Original Mattress Factory Serenity Alternatives

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

First off, thanks so very much for this fantastic resource!

I currently sleep on a 13 year-old Sealy Posturpedic firm pillow top mattress. I’m 5’11" and about 185 pounds. In August I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, and started using an Auto-CPAP machine which provides air via a nasal pillow mask to help keep my airway open at night.

The CPAP machine allows me to sleep much more soundly through the night. [People with sleep apnea stop breathing many, many times a night, and gasp themselves awake to start breathing again.] Now that I sleep more soundly, I wake up stiff and sore most mornings. The CPAP mask and hose, along with advice from the doctor make side-sleeping the best position for dealing with sleep apnea, at least for me.

I’ve had a few weeks in hotel beds recently, where i slept better than I do at home, leading me to believe it was time for a new mattress.

I’ve been doing a bit of research, and had pretty much decided to focus on latex mattresses. I had also heard good recommendations about the Original Mattress Factory.

Upon visiting OMF, I surprisingly preferred their Serenity memory foam mattress, as it was substantially firmer-feeling when I tested it in the side-sleeping position. My wife liked it better too - especially the fact that if I moved around, she could hardly feel it.

I’d have pulled the trigger already, but I’m having a little trouble accepting the approximately $1800 purchase price for a queen set (by the time you add in delivery and taxes). I’d really love to find something closer to $1000-$1200. I’m also a bit uncomfortable with OMFs no exchange/no return policy.

I’m wondering if any of the forum manufacturer members would have a comparable product more aligned with the price I’d like to pay? Sadly, the member web sites I’ve visited are a bit weak when it comes to finding the detailed information I was hoping to see. I know you are not a fan of the bedinabox.com products, but their web site sure is helpful. Perhaps Rocky Mountain Mattress would be a good place to start?

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I’d be glad to provide any additional information.

Thanks,

John

2

Hi JohnnyO,

I think the “best” first step you can take would be to find the better manufacturers or sleep shops that are local to you. If you let me know your city or zip I’d be happy to let you know about any I’m aware of.

It would be great if one of the members was in the “list” close to you but there are also many local manufacturers and better sleep shops that have good quality/value mattresses that are not members of this site … yet :slight_smile:

In general … you will find that the OMF Serenity is already among the better quality and value memory foam mattresses of this type in an “apples to apples” comparison with other mattresses that use similar quality materials. The layering information about the Serenity is in post #2 here.

Even with knowing the layering information though … there are so many different types of memory foam with many different properties that the density information and thickness of the layers may not “translate” into other types of memory foam mattresses that use similar layering. In other words they may look similar on paper but not in real life. You can see more about the many different properties of different types and formulations of memory foam in post #9 here and in post #8 here.

There are really only 3 ways to “match” one mattress to another and they are listed in post #2 here.

Because of the many different types of memory foam made by different manufacturers and the differences in the layers used by different manufacturers … matching the Serenity based on matching the exact same specs may be difficult to impossible. A mattress that is somewhat similar may also be “somewhat similar” in its feel and performance but it may also be quite different unless all the layers are exactly the same.

The second way would be with side by side testing in “real time” (or at least with little time between them) which may also be difficult because OMF doesn’t carry other memory foam mattresses to compare it with and if there is too long a time between testing the Serenity and other mattresses the comparisons may not be that accurate (our subjective memory for the “feel” of a mattress isn’t very accurate over time). If there are other local possibilities though and you focus first on lying on the Serenity to “refresh” your memory and then go directly to some other pre-arranged options that you wanted to compare you would probably have a reasonably accurate comparison between them. A mattress that has similar materials and layering may be outside your budget but you may find a mattress that uses different layering with less costly memory foams (say without the 7 lb memory foam or equivalent) that feels similar and has a lower price.

The third way would be if a manufacturer designed and tested a mattress to feel very similar to the Serenity but unfortunately it isn’t a popular enough mattress to justify a manufacturer trying to copy it.

A mattress that is popular enough to “copy” though would be the Tempurpedic line and finding a mattress that is quite comparable to one of these may be much easier because many manufacturers use them as a comparison. In some cases these comparisons are for marketing purposes only and designed to make their own mattresses look better than they are but there are also better quality manufacturers that can provide meaningful comparisons of their mattresses to the Tempurpedic line which are much more accurate. This is more common with online manufacturers who often use the Tempurpedic line as a reference point.

Because of this … it may be worthwhile to test various Tempurpedic mattresses … especially the Contour line which also uses higher density 7 lb memory foam … and see which one comes closest to the feel and performance of the Serenity. Then you would have a baseline that would be a much more valuable reference point to compare to other memory foam mattresses.

The Serenity would be most similar to the Rhapsody that uses similar density and layer of memory foam except the Rhapsody doesn’t have the reticulated foam in between the layers and the firmness of the base layers may be different and you would need to confirm that it felt similar to you. You may also find that another one of the less expensive Tempurpedic mattresses has a similar feel in which case it would also have a less expensive counterpart with other manufacturers.

If the Rhapsody feels similar … then you would be looking for a mattress that was designed and tested to have a similar feel and performance to the Rhapsody (or any of their mattresses that you felt was similar).

Outside of local choices where you can feel the similarities in your own personal experience some of the better online memory foam choices (some members and some non members) are listed in post #12 here. You will find though that the mattresses that use similar quality materials to the Serenity or Rhapsody are probably more than your budget. In this case the most effective way to choose (with an online manufacturer where you can’t go by feel or local testing) would be with a conversation with the manufacturer where you could ask the questions that are important to you. I wouldn’t try to match a mattress based on the specs on a website … even if they are listed … because they may not ranslate into similar performance and feel. Conversations with the manufacturers or retailers on the list are the best way to go.

So your options are local manufacturers or retailers where you can go by feel or alternatively working with the online choices listed in the linked post who can match their models to the Tempurpedic that you feel comes the closest to the Serenity. Of course Rocky Mountain is one of these that I would definitely include as one of your phone calls. While I like the people at Bed in a box, they use much lower quality memory foam that would not be similar to the Serenity (or even most of the other Tempurpedic mattresses) in terms of feel, durability, or quality.

Hope this helps.

Phoenix

3

(post moved)

4

Hi RF,

I switched your post to here because the thread you posted it in was asking about the OMF memory foam mattress called the Serenity rather than their latex mattresses so it was a little off topic (and I didn’t know where else t put it) :slight_smile:

Phoenix

5

I thought the person was comparing the Savvy Rest Serenity to the Original Mattress Factory’s beds, not wanting to spend the price on the Savvy and asking for feedback? I misread the post. I assumed only one bed on the market was called Serenity so I skimmed.

6

Oops. I forgot to mention I’m in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area. Looking at one of your other postings, I see that Restwell is one that you recommend including in my search. I drive right by their Bloomington location most every day. I will plan a stop there to see what they have. It is a shame their web site doesn’t have more detail.

I’ll think more about what you have written. I can see where matching the components does not necessarily mean matching the feel or performance of a mattress.

At the end of the day, if you think the Serenity is a good or very good value, perhaps I should just plan to go that route. A new mattress is an important and long-term purchase, and perhaps I’d end up spending a lot of time and effort just to end up with something that is less satisfactory.

Thanks again,

John

7

Hi JohnnyO,

You’ve probably seen this but the Minneapolis/St paul list is in post #2 here.

If you go to Restwell looking for memory foam mattresses … make sure you have the layering information and check the density of the memory foam they use. They also make mattresses for RoomandBoard which use some lower quality memory foam and polyfoam in the comfort layer and it would be important to avoid this (lower quality/density polyfoam or memory foam) if you are looking for good durability.

No matter where you buy a mattress … it’s always important to know exactly what is in it layer by layer so you can identify any potential “weak links” in the mattress and have a way to make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses.

I do think it is good value considering the quality of the materials yes. To lower your budget, you would likely need to look at memory foam mattresses that didn’t use 7-8 lb memory foam layers and used 5 lb memory foam only (which is also a durable material) or a 4 lb “swirled” gel memory foam (the gel added to the memory foam can increase its durability as long as it isn’t added as particles). A mattress that used these materials in the right layering would be less and may also work well for you.

From your previous post as well (which I didn’t reply to) …

OMF actually has what I consider to be a very fair exchange policy. They will allow a one time exchange for any other mattress they sell in the first year. You would pay 25% of the cost of the least costly of the two mattresses (your original purchase or the exchange mattress) plus the price difference between your mattress and the new one if it is more expensive. This way … their exchange policy isn’t a hidden cost that is part of every mattress and the customers that don’t need an exchange aren’t paying for the ones who do.

With a local purchase … refund policies are also a hidden cost that is built in to the entire mattress line and if someone tests the mattress, chooses the materials and layering they prefer, and buys a suitable mattress (from a good manufacturer or sleep shop) then a refund shouldn’t ever be necessary … especially when there is a fair exchange policy. With an online purchase where someone may be buying a mattress that they have never tested in person then a refund policy can make more sense and can be part of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can lower the risk of an online mattress purchase (even though it is still factored into the cost).

Of course the disadvantage in this case is that the Serenity is the only memory foam mattress they make so you wouldn’t be able to exchange for another mattress of a similar type.

Phoenix

8

Thanks very much for the additional info. At this stage, I think I’m back to being comfortable investing in a good mattress from OMF. Thanks for the exchange info. It differs from what is on their web site, but I do recall the local store manager discussing a mattress exchange with someone on the phone.

ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: originalmattress.com/serenity/how-to-buy

The exchange fee you discuss seems very reasonable.

Thanks again,

John

9

Hi JohhnyO,

You’re very welcome :slight_smile:

If you do buy a mattress from OMF, I hope you have a chance to share your feedback after you’ve had a chance to sleep on it for a while.

I think they are a good value choice as long as the mattress you choose is suitable for your needs and preferences.

Bear in mind as well that they tend to display their mattresses on an “active” box spring that has some flex to it and that a firm non flexing foundation (which is more “usual” for latex and memory foam mattresses) may change the feel and performance of the mattress. You may want to ask them to put it on an adjustable bed to see how it feels on a solid foundation as well.

Phoenix

10

Hello,

Given that its been five years since this thread started, is there any updated information on mattresses that might be similar to the OMF Serenity memory foam mattress, but may be less expensive?

I tested the Serenity mattress yesterday and liked it. It was firm but gave enough to relieve pressure on my shoulders and hips well. Something a little softer would be good too. The Serenity Plush was too soft and squishy. I found myself wishing there was a happy medium between the Serenity and Serenity Plush. FYI I’m a side sleeper and weight about 140 lb.

The Serenity latex was OK, but felt very similar to OMF inner spring mattresses. If I wanted the feel of a spring mattress, I’d get one, and save half the cost over latex - perhaps I don’t get the point of latex.

FYI I’m in the Pittsburgh area, with few choices of good physical stores. I saw your post of other Pittsburgh area stores, and the only one that’s less an hour away (The Natural Sleep Shop) doesn’t appear to sell memory foam mattresses, only latex.

I was almost decided to try a Leesa based on reviews at the The Wirecutter, but your posts on this brand’s lower quality memory foam layer have given me pause.

You have a great site here. Thanks for your help.

Ben

11

Hi snowfiend131,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

The focus here of the site is not for comparing mattresses, as specifications are constantly changing and maintaining updates on the tens of thousands of mattresses available in an ever-changing marketplace would be beyond my or anyone else’s abilities (and comparisons are quite subjective), but you can see one of the more recent posts about the OMF Serenity memory foam here. You may also perform a forum search on Serenity (just click on the link) for more mentions about this item on the site. Some of the results will be for the Serenity latex mattress as well.

Overall, my comments about comparing mattresses as stated in post #2 earlier in this thread would still apply.

There are some good sources for memory foam from some of the members listed in post #21 here who are all very experienced and knowledgeable and specialize in providing the type of help and guidance on the phone that can help you make good choices. You can also look through the simplified choice thread here, as well as this thread. All of that should give you a good start in your search. I hope that’s helpful.

Phoenix