I finally bought my mattress! And it's really uncomfortable...

I spent hours and hours on this site and others trying to find the best mattress available. I settled for a Charles P Rogers Powercore 5000 (inner coils + 1.5ish talalay latex) after visiting both locations and walking through the factory floor… I thought I made the right choice, $1300 for a queen is a not cheap but not expensive if the mattress really lasts 10 years+. After laying on each available mattress in the store (plus dozens of others from sleepy’s, etc) I thought the one I chose was just right for the price, perhaps a bit on the firm side but certainly comfortable for a side sleeper.

It’s not the same mattress in the floor room. It’s VERY hard, and it honestly feels like a cheap mattress. I have no doubt there are quality materials underneath, but I have 7 days to return this and the rep in the store suggested I walk on the mattress for a few hours. If this latex is supposed to late “25 years,” how is walking on it for a week really going to help? I’m just so disappointed I did all this research only to hate the product I paid for.

In college, I bought a layer of foam + memory foam on top of those bricks they give you and that was 10x far more comfortable than this for under $100. If I find a suitable topper, should I keep the mattress and simply use a topper for the next 10 years? Seems to defeat the purpose of spending so much money on a single mattress, but if it’s comfortable I guess it doesn’t really matter.

Are there other factory direct companies in the NJ/NY area?

Thanks!

It’s amusing. Walking on it will “break” it in. While there is an expected break in period, the right mattress should not cause pain and discomfort.

Did you buy a new pillow? That’s always a good suggestion since the new mattress will either sink in or elevate your shoulders more than the former mattress. When we bought our Design Sleep mattress, we covered it with the stretch cotton protector and added two wool/latex pillows. We’ve enjoyed good sleep since then. We’ve been sleeping on it since mid-August and not one single adjustment or discomfort complaint. Not one.

IMO, I’d never buy a topper to fix a new mattress unless that mattress was less than $300. If the mattress is wrong for you, it’s wrong for you. I would trade it in for something comfortable or go shopping elsewhere.

Urban Natural Home Furnishings is in NJ and a member of this site.

Hi jqwer1,

Your mattress certainly isn’t a “cheap” mattress (and the feel or firmness of a mattress has very little to do with it’s cost or it’s initial comfort) but there will also be a break in and adjustment period with any new mattress that can make a noticeable difference in how a mattress feels (see post #3 here and post #2 here). It’s very likely that the mattress that you tested on the showroom floor was already broken in and was softer than a new mattress. Walking on the mattress (carefully) is also one of the suggestions in the posts I linked.

Some mattress pads or mattress protectors can also change the feel or firmness of the mattress as well but the Powercore 5000 is also their firmnest latex/pocket coil hybrid so it’s also possible that it’s just too firm for you … especially if you sleep on your side.

While 7 days may not be long enough for a mattress to fully break in or for you to adjust to the mattress … I would give it as long as possible before returning or exchanging it.

I believe that they also have an exchange policy that would allow you to exchange the mattress up to 90 days after a purchase for a softer mattress that may also be worth considering.

I would also keep in mind that it’s not really reasonable to “expect” that you will sleep well on any mattress or that it will maintain its comfort and support for 25 years regardless of the price of a mattress or the materials inside it (see the quality/durability guidelines here).

The warranty of a mattress has very little to do with the useful life of a mattress or how long it may be before you need to replace it. Warranties only cover defects in a mattress and not the gradual (or more rapid in the case of lower quality materials) loss of comfort and support that is the main reason people will need to replace their mattress. There is more about mattress warranties in post #174 here.

A topper can certainly be an effective solution for a mattress that is too firm and it certainly doesn’t “defeat the purpose” of a mattress but there can also be some risk or uncertainty in choosing a topper that is a good “match” both for you and the mattress you are using underneath it.

While only you can decide what you “should do” or whether any risk involved in choosing a topper is “worth it” to you compared to the other options that are available to you … if you do decide on adding a topper then there is more information about choosing a topper in post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to that can help you use your sleeping experience as a reference point and guideline to help you choose the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least possible risk and the best chance for success.

If you do choose a suitable topper and the mattress/topper combination turns out to be a good “match” for you in terms of PPP then it also has the advantage of being able to replace just the topper without replacing the entire mattress if it softens or breaks down before the upper foam layers in the mattress (which is likely) or if your needs or preferences change over time and a topper can also help extend the useful life of a mattress underneath it as well.

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Monroe Township/Newark, NJ. region (subject to the quality/value guidelines here) are listed in post #7 here. There is also a list for the NYC area (with a fair bit of overlap) in post #2 here.

Phoenix

Thanks, I will check both stores and report back. There is no way I’m keeping this mattress, unfortunately.

Phoenix, can you take a look at this mattress: Mattresses For Sale | Find Your Perfect Mattress | US-Mattress – US Mattress

This one, like many others, was very comfortable for my size. It appears to be a foam on top of memory foam + inner spring mattress. How can I further assess the quality of materials used, knowing it’s one of the renowned “S” manufacturers? Is this going to sink in after a few years? Also, how can I be sure this $1,100 mattress shouldn’t be more appropriately priced at $800 ish?

Hi jqwer1,

Unfortunately the description doesn’t provide any information about the quality or durability of the foam materials inside the mattress and without knowing the quality/density of the polyfoam and memory foam in the comfort layers it’s not possible to make any meaningful comments about the durability or useful life of a mattress or identify any weak links in the design.

There is more information 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 to “fine tune” a mattress or the exchange/return options that are available to you).

While I can’t speak to how a mattress will feel or how different mattresses will compare in terms of comfort and PPP for someone else … outside of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing all the specifics of its design and construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new) so I would always make sure that you find out the information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to confirm that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.

All the major brands (such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta) tend to use lower quality materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay and I would avoid all of them completely along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).

The Surface Cool Plus Fiber and the 1 1/4" AirFeel Foam and the 3/4" GelTouch Foam and the 1 1/2" AirCool Gel Memory Foam in the mattress you linked are all lower quality/density materials than I would suggest considering (again no matter how a mattress feels) that would be subject to premature softening and breakdown and this would certainly be a very risky purchase at any price in terms of the durability and the useful life of the mattress.

Phoenix