Helix vs Novosbed

[phoenix]

Hi jsuehl,

Thanks for your feedback Phoenix. I called Helix and they said the top layer is a density of 26 but they can’t reveal the density of the other foams (including the topper) as it is proprietary information. Then I found on their website the specs that you mentioned, so I’m not sure why she couldn’t tell me the specifics. I still don’t know which layer is on top, which you said might be a concern if the lower density is on top… My BMI is 24 (I am 6’ tall and weigh 170), but most of my weight is in my middle so that is where I break mattresses in fastest.

I’m guessing that the number they gave you for the top layer was the ILD of the material (which isn’t important to know) and not the density. All the different congfigurations of the Helix mattress use the same top 3 layers (1.8 lb polyfoam, a microcoil, and latex) they are just in a different order and in the case of the latex and polyfoam layers can have different firmness levels. All of these are durable enough for someone in your weight/BMI range. The 1.5 lb polyfoam is a little lower than the minimum density for polyfoam that I would normally suggest but it’s also in the base layers of the mattress where it will have much less effect on the durability and useful life of the mattress because the weakest link in a mattress would normally be in the top layers of a mattress not the deeper layers.

Also last time I called in I was told my bed had no latex since I ordered the firmer option it was all polyfoam but this time they are saying that it still has latex, but the latex layer has been moved down and the polyfoam is on top because it is more supportive. So I’m not sure what I have.

All their mattresses use the same layers but they are in different configurations so your mattress would have a latex layer.

so how can I make a good evaluation of how it will endure over time?

The information I included in my last reply would give you a reasonable expectation about the durability and useful life of the mattress as long as it isn’t “on the edge” of being too soft for you when it is new…

but I am concerned that it has already lost some support in my mid-section.

Again all mattresses go through an initial break in and adjustment period when they are new so what you are feeling is the firmness and the suitability of the mattress … not the durability. You haven’t owned the mattress for nearly long enough yet for the durability of the materials to be a factor.

.“Support” is often misunderstood because the goal of a “supportive” mattress is to keep the spine and joints in neutral alignment in all your sleeping positions and this requires the type of contouring support that allows some parts of the body to sink in more (softer) and some parts of the body to sink in less (firmer) and this will vary on an individual basis based on body type and sleeping style. There is more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support/alignment” and “comfort/pressure relief” and “feel” and how they interact together.

Unfortunately I can’t feel what you feel on a mattress so there is no way for me to know whether a mattress is “good enough” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP for you to keep it and you are really the only one that can decide whether to keep it or to return it and choose a different mattress.

Phoenix