dear phoenix , Im am so confused after finding this web site.
Recently bought a i comfort (genius ) and the first week was not bad but, then it started to feel to soft. returned mattress
after 30 days. don’t know where to go. I live in vienna Il 62995
both with lower back pain
wife is 5’2 at 115
iam 5’10 at 200
please point me in right direction thanks dave
Hi zanodave,
Unfortunately its not so surprising that the iComfort is softening. The Genius is their second firmest mattress however it uses 2" of polyfoam over the gel memory foam and it is always the polyfoam and lower density memory foam in a comfort layer which is the weak link in any mattress. The iComfort has done well in their marketing however I don’t believe that “real life” experience will match the story which is selling it. They do have a feel which seems to be attractive to many people however the materials they are using IMO don’t have the quality or durability that would justify the “revolutionary” claims.
There are two local manufacturers who are relatively near you however I haven’t had the chance to talk with either of them so I know little about them. In general though … local manufacturing is usually the best source for value and higher quality materials in a mattress. They will typically be very open about the materials they use and why they use it and can tell you the difference in durability between different materials and mattresses that they sell. They will also usually take the time to fit you to an appropriate mattress based on your weight, sleeping positions, and preferences rather than trying to “steer” you to a mattress that they want you to buy or based on a marketing story that is only partly true. I would call them and let them know the types of mattresses that you have liked in your testing (assuming you were testing for pressure relief and alignment rather than just an overall “feel” or general “comfort”) and ask them what they carry that would be appropriate. They are …
There don’t seem to be many outlets near you that are selling anything but major brands and these are usually the worst source of value in a mattress as they tend to use lower quality materials (like low density polyfoam or memory foam) and sell them at inflated prices. If neither of these independent manufacturers carries anything that is suitable or that matches your preferences or if they don’t have the value that you are looking for … I would tend towards an online purchase using the mattresses you have tested as a model for the layering combination that is best for you.
There is lots of information on the site that should help … especially the “overviews” in the mattresses section of the site if you need some guidelines about the different materials and layering that may work best for your weight and sleeping positions. With lower back pain … it is especially important that you choose a mattress that keeps you in alignment in all your sleeping positions.
Feel free to post any questions if you are unsure about any of the information you are being told along the way. The first step though is to get a general idea of the materials you prefer in a mattress (latex or memory foam in the comfort layers are the most practical choices and either an innerspring, polyfoam, or latex foam in the support layers). The main thing to avoid is more than an inch of lower quality polyfoam or low density memory foam in the upper layers of your mattress as this is what will fail first as you unfortunately discovered.
Phoenix