Looking for some help here - since I’ve gotten completely lost in the deep void of the internet at this point
I’ve done a ton of research, read the tutorial and read through a ton of this forum…but I still can’t seem to feel confident buying an alternative to Tempurpedic.
Here’s our story:
We are heavier sleepers, approx 400 lbs total between my husband and I. I have a herniated disc and back surgery history, and the only thing I find supportive enough is firmer memory foam beds. Also, I’m mainly a side sleeper, sometimes back. Coil is out of the question for me.
-I have a Tempurpedic Rhapsody from 2007 that I’ve been sleeping on but it’s starting to give in too much and I feel it’s lost a lot of the supportive qualities it used to have, and we also want to upgrade from a Queen to King size.
-We made the mistake of ordering a Leesa and it’s way too soft for me. I already feel like my hip is of alignment and I need to visit a chiropractor. It puts me in pain every morning. It’s getting returned, even though my husband likes it.
-We went to a Mattress firm here in Durham, NC and tried out the memory foam beds they had available I would say that the Rhapsody Breeze or Luxe and the Contour Supreme were my favorite. So still needing a firmer memory foam choice.
Now, our original budget was $1000 - but if I have to, I’ll pay whatever we can to get a comparable mattress to the Tempurpedic, but I’d like to avoid paying over $2000.
So that leaves me with what I have been able to decipher from my research - and the choices I’m considering. Can you help me determine any weak links, or vendors I might be passing over and shouldn’t?
1- Loom & Leaf: $1500 w/ delivery
Now I know you’re not a huge fan of this model, and they’re aren’t disclosing the specific density of their base layer. However, they do compare their firm model to the Rhapsody Luxe. My main concerns here are the quality of their memory foams and the longevity of the mattress with a weaker base foam. I like how green they are, also.
2 - Nest Alexander $1200
Concerned about the 4lb gel foam.
3- Selectfoam.com Regalis $1800
Reviews have seemed hit or miss on this forum and the website. Also, it’s getting pricey, however I like the 7 lb foam on top.
4- Novosbed $1200
I don’t think their Original will match well enough to the type of feel in a mattress that I’m looking for, but they seem to have a simpler business model which I prefer to work with.
5 - Christeli Danieli $1450 (or possibly Astoria)
Their website is not transparent about the return policy or the warranty. It seems sketchy altogether. Also the two piece mattress design isn’t ideal - nor do I want to deal with any sliding around which I’ve seen evidence of in reviews. I have also seem some mixed reviews for them on the forum in mattress quality. But I’m still drawn to the higher quality foams they are using.
Nothing is really standing out to me! So, I’m stuck I appreciate any advice or direction you can provide!! Thanks again.
I’m replying because I am interested in your topic and want to follow. Like you, I tried the Leesa and am dissatisifed and feel it’s too soft. Also like you, I am considering Loom and leaf. I think I may want memory foam (I had been sleeping on a MF topper before the Leesa).
Assuming that at least one of you is in the mid 200’s weight range or higher … my comments and suggestions in my reply in post #2 here from earlier today to a different member would be similar to the suggestions I would make for you as well and would be well worth reading (except for the comments about the specific mattresses they were considering).
I’m not sure why a coil mattress would be out of the question for you. While I can’t speak to how any mattress will “feel” for someone else because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances … outside of PPP the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability and assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses (including innersprings) are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article). I certainly wouldn’t assume that innerspring mattresses that use high quality and durable materials and that don’t have any “weak links” (in the comfort layers especially) are any less durable than any other type of mattress.
You can see my comments about Leesa in post #2 here in the simplified choice mattress topic and a forum search on Leesa (you can just click the link) will bring up more comments and feedback about it as well. While it’s not particularly surprising that it’s too soft for you given your weight … it also contains some lower quality/density materials that would be a weak link in the mattress relative to your weight range as well which for me would be reason enough to avoid it.
Both of these use higher quality/density materials that would be a suitable choice in terms of durability relative to your weight range but of course your own testing or personal experience are the only way to know whether either of them are a good match for you in terms of PPP.
The better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here) are listed in post #6 here.
There are certainly good quality/value options available for under $2000.
I would also be concerned with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/density of the materials inside it … especially in your weight range. There are also more comments about the Loom & Leaf in the simplified choice topic I linked earlier and a forum search on Loom Leaf (you can just click the link) will bring up more comments and feedback about it as well. As you can see it also contains some lower quality and less durable materials that I would consider to be a weak link in the mattress relative to your weight range as well and I would avoid it.
I would also consider a mattress that contains more than “about an inch or so” of 4 lb memory foam in the upper layers of the mattress to have a weak link relative to your weight range as well.
This mattress uses the highest quality/density materials out of any of the options you listed and they are equivalent or better to the Tempurpedic Rhapsody Luxe as well so there are no lower quality materials or weak links in this mattress relative to your weight range. They certainly have some good quality/value mattresses but some of the members here have experienced some very frustrating customer service issues and delays after a purchase (including delays in refunds) and I would make sure you read the caution that is included in their description in the online memory foam list here so you can take the possibility of these types of issues happening to you into account before you make any purchase from them.
NOTE ADDED: Because of their ongoing customer service issues and delays their membership has now been terminated and I would also read the warning here before considering them.
Their Aria is an approximation of the Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme and may be worth considering (if you have tested the Cloud Supreme and it’s a good match for you in terms of PPP) since it uses 2 layers of 5 lb memory foam and a 1.8 lb base layer which would be much closer to the quality/durability range I would look for (even though the 1.8 lb base layer would be slightly lower density than I would look for if either of you are in the mid 200’s or higher this would be a relatively minor issue compared to using lower quality density materials in the upper layers). Again I would avoid a mattress that contains more than “about an inch or so” of 4 lb memory foam.
NOTE ADDED JAN, 2016: They have now introduced their new simplified choice mattress which has replaced their previous models and have also become a member of this site.
You can see their exchange policy here. They have a 50 night trial and you can return the mattress anytime between the 40th and the 50th day. If you have any questions about their return policy that aren’t clear to you then you can also call them to clarify it. ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: christeli.com/sleep-trial
Their Danieli is an an approximation of the Tempurpedic Rhapsody Breeze and the Astoria is an approximation of the Tempurpedic Contour Elite. Both mattresses use 5.3 lb memory foam on top of a 2 lb polyfoam base layer and there are no lower quality materials or weak links relative to your weight range in either mattress.
I would always keep in mind that the three most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase are 1. suitability and PPP … 2. durability … and 3. all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. There would be little value in purchasing a mattress that isn’t suitable for you and that you don’t sleep well on but there is also little value in purchasing a mattress that is a good match for you in terms of PPP but uses lower quality materials that will soften and break down and lose the comfort and support which is the reason you purchased it much too quickly relative to the price you paid.
Thanks so much for your response. Just a couple of follow ups…
Actually, we are pretty evenly balanced in weight, and no one is near approaching the 250’s or higher, so I’m hoping that makes the slight concern over the 1.8lb density in the support foam less of an issue. I just happen to be pregnant, which pushes our total up a bit!
Coil is not an option for me because I’ve never found a coil mattress that helped with my back problems, sciatic pain, etc. as much as memory foam. I’m just not willing to go back to coil. So yes, personal preference, although I’m a firm believer in memory foam.
I agree with your thoughts on these mattresses! I will say positively, that the return process with Leesa so far has been very easy and their customer service is great. No problems there - if that helps anyone.
Ironically, last night we went back to another mattress store to see if any of my preferences had changed. I am totally over the Rhapsody Breeze - honestly I think there is something about all the Breeze models that I don’t like in that top layer of foam. I don’t know if its the different cooling technology, or what. If I had to get a Rhapsody, it would be the Rhapsody Luxe. The Contour Supreme was still a good fit, but I feel like I will have days where I just find it too firm - and my husband isn’t the biggest fan… Finally we ended up on the Cloud Supreme, which you compared to the Novosbed Aria. Now normally, I would have thought it was way too soft but despite the initial softer feel of the mattress - I felt the deeper support was really great!
I’m happy to have found an option with Novosbed that I think will work. I really love their pricing, trial period and return options. We are planning to order the Aria shortly, and I’ll be sure to update on our thoughts regarding that mattress!
Another sidenote, I’m going to pursue a warranty replacement on my old Rhapsody with TempurPedic and see where that goes. It shouldn’t be breaking down this quickly, and I’m hoping we can at least get that replaced for our guest room.
If both of you are in the lower 200’s or less then slightly lower quality/density materials could certainly be a more suitable choice in terms of durability and in that weight range I wouldn’t consider a 1.8 lb polyfoam base layer to be a weak link in a mattress.
I would keep in mind that an innerspring is primarily a support component (like the polyfoam that is used in more traditional memory foam mattresses) and memory foam can only be used as a comfort or transition layer because it’s too soft to be used as a support core in a mattress. Comparing support materials or components with comfort layers is really an “apples to oranges” comparison and is not particularly meaningful. There are mattresses available for example that use an innerspring (usually a pocket coil) support core and also have memory foam comfort and transition layers that would be more of an “apples to apples” comparison for those that prefer the more resilient feel of a pocket coil vs a polyfoam support core. Serta for example makes their iSeries line which uses a pocket coil support core and has memory foam in the comfort layers and also their iComfort line which uses a polyfoam support core and has memory foam in the comfort layers although I wouldn’t consider them as a purchase because they use too much lower quality/density materials in the upper layers of their mattresses. Tempurpedic also has a pocket coil/memory foam hybrid in addition to their more traditional memory foam mattresses.
There is more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel”.
That’s great to hear
There have certainly been many people that have also mentioned that the Rhapsody Breeze has a different feel and firmness compared to the Rhapsody Luxe and this is partly from the different properties of the gel memory foam layer and partly because they each have a different design with different layer thicknesses. The Tempurpedic website also describes it as being slightly firmer and less contouring than the Luxe as well.
I would also keep in mind that I have never slept on any of the Novosbed mattresses so I have no way of comparing them to any other mattress and I would always make sure that you talk with any online retailer or manufacturer before a purchase so that you can discuss both the similarities and any differences between one of their mattresses and a “target” mattress you are using as a reference point.
Assuming that you decide to pull the trigger … congratulations on your new mattress
Tempurpedic has a .75" warranty exclusion so if your mattress has a visible impression that is more than that without any weight on the mattress (you can measure this by putting a string or straight edge over the impression and measuring how deep it is) and isn’t the result or any sagging in your support system and there are also no stains on the mattress then pursuing a warranty exchange would certainly be worthwhile.
I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback about your mattress once you’ve received it and have had the chance to try it out and about your warranty exchange as well.
arod33, hi, I just purchased a Christeli a couple weeks ago and I can at least let you know on a couple things, (I started a topic on that back a couple weeks ago I can try to find the link for)
the contact from them has been very good. Mike was the person I worked with on the phone for the original order and since then they have given me two or three follow up calls regarding coordination of delivery and checking to see if we have been satisfied so far. I believe you will find their customer service process to be good.
regarding the two piece design, it was one of the reasons I got their mattress. In my opinion if the top layers wear out sooner than expected, I can order one of their toppers and just replace that. Our mattress has the latex base, not the foam base…but i am fairly sure the foam base models (which is what I started looking at first) will be of the same quality. I can tell you this. The bed has not slid one bit. You should know the foam mattresses are quite heavy and the Christeli materials have some texture and grip on those surfaces to keep them from moving. The two piece design makes it easier to get the mattress set up. Moving two less heavy boxes up the steps and having lighter pieces to get in place was beneficial in our case.
The materials on the mattress itself are very high quality, and from the stitching etc, you can tell that it was constructed by hand.
I hope that helps when you are considering brands.
I appreciate any advice or direction you can provide!! Thanks again.