Hi benjammin,
I talked with Cymax today to see if they could explain a few of the discrepancies in their various listings. Both the Sears site and amazon has the same price for every size (which appears to be correct) and they also list every size as being the same weight of 50 lbs (which can’t be correct). they also have different prices for the same product. They tried to call Comfort Dreams which didn’t answer their phone so they will find out why the different prices (are they both new product and not used or exchanged products) and the correct weight of at least one size so a calculation can confirm if the memory foam is truly 5 lb. (which I believe it is)
I also left a message with Foamex/FXI to see if they can confirm if the “comfort magic” is really Sensus or is just an “alternative” that has been licensed to use the name.
I’ll post here if and when I get any answers.
One of the reasons I like dealing with a real person/company that I know and trust is that this kind of followup research isn’t necessary but the issue of the different prices and the accuracy of some descriptions comes up enough that I thought I would see if I could find out some reliable information.
You will “sink through” to some degree with any upper layer no matter what the firmness and thickness but it’s a matter of degree. What I mean is that all the layers of a mattress will compress (which means that the top layers don’t take up all the weight by themselves and do all the compressing). If you were to put the top layers of a mattress on the floor you should always feel the floor below it … but “how much” you feel the floor is the question.
The thinner the topper (or top layer) the more you will feel the qualities of the foam below it. A thin memory foam layer will allow you to feel more of the firmness and/or resiliency of the layers below than a thicker memory foam layer. Any topper will modify the feeling of the foam below and the combination (thickness of memory foam topper in combination with the thickness of the rest of the comfort layer and the deeper layers as well) would really depend on the combination of qualities of the two layers you would find most desirable. An inch of memory foam for example would allow more of the resilience and firmness of the layers below it to become apparent while still maintaining “some” memory foam feel in the overall comfort layer. All the layers work simultaneously and in combination with each other so it can be misleading to think in terms of how each one reacts by itself. A more “accurate” question would be how much will the upper layers affect each other in terms of pressure relief and feel. In other words you always want to “go through” a comfort layer (or part of a comfort layer) … it’s just a matter of degree and how much you want it to influence the layers below.
As you know … mattresses.net is a member here which means I think highly of them and the value they offer. The choice between the different toppers though would depend on preferences and any results of your own personal testing and the mattress you are used to.
What I try to do is help you roughly predict the difference between what you have been sleeping on and are used to and the layers you are considering so you can get a sense of which choice may be best for you becuse only you can most accurately “intuit” the feel you are looking for. This is made more difficult because of the many variables involved with how each person interacts with a mattress and which of the layers they will feel the most. For example … just one of these variables is that a heavier person will feel more of the lower layers while a lighter person will feel more of the upper layers and the nature of “feel” itself is very subjective. Slight variances in sleeping position, body shape, and the areas of sensitivity (jhips shoulders) can all creat different descriptions of feel with different people. This is why you see such a wide variety of different feedback about the same mattresses. This is compounded by the differences in the materials themselves because memory foam takes “time” (in varying degrees) to become as soft as it will be while latex is more instant reacting. Some people describe the feeling or softness of memory foam based on initial impression before it has softened or it’s resistance to movement (which can feel much firmer) while others describe it based on what they feel 10 minutes later or without any movement at all.
So having said all that …
1. 2" Talalay $239 22 ILD (simple choice, and just add an inch of memory foam above it)
This may be enough by itself on top of the mattress you have and a thinner soft layer would allow for better alignment in all sleeping positions. If it needed tweaking … then of course an additional thin layer of memory foam (the thickness depending on your impressions of how close it was by itself) would be an “adjustment” option.
2. 3" Talalay GL $397 24 ILD? (sort of a slow latex foam, supposedly cooler, supposedly the best of memory foam and latex together, would that ILD be too firm?) Phoenix, what has the feedback been from the several people you’ve heard from regarding it?
Based on the ILD alone this would appear to be slightly firmer but I suspect that it would feel softer than the ILD indicates. It would have a combination feel with a faster response than memory foam but more conformity and slower than talalay. I haven’t tried this so I would talk to Ken or Greg to see if they can give you a sense of it’s relative softness based on their personal feedback or that of others they know who have tried it. I would personally be very intrigued with this choice.
The little bit of feedback I have heard (and one of these was Ken) was more initial impressions that were open to evolving but it appears that this is a much better and more “attractive” material than the previous slow recovery latex (NuForm) which was not that popular and that it is more of a “memory foam” feeling than the previous version. People who like memory foam seem to like it and like the idea that it also has many of the benefits of latex. They seemed to prefer it over softer latex.
3. 3" Natural Dunlop $349 25 ILD (too firm, probably)
My guess … based on how you feel with a similar 28 ILD talalay … is also that this would be too firm.
4. 3" Rejuvenite $427 19 ILD (plush) pricey, don’t need cover, almost $200 more for just an inch more of latex. Is Rejuvenite just a marketing name for their soft Talalay?
This would be very similar to choice #1 but a little softer and closer to the ILD of memory foam (which is usually less than 16 or so and often much less but this can be misleading for the reasons I mentioned before). Sensus for example is about 14 ILD (at least the real stuff is). This also has the advantage of having a cover which is necessary for a topper (which either needs to go inside the main zip cover if there is room or have its own cover for best protection and to prevent wearing out prematurely. Rejuvenite is a brand for LI (toppers and pillows) and is purchased by sellers as a complete product rather than just purchasing the latex and adding a cover and calling it a latex topper without the Rejuvenite name. There is no difference in the 19 ILD LI latex in the Rejuvenite topper and the same ILD purchased from LI as a latex layer.
Hope this helps you to form an impression of how each option may perform and feel like to you using what you had as a reference point for comparison.
Phoenix
