Reading too many reviews - could use a little clarity on Bed in a Box purchase

Hello,
Glad we came across your site. Very informative!
My wife and I have been shopping for a new mattress for a new adjustable bed we ordered. The web is dominated by reviews for higher-end brands - ($750+ ie purple, ghost, etc) we have read tons of reviews and watched videos on all of them but find it hard to find decent information on mid-priced mattresses ($350-$600 ie Classic Brands, Live and Sleep, Lucid, etc that are found on amazon)

In a nutshell these are our concerns.
We are both back/side sleepers.
We both don’t like the “sink in the mud” feeling of traditional memory yet we want adequate comfort when side sleeping.
We want something that won’t make us sweat at night (mostly me!)

We read reviews an 90% love them and then we go to the 1 and 2 stars an find they are “hot” or “too firm” I understand specific recommendation are subjective but is there any information but any advice to clear the fog and help make up our minds would be much appreciated. We just don’t want to make a poor decision.
Thanks!

HI whispar1,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

It’s certainly a reasonable request to not make a poor mattress shopping decision, and trusting and abiding by reviews would be one of the things I would avoid to assist you in making better choices.

While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful … I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).

In order to make an informed shopping decision, I would tell you to “reset” how you are going about shopping for a mattress, and the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).

Outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.

In its simplest form … choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …

  1. Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.

  2. Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.

  3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

There is more information about different sleeping postures in this article that may be of interest.

Memory foam does have very little resilience (is not very bouncy) and absorbs quite a bit of energy and it very point elastic, so you may wish to avoid this type of material if you don’t desire the “sink in the mud” feeling, or at least choose something that doesn’t use a large amount of memory foam.

It’s not really possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on sleeping temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.

In very general terms … the materials, layers, and components of a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow, moisture transport, and temperature regulation than materials, layers, and components that are further away from your skin and softer mattresses or foam toppers will tend to be more “insulating” and for some people can sleep warmer than firmer versions of the same material.

If you come up with more specific questions about certain products after going through this material, I’ll do my best to be assistive.

Phoenix

Thank you Phoenix!

We did go through much of what you linked prior to posting here. I guess at this point it’s become information overload and just need a fresh set of eyes :slight_smile:

I forgot to mention that off-gasing is a concern. I understand there is always going to be some due to the nature of the product but would like to ensure they are truly Certipur US certified that it is not toxic. Also I weigh 175lbs and my wife is 145lbs since that seems to factor in to density issues and support.

Here are the brands we are considering in the $400-$700 range (If we are not allowed to post links please remove). The list is a bit exhaustive but there seem to be +/- to each (again based on reviews) but hopefully your educated eye will be able to see through that and focus on the specs as they pertain to our ideal fit.

I have posted the manufacturers site where available but should be noted that many are sold on Amazon at a lower cost and often have better technical details of the layers/construction. Of concern too is to make sure we don’t get something too thick that renders the features of the adjustable base mute.

This is our adjustable base: http://classicbrands.com/accessories/adjustable-bases/adjustable-comfort-adjustable-bed-base/
They also make mattresses - which you can see here: http://classicbrands.com/mattresses/ Considering 10.5-12"
Classic also has a hybrid latex/MF blend here that looks interesting: https://www.amazon.com/Classic-Brands-Memory-10-5-Inch-Mattress/dp/B005CL9VKM/

https://www.liveandsleep.com/ on Amazon here: Amazon.com

Ultraplush Memory Foam Mattress | Perfect Cloud on Amazon here: Amazon.com

Brentwood Cypress 11in. Amazon.com

Nectar: Nectarsleep.com*

Nolah: Nolah Original 10 Inch Mattress

Love & Sleep Mattress

Thanks again Phoenix for your time,
Michael & Theresa

Guess I should add the Artic dreams as well to the list per this post The low price scared me compared to some of the others but…

Hi whispar1,

“Toxic” is a term for poisonous substances produced within living cells or organisms, although the term is often used in the mattress industry (and often part of some “fear-mongering” campaigns), but I think I understand your point. Most people that are looking for “non-toxic” (toxicity is dose-dependent) materials are usually concerned most with “safety”.

As there is quite a bit of confusing information available online about toxicity, safety and organic, there is more about the different types of organic and safety certifications such as Oeko-tex, Eco-Institut, Greenguard Gold, C2C, and CertiPUR-US in post #2 here, and more about some of the differences between organic and safety certifications in post #2 here and there are also some comments in post #42 here that can help you decide whether an organic certification is important to you for environmental, social, or personal reasons, or whether a “safety” certification is enough, and what those certifications can mean to determine whether the contents of any particular mattress are “safe enough” for you.

CertiPUR-US isn’t a guarantee of something being “non-toxic”. You can see what CertiPUR-US certified foams are certified for here. There is also a link on that page to see if a mattress brand or foam fabricator is listed as providing or producing foams that are CertiPUR-US certified. Realize that being on this list only means that the manufacturer or foam pourer produces products that have met this certification – it does not mean that everything they product or sell is necessarily CertiPUR-US certified. You’d need to confirm that with your mattress manufacturer or retailer.

As for all of the mattress models you listed, you need to take the time to refer back to the information I provided in my previous reply to you and find out the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase. Having this information will assist you in eliminating products using lower quality and less durable materials.

Specifications on the Love & Sleep Mattress and the Tuft & Needle are listed already in the simplified choice thread here. Nest Bedding is a site member here, which does mean that I think highly of them, their knowledge and their products.

I see you also added in another post that you’re considering the Dreamfoam Arctic Dreams (Dreamfoam is also a site member here). The Arctic Dreams, along with the Love & Sleep, does represent one of the better “value” options on boxed-bed products.

The Nolah, Brentwood Home and Nectar have been discussed previously on the forum and you may use the forum search tool here to search for more information/discussions about them.

Regarding some of the mattresses you are considering, I would also read post #6 here about mattresses imported from Asia or China and which may have been compressed for long periods of time in either shipping or storage before being purchased. Being sourced in China can make these somewhat of a risky purchase IMHO.

What I focus on here in the forum is to assist people with “how” to choose, as it’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

If you have more specific questions about the specifications of any of the mattresses you are researching, feel free to post them here and I’ll do my best to comment upon them.

Phoenix

Note added:
Classic Brands
Unfortunately, there is no meaningful information about the material used in this mattress on the Classic Brands site or Amazon. You can read more about the Dormia / Classic Sleep bankruptcies and their purchase by their supplier and their change into Classic Brands in this article and a more detailed history yet in this article. A forum search on Classic Brands (you can just click the link) will also bring up more comments and feedback about them as well.

Their factory in China currently manufactures mattresses under several different names and makes private label mattresses as well. There are some comments about Chinese mattresses that are shipped compressed from overseas in post #6 here that would be worth reading. I’m not sure if all of the foams, some of the foams, or the entire finished mattress ships from China.

Live and Sleep
Unfortunately, there is little meaningful information listed on their web site or amazon, although on amazon Live and Sleep states the memory foam is 3 lb density (which would be a lower density than I would recommend), and they don’t answer about the density of the polyfoam core. These are manufactured overseas (per their web site), so my concerns about products being compressed for a longer period of time, as I mentioned in post #6 here, would be worth reading. A customer on amazon claims the mattress is made in China, but I’m always cautious about information provided by customers on the amazon site, as there is entirely too much inaccurate information there.

Perfect Cloud
While there are no meaningful specifications listed on the web site or on amazon, in the comments section the memory foam is listed as 3 lb density, which would be below the density I would recommend.

Dura Global is an import and marketing company that imports many types of products and they certainly don’t specialize in mattresses. These mattresses are made in China, and there are some comments about Chinese mattresses that are shipped compressed from overseas in post #6 here that would be worth reading.

Brentwood Home Cyprus
This is listed on the amazon site as using a 6.5" polyfoam base of 2 lb density, a 2" layer of 2 lb polyfoam, and a 2.5" layer of 4 lb memory foam.

Nolah
The Nolah is comprised of:
2" 2.75 lb polyfoam
1" 4 lb Avena polyfoam
7" 1.8 lb polyfoam support core
This product would raise no “red flags” for someone in a more “normal” BMI range, but I would advise a slight caution for someone in a higher BMI range (30+).

Nectar
I’d recommend you read a bit about Nectar on the forum here (just click on the link).

Overall, I would be very cautious about buying any mattress where you can’t find out the specifics of the materials inside it so you can make sure there are no weak links in the mattress and make more meaningful comparisons to other mattresses. Outside of how well a mattress matches your specific needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences), a mattress is only as good as the quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer. If you are able to find out the type and quality of the materials in either of these mattresses and you list them on the forum I’d be happy to make some comments about the quality of the materials.

After everything you have posted and our research into what our ideal PPP is, we are ordering the Arctic Dreams 10" Queen. Of note, we did call Dreamfoam to discuss a few things and have to say that Mario was great to deal with and very informative.
Thanks for the assistance Phoenix - really great what you do here!

Hi whispar1,

Congratulations on your new Arctic Dreams mattress. :cheer: As you’re aware, Dreamfoam is a site member here, which means that I think highly of them and Mario, and you certainly did choose one of the better quality/value products available. I’ll be interested in learning about your new mattress once you’ve had a chance to sleep on it and adjust to it.

Thank you. And you’re welcome.

Phoenix