Phoenix,
I just came across this video on youtube about poly foam.
Based on this gentleman, all polyfoams get softened up eventually so what are your thoughts on the polyfoam in Aloe Alexis thats used as a base/support layer? What are the chances that it will get soft within few years?
mattressseeker, Iâm not Phoenix and he knows these things better than I do of course. I watched the video you linked to and have seen others in that gentlemanâs beducation series. Some of it seems accurate, some of it seems really vague. The general consensus is that all poly foam softens, which it does. Any foam will soften with use from brand new. Memory foams are poly based but arenât strictly poly foam since they have other chemicals added to the formula to create the slow response effect and thereâs all different qualities of poly foam in general. Quoting those epinions statements didnât say much. Thatâs like someone on epinions saying well the last chocolate candy bar I had tasted blah until I tried a Godiva brand. So what are they comparing to? Hersheyâs? A no name brand of generic chocolate? Nothing wrong with Hersheyâs, but itâs a consumer oriented product rather than priding themselves in the finest ingredients - itâs not âspecialtyâ chocolate. Hard to compare a big mac hamburger made in under 2min from a fast food place to a gourmet angus burger offered at a 5 star restaurant prepared by a michelin chef. Iâm not sure itâs accurate to say the best youâll get from poly foam (blanket statement) is 3-4yrs. Car seats, couch cushions etc are all made from poly foam. Granted itâs not sleeping 8hrs steady on them, but on the other hand people primarily sit on them which subjects those pieces of foam to more severe compression (smaller footprint, higher weight). I currently have a couch thatâs probably 20yrs old or better. My grandmother had a couch that lasted her well over 25yrs. Given she was retired and a senior, she spent more than an hour or two on her couch. It got sat on a lot and didnât cease to perform despite some softening from new. Bringing up the point that poly foam is âplasticâ is also a bit general. What kind of plastic is it similar to, cheap plastic that breaks down in sunlight right away? Plastic that fractures when you bend it a little too far? The flexible kind of plastic that tupperware type food containers are made from that last 10-15yrs or better? Or the polycarbonate type plastic used in high performance glasses and goggles that will stop a 12 gauge shotgun blast at short range? The point being foam, like plastic, can be made across such a huge gamut of possibilities that itâs not really fair to be like eh, after all itâs âjustâ plastic. Variations and degrees of softening have to be taken into account and can be subjective to each person.
Softening doesnât necessarily mean to the degree that a product will fail or no longer provide support. As mentioned with seats in cars or automobiles, while they sustain shorter periods of use (unless itâs a commercial truck driver) theyâre also subject to lots of sunlight. Intensified sunlight coming through closed windows and much higher levels of heat as the interior of a car can heat upwards of 120 degrees for hours during summer months year after year. Doubtful thereâs over 4-5" thick of poly foam in the seat for cushioning. Yet people can sit down in a car thatâs 8-10yrs old and doubtful theyâll feel the framework underneath through the cushion. If poly foam wasnât a durable material, they would have people bringing their cars back every few years for seat problems and usually the motor gives out before the cushion material. Just my .02 worth 
Hi mattressseeker,
Hopefully youâve read the tutorial post which has much more information about polyfoam and memory foam and about assessing the durability of a mattress.
The video you watched has some very misleading (and in some cases incorrect) information in it. Although memory foam and polyfoam are both polyurethane based ⌠they are very different materials but he lumps both of them together in his comments.
There are many grades of polyfoam ranging from low density less durable versions and higher density and more durable versions. There is also a difference in durability between polyfoam used in support layers and polyfoam used in comfort layers. The âweak linkâ in most mattresses is in the upper layers of the mattress ⌠not the support layers. There is more about the many variables that can affect durability and the useful life of a mattress in post #4 here.
The bottom line is that the 2.17 lb polyfoam in the Alexis is a high quality and very durable material and there would be no durability issues with using it as the support layer of a mattress. Even a much lower density polyfoam wouldnât have a durability issue with 6" of latex above it.
These types of videos that use âhalf truthsâ and then build a âstoryâ on top of it are usually more about selling a specific type of mattress than they are about educating customers or providing accurate information.
Phoenix