this thread here and here), and I would advise caution for anyone to consider such an item for adult use. Unfortunately, the time frame you referenced is probably about what youâd expect with an item using this level of lower density foams.
Thanks for sharing.
Phoenix