Questions about SelectFoam mattresses (and comparing foam mattresses in general)

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
1

Having done a lot more homework on memory foam (thanks Phoenix for the treasure trove of information!), I am looking at the Conform Signature 12" and the Regalis HD 12" offered by SelectFoam. These are both listed as “medium-firm” mattresses, which is the range I tend to fall in. Not being able to actually lay down on it certainly makes online purchases challenging…

Earlier today I stopped in a mattress store to lay down on some Tempurpedics, particularly the Rhapsody, which is what SelectFoam lists in it’s “side-by-side” comparison for the Regalis HD. My specs:

  • Height: 6’0"
  • Weight: ~160 lbs
  • Sleep style: side and back
  • Current mattress: Tempurpedic 10" (don’t know the model), about 8.5 years old and going strong

The Rhapsody felt about right on my back but didn’t seem to have enough give for my shoulders when on my side. I also tried out the Cloud Select next and it seemed better than the Rhapsody on my side, while still pretty good on my back (Rhapsody might be a hair better here). Based on that, I looked at materials and construction to see how they compare. Please feel free to correct anything if you have better information.

Cloud Select:
1.2" Tempur ES comfort layer (? lb)
2.8" Tempur support layer (5.3 lb)
6" Core base layer (? lb)

Rhapsody:
1.2" Tempur HD comfort layer (7.2 lb)
2.8" Tempur support layer (5.3 lb)
8" base layer (1.8 lb)

I don’t want to make any assumptions, but I would guess the base layer of the Cloud Select is the same density as the Rhapsody. I’m curious if there’s actually something to the ES (in the Cloud Select) that is noteworthy or if it’s just marketing. Now for the SelectFoam mattresses, as per their site:

Conform Signature 12"
1.2" SELECT gel memory foam comfort layer (5.3 lb)
2.8" SELECT foam support layer (5.3 lb)
8" base layer (? lb)

Regalis HD 12"
1.5" SELECT-HD memory foam comfort layer (7 or 8 lb)
2.5" SELECT gel memory foam support layer (5.3 lb)
8" base layer (? lb)

The top of the Regalis product page says 7 lb but the bottom says 8 lb., so a little clarity there is needed. I couldn’t find the base layer density, but maybe I just overlooked it. How is the gel incorporated in their “gel-infused” memory foam? (is it gel particles floating in the foam, like Serta iComfort, or is the gel actually part of the foam recipe?)

The Regalis has the gel memory foam in the second layer where the Conform has it in the first layer. Would having it in the second layer reduce the effects of the gel’s cooling properties?

Comparisons

Given that they seem very similar in construction, is it reasonable to assume the Conform 12" and the Cloud Select will have nearly the same comfort and support? Likewise, the Regalis HD and the Rhapsody are fairly close, though less the same because of the layer thicknesses. I also thought that matching it against the Rhapsody on their product page could mean they have a similar feel, unless it’s merely to display the cost difference with roughly equal material.

Any gaps you can fill in are greatly appreciated. I will also give SelectFoam a call and see what they say about all the above. Many thanks!

2

Hi karakuri,

“Medium firm” is a subjective term and is somewhat comparable to calling something “sweet”. What one person calls sweet may be very different from what another person calls sweet. In the same way one person’s “medium firm” may be another person’s soft and another person’s firm depending on the body type, sleeping positions, and individual preferences and perceptions of each person. It’s a relative term that varies with each individual.

The goal of every mattress is to provide good alignment and pressure relief in all your sleeping positions. Beyond these two basic needs everything else is a preference in one way or another. To have good spinal and joint alignment … the heavier parts of your body need to be “stopped” before they sink into the mattress too far which is the role of the deeper layers and what I call primary support. To have good pressure relief the pressure points in each sleeping position need to be “allowed” to sink into the mattress enough to redistribute your weight away from the pressure points which is the role of the comfort layers. The secondary role of the comfort layers is to fill in the gaps in each sleeping position (under the waist or small of the back or any of the other recessed parts of your body profile in each sleeping position) which also helps to keep the spine and joints in alignment. This is what I call secondary support. In other words alignment is the goal and good support (resistance to further compression) under the heavier parts of the body is the means.

The two mattresses you are considering are the Conform Signature and the Regalis HD. Their closest equivalent in the Tempurpedic lineup is the Contour Signature and the Rhapsody.

When you can’t test a mattress in person for PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) then the next best way to know if a mattress is the most suitable choice for you would be to test a mattress that the manufacturer has said is the closest equivalent that is available to you locally.

So my best suggestion would be to test the Tempurpedic Contour Signature and the Rhapsody as carefully and objectively as possible for PPP using the testing guidelines in post #1 here. The one that is most suitable for you and has the best combination of good alignment good pressure relief in all your sleeping positions would be the most accurate guideline possible about which of the two Select Foam mattresses would be the best choice for you. Don’t forget that testing a mattress is about testing specifically for alignment and pressure relief … not just the more subjective sense of “comfort” or “showroom feel” which may not be an accurate prediction of your long term sleeping experience.

It’s normally the best idea to get the specifics of a mattress specs from the manufacturer because they will always be the most accurate and current source of information. I agree though that their website is confusing and I believe that they recently changed from using 8 lb memory foam to 7 lb memory foam which they believe is a closer match to the Tempurpedics but they don’t seem to have changed some parts of their website to reflect this. While it’s not unusual in the industry for websites to be somewhat or partly out of date … I agree that they don’t do the best job in this area and I personally wish they would make their website a higher priority than it is. As I mentioned though … I would confirm this because they are a more accurate source of information about their own mattresses than I am.

The particles in gel foam aren’t “floating” in the memory foam but are embedded in the foam itself. The newer generations of gel memory foam have smaller particles that are embedded in the cell walls of the memory foam and are less prone to migrating out of the foam or reducing the durability of the memory foam. One of the benefits of this type of gel memory foam is that the gel particles increase the compression modulus of the foam which means it can become firmer a little faster as you sink into the foam layers more deeply and is more “supportive”. A second benefit of the gel memory foam is that it can help conduct heat away from the body to some degree either through heat conduction (with some types of gel) or through phase change (with other types of gel). In some designs the supportive properties of the gel foam would be more important and they would be used under other layers. In some designs the temporary cooling benefit of the gel may be more important and they would be used in the upper layers. It depends on which of the properties of the gel memory foam are most important in a specific mattress design. There is more about the different types and benefits of gel memory foam in post #2 here and more about the different cooling technologies and the two main types of gel (thermal conductive or phase change) and how they affect temperature in post #9 here.

They would both be different in terms of PPP but the specific differences would depend on each persons perceptions and circumstances so the best way to know the relative differences between them would be your own comparative testing on the closest approximations available to you which are the Tempurpedic Contour Signature and the Tempurpedic Rhapsody.

Phoenix

3

Thanks for the quick response Phoenix. I use “Medium firm” in the sense that SelectFoam categorizes those mattresses as such. It doesn’t hurt that when I walked into a mattress store to try out the Tempurpedics, I said “medium-firm” and the sales rep pointed to one that is pretty close to what I have now, which I like. This has happened in different stores on separate occasions, so it’s a good starting point but by no means is it anything scientific.

I have read your excellent post on testing for comfort and support. Most Tempurpedics I tried (at least the ones in that “medium-firm” category) had good conformity and met my comfort needs. As for support, I was paying attention to how my back is aligned and in retrospect the words “feel” and “felt” probably were not the best terms to describe that. (I will however bring a helper along on my next trip.) Here’s the amended version:

Lying on my back:
The Rhapsody was just a hair better than the Cloud Select, but on both my spine was in good position. On mattresses advertised as “softer” than the Cloud Select, my hips would dip a bit too low into the foam and my lower back felt out of alignment.

Lying on my side:
On the Rhapsody, my shoulders didn’t sink in as much and seemed out of alignment to me. The Cloud Select was better in this respect.

You are right that I should try the Contour Signature since that is what SelectFoam uses for comparison with the Conform Signature. After a little more Googling, a few different sources I found say the density of the Tempur ES foam is 4.1 lb, whereas the standard Tempur comfort layer foam is 5.3 lb. Considering the price point is lower than the Contour Signature (which has the same construction but with the standard Tempur comfort layer), it makes sense there would be a material difference.

I still have yet to visit the FoamOrder showroom, but I like that they list a lot of the details right there on the website. Is there anyone here who has ordered from them and can describe their experience with the product and the company?

4

Hi karakuri,

I completely agree that more generic ratings can be a useful starting point and can provide some rough level of comparison across mattresses although comparative ratings tend to be more accurate between different mattresses made by the same manufacturer. The challenge is that the term is used in different ways by different companies and is more of an overall rating rather than a rating of each component of a mattress (comfort layers and support layers) so it’s always a good idea to use caution when using them as a guideline because one “medium firm” mattress may not be as good a match for a specific person as another … particularly if they are from different manufacturers.

The Tempur 4 lb memory foam feels softer than their 5.3 lb so a lot of people prefer it because of the softer and more responsive (less sleeping in sand feeling) and more breathable sleeping surface. The 4 lb memory foam feels softer than the 7 lb memory foam which in turn feels softer to most people than the 5.3 lb memory foam although there are different formulations of the 5.3 lb memory foam in terms of softness (the top layer of the Contour signature is softer than the layer below it even though they are both 5.3 lbs).

I haven’t ordered anything from them but I have talked with Alan there and he is knowledgeable and helpful. Their memory foam appears to be high quality but it’s Chinese manufactured and not CertiPur certified for those where this is important (EDIT: this has now changed … see post #10 here). He has also told me that they have access to other types of memory foam for those where CertiPur certification for VOC’s and harmful substances is an important issue. A forum search on foamorder (you can just click this) will bring up more feedback about them.

Phoenix

5

An update on my research:

I went to the FoamOrder showroom in San Francisco and tried some of the memory foam mattresses there. The 10-inch mattress on one end of the room was a very good fit as far as comfort and support. (I also tried a latex mattress but I’m just so accustomed to memory foam.)

When I spoke with Alan and gave him some background on my current mattress - Tempurpedic, 10" thick, older model - he suggested it might be one of the old Deluxe beds. Those he said were layered with 4 inches of Tempur foam on top of two 3-inch layers of base foam. The bed I pointed to in the showroom turns out to have been designed based on the Deluxe, and is layered as follows:

4 inches 5.3 lb memory foam
2 inches 2.5 lb V34 foam
4 inches 2.8 lb V44 foam

Price for just the mattress would be around $1150.

I asked him about the 7lb foam and he said he doesn’t have a supplier for it. Currently he hasn’t seen any study that it’s more effective than the 5.3 lb foam as a comfort layer, but he did agree that it would be more durable.

When I got home, I stripped my current mattress down as far as possible, down to just the layer of material encasing the foam that I could not open, but it was sheer enough to see and feel through. Sure enough there’s 4 inches of Tempur and two 3-inch layers of base foam. I’m not sure if all four inches of Tempur are exactly the same, but nonetheless it inspires some confidence in Alan’s assertions.

Next day I went to Name-A-Big-Mattress-Store to lie down on the Rhapsody Breeze for a while as I’m still considering the SelectFoam Regalis HD. Were I to buy a Tempurpedic right now, this would likely be the one. I then called SelectFoam and spoke on the phone with Peter about the Ragalis HD.

He told me it should be just like the bed I tried in the store and that for my height and weight he would have recommended it right off the bat if I hadn’t already mentioned it. Anecdotally, he’s had great success and customer satisfaction with the Regalis for people of various height and weight, both above and below mine (but of course that’s no guarantee of anything). The construction is

1.5 inches 7 lb memory foam
2.5 inches 5.3 lb memory foam
8 inches 2.5 lb poly foam base

Currently they have a promotion that brings the price down to $1449 for a queen (down from $1599, which already beats the pants off the Rhapsody).

All told, here’s what I’m left to consider…

FoamOrder mattress:
[b]PRO[/b] Local. May be easier to coordinate with them if I need to do any sort of exchange or something.
[b]PRO[/b] About $300 less, but that’s for the mattress alone. Adding in a cotton mattress cover, taxes, and estimated shipping, it’s roughly $1300, so about $150 less.
[b]PRO[/b] I have actually tried out the mattress
[b]CON[/b] Foam is manufactured in China, although other posts have suggested it’s still good quality memory foam
[b]CON[/b] In the event I return the mattress, the shipping cost is my responsibility

SelectFoam Regalis HD:
[b]PRO[/b] Foam is manufactured in the US
[b]PRO[/b] The more durable 7lb layer on top
[b]PRO[/b] No tax and free shipping, and also free return shipping if I’m not satisfied with it
[b]CON[/b] I have not laid on this exact mattress, only a close approximation
[b]CON[/b] A bit more expensive, but the price does include the mattress cover

EVEN Both have high quality base foams (2.5 lb or better)
EVEN Both have been very forthcoming about their product
EVEN Both have good warranties, but based on the materials I expect my use of this bed will end by way of me purchasing another mattress for other reasons entirely.

So, how to make the choice between two good options?

6

I purchased a mattress about a month ago from SelectFoam. I can say that their mattresses are of good quality and their sales/support are good as well. I am exchanging my current mattress for one that has a little give in the comfort layer. My thread is discussed here if you are interested:https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/please-help-side-sleeper

7

Hi karakuri,

While 7 lb memory foam would be more durable … once you are past about 6 lbs or so the durability benefits of increased density is diminished. The main benefit of a higher density foam is in its “feel” and ability to conform to the contours of the body. In many cases (including the tempurpedic 7 lb memory foam) they feel softer (once they are warm) and are more conforming than their 5.3 lb memory foams and are also more supportive (they generally have a higher compression modulus which means they become more supportive when you sink into them more deeply). Of course they are also a more costly material than lower density memory foams.

Once you have eliminated all the worst options and are down to final choices between good and good and there are no “mistakes” or “clear winners” in terms of quality or value then post #2 here is the only way I know to make final choices based on all the objective, subjective, and intangible criteria that are most important to you.

Phoenix

8

I ended up ordering the Regalis HD from SelectFoam. Figuring in the mattress cover, taxes & shipping (FoamOrder) vs the sale and the MUG membership discount (SelectFoam), the price was close enough that I thought to go for the higher density foam. Once it arrives, I’ll give it a week and leave a post, then follow up after a month or so.

Thanks again Phoenix for your help. Now to find some good sheets…

9

Make sure you can return it as sleeping on a mattress is a different experience than trying one out at a showroom

10

Hi mike7,

Select Foam has one of the best return policies in the industry.

I would also be aware before offering advice to others that your own experiences and opinions may not be relevant to others as each person has their own criteria and personal value equation.

For some people the added cost of a return policy may not be as important to them as it may be to you and their own personal testing on a mattress may predict their long term experience better than your own.

Phoenix

11

@karakuri: how do you like your selectfoam mattress?? I’m looking into the same one and I am curious.

Thanks!