Leesa

[phoenix]

Hi phewd,

I’m inclined to think the iComfort was a quality issue (there weren’t ‘impressions’ in the iComfort, but a very noticeable difference in support between the sides and the middle, and it felt like a ‘mountain’ when we finally finished sinking into our sides and attempted to roll towards the middle) and the Restonic a possible defect (3 weeks for visible impressions is completely unacceptable, regardless of our weight - which, for the record is 250 and 195).

Even with the mountains of testimonials and warnings provided by this site against the purchase of the Serta mattress, we still got seduced by the showroom model and thought that there might be a chance our experience would be different. It wasn’t. It’s not that the mattress wasn’t extremely comfortable even after 60 days and the breakdown of the material on the sides (and not the middle) - it’s just that this breakdown seemed to occur so quickly, much more so than expected. So we’ll be staying away from Serta after a lesson learned.

“Virtual” impressions like this would be fairly typical of softer mattresses that use lower quality materials. This normally means that you chose a mattress that isn’t suitable for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) which would be aggravated by the lower quality materials in the mattress and higher weights which will will both lead to foam softening more rapidly than would be the case with higher quality materials. In cases like this where you are “on the edge” of the comfort/support range that is suitable for you even the normal break in period of a mattress during the first few weeks of ownership will often be enough to take you outside of the comfort/support range that is suitable for you (see post #2 here).

I will most certainly be looking at this link - thank you! In fact, the Tempurpedic model we’re looking at (Tempur Cloud Supreme Breeze), I believe, uses 4lb foam in the first 2" of the comfort layer (the Tempur-ES foam) followed by 2" of the 5lb foam and then the “regular” polyfoam as the base. We’re still taken with it, but leery of the possibility of the 4lb foam being ‘weak’. (However, considering 4lb is at least twice the density of the foams used in the other beds we’ve tried, it seems like something we might be able to overlook?)

The durability of memory foam isn’t linear with density and 4 lb memory foam will noticeably soften more quickly than 5 lb memory foam for those who are in higher weight ranges especially. Choosing thicker/softer comfort layers than are suitable for your needs and preferences or your weight range can also affect both the suitability of a mattress in terms of PPP and the durability of the mattress as well (firmness/softness is also a factor in the durability of a material). This is why I would reduce or minimize the use of 4 lb memory foam in a mattress as much as possible for those who are in higher weight ranges because thinner layers of lower density materials will have less effect on foam softening over time than thicker layers of the same material.

So, would it make sense to look at a lower-profile, firmer foam mattress (do they make any thinner than 9"?) and then throwing a 2-3" high-density foam topper on top of that? And does ‘firm’ usually denote a quality material? Do you have some examples of what you’d consider a firmer quality mattress that would be cost effective?

Yes this is one of the two main strategies I would suggest in your situation and would be a good direction to go especially if there are no mattresses in the store that would make a suitable choice in terms of budget, suitability, or durability. A mattress that has the least possible amount of lower quality or “unknown” materials will usually be firmer (there is less cushioning on top of the mattress) but will also be more durable and then you can add your own comfort layer to the sleeping system in the form of a topper (and there are many high quality and durable toppers available) to provide the additional "comfort and pressure relief that you need.

While there are some risks involved in this because choosing a suitable topper that is a good “match” both for you and the mattress you are using it on can be somewhat uncertain and can be almost as difficult as choosing a mattress in the first place (unless you can test the combination in person) … a topper will also absorb much of the compression forces that soften or break down foam materials so it can increase the durability of the mattress underneath it and it would also have the advantage of being able to replace just the topper if it softens or breaks down more quickly than the mattress underneath it or if your needs and preferences change over time without having to replace the entire mattress.

If you do decide to go in this direction and if you can’t test a specific mattress topper combination in person (and are buying the topper separately after purchasing the mattress) then post #2 here and the topper guidelines in links to has more information that can help you use your experience on a mattress as a guideline and reference point for choosing the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least risk and the best chance of success.

At this point, the option for us to ‘beat’ is just purchasing the Tempurpedic, which was intially what we wanted to avoid (because of the price) but we have inadvertantly backed ourselves into a corner in which we try to finagle a quality setup by trying to piece something together (with very limited choices) or we just suck it up and drop the extra $$ for the Tempur. Sigh Sucks to be us.

Thank you for your input/links/advice/support. I really appreciate it - it’ll help us try to make the best of a bad situation…

The Tempurpedic mattresses tend to use better quality materials but for most people they wouldn’t be in a good “value” range compared to many other mattresses that use similar quality/density materials and sell in much lower budget ranges. I would be very cautious about choosing any mattress which uses thicker layers of 4 lb memory foam because of the greater risk of premature foam softening (this would apply more to your weight range) and I would test any mattress that you are considering very carefully (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the mattress shopping tutorial) so that you are confident that you aren’t “on the edge” of choosing a mattress that is once again too soft for you in terms of PPP which could lead to having the same issues once again much too quickly relative to the price you are paying for the mattress.

Phoenix