Shopping choices are limited were I am, a modest sized city located 500+ miles away from the big city centres, so the number of retailers are ‘limited’. I am finding the usual big names in the big retailers and even some smaller local stores, but have come across a name I know nothing about and seems to meet your recommendation of seeking out small companies building mattresses vs. the big names.
Zedbed - a memory foam manufacturer in Quebec, now available in the local Sears store - limited model choices at the other end of canada - S11 is the one I might consider:
4" Celcar foam, featuring seven zones of comfort, and a unique AirFlo system and an ergonomical design to improve firmness and increase comfort
2" of open-cell R2 material with gel-crystal additive to provide high density and fast recovery. R2 also helps dissipate heat to help keep your body at your perfect sleeping temperature
2" of Open-Cell ZX hybrid foam featuring Zedbed’s additive gel-crystal provides a soft feel for a great night’s sleep
Edge Infused (no glue) Z-Edge technologie uses glueless side construction to keep foam exactly where you want it
11’’ height; Moka-coloured; Entire mattress is covered with moisture-wicking COOLMAX® fabric, for even more sleep-time comfort
25-year manufacturer’s warranty (10-year full,15-year prorated)
I’ve looked online for reviews or ratings on this company and there really isn’t much. It appears to have evolved from a family business serving Quebec only and is now expanding into the rest of Canada and some US independents are carrying them. Otherwise, I liked the Serta icloud Savant model, but after reading your comments, I want to find alternatives even in my limited marketplace.
ZedBed is a smaller manufacturer (and as you mentioned is also expanding) that tends to use higher quality materials and in most cases would be better quality and value than most mainstream choices in the same budget range. They also pour their own foam which is unusual for a mattress manufacturer. With any mattress though … regardless of manufacturer … the quality and value of the mattress depends entirely on its construction and the materials that are inside it so it would be important to know this.
In the case of polyfoam or memory foam this would mean knowing the density and thickness of the layers. In the case of latex it would mean knowing the type and blend of the latex. Once you know this you can make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses and/or identify any weak links in the mattress that are likely to soften or break down relatively quickly. Without this information there is really no way to evaluate a mattress and you would be making a blind purchase.
While I doubt that the staff at Sears would have much knowledge about mattress materials … if you call ZedBed they will likely be able to provide you with the information you need about the type and quality of the materials.
A forum search on Zedbed (you can just click this) will bring up more information and comments about them as well.
I would suspect they are among the best local value available to you but I would want to confirm this by knowing the type and quality of the materials (not just the tradenames) that are in any mattress you are considering
Well, you can tell I am a rookie on this forum - I searched zedbed in the box above [search main site] and didn’t realize I could search the actual forum threads.
So yes, thanks for the tip to looking up past comments and I will try to call the company in Quebec, (I am in BC) and see what the answers are on the quality of foam. I asked the sales clerk at Sears and we searched all the information she had in her files and it did not say, neither does the website. It felt quite good for the 15 minutes I laid on it, but that isn’t the issue is it?
I have long standing back and hip issues due to an injury in my teens, (I am 54 now) so the pain is becoming more acute, a bigger issue and lasts longer, and our old mattress just has stayed too long.
I am willing to pay enough to get something worth having, it’s the not knowing what is worthy that is driving me nuts. This website has been quite an eyeopener. I had a feeling I needed to know more, and glad I didn’t fall for the first comfy one I spent 5 minutes on. So, will keep on working on it before I get down to a purchase.
The “standard” information on their spec sheets normally wouldn’t include the “quality specs” of the materials and it’s normally the better retailers with more knowledge and experience that understand the importance of knowing whether a mattress has lower or higher quality materials and will tend to have this type of information more readily available (or call the factory when they don’t) so they can provide more meaningful information to their customers. As you mentioned … comfort and support and testing as carefully and as objectively as possible for what I call PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) is always important but knowing the quality of the materials in the mattress so you can have some idea of how long the comfort and support will last is just as important. There’s little “value” in buying a costly mattress that is perfect in the showroom or when it is new but loses the comfort and support that you need much more quickly because of foam softening or the more rapid breakdown of lower quality materials.
Once you get the specs of the mattress if you need help “translating” them feel free to post them here and I’d be happy to make a few comments about the quality of the materials and any weak links it may have.
Their initial response to my email - quick for sure, but incomplete:
[i]The foams you are looking at on top of the mattress is R2 Gel, and it has a density of about 4.5 pounds.
A celcar foam is simply a name for a support foam. It’s a high density later of foam that serves to support the upper layers… and you!
If you go in the store at Sears, they have plexiboxes with a sample of all our layers that you can take out and touch and squeeze. This is going to give you a better idea than any number I could give you[/i].
I just responded that I did indeed want to know the density ratings for all layers, for better comparisons to other brands. And, the Sears store did not have the sample on hand, so that doesn’t help. However, looking and feeling a sample isn’t a good scientific method of comparison anyway, and some people are more scientifically inclined, and like the information better than mere touch and feel. If I am comparing two products in two stores - the feel becomes impossible to compare. However, the fact is that the top layer of “2” of Open-Cell ZX hybrid foam featuring Zedbed’s additive gel-crystal " is rated 4.5 lbs.
I am making progress though! I suspect she will give me what I am looking for, just need to be firm on my questions!
Wow, customer service response is amazing - less than 30 minutes from email to email response this am!
here is the response I got back:
"[i]S11 has 4 layers in total, I have attached the pictogram for the mattress,
I’ve already answered with the first one, the R2 gel. It’s exact density is 4 pounds (my mistake, they reviewed the numbers and I was not aware), and and ILD of 8-13. It’s a rapid response memory foam that is soy based.
The second layer has ZX has 3 pounds (this is our softest material), it’s an hybrid memory foam and it’s ILD is 6 to 11
The third has the Eco-Sens foam which has a density of 2 pounds, ILD of 18-23, and is also soy based.
The fourth is our celcar foam which is Certi-Pur US certified, it has a density of 1.8 pounds, is soy based with ventilation channels. The ILD on this is 45 to 53.[/i]"
So, not being an actual scientist, I would appreciate some help interpreting the numbers. It looks good to me, from reading the pages and pages of info on this website. I am getting to detail overload now…!
The gel memory foam is 4 lbs which is in the mid range in terms of quality/density and is a very common choice because of how it feels for many people (4 lb memory foams often feel better and are faster responding and more breathable than higher density memory foams although they would be slightly less durable). I would use some caution with higher weights in combination with thicker layers of 4 lb memory foam (say over about 2" or so) but normally this would be a perfectly suitable and good material choice.
The polyfoam is 1.8 lbs which is the lower range of good quality and durable polyfoam and 2 lbs which is higher quality yet. The 2 lb layer is closest to the body where density/durability is more important than layers underneath it (which compress less) so these are also a good choice for support layers.
The only potential concern I would have had is the ZX layer which is described as a “hybrid memory foam”. If it was actually memory foam then this would be low quality/density (less than 4 lbs density) but they describe it as instant response (see here) which indicates that it is more of a high density HR polyfoam with a feel that has some of the conforming properties of memory foam and some of the “feel” and response of latex and in this case the density would indicate a good quality material (which is what I would go by).
Overall there are no obvious weak links in the mattress and I would certainly consider it if your testing for PPP indicates it is suitable for your needs and preferences.
Meanwhile, I have returned to the custom foam shop here in town and have determined some more information from their product, which is in fact a custom product they have developed.
it is quite a mixture of foams and comfortable, but a little pricier, currently at $2499 for a Queen size.
1st layer 3" of 4lb memory foam - he called it reticulated
2nd layer 3" of talalay latex, 5 lb
3rd layer is 6 inch deep made up of a 3" bottom and 3" tall sides of ‘1895’ dense foam @ 1.8 lb density, holding a 3’ deep centre core of 3 lb ultracell poly. The dense foam acts as a side and bottom strengthener for edge sitting etc.
These guys have been in business here in town for 11 years and do a lot of business for medical need customers. He tells me he has only had one of these mattresses develop a warranty problem, which turned out to be a bed frame strength issue not the mattress. He developed this mattress combo to solve a customer’s personal needs, and has sold many in 7 years. They are assembled in Vancouver from good quality foams obtained from Aerus and Vita in the US. He says it is his most popular vs. all the various pure memory foam and pure latex he offers.
They do also offer custom ‘open construction’ mattress designs, but they are way over my price range at this point. I returned to retry my test drive of this one, vs. pure latex and pure memory foam, and this one did it best for me.
My plan is to put my mattress on an Ikea bed frame, with slats and a mid-rib. He suggested I make sure there is at least one centre foot on the mid rib to ensure no centre sagging.
I will also be going back to retry the Zedbed and make a decision with my hubby when he gets back to town.
I feel much more empowered through learning so much from this website and you. I know that I can still find a quality product if I can ask the right questions, in addition to the personal testing that has to happen.
These are all good quality materials as well and there are certainly no obvious weak links in this mattress either. The 1895 polyfoam means 1.8 lbs density (as you mentioned) and 95 IFD which is very very firm and you would have no problem sinking in too far on this or foam collapsing if you sit on it. 3 lb polyfoam is a very high quality material similar to the 3 lb ZX layer in the Zedbed and of course Talalay latex is among the highest quality and most durable materials available.
Aerus is a very breathable type of memory foam made by FXI which sleeps cooler than other memory foams that have a lower airflow.
Either way you have two good options that would both be better quality/value than the typical mainstream or major brand options that most people end up purchasing and I don’t think either one would be a mistake from a quality or value point of view compared to what else is likely available to you locally.
I would definitely agree with this and two center feet to the floor would be better yet.
Thanks again, Phoenix, your customer service is superb, by the way. I feel confident that I have found the right products and it is just a matter of eenie, meenie, minie, moe! pick one! Once again, the need to research before I spend has saved me considerable grief down the road.
Heidi,
PS: I forwarded this website to a friend who has been looking for a while - she and hubby gave up after finding it all so very confusing! Maybe this will help them narrow down their wishlist vs. product available.