Must choose a Simmons

[phoenix]

Hi emi,

I have a 5 year old Simmons Quinlan pillow top that appears to have qualified for replacement under the warranty. Still waiting for the “official” word.

Hopefully you are one of the “fortunate” ones that actually qualifies for a warranty exchange

My friend loves her Comforpedic Loft, but I’ve read your comments about the low quality 24 ILD support foam. I believe I will be obligated to purchase from the Simmons line, unfortunately the store I’m dealing with did not have much from Simmons to try out.

24 ILD is actually not a “quality” spec but a softness/firmness spec. While 24 is lower than average firmness for a support layer (and carries with it the risk that the heavier parts of the body may sink in too deeply), it may still be OK for some depending on their height/weight and the other layers of the mattress.

More important in terms of quality/durability is the density of the memory foam used in the Comforpedic loft. They use a 3.5 lb memory foam which is quite low density (I generally don’t recommend anything under 4 lbs unless it is a very thin layer) and as soft as it is … it would also be subject to further softening. This would be the “weak link” in these mattresses.

If I was forced to choose among the Simmons line … I would likely choose one of the Natural Care models. They are a latex comfort layer over a polyfoam support core and they have either a thin layer of quilting polyfoam or quilting latex in the quilting layers. While they may not be the best value compared to local manufacturers … they are more reasonable than most of the Simmons lineup (depending on the outlet) and don’t have an obvious weak link in the mattress. It would be worth testing these to see how you feel about them compared to a latex/pocket coil hybrid which Simmons doesn’t make.
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There are some better choices within reasonable driving distance of Westfield (Fredonia in one direction and Erie in the other) and you will find them in post #313 here (Jamestown has an outlet in Fredonia). Even though it is based in Erie … they would also be the better choices for you (there are no other better value outlets I know of that I would consider that are any closer).

Because of your lighter weight and side sleeping … the odds are good that you would need a softer than average comfort layer and even a softer support core may work OK but I would still tend towards a firmer support layer anyway. If you do go with a softer support layer … then a thinner comfort layer would be a better and “safer” construction (although as I mentioned I wouldn’t go with the Loft anyway because of the low density memory foam).

Hope this helps

Phoenix