I am considering the Heavenly Cloud from Jamestown Mattress Co and this mattress includes 2" of 1.5 lb polyurethane foam in the quilting. It also has a 1.7 lb polyurethane foam encasement around the latex layers. The two layers are 2" of NR Dunlop ILD 16-19 and 7" NR Dunlop ILD 24-27. Having spent countless hours reading this forum and almost all of the articles, I understand that more than an inch of 1.8 lb polyurethane in the comfort layer isn’t recommended because it won’t hold up over time. I also understand that the top layers are the first to break down in general. Am I right to be scared away from this mattress because of this polyfoam in the quilting and encasement? I otherwise like the feel, comfort, and support. I am just worried that some of that feel and comfort feels great in the showroom, but that it won’t be there in the long run.
Any sage words would be greatly appreciated. I love this site/forum and have enjoyed learning more about mattresses than I ever imagined possible. Thank you for all your time and passion!
Guidelines such as these have “fuzzy edges” because something doesn’t suddenly go from good to bad as soon as it goes over a certain threshold so the guideline I use is no more than “about an inch or so” of lower density polyfoam in quilting layers. The quilting process (or tufting even more so) pre-compresses the foam which makes it more durable so if a quilting layer has about 1.5" of polyfoam then I would still consider it to be OK. The density will also play a role because much of the quilting foam is in the range of 1.2 lb density or even lower which is less durable than 1.5 lb foam. Firmness will also play a role because firmer materials tend to be more durable than softer materials that compress more easily.
Having said that … when you are at 2" then it would be “on the edge” in terms of the thickness that I would be comfortable with. While this would still be more a durable design than the thicker layers of lower quality materials that you would usually find in most mainstream mattresses … it’s also a little thicker than I would be completely comfortable with and the risk of foam softening or impressions would be a little higher than if the quilting layer was a little thinner.
The same would hold true here with 1.7 lb polyfoam. The “standard” in the mainstream industry is 1.5 lb polyfoam and density is never exact and comes in a range so this is only about 5% lower than 1.8 lb which is inside the tolerance range for 1.8 lb polyfoam when it’s ordered (for example if you order 1.8 lb polyfoam with a 5% spec tolerance then you could receive a density that is anywhere from 1.71 to 1.89 lbs) so this would be more durable once again than most mainstream mattresses but if you sit on the edge a lot or are in a higher weight range then I would be cautious here as well. For most people it would be OK.
I would have no problem with the durability of the latex.
Overall … I would say that this is “on the edge” in terms of having a weak link in the design but it would also be a much more durable choice than most of the mainstream mattresses in the industry.
This would be a “best judgement” call depending on your weight range (higher weights will have a bigger effect on foam softening), on where you are in the comfort and support range that is suitable for you (a mattress that is “on the edge” of being too soft for you can result in foam softening taking you “over the edge” more quickly … see post #2 here) and on how it compares to the other finalists you are considering based on all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you…
I guess you could say my comments aren’t particularly “cold” or “hot” but more in the “lukewarm” to “warm” range.