Need advice. Buying my first Foam Mattress... HELP! I'm sinking.....

Dear Forum Members:

I need to buy a King mattress… I am ashamed to say it but our old spring mattress is 30 years old! I have been looking at NovosBed offerings… My wife seemed to like firm to medium firm in the stores. We went to SEARS and she tried out the TemperPedic, posturePedic Glenborough Firm Hybred, BeautyRest, Stearns and Foster, I Series etc.
I see that Novaform is available at Costco but it seems the NovusBed materials are superior. Any advice? Is NovusBed a good product?

Does the NovosBed sleep cool?

We will be putting the mattress on a platform ( Slats )… Will they work with this setup?

Any advice appreciated as I like to not have to return a huge bed… : : :sick:

Thanks!

Hi hassiman,

Wow … I would agree that your mattress is probably well past its “due date” :slight_smile:

[quote]My wife seemed to like firm to medium firm in the stores. We went to SEARS and she tried out the TemperPedic, posturePedic Glenborough Firm Hybred, BeautyRest, Stearns and Foster, I Series etc.
I see that Novaform is available at Costco but it seems the NovusBed materials are superior. Any advice? Is NovusBed a good product?[/quote]

The first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists (based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).

While I can’t speak to how any mattress will “feel” for someone else in terms of firmness, “comfort”, or PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances … outside of “comfort” and PPP the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress always depends on knowing the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you can find out the information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links that would be a cause for concern or compromise the durability and useful life of a mattress you are considering before making any purchase.

All the major brands (such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta) tend to use lower quality materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay and I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (and the major retailers that focus on them) along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).

For the most part Tempurpedic uses good quality materials but they are not good value compared to many other smaller manufacturers which use similar or even better quality materials and are in much lower budget ranges. Post #2 here and the posts it links to has more about Tempurpedic and their mattresses.

I would also be cautious about the Novaform mattresses because they tend to use some lower quality/density materials (such as 3 lb memory foam) that could compromise the durability and useful life of their mattresses.

If you are looking at online options then the tutorial includes several links to lists of the better online sources I’m aware of (in the optional online step) that include a wide range of different types and categories of mattresses (including a memory foam list) in a wide range of designs, firmness levels and budgets and many of them (including Novosbed) have good return policies as well. There is also more about online vs local purchases in this topic and the posts it links to (at the end of post #4).

I don’t know which of the Novosbed mattresses you are considering but they all use good quality materials and none of their mattresses use any lower quality materials that would be a weak link in their mattresses or would be a cause for concern relative to the durability or useful life of their mattresses although if you are in a higher weight range (more than the lower 200’s or so) I would reduce or minimize the use of 4 lb memory foam in a mattress. They would certainly be well worth considering. 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.

While your own careful testing or personal experience is the most reliable way to know whether any mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort and PPP or how closely it “matches” another mattress … when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.

While it’s not possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.

Some memory foam mattresses can sleep warmer for some people than other types of foam materials but if a mattress has a good return policy then you can assess whether a mattress is “cool enough” for you based on your own personal sleeping experience without any risk just in case you tend to sleep warmer on a mattress that most people would be fine with in terms of temperature regulation.

There is more information and some general guidelines about support systems (bedframes and foundations or platform beds) that are generally suitable for different types of mattresses and some examples of each of them in post #1 here

A mattress with a polyfoam support core (which would include most memory foam mattresses) will generally do best with a firm, flat, and evenly supportive support surface underneath it that has minimal to no flex under the mattress and for larger sizes with at least one center support beam that has good support to the floor to prevent any sagging in the middle of the mattress. The components need to be strong and durable enough to support the weight of the mattress and the people sleeping on it without any of the parts or the support system bending, sagging, or breaking over time. The support surface under the mattress should also have enough surface area to prevent the mattress from sagging through any gaps or spaces in the support surface over time but still allow some airflow under the mattress. I would suggest that the gaps between the slats are no more than about 5" (with 1 x 3 slats) although less than 4" would be better yet.

Phoenix