I realize this is a rather general question, but I’ve been searching for over a year, and sifted through hundreds of reviews and forum discussions. I’m no further along than I was when I started and honestly I’ve melted my brain.
I bought a VERY cheap Zinus mattress back in 2018 (“12 inch Queen Pressure Relief Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress” to be precise.) Didn’t expect too much from it, but turns out it was my absolute dream mattress - moderately firm, perfect comfort and support. Unsurprisingly, it only took 18 months for permanent body impressions to give me miserable back pain (and I don’t otherwise have back problems)
I set out to buy a “quality” brand that would be durable and offer the same comfort on a moderate budget. Most of the advice I get is along the lines of “Well, don’t buy a cheap mattress, silly!” Surely there has to be something more quantifiable than just a higher price tag? Even pricey mattresses from long-standing brand names (Serta or Sealy, etc.) get eviscerated in reviews.
I don’t want to pay a lot of money and and just cross my fingers that a year from now, it will still hold up. It was suggested I try a “DIY” Hybrid with a firm two-sided pocket coil mattress and a good quality topper, but that seems to be like finding a unicorn to saddle.
Are there definitive markers of quality in memory foam? Any truly durable model suggestions (Hybrid or Memory form)? Is hoping to love it for 5 years asking too much?
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I realize this is a rather general question, but I’ve been searching for over a year, and sifted through hundreds of reviews and forum discussions. I’m no further along than I was when I started and honestly I’ve melted my brain.[/quote]
Unfortunately, you are not alone in spending so much time, without success, to find a new mattress. This is mainly because many of the people giving “advice” either don’t have much experience or are representing companies that have vested interests. I’d suggest you step back and do a more methodical approach in your search for a new mattress. As durability is the baseline to start, I wouldn’t even consider any mattress with subpar materials that are doomed to break down in a year or so.
Consumers tend to find that there are a few issues with inexpensive mattresses. Besides the lack of transparency in disclosing materials and composition details, they tend to use low-density memory foam. As you have found, though excessive memory foam can be suitable short term, most memory foam used in comfort and transition mattress layers is low density and will break down quickly and shows both virtual and visible mattress impressions which at best will cause physical discomfort and at worst cause major pains and sleepless nights. Anything with more than an inch or 2 of lower density memory foam or of polyfoam in the comfort layer would raise a red flag in terms of durability. The Zinus you purchased has a 3" memory foam layer of unknown density and another 2" of foam of undisclosed density. This generally indicates a mattress with sub-par materials and construction.
The term “long-standing brand names” does not automatically mean quality in fact just the opposite is often true. You may want to read these articles by Phoenix which explain this dynamic very well Mattress manufacturers - national brands and Major Mattress Manufacturers - Top 20. Large commercial brands like Serta or Sealy also lack transparency in their materials and components, and use an excessive amount of lower density memory foams, so it would not surprise me if, in a few years, you end up back at Square One. I’d reset the way you are looking for a new mattress with first getting a basic understanding of what to look for and what to avoid. Take a look at our mattress shopping guidelines and our mattress specifications you need to know.
A DIY could be a good way to go but you’d need to learn a few of the mattress basics to ensure not only mattress longevity but suitability as well. Typically, we don’t make recommendation in terms of comfort/suitability, since a mattress is such a personal choice for you and no two people are alike in terms of needs and preferences, but we can definitely make a few comments and even point out some of the better quality options vetted by TMU. Based on your stats (Height, BMI, sleeping positions and any health conditions) and depending on PPP (Posture & alignment, Pressure relief, And Personal preferences), you may want to take a look at this directory of Trusted Members here at The Mattress Underground are all of great quality/value with excellent construction and are fully disclosing their materials and components used in their mattresses. They offer a wide selection of mattresses as various prices and are responsive to consumer questions. You might want to look at Latex or Hybrid-latex mattresses as these will break down far more slowly than memory foam, and should last for years.
As mentioned above when talking about memory foam and polyfoam the best “marker of quality” is the density of the foam, (the higher the density the more durable the foam is) Most good quality mattresses should last a decade or so and in case of latex many more years.
Hope this helps and puts you on the right track for a more methodical approach to buying a suitable and long-lasting mattress.
Basilio - Thank you for your kind and incredibly informative reply, You are so right about the lack of transparency and specifically in regards to foam density, it seems to result in conflicting details or comparison charts with a range of “probable density” that is a guess at best. I have no regrets buying my $200 Zinus, I just didn’t expect to love it so much in its brief useful life. I had an expansive research chart mapping foam and whatever else, but at some point my “research” turned into the Excel version of Dante’s inferno. I’ll take a fresh look using the advice you gave me.
I’d buy you a cup of coffee if I could - thanks again
Glad I could provide some useful information and direction for your mattress buying journey. You have emerged from the 9 Circles and
you can now move forth! I hope you find the perfect mattress now…Heres’ to success in your search!
