Just finished testing some mattresses at a local store. Tried some latex, hybrids, and memory foam, and settled on pure foam as our choice. Most were pretty good but there was one mattress in particular that we really liked. Southerland/Englander Osborn. Specs as follows:
2" 5lb gel memory foam
2" 3.5lb copper infused gel memory foam
1.5" (website says 3") hd comfort lock foam?
7" hd comfort lock power foam?
My wife is 5’ 120 and i am 5’11 170. Surprisingly it seemed like this mattress was perfect for us both. It seemed to keep good alignment both on back and sides for both of us, and what we enjoyed about this more vs the other ones we tried was how conforming it was. Felt like “true” memory foam that really molded to our bodies and did a great job of providing support all around. Edge support was fantastic. Cover felt nice and cool. The salesperson mentioned it was probably the 5lb layer on top that gave that feeling of being more “conforming” vs the other ones we tried that didn’t really seem to wrap around us as much.
So overall it felt great, good price. My concerns: the manufacturer doesn’t have great reviews online. Questions about durability (we’re looking for a new one precisely because our name brand sagged so bad). And also somewhat cautious of something so “plush” will hold up or simply become too soft as it breaks in.
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Looking for any guidance about this particular manufacturer, quality of materials, etc. I’m hesitant to just go ahead and make the purchase after having such bad experiences with buying in stores in the past. Should we try something like a Tempur-pedic to compare?
Welcome back to the forum ! Thanks for your question.
[quote]Just finished testing some mattresses at a local store. Tried some latex, hybrids, and memory foam, and settled on pure foam as our choice. Most were pretty good but there was one mattress in particular that we really liked. Southerland/Englander Osborn. Specs as follows:
2" 5lb gel memory foam
2" 3.5lb copper infused gel memory foam
1.5" (website says 3") hd comfort lock foam?
7" hd comfort lock power foam?
My wife is 5’ 120 and i am 5’11 170. Surprisingly it seemed like this mattress was perfect for us both. It seemed to keep good alignment both on back and sides for both of us, and what we enjoyed about this more vs the other ones we tried was how conforming it was. Felt like “true” memory foam that really molded to our bodies and did a great job of providing support all around. Edge support was fantastic. Cover felt nice and cool. The salesperson mentioned it was probably the 5lb layer on top that gave that feeling of being more “conforming” vs the other ones we tried that didn’t really seem to wrap around us as much.[/quote]
Congrats on your new mattress shopping adventure ! Nice work on making the store visits and happy to hear that you’ve found some good options. Thanks for including the specs for the model of interest, as well as some details of both your personal stats. Southernland is a well-known older U.S. manufacturer of mattresses, and their collections can be found in showrooms across the country. Which local store have you visited that is carrying their models? The Osborn is featured on their site; however, the densities of the foam layers are not provided, only the foams used and their thicknesses are listed, so I am not able to verify the provided comfort layer specs nor find details for the HD foam layers. Perhaps the showroom can provide those for you to evaluate the durability potential of the support core.
You and your wife are both well within normal BMI ranges, and I’m guessing that you both are back and side sleepers, as you mention testing the mattress in those positions. If you have durability concerns based on reviews, you will want to also confirm the densities of the support layers too. HD foams are often used in the support layers of mid-range and even rather expensive mattresses under higher quality materials such as latex or high-quality memory foam. Phoenix recommends an HD foam weighs 1.5 -1.8 lbs. per cu. ft. as a suitable density for support layers, providing an appropriate grade and durable choice. You mention being “somewhat cautious of something so “plush” will hold up or simply become too soft as it breaks in”: can you expand on this concern a bit? As your current mattress has developed sag, what type is it and how old?
One last thought on reviews: other consumers’ comments on product knowledge and customer service of a business can be helpful; however, take caution when considering more personal points of view regarding how you would “feel” versus what they may on the same mattress or how suitable/ durable a mattress may be for you. Your personal stats of height, weight, body shape, and sleeping preferences combined will determine which components and construction uniquely work best for you.
[quote]Looking for any guidance about this particular manufacturer, quality of materials, etc. I’m hesitant to just go ahead and make the purchase after having such bad experiences with buying in stores in the past. Should we try something like a Tempur-pedic to compare?
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As you may know, we do not make manufacturer recommendations outside of the strictly vettedTMU trusted member program, but we can provide a listing of our business members who specialize in memory foam mattresses for your review:
You are welcome to reach out and ask your specific questions requiring more expertise to any of these fine memory foam specialists and they will be more than happy to help out. Good luck with your research and looking forward to your updates .
Well, bit of a pivot here but we ended up buying a Tempur-pedic. I really didn’t want to spend that kind of money, or go with a major manufacturer like that, but the feel and support it offered seemed to blow away everything else we tried. Went with the Pro-adapt in medium firmness.
To both of us, it was slightly firmer and more supportive, while also being more conforming vs our second favorite of the Southerland. The Southerland was at Mattress Lot by the way. At least as far as I’ve heard from actual users, the Tempur-pedic seems very high quality even if over priced, and their 3/4" warranty gives me slightly better peace of mind… Though is hard to trust any mattress warranty at this point.
Again i really didn’t want to spend $3000, but this whole industry is just a bit of a mess and overwhelming, and I’m someone who typically spends months doing research and searching for best products a lot of times. But with something like this, even in person it was hard enough to find something that truly felt good to us. I’ve done the bed in a box thing before and i don’t doubt that there’s good products out there, but without retail stores to try things out it’s just constant shots in the dark hoping you land something that’s highly equivalent to something you tried in store.
Anyway, hopefully the Tempur-pedic holds up longer than our last two mattresses. I’m also hopeful by the time we are looking to make our next purchase, things have gotten a bit easier in the above regards.
I do have one last not-overly important question, but any thoughts on low end memory foam or latex mattresses? We need a full size for a spare bedroom. Considering Zinus at $200. We had the green tea model in the past before moving. It was nice enough, though a bit firm. I’ve heard bad things about durability, though it won’t get used much. Also considering Stumptown as a local option at $500, but not sure it felt all that different for over 2x the price.
Congrats on your Tempur-pedic Pro Adapt mattress purchase ! I look forward to your comments on its performance following an appropriate sleep adjustment period. BTW, what type mattress are you replacing, something similar?
There are countless options available for full-size mattresses within a <$500 budget, cgibsong002. You may consider a purchase from one of these quality TMU trusted members offering all-memory foam mattresses within your price range:
Perhaps other TMU consumers have suggestions based on their experience as well, you may consider doing a forum site search on “cheap memory foam mattress” or the like to learn what mattresses others are saying to avoid. Good luck with our research and let us know what you decide .
! Thanks for your question.
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