New here, undecided on mattress! Memory Foam or Hybrid (coil+memory)

Hi everyone, I’m new here and been reading so much before I registered. When I was looking into a new mattress, I loved how the sealy optimum destiny felt, it is the more firmer of the series and cheapest. I then noticed how Optimum is not that good as they do not state their density of the foam. I started looking at bed in a box, then looked at novosbed and that was the one I wanted to buy, the novosbed sonata, which is 3" gel memory foam polyurethane foam and gel beads 3.7lbs/cubic ft with 8" support foam, they seemed top quality.

Then I started reading on how memory foam is not good for couples or sex. I went to local mattress firm store and yes it seems a little uncomfortable now that I think about it. So I was looking at the new hybrids that they had there and they had Sealy’s hybrid Majestic which has

Quilt - Top of Mattress
1" OptiCool Gel Memory Foam CoreSupport Center
1" OptiPro Memory Foam
2" SuperSoft ActiveFlex
1" Gel Memory Foam
Comfort - Padding Layers
2" SuperSoft ActiveFlex
1" Gel Memory Foam

Now I’m confused once again on which to pick, anyone have experience on these hybrids? It felt pretty comfortable, I do like spring feel and it feels like a good bed, but my girlfriend did not see my back arched correctly like you see in the memory foam beds for support. What do you guys think between the two? Appreciate any input.

Hi jm1080,

The first place I would start is post #1 here which includes or links to all the basic information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make good choices. Hopefully it will also keep you away from the chain store and major brands (such as Sealy) or any brand or manufacturer that won’t disclose the quality of the materials they use in their mattress.

Unfortunately the specs you listed don’t include any information about the quality of the materials in the mattress so there is no way to make any meaningful assessments about it’s quality or value except to say that major brands in general tend to use lower quality materials and sell for higher prices than many of the alternatives that are available to you once you know where to look :slight_smile:

When you get to step 3 … if you let me know your city or zip I’d be happy to let you know of any better options or possibilities that I may know of in your area.

Phoenix

Thanks for your response phoenix, I actually already read that thread and choosing the right mattress section, which was why I looked into novosbed, in one thread you stated they were good and I also read various reviews on other sites, but when I went to mattress firm, the hybrids caught my eye. I really do not care for Sealy brand, but it was the only hybrid, I saw. What do you personally think of the hybrids? I was only able to find two reviews on the Sealy Hybrid Majestic. I like how it has springs plus foam, but want to be sure there is that spine alignment like the novosbed. Novosbed you know the density where as I know Sealy does not state densities.

Choosing mattress is harder than I thought! But I wanted to take advantage of memorial day sale,My zip code is 33067 , FL by the way, but I already checked out some local manufactures and novosbed had the best price. But any guidance with Hybrids? It seems as you get best of both worlds.

Hi jm1080,

A mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality of the materials inside it and since the major manufacturers don’t disclose this there is no way to make any meaningful assessments about them except to say that they are lower quality and value than other similar mattresses. Hybrid is also a very generic term because all it means is a combination of two materials which is the case with most mattresses. I would need to know what type of hybrid you mean. the choice of materials or the combinations used in a mattress is a preference choice. The key is not whether a mattress is a “hybrid” but testing carefully and objectively for PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and knowing the quality and durability of the materials in the mattress you buy regardless of the type of mattress and materials that are in it. All materials have good and poor quality versions and knowing the difference between them is part of good mattress research.

As you can read in post #13 here … I would pay little attention to most reviews about mattresses because most of the reviewers have little idea of what they actually purchased other than the brand and model name and don’t provide any information about their body type, sleeping position, or other relevant information. Reading reviews is very different from mattress research.

Yes … all of the better manufacturers and retailers will provide you with the details of what is inside their mattresses so you can make more meaningful quality and value comparisons with other mattresses. Most of them will also be able to provide you with more meaningful information or ways to assess the suitability of the mattresses they sell.

It will be much simpler if you follow the steps I linked earlier one by one. As you can see in post #5 here … better manufacturers don’t need or have major “sales” which are mostly fake and just a marketing method to get you into the store where they can sell you overpriced and lower quality mattresses with a “major sale” story attached to it. Better quality and value mattresses are available every day of the year without “special sales” that are all about marketing and have little to do with value. Creating a false sense of urgency is one of the oldest marketing tricks in the book.

It would also be worth reading post #12 here.

The better options I’m aware of in the Pompano Beach area are listed in post #2 here and post #2 here

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix for the information! I will have some reading to do tonight. But would you consider hybrids such as inner individual springs + foam better than pure memory foam? I do not mind paying the price of a Sealy hybrid, but I do love how the springs feel and I love the foam as well, but I have not seen many reviews on that type of hybrid, I assume it is similar to Serta I Series, do you have any opinions or anywhere I can read regarding those hybrids? I just want to make sure they are good at back support, PPP, as I have not heard much info on these or customer reviews.

Hi jm1080,

There is no such thing as a “pure memory foam” mattress … at least that any reputable manufacturer would make.

I don’t consider any material or component “better” than another because the combinations of materials in a mattress are an individual preference and each person can be very different. It’s like asking if apples are better than oranges. It depends on the needs ad preferences of each person. The one common thing I would suggest is that no matter which type of material or components (like an innerspring) you prefer that you choose the highest quality and most durable version of that material or component that is possible. The “best” mattress for each person is what post #2 here is all about and it doesn’t say anything about which materials are used … only about the qualities and benefits the mattress that makes it suitable for a particular person and about choosing the best possible quality and value in your budget range so that the mattress will remain as close to its original feel and performance for longer than lower quality versions of the same materials.

Your jov is to find the materials and components that you prefer … and then find the design that uses those materials that best matches your needs and preferences.

I’m still not clear on which type of “hybrid” you are talking about because there are three different types of foam. You will find traditionial mattresses that use innersprings of many different types with polyfoam in many different combinations, innersprings that use different types of memory foam in different layers and in combination with other types of foam as well, and innersprings that use latex also by itself or in combination with other types of foam as well. All of these could be called “hybrid” mattresses because they use more than one material or component.

If you mean some type of innerspring/memory foam hybrid (probably with other materials in the mix as well) then if this is the best choice for you in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) then it can certainly make a suitable choice as long as the memory foam and any other materials are good quality.

There is no specific type of mattress that is inherently “good” or “bad” at back support or alignment. There are only mattresses that are good or bad in terms of back support and spinal alignment for YOU (whether they work well for anyone else is meaningless and irrelevant). Each of us are different.

Phoenix