Ikea Myrbacka vs DreamFoam Mattress Ultimate Dreams?

I went to Ikea this weekend and tried everything out, ended up really liking the medium-firm Myrbacka. Trying to decide between it and the DreamFoam Mattress Ultimate Dreams from Amazon. Prices are comparable. I’ve tried Myrbacka but can’t try the other. Any opinions welcome!

Hi kimbeck,

The Dreamfoam mattress uses more costly materials (blended Talalay is a higher cost material than synthetic continuous pour Dunlop) and also provides the option to choose the firmness of your comfort layer but the cost of the materials may be less important than how well you sleep on a mattress and in the end I think that it would really boil down to which type of latex you prefer and which one you are most confident you would sleep best on in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).

Dreamfoam’s sister company Brooklyn Bedding also makes a mattress called the Tri-Comfort latex which uses two 4" zoned layers of the same type of continuous pour Dunlop latex as the Ikea Myrbacka which also gives you the option to choose the firmness of both the comfort and support layers and also gives you the chance to further customize the mattress after a purchase based on your sleeping experience by either reversing the layers or exchanging a layer for a different firmness level but it’s also in a little higher budget range.

Which of your final choices would be best for you will really depend on the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you since all of them are good quality/value choices.

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix!

As far as PPP goes:

  1. Want to avoid sleeping hot (I tend to get hot in my current mattress). Sounds like Talalay may be better
  1. Want to sleep on vs in (to prevent the above)
  2. Side-sleeper so will aim for medium-firm

I’ve been looking for a local store that would carry a mattress made with Talalay to try it out – do you have any suggestions for stores (chains or locally owned in western PA) that’d carry something similar?

Also, I read your posts on mattress pads and it sounds like I should get something with wool to stay cool. I also have an allery to dust mites – do I need a mattress encasement AND a wool topper? Any products that do both that you’d recommend? I don’t need anything waterproof and it seems like I should avoid those to also stay cool. I just noticed the ROSENDUN Mattress protector at Ikea which says it regulates heat so that may be a good choice. Not wool, but cotton and some kind of fancy poly backing…

Thanks!

I just noticed the ROSENDUN Mattress protector at Ikea which says it regulates heat so that may be a good choice. Not wool, but cotton and some kind of fancy poly backing…

Hi kimbeck,

Post #2 here has more information about the different factors that combine together in a sleeping system that will affect temperature regulation. While Talalay is generally the most breathable type of latex … the type of foam in a mattress is only one of the variables that combined together can affect sleeping temperature.

Latex is certainly a more “on the mattress” material than other types of foam (particularly memory foam). Firmer layers will be more “on the mattress” than softer layers but they will also be less pressure relieving.

I would keep in mind that there are no specific definitions for what a “medium firm” actually is and the firmness ratings from different manufacturers may be different from each other. Different people can also have a very different experience on the same mattress depending on body type, sleeping position, and individual perception so a mattress that feels “medium firm” for one person may feel “soft” for someone else and “firm” for someone else. It can also depend on the type of firmness/softness that different people may be sensitive to (see post #15 here). Your own testing or experience based on your personal assessment of “medium firm” is the only reliable way to assess how a mattress feels for you.

I’ve been looking for a local store that would carry a mattress made with Talalay to try it out – do you have any suggestions for stores (chains or locally owned in western PA) that’d carry something similar?

If you are in the Pittsburgh area then the better options or possibilities I’m aware of are listed in post #2 here.

A mattress pad can be a good idea if you want to change the feel or performance of your mattress (add some softness) but isn’t as good an idea if your mattress is already a good match for you in terms of PPP and you don’t want to change how it feels. There is more about the different types of mattress pads in post #10 here but if you are looking for a thinner mattress protector that will have the least possible effect on the feel of your mattress then post #89 here has more information about the pros and cons of the different types of mattress protectors. Wool is a very good temperature regulator.

Mattress encasements and toppers are both different from mattress pads and mattress protectors. A topper would be even thicker than a mattress pad and would have an even bigger effect on how the mattress feels. There is more about dust mites and allergies in post #2 here and there is more about mattress encasements in post #2 here. If temperature is a primary concern to you and you want to change how your mattress feels as little as possible I would tend to use a mattress encasement that protects from dust mites made from natural fibers that didn’t have a semi breathable membrane and then add a more breathable mattress protector (such as a wool/cotton protector like the St Dormier) over it that can be easily removed and cleaned to keep our sleeping surface clean and hygienic so you don’t have to remove the encasement.

This appears to be one of the “thin membrane” type of encasements that would be less breathable than the ones that don’t have a semi breathable membrane and it also appears to be padded with lyocell and polyester fibers which may have more of an effect on your mattress than a mattress protector that isn’t padded (although I’m not familiar with it personally). Polyester also tends to sleep warmer than natural fibers although in this case it appears to be a blend.

Phoenix

Thanks for all the help!

A couple more things that you may or may not be able to help with. After a trip to a local mattress store to feel the Talalay mattresses and Dunlop, and back to Ikea to test out their options, I’m now deciding between 3 choices:

  1. Ultimate Dreams DreamFoam ($611 ships from Amazon)
  2. Ultimate Dreams Eurotop ($900 from UD)
  3. Ikea MORGONGÅVA ($1000)

Return policies:

  1. Can return free within 30 days (if purchased through Amazon Prime). After that I think you’re pretty much stuck with it.
  2. Can exchange foam layer anytime for $75 if wrong firmness.
  3. Can exchange for 30 days.

Thanks to your website and testing, I like a firm to medium-firm mattress. I’m 120lb small framed, side-sleeper.

The guy at Ultimate Dreams told me that folks in the store gravitate towards Eurotop. He recommended it over the DreamFoam, said that you really can feel the difference in that extra 2" foam support. (Though he does have a financial interest in saying that.) I could spend up to $1000 but there were so many positive reviews for DreamFoam that it seems like it might be just as good really. I also like the possibility of it getting here in 2 days and being able to return it for free. At the same time, I like the idea of sleeping well for the next ten years. The MORGONGÅVA was really nice too, but Talalay sounds more natural than that foam.

I appreciate your input! I’m rather stuck. Thanks!

Hi kimbeck,

You are certainly looking at some good quality/value options :slight_smile:

[quote]1) Can return free within 30 days (if purchased through Amazon Prime). After that I think you’re pretty much stuck with it.

I also like the possibility of it getting here in 2 days and being able to return it for free.[/quote]

I would confirm the cost of returning a mattress through Amazon (when they fulfill the purchase) because I don’t believe that the returns are free. There is a lot of confusion about just what their return policy is because they ship many of their mattresses compressed through UPS but if you return it, it has to be shipped through common carrier (truck freight) which is much more expensive and their large items department handles the returns in this case. When I talked to them about this they told me they deduct return shipping from your refund and the charge for large item shipping is 5.99 per lb and an additional fee of 4.99. This means that a 100 lb mattress would cost $603.98 to return. When I asked them (the large items department) about this they told me that the return fees would be “capped” to about 20% of the cost of the mattress … assuming that the mattress was in pristeen condition and being returned within the required timeframe. It may be worth talking to them to confirm this to see if they provide the same information to you because I would want to know for sure before I ordered a mattress through them (their cost is also slightly higher than ordering the same mattress fulfilled by Dreamfoam). They also told me that sometimes they will offer a refund of $50 and let you keep the mattress rather than losing money on a return and then you can sell the mattress for what you could get on Craigslist. I would make sure you only talk to the large items return department because their regular customer service people may give you incorrect information about returns for a mattress that was shipped compressed.

The customer service people at Dreamfoam (and other good manufacturers and retailers) will generally provide you with good information that they legitimately believe would be in your best interests regardless of how it benefits them financially. Thicker mattresses can be more adaptable to different people and different sleeping positions than thinner mattresses (see post #14 here) so the Eurotop could provide more “contouring” and adaptable support that would certainly be noticeable for some people. The Eurotop also provides the option to exchange the comfort layer at a minimal cost so this may also be important to you unless you are completely confident in your comfort choice. It would also provide the option of changing the comfort layer down the road if your needs or preferences change without having to replace the entire mattress.

Overall though … when you are comparing “good vs good” then which of your final choices would be “best for you” would really depend on the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you regardless of whether someone else may have the same criteria or make the same choice.

The Morgongava uses 85% natural and 15% synthetic continuous pour Dunlop latex while the Latex International Talalay is about 30% natural and 70% synthetic. Both of them are very “safe” materials and would provide good durability. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here but the most significant difference between them would be the difference in the “feel” and resilience of Talalay latex vs Dunlop latex (see post #7 here).

Phoenix

Hello,
Did you ever decide what level firmness you wanted with your Dreamfoam latex mattress? I’m having trouble figuring out what level is best for my husband and me. It seems like many people go with 5 or 6. I’m worried it may be too soft for me, though.
Thanks
Dawn

Hi dawnbrews,

They would probably be the best source of guidance to help you choose a firmness level (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). Have you talked with them?

I would be very cautious about using other people’s preferences as a guideline about what may work best for you since a mattress that is “too firm” for one person can be “too soft” for the next.

If you are still uncertain after a more detailed conversation with Dreamfoam then it may also be worth considering their Eurotop which gives you the option to change the firmness level after a purchase if you need to.

Phoenix