Hi Sve The Snorer,
First some general comments …
Just to clarify the group of PhD’s they consulted with when they were designing their mattresses are not the owners of the company.
Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the durability guidelines here relative to your weight range … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article). The best way to know which types of materials or mattresses you tend to prefer in general terms will be based on your own local testing or your own personal experience.
While price is certainly important of course … the “value” of a mattress purchase is what is most important and price is just one of many factors that can affect the “value” of a mattress purchase. There isn’t a “formula” that can be used to assess or “calculate” the value of a mattress because there are so many different variables and criteria involved that can affect the price of a mattress that can each be more or less important to some people and not to others who may have completely different criteria or definitions of “value”. The value of a mattress purchase is also relative to how a mattress compares to the other finalists you are considering or to other mattresses that are available to you in your area (or online if you are also considering online options). There are many reasons that a mattress that may be “good value” for one person or in one area of the country may not be good value for someone else that has very different needs and preferences or that lives in a different area.
There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
It’s also not possible to quantify or predict the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials but there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.
In very general terms … the layers and components of a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow, moisture wicking, and temperature regulation than layers and components that are further away from your skin and softer mattresses will tend to be more “insulating” and for some people can sleep warmer than firmer mattresses.
Some specifics …
Durability …
While there is no way to specifically quantify how long any mattress will last for a specific person or predict exactly when they will decide to replace it because it is no longer suitable or comfortable for them to sleep on (because this is the only real measure of durability or the useful life of a mattress that really matters) and because there are too many unknowns and variables involved that are unique to each person … if a mattress is well inside a suitable comfort/support range and isn’t close to the edge of being too soft when it is new (see post #2 here) and you have confirmed that it meets the minimum quality/durability specs relative to your BMI range that are suggested in the durability guidelines here then it would be reasonable to expect a useful lifetime in the range of 7 - 10 years. With materials that just meet the minimum guidelines (in the upper layers in particular) it would be reasonable to expect the lower end of the range and with higher quality and more durable materials like latex or higher density memory foam or polyfoam (again in the upper layers especially) it would likely be in the higher end of the range or even longer and the chances that you would have additional “bonus time” beyond that would be higher as well.
The Helix mattress includes 2" of 1.8 lb polyfoam in the comfort layers which is the minimum polyfoam density I would suggest for those that are in more average weight/BMI ranges. They also use 1.5 lb polyfoam in the base layers of the mattress which is a little under the minimum density I would normally suggest and while it’s true that the deeper layers will have less effect on the durability and useful life of a mattress … it’s still a little lower than I would normally like to see in a mattress in this budget range. The deeper layers can still have “some” effect on the durability and useful life of the mattress but the effect would be more for those that are in higher weight ranges and/or that tend to compress the deeper layers of the mattress more than most people.
The SleepEZ 10000 uses latex in all the layers (you have a choice between Dunlop or Talalay) and latex (regardless of the type or blend of latex) is a very high quality material that is among the most durable materials used in the industry. It would certainly be a more durable choice than the materials in the Helix mattress. One additional advantage of a component mattress is that you can
The bottom line is that the SleepEZ mattress would be significantly more durable than the Helix.
Temperature regulation …
The Helix mattress uses microcoils are a very breathable component but depending on the configuration of the mattress there will also be one or more foam layers (either polyfoam or latex) on top of the microcoils that would be closer to your skin but even if there is a polyfoam or latex layer (or both) above the microcois which would be less breathable it’s unlikely that most people would have any temperature regulation issues on this mattress.
SleepEZ uses latex which is the most breathable of all the foam materials and Talalay latex in general tends to be more breathable than Dunlop. It also has a cotton cover quilted with wool and wool is among the best temperature regulators in the industry (in both directions). It’s also very unlikely that anyone would have any temperature regulation issues on this mattress either.
Choosing your mattress design …
Both of them have an online configurator that can help you decide on the options or layering combinations they have available that may be the most suitable choice for any particular person but I personally wouldn’t fully trust any automated configurator and when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences or to other mattresses that they are familiar with than anyone else and in some cases may provide different suggestions than the online configurator based on your comversation…
A good online retailer or manufacturer will generally suggest a mattress that they honestly believe has the best chance of success based on the information you provide them when you talk to them on the phone because this is in both your own and their best interests but again at the end of the day the only way to know for certain whether any specific mattress is a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP will be based on your own careful testing and/or your own personal experience so if you can’t test a specific mattress in person then the options you have available after a purchase to either exchange the mattress or individual layers or components or return the mattress for a refund (and any costs involved) would generally become a more important part of your personal value equation just in case a mattress you purchase doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for.
Design and firmness options …
The Helix design allows for quite a number of design options based on the order and firmness of each layer in the mattress and they use an algorithm to help decide on which of the different layer and component combinations they have available would have the highest chance of success. Having said that … while this type of algorithm (either by itself or in combination with a more detailed conversation with Helix) will have a good chance of success … not everyone will fit inside the “averages” of other people that appear to be similar which is what the algorithm is based on so for some people the mattress they choose won’t be as good a “match” for them in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP as they hoped for so the only option in this case would be to return it for a refund during their 100 day trial.
The SleepEZ design also allows for a wide range of custom options before a purchase because you can choose different types of latex and different firmness levels for each layer of the mattress. Where a component mattress like SleepEZ differers from a finished mattress like Helix is that you also have a wide range of options to further customize the mattress after a purchase as well either by rearranging layers or exchanging a layer to fine tune the comfort or support of the mattress. A layer exchange costs $30 and if every layering combination you try still doesn’t work for you then you can also return the complete mattress before the end of their 90 day trial period for a cost of $99.
Both of them have the option for side to side spit layering so a couple can each choose their own design and firmness level for their side of the mattress.
A component mattress also has the advantage of being able to replace just a single layer (generally the top layer) if it softens or breaks down before the others or if your needs and preferences change over time rather than replacing the whole mattress. There is also more information about the pros and cons of a component latex mattress with a zip cover and loose layers vs a finished mattress with glued layers in post #15 here and post #2 here.
Hopefully this will help you decide on whether the additional cost of the SleepEZ mattress would be worth the additional durability and other benefits it provides.
Phoenix