Having spent some time reading through the posts here and having just returned from a trip to a couple local overpriced mattress stores, a few thoughts / questions come to mind
The all latex mattresses we tried seemed a bit too bouncy for our tastes. Most of the all memory foam mattresses seemed to hard.
We settled into liking two mattresses. The Comforpedic , and the Beautyrest NXG (500v if that matters). Based on what I have seen here, I’m thinking the Beautyrest mattresses with inner springs would avoid some of the “settling in” issues that pure foam mattresses seem to exhibit.
Of course living in Binghamton, NY there are no close by manufacturers for similar products. I have seen Jamestown mentioned, though the nearest store in Henrietta, NY is about 3 hours away. I’m not sure if they have a similar product or not.
I’m not sure where else I can look for similar products, and was hoping you might provide some guidance on where to look.
I’m not sure which of the Comforpedics you are looking at but I would be aware when you look at the specs that the NXG memory foam is 3.5 lbs and the NXG advanced memory foam is 5.5 lb which can make a significant difference in durability. The choice between a pocket coil innerspring (in the NXG series) and a 2.0 lb polyfoam support core (in the Comforpedic) for me would be based on feel and support with pocket coils being more conforming. The NXG firm versions use a heavier gauge innerspring while comforpedic firm versions use a higher ILD polyfoam (43 vs 30). I would avoid 3.5 lb memory foam completely though, especially in this price range, and quite frankly … neither of these represent very good value IMO
The closest factory direct manufacturer to you is http://www.sleepmastermattress.net/ in Syracuse. They manufacture their own line as well as WJ Southard and bemco mattresses. They make a full range of mattresses and I would call them to enquire about what models they make that may have similarities to either the Comforpedic or the NXG. They will also have options so you can try other types of mattresses side by side.
On a more local basis … there are a few options that may be worth pursuing more than others. I would call to see if they have anything that may be similar to either the Comforpedic or the NXG (high quality memory foam or memory foam/latex hybrids). I’ve included brands their websites says they carry which may have some better value models. When you are shopping locally … the willingness of the local outlet to give you the specs of the mattress (including the type of material used and the density of any polyfoam or memory foam used) is very important so you can make sure that any mattress that you like is using durable materials that will better keep the qualities you like in the showroom over time. Without this … you are rolling the dice as to how long any mattress will last.
http://www.metromattress.com/ Vestal. Spring Air, Therapedic. CAUTION: Be careful here because they tend to specialize more in major brands which they may tend to overpromote and make sure you don’t buy a mattress on the same day as you test them or that you know the specifics of every layer in any mattress you consider here.
http://www.olums.com/ Johnson City. Pure Latex Bliss (very high quality talalay latex mattresses), King Koil
Hi Craig,
What are the chances of 2 people being from BGM on this site??? I got everything I needed (mattress/steel foundation) from this site thanks to Phoenix. We have nothing here, except overpriced places. Olums too much…metro too much…Jon
Phoenix,
Thanks, I didn’t know about Sleepmaster in Syracuse, that’s only a bit more than an hour away. Plus there’s a mall nearby to keep my wife happy! Sounds like a day trip this Saturday.
Olum’s and Raymour & Flannigan are the two high priced stores we checked out, basically both have the same prices and product. We weren’t really thinking of buying from either. I didn’t think about America’s Attic. That’s an easy check some night.
I didn’t get into details with either knowing I really didn’t plan on buying, mostly wanted to get some starting points for further analysis. I will write down your thoughts/suggestions for our trip to Syracuse.
Thank you, much appreciated.
Jon,
I was following the thread you had going, one of the reason I decided to register here and post my own queries.
You’re certainly right about that. The larger brands … and even some of the smaller ones … have a huge array of different names for the same mattress. Of course that’s to make comparisons between mattresses much more difficult.
[quote]Two mattresses we liked turned out to be the Comforpedic Harmony and the BeautyRest Black Series Mariela.
Now we have a starting point for discussion/research.[/quote]
At least we know you like a soft layer on top and a mattress where you can sink in. The common factor with both of these is the use of the NXG memory foam which is a low density 3.5 lb memory foam. It feels nice because it is more motion friendly than denser “stiffer” memory foams but it is also lower quality and durability memory foam.
The Comforpedic Harmony Plush (also called the Oakland and other names) has 1.5" of this and then has 2" of the higher density/quality 5.5 lb NXG advanced (which would be much more durable) and then has an inch of latex (14/19 ILD) and then the plush version uses 7.5" of 2.0 lb (good but not great quality) 30 ILD polyfoam and the firm version uses 43 ILD. This also goes to show the difference that a firmer base core can make all by itself. This is almost identical in the comfort layers with the NXG 500 (the only difference is the NXG only has 1" of the 3.5 lb memory foam) but uses very different support systems (with the NXG using the pocket coil instead of polyfoam).
The specific Beauyrest black specs are not publicly available except they do say they use the same low quality 3.5 lb NXG memory foam NXG (without the higher quality 5.5 lb layer of the Comforpedic) and then they use “high performance” foams under this which usually means higher density polyfoam with higher resilience but likely not quite dense enough to actually be called HR foam. These foams would be more “latex like” than lower quality polyfoam. This is all over their new variform pocket coils.
So the goal would be to find this soft and conforming “in the mattress” feel in a mattress using higher quality foam at a lower price
I was thinking we may want to go a bit firmer, due to body heat making the mattress soften over time. Our times on the mattresses we listed have been limited to a few minutes. Plus, my wife has to have an electric blanket going in the winter.
Memory foam changes its response based on body heat (to different degrees) along with humidity, pressure, and the time it is compressed and these are all part of how it conforms to each person’s shape. More resilient foams such as polyfoam and latex only respond to pressure. What makes memory foam softer over time is several things besides the heat. There is an initial break in period where it will get softer during the first 90 days or so as the windows in the foam open up. This is the break in period. This initial break in is followed by a more gradual softening which is more rapid in lower quality/density foams than it is in higher quality/density memory foam. Finally, the foam itself will break down and begin to develop deeper impressions which don’t come back to “level” when weight is removed from the mattress.
The second period of softening will usually result in the need to replace the mattress when it becomes too soft for the person sleeping on it. Depending on the construction of the mattress, this softening can lead to either a mattress that is too firm (the softened foam doesn’t isolate you enough from the firmer support layers under it) … or it can result in sleeping out of alignment (the softened foam allows you to sink in too far and your lower back no longer has the best sleeping posture). Either way … all of these processes happen much more quickly with lower density memory foam than higher density memory foam.
Heat and humidity can also play a role in how quickly memory foam breaks down but this would be a secondary factor to mechanical compression in the breakdown of the foam (hotter temperatures will allow for greater compression and hasten foam softening and breakdown). Memory foam is designed to interact with body heat and electric blankets should be used with real caution on memory foam mattresses because the extra heat can soften the memory foam more than it otherwise would and allow you to sink in too much leading to possible back pain and heat issues (memory foam retains heat more than other foams).
Most manufacturers will recommend against using an electric blanket with memory foam (and even more so an electric heating pad on the mattress) but if you do go there anyway … it should be used on the lower settings and for much shorter periods of time (perhaps just enough to warm up the mattress a bit and then turning it off when you go to bed). It would also be better to use it over the sheets of course and also over another blanket to isolate the memory foam as much as possible from the heat source. It may also be worthwhile to add a mattress pad say of wool over the memory foam to help isolate the memory foam from the increased heat and help prevent it from softening as much.
Overall … it’s much “safer” to stay away from heated blankets completely with a memory foam mattress partly because of durability issues but more importantly because it can lead to the memory foam softening too much each night to provide a healthy and properly aligned sleeping posture.
Well, we went to Sleepmaster in Syracuse today, and yes we did go to the Carousel mall afterward. At first I was a little apprehensive as the place is not nearly as fancy as most other places. Though in hindsight I think that’s good, as I won’t be paying for that fanciness.
We ended up trying all the mattresses in the store, and settled on two different models. The construction of both was the same, except one had a memory foam layer and the other had a latex foam layer. The “Skaneateles” is the latex model and the one we decided on. I saw the construction details, but I don’t remember them.
All the mattress names are those of local communities near Syracuse, that’s why the names may seem a bit odd if you don’t live around there. I think the memory foam version was the Onondaga, but I’m not sure.
The lady there was knowledgeable, not pushy (that is so refreshing ), and gave us a good price; and we didn’t even buy yet. I have to finish my taxes and get the refund before buying the mattresses. She also discussed how they stand behind their mattresses. If we have a problem, they will drive down to Binghamton, pick it up, take it to the factory, repair it, and return it the same day!
We do have to pay for delivery, but even with that we can get a queen set and a twin set for less that a queen set at Olums or Raymour & Flannigan.
Thanks for pointing us in the direction of Sleepmaster, we sincerely appreciate your help Phoenix.
If you’re happy … I’m happy … and “odd” names and “less fancy” store or not, I think you did well
Best of all … you get one and a half mattresses (both of which are probably better quality) for the price of one.
I’ll wait with my “congratulations” until your tax return happens and the mattress is purchased but at least that’s one more “chore” finished with a good outcome. I hope you have a chance to let us know how it is when you’ve had the chance to sleep on it.
Hi Phoenix,
I’m totally bewildered by ComforPedic’s 2013 line of memory foam mattresses. Seems they’ve gone the way of Tempurpedic and are now refusing to field basic questions about the density of their memory foam. Do you think that they’ve just gone and renamed most of their foam and memory foams or if they’ve actually changed the product much/at all?
Thanks enormously for your help.
M.
Simmons has never been particularly open about their foam specs at any time and even when they are it only makes their relatively low value even more obvious to those who know how to compare them to other mattresses.
Unfortunately there is no way to answer your question although I suspect that most of their foam densities are similar to what they were when they had the NXG line (a combination of lower quality and higher quality memory foam depending on the mattress).
As you can see in post #1 here and the information steps and guidelines it links to … I would never have considered them as a reasonable quality/value option anyway either before their current model lineup or now.
No, I wasn’t seriously entertaining them, either. Your mattress forum has been tremendously empowering for the average consumer, myself included. This mattress game is headache-inducing!
We’re going to Home Green Home in Ithaca first, then to Sleepmaster in Syracuse on Saturday, along with Costco and then the Destiny USA Mall finally for dinner. We should have a good day of relaxing on some quality mattresses to choose from after that, lol…
Thanks to Phoenix, today’s mattress testing was very helpful. Alissa at Home Green Home in Ithaca NY was so helpful, patient, and sincere. I asked her to check out Mattress Underground (she did) and encouraged them to become a member because I think they do things right. They carry both Savvy Rest and WJ Southard 100% natural latex mattresses that are both customizable. WJS is actually a local brand made in Syracuse NY, impressive and comfortable. Unsure why they put a cover over each latex layer inside the mattress and if that will cause shifting on an adjustable bed or not. I suppose we could just remove the cover to keep the tackiness gripping the two layers together like the other ones do. Now trying to narrow down the choices from WJS, Plush Beds, Savvy Rest, and Reverie Dream Supreme. All are customizable in there own way so now it’s down to the best value for the dollar spent. Can’t wait until this is a reality and we’re sleeping better than ever before!!
Sounds like a day trip this Saturday.