New Alexander Hybrid Mattress from Nest Bedding

[phoenix]

Hi Loiroi,

I split your post into a new topic of it’s own since it was about a different mattress and was outside of the scope of the original topic you posted in. Unless you are the original poster … I normally prefer that the members start a new topic if they are asking about a different mattress or if their comments or questions aren’t closely related to the original topic.

I realize from reading through the forum posts that there is a lot of trial & error involved in finding the right mattress. I just need to reconsider my options. Do I even want a hybrid type mattress?

Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here relative to your weight range … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article).

Every category of mattresses can include hundreds (or thousands) of different mattresses with different designs and different firmness levels so each category will generally include some mattresses that you may sleep well on and other mattresses that use the same type of materials and are in the same category that may be unsuitable for you to sleep on (regardless of which materials and components are used in the mattress).

In other words … how well the specific design of a mattress “matches” your body type and sleeping style in terms of Posture/alignment and Pressure relief/comfort and your individual preferences is generally more important than the type of materials themselves (which is more of a preference based on the “feel” and response of different materials and components). Like most things … different people can have very different preferences and there is no inherent reason that one type or category of mattress would be “better” for you than another one outside of cost considerations and your personal preferences.

I see there is a new company, Voila, that offers their hybrids in various firmness. Or I may be better off avoiding foam & going for a latex mattress, I need to do some more research.

There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here 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 suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).

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 (the only way to know this will be based on your own personal experience) … outside of 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 see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and 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 find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.

The Voila mattress doesn’t list the specifics of the materials and components inside it that I can see but if you can find out the information in the “mattress specifications you need to know” article and post them on the forum I’d certainly be happy to let you know if there are any lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress that could be a cause for concern.

If for any reason they aren’t willing or able to provide all the information you need to know to make an “informed choice” then I would avoid it completely because it would be a very risky purchase.

Phoenix

[Torin]

@jasawithaJ

I initially went to the local mattress stores and tried several out and narrowed it down to a Sealy Hybrid and a Beautyrest Black Glendale Hybrid Plush Mattress. When I was looking at the questions section on the Alexander Hybrid page it actually specifically compares the Beautyrest Black with the Alexander Hybrid. Can anyone on here actually confirm that to be true?

I fell in love with the Beautyrest but it is almost double $$$ what I intended to spend. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Helllo!
Well, I personally would recommend the Casper mattress, if only because it can meet expectations of most people.

[phoenix]

Hi Torin,

I switched your post into a new topic of its own since it had nothing to do with the topic you posted in.

I’m not sure why you would be qualified to recommend any mattress for someone else or your knowledge about mattresses or mattress materials but I’m assuming that you purchased a Casper and you like it … although this would have nothing to do with whether your mattress would be suitable or comfortable for anyone else.

You seem to have also “bought” their marketing story along with your mattress.

Phoenix

[Loiroi]

Hi Phoenix, thanks again for your thoroughness & expertise. I did notice there was no mention of the composition of the mattress. I called Voila, but the service rep didn’t have the information available. They promised to get back to me, so as soon as I hear from them, I will post it. She did say that Talay was in it & the materials came from outside the US.

[zexpress]

@Loiroi

Hi Phoenix, thanks again for your thoroughness & expertise. I did notice there was no mention of the composition of the mattress. I called Voila, but the service rep didn’t have the information available. They promised to get back to me, so as soon as I hear from them, I will post it. She did say that Talay was in it & the materials came from outside the US.

This one looked intriguing to me too but I wasn’t able to get much information from them either on the materials used and I am put off by the fact it’s a Chinese made mattress although that likely explains the very competitive pricing.

[zexpress]

@"abbygrant" post=61427

[quote=“zexpress” post=61422]Glad to hear the first night went well. How would you say it did on sleeping hot? Not sure if you typically have issues with that. Heat is my biggest concern of going to regular memory foam mattress vs something like the Alexander which has the quilted cover on top.

I don’t typically have issues with sleeping hot. My husband said our old TempurCloud was very hot for him yet I only had occasional heat issues. I can give you a better assessment in a few days. I was not hot last night by any means.[/quote]

How is the mattress going for you? Still happy with it? I am strongly considering this one as a replacement for my Nest Hybrid. Would you say the firmness is comparable to your Cloud Supreme or would you say it’s a bit firmer or softer?

[Torin]

@"Phoenix" post=61476

I switched your post into a new topic of its own since it had nothing to do with the topic you posted in.

I don’t think so but since I’m not really sure if I was right to post it there I guess it’s your call in the end.

@"Phoenix" post=61476

I’m not sure why you would be qualified to recommend any mattress for someone else or your knowledge about mattresses or mattress materials but I’m assuming that you purchased a Casper and you like it … although this would have nothing to do with whether your mattress would be suitable or comfortable for anyone else.

Well, if we’re talking qualifications as in official certifications then no, I’m not qualified to recommend anything at all. It just so happens I once had a job as a mattress salesman. Granted, that was quite some time ago and I had been working for four months. Doesn’t make me a pro, but still…

@"Phoenix" post=61476

You seem to have also “bought” their marketing story along with your mattress.

I guess? The video I’ve seen on Amazon is very convincing.

[phoenix]

Hi Torin,

Well, if we’re talking qualifications as in official certifications then no, I’m not qualified to recommend anything at all. It just so happens I once had a job as a mattress salesman. Granted, that was quite some time ago and I had been working for four months. Doesn’t make me a pro, but still…

If you worked as a mattress salesperson then you would know that there is no such thing as a single mattress that is the “best choice” for the specific needs and preferences of most people. If there was then you would only have been selling one mattress in each budget range. You can also read more about what I call the “simplified choice” mattresses and some of their marketing claims in post #1 here. There is also more about the Casper mattress in post #2 in the same topic.

As sad as it may be … most of the members here that have spent an hour or two on this website or reading the mattress shopping tutorial will also know more about mattresses and mattress materials than the large majority of the sales people in the mainstream industry that sell them.

One of the most frequent comments that I also make in my replies on the forum is this one …

While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful … I would also keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about about using other people’s suggestions or experiences or reviews on a mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you and in many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful. A mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).

I guess? The video I’ve seen on Amazon is very convincing.

A video won’t tell you much if anything about whether a mattress will be a suitable “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or the quality and durability of the materials inside a mattress.

Phoenix

[Tyco]

Hi Abbygrant,

How do you like the Novosbed? My wife and I have a Bear mattress but after 2 months were just not happy with it. I find it too firm and sometimes wake up in the night with my arm numb (side sleeper) and have been experiencing shoulder and back pain. I am leaning towards the Novosbed Soft and see that’s what you purchased. Having owned the Bear mattress yourself, how does the Novosbed compare? Is it significantly softer? I am about to pull the trigger on the Novos, but would like to hear your opinions first. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Tyson

[abbygrant]

[quote=“zexpress” post=61535]
How is the mattress going for you? Still happy with it? I am strongly considering this one as a replacement for my Nest Hybrid. Would you say the firmness is comparable to your Cloud Supreme or would you say it’s a bit firmer or softer?[/quote]

Well, I’ve been sleeping on the Novosbed soft for a week now. I am cautiously optimistic that this is “the one”. So far, I would consider it firmer than the Cloud Supreme. It has that tempurpedic type feel, meaning the foam feels dense and you sink into it a bit. I think it is also cooler than the Cloud Supreme. As I mentioned before I’m not a hot sleeper. But I always noticed that the Cloud Supreme retained heat and felt warm to the touch for quite awhile after I got out of bed in the mornings. The Novosbed does not retain heat like the Cloud Supreme did. I will report back again in another week or so.

[abbygrant]

@Tyco

Hi Abbygrant,

How do you like the Novosbed? My wife and I have a Bear mattress but after 2 months were just not happy with it. I find it too firm and sometimes wake up in the night with my arm numb (side sleeper) and have been experiencing shoulder and back pain. I am leaning towards the Novosbed Soft and see that’s what you purchased. Having owned the Bear mattress yourself, how does the Novosbed compare? Is it significantly softer? I am about to pull the trigger on the Novos, but would like to hear your opinions first. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Tyson

Hi Tyson,

My Bear Mattress was too firm for me and I also woke up with shoulder and upper back pain. I liked it for the first week, but I gradually got more and more pain and stopped sleeping on it after about 3 weeks. I know they recommend 30 days but I couldn’t take it.

I ordered a Novosbed soft, which was recommended by Gaille at Novosbed. I was leaning toward a Novos medium, but after I explained my likes and dislikes to Gaille she strongly recommended the soft. I’m glad she did. It is a good deal softer than the Bear mattress, yet it feels supportive. I have been sleeping on it for a week, have not had shoulder pain and am sleeping soundly. It definitely works better for me than the Bear. I can give you another report in another week if interested. If you do order a Novosbed soft I’d like to hear your comments as well.

[Loiroi]

They never responded to my initial inquiry about the composition of their product, despite my having given them my phone number.

[phoenix]

Hi Loiroi,

Thanks for letting us know.

I hope that at some point someone will be more successful than you were in finding out the specifics of the materials inside it but of course it’s also possible that they are just choosing not to disclose this information as well.

Phoenix

[Magialisk]

Abbygrant,
If you’re still around now a couple months later, I’ll add my voice to the crowd requesting your updated opinions on the Novosbed Soft.

My wife and I tried many beds at the local big brand store and ended up finding the Cloud Supreme Breeze 2.0 as our favorite. The Cloud Luxe Breeze 2.0 was too much sink in for my wife, and another that she liked didn’t have hardly any sink in in my opinion, but the Supreme was just enough in the middle to seem right to both of us.

Until this morning I had been considering going with the NovosBed Medium and adding the Soft Comfort+ layer if necessary, but the common thread among the NovosBed reviews is that they’re a bit firmer than most people expect. I talked with Gaille and based on what I said above, she strongly recommended the Soft mattress. She separately told me that it’s generally better to start with their medium bed and make it softer than to try to make their soft bed firmer, but based on our preferences she said we’d want the Soft anyway.

Along those lines, in case anyone is wondering, I got the specs on the Comfort+ layers from Gaille as well. First they are a “high grade foam” instead of a memory foam. Second, they are both 2.0lb density. Last, the Soft Comfort+ has an ILD of 8 while the firm’s ILD is 32. I know that doesn’t mean much in absolute terms, but just for reference if anyone else is considering the combinations…

Finally, I did stumble across a screenshot from 2013 when they had the 4 beds (Aria, Harmony, etc.) and their website used to compare the Harmony (now called Soft) directly against the Cloud Supreme Breeze. Here’s the site where I found the screenshot: Sleep, Dream, and Feel Good : NovosBed.com. I know that comparison doesn’t mean much objectively about how the beds actually feel, but I take it as a good sign that we’re making the right choice on the Soft over the Medium.

So with all that said, now that you’ve had yours for a few months, and owned both the Cloud Supreme and the Novos Soft, I’m sure many of us would love to hear your updated impressions. Even (especially!) if it turns out you ended up returning the mattress for some reason. We’ll be taking the plunge on the Soft in about 2 weeks! Thank you!

[phoenix]

Hi Magialisk,

If you’re still around now a couple months later, I’ll add my voice to the crowd requesting your updated opinions on the Novosbed Soft.

Until this morning I had been considering going with the NovosBed Medium and adding the Soft Comfort+ layer if necessary, but the common thread among the NovosBed reviews is that they’re a bit firmer than most people expect. I talked with Gaille and based on what I said above, she strongly recommended the Soft mattress. She separately told me that it’s generally better to start with their medium bed and make it softer than to try to make their soft bed firmer, but based on our preferences she said we’d want the Soft anyway.

Hopefully abbygrant will see your post and share their comments but I would always keep in mind that while other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful, you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own personal preferences) may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).

Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like “medium” for someone else or even “soft” for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they “rate” a mattress as well (see post #15 here) so different people can also have very different opinions on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness and some people may rate one mattress as being firmer than another and someone else may rate them the other way around. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science.

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 (which you have already done). 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 and their guidance will give you the best chance of success.

Like many of the other simplified choice mattresses … Novosbed also has a great return policy that lets you try the mattress in your bedroom without any risk so you can decide for yourself based on your own perceptions of firmness and softness whether the mattress is a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP without relying on other people’s experiences which may be very different from your own.

You are certainly looking at a great quality/value choice.

Phoenix

[abbygrant]

Magialisk,

Well, I’m not 100% happy with the Novosbed. It is definitely firmer than the TempurCloud Supreme. Sadly, I am still experiencing shoulder pain. I ordered the comfort kit soft and that did not work for me. It made the mattress too soft and caused lower back and shoulder pain. I took the comfort kit off for a few nights, and the back pain subsided but the shoulder pain came back. I added the comfort kit back for 2 nights and the back pain came back. The last few nights I have slept on the mattress without the comfort kit. I also added some stuffing to my Nest Bedding easy breather pillow, thinking that some of the shoulder pain could be caused by the pillow being too flat.

So this leaves me still thinking about trying another mattress while I’m still in the trial period. I’ve had my eye on the Alexander Signature Select soft. I may go ahead and order one, sleep on it for awhile and see how it compares to the Novosbed. I’m really frustrated and not understanding why I’m getting shoulder pain from every mattress except my old TempurCloud supreme.

[phoenix]

Hi abbygrant,

Thanks for taking the time to share your update.

I’m sorry to hear that your Novosbed also isn’t working out quite as well as you hoped for although based on your previous comments I was hopeful that you would have better success than you did with the previous 3 online mattresses that you tried.

It seems to me that you are more sensitive to smaller differences in a mattress than most people and since you have already tried 4 online mattresses that didn’t work out for you it may be worthwhile considering a local choice that you can test in person and compare to many other mattresses before making your next purchase.

While there is little financial risk in continuing to try online mattresses that have a good return policy … I do understand that trying and returning many mattresses and starting all over again each time can certainly be both time consuming and frustrating.

Phoenix

[Magialisk]

Thanks Abbygrant for sharing your updated thoughts. I’m sorry to hear about all the trouble you’ve been having with the different mattresses.

My wife and I are going to take the plunge with NovosBed in a couple weeks, and keeping my fingers crossed that after all this research we’re doing the right thing :). Our current bed is a eurotop innerspring, roughly 10 years old, and there are two depressions where we each sleep, a little over an inch deep. So I’m really hopeful that just about any mattress we get will be an improvement, but I really want the NovosBed to work out.

Best wishes to you in finding that perfect mattress. From what I’ve seen, both the Alexander and the Brooklyn Bedding (Latex) seem to be pretty popular in terms of a “soft” option, instead of the universal medium-firm that most companies are offering…

[Novosbed]

Hi abbygrant,

I’m sorry to hear that your shoulder pain is continuing despite trying 4 different mattresses. I can sense your frustration - I’ve been there myself: I suffer from Ankylosing Spondilytis and have had many frustrating nights sleeping on beds that aggravate my condition. I also found that there were many other potentially aggravating factors, such as:

1. Room temperature
2. Nature/duration of my physical activity (or lack thereof) during the day
3. Changes to my duvet/comforter (and even sheets)
4. Stability of my bed frame
5. Changes in weather (this is highly subjective and unscientific, but definitely noticeable)

In some of your earlier posts you suggested that the Novosbed was working well for you, but that now (~2 months later) your pain has returned. Has every night been uncomfortable for you, or are you still having some comfortable nights?

Thanks,
Sam

President

Memory Foam Mattresses Made For Better Sleep | Novosbed

[abbygrant]

Hello Sam,

The Novosbed has been better than other mattresses I’ve tried, but it is causing shoulder pain. My shoulders are sore and tender every morning. The difference between this and firmer beds is that the pain and tenderness is not as bad with the Novosbed. I don’t want shoulder pain all the time so the Novosbed must be too firm for me.

Other factors that you mention are not an issue for me. We keep our bedroom cool at night. 64 in the winter and around 72 in the summer. I am an active person so I usually sleep well. We use a Legget and Platt adjustable frame so bed frame is not an issue. My husband does not snore near as much or as loud because he now sleeps with his side of the bed slightly elevated. His snoring used to be my main problem sleeping!