In the middle of my "field testing"

[phoenix]

Hi SleepySuzan,

I mostly appreciated the pressure relieving qualities of these mattresses (my current mattress is causing me some issues with this) and found the sensation of sinking into the mattress to be quite relaxing. However, I do like the idea of having a bit more “bounce” in my mattress (namely for “other activities”), and also, after reading about some of the issues with memory foam (the fact that it sleeps “hot”, offgassing, nasty chemicals, etc.) I am a bit reluctant to go for these types of mattresses. I tried many latex mattresses in all price ranges and they weren’t really my thing (save one zoned construction Dunlopillo mattress that cost upwards of $3000). I’m thinking my best choice might be a semi-firm pocket coil mattress with a high quality pillowtop, foam or memory foam comfort layer; I’ve tried several of these options and did appreciate the feel and comfort of them.

Its great to see the research and testing you are doing and choosing materials based on your own personal preferences rather than “theory” alone. Each person can have a very different idea of what works best for their own personal needs and preferences and some materials work better for some than for others. Some of the newer generation memory foam mattresses and gel memory foams sleep cooler than some of the older generation memory foams and there are also other factors involved in the sleeping temperature of a mattress (see post #2 here) so while memory foam can still sleep warmer than other materials for some people … there are many people who do very well on them and don’t have any heat issues at all and in general memory foam is cooler now than it was several years ago.

The listing for the Zedbed doesn’t include the foam densities or specifics but they typically use high quality materials (although I would make sure you get the specifics so you can make more informed and meaningful comparisons). Zedbed actually pours its own foam.

Overall, this mattress gave me the “sinking in” feeling I appreciated from the previous memory foam mattresses I tried, but the pocket coils and “water gel foam” also offered a bit more “bounce.” The pressure relief was great, though maybe not as “spectacular” as the memory foam + foam core mattresses I tried in the beginning. The standard price of this mattress was $ CAN 1898 + tax, though the owner said he could slice off a couple hundred dollars because of the personal referral from the long-time customer. Still, a bit more than what I was hoping to pay for.

The watergel is a high quality material made by GommaGomma in Italy that has higher resilience than memory foam but also has some of its conforming properties. It is 60 kg/m3 (which is 3.75 lbs/ft3) which is a very high quality material. If the middle layer is 1.5" of 50 kg/m3 (3.1 lbs/ft3) then this is a very high quality material as well but I’m not certain that’s what the numbers are referring to. Zoning can also be very helpful with alignment and can allow for softer comfort layers with less alignment risk. Overall this seems to me to be a good and high quality choice that is a fair value as well as long as it works well for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).

I have a few more local manufacturers to visit over the next few days to complete my research, though if you have any thoughts on the aforementioned mattress or any other advice based on what I’ve detailed here, you are more than welcome.

You are actually quite fortunate to live in Montreal and while many choices can make things more difficult … you are certainly in a better position and have more good choices than most of the other cities in North America.

Once you have a few reference points of mattresses you like … I would tend to call other manufacturers before you visit them and tell them what you have found so they can tell you which of their mattresses would be in a similar range and worth testing. It will tell them you are doing your homework and they will generally put some thought into making good “preliminary” suggestions and will also remember you when you go to visit them. This will also help you narrow down your choices and give you a good idea of what to expect when you visit them. The more you can do on the phone the more time (and in some cases frustration) you can save yourself and it will give you a clear sense of which ones are more knowledgeable and helpful and you are most interested in working with.

Don’t worry if you don’t know exactly what to say. I would start out by asking if you can talk to someone about their mattresses and then follow up with a description of what you have tested and liked and ask if they have anything that is comparable or better in terms of quality and value that would be worth testing and if they could describe it to you. Most of these conversations will take their own natural directions once you get started.

Phoenix