The only way to compare mattresses and knowif they are the “same product” are to compare the details of the layering.
At Weekends only the specs they list are as follows …
Specialty Foam 1.5" Super Soft Foam: Foam density missing Specialty Foam 1" Air Suspension Foam: Foam density missing Specialty Foam 2" Organic Latex Foam: Type and blend of latex missing … and it may not be “organic” at all. Specialty Foam 2" Gel Enhanced Memory Foam: Foam density missing Specialty Foam 4" Motion Reducing Foam: Foam density missing Specialty Foam 4" Conforming Support Foam: Foam density mising
This is missing much of the most important information you will need. It has 2.5" of polyfoam on top of the mattress which is likely to be the weak link of this mattress and I would tend to avoid any mattress that had 2" or more (in the range of an inch or so is usually OK).
You would also need to know the density of all the polyfoam and memory foam layers as well as the type and blend of the latex. Without this you would be making a blind purchase in terms of knowing what you are buying.
Restonic and other licensee groups can be made differently in different areas of the country and it’s important no matter what you are buying that you always know the specs of every layer. If they can’t provide this to you (either because they know it already and understand its importance or by phoning the manufacturing factory and finding out) I would pass the mattress by. this is especially true of any mattress that uses more than “around” an inch or so of lower density polfoam on top in this price range.
With this mattress you are sleeping as much on polyfoam as you are on latex and there would be some potential softening and impression issues down the road.
Once again … it’s part of the job of all good retailers or manufacturers to provide you with the details of every layer of a mattress so you can make meaningful comparisons such as this. Without this information you just can’t know how two mattresses compare.
Tempagel is a trade name for their gel memory foam material and is a line of mattresses not a specific model and one “Tempagel” may be very different from another.
how would I go about getting the answer to this question? call restonic? the level of complexity is getting to the tipping point that I’m going to not care how cheap the foam is vs my sanity Thanks for the help so far and all the information you provide on your site.
I think the only practical way to bypass the complexity is to only deal with retailers and manufacturers who already know what you would otherwise have to learn. I personally would hesitate to deal with anyone who wasn’t willing to find out all the information you needed to make a meaningful decision and also knew enough about mattresses and materials to help you “translate” the information so it makes sense to you as well. Tracking down mattress specs is not a job a consumer should have to do unless they enjoy that kind of thing.
Who you buy from is just as important a part of a mattress purchase as the mattress that you buy which is why identifying the better retailers in your area is the step before actually testing mattresses in post #1 here (which is the most important post on the forum).
When you only deal with knowledgeable people who know their stuff and are what I call “mattress people” … mattress shopping can be much more simple and enjoyable. When you deal with people who know little about the mattresses they sell and the consumer has to do most of their work for them … then mattress shopping can be one of the most frustrating experiences imaginable and “information overload” becomes the norm. I would say that one of the major reasons that a large number of consumers buy the mattress that they do is from “mattress shopping fatigue”, not the suitability or quality of the mattress … and many retailers are well aware of this and ready to “help” the people who have reached this point (they treat it as a buying signal) to “solve the problem” by telling you their favorite and most convincing story and offering you the “deal of a lifetime” which will entice you to buy their mattress for all the wrong reasons.
ok all, I went with the “plush” mattress that was sold at location numero dos. I went with this Restonic as the second visit to the store provided me with some more information. These mattresses were designed to be a type of copy to the iComfort mattress where the weekends only was the more traditional at Weekends Only. There were far less layers to the one I got, yet the quality of materials appeared better after some explanation. the gel foam was higher quality and thicker in the one I purchased. With this being said I still feel that I was at the mercy of the sales people I talked to. Thanks for the help and I will give more information when the mattress arrives.
The Tempagel is a good quality material (GFlex made by flexible foam and usually 4 lbs) but I don’t know the details or quality of the other layers or course. They oftn have 4 lb memory foam under this which is a medium density memory foam but 4 lb meory foam also has a feel that many people prefer. If there isn’t any polyfoam in the top layers of the mattress you will probably be OK.
I would keep in mind that “quality” is just a word that has little meaning unless it includes the density of any polyfoam or memory foam or the type and blend of any latex.
Ok so I have more info now that the mattress is home. The mattress is in fact not a tempagel I was confused. It is a custom made restonic comfort gel mattress designed to mimic the feel of the icomfort with better materials. It has a 2" layer of gel infused foam on top. The beaded type not the swirled type. The layers are 5 lb foam so says the salesman. It feels like it to me. The bedding tag has a lot of data, not sure if it says what type of foam it is but I would be happy to add that if needed. This bed was made by McKinney Bedding Co. In Springfield Mo
Well at least you are getting some “vague” information but you can’t feel the quality or density of the foam layers by lying on the mattress. I would still want to know the specifics of every layer (memory foam and the polyfoam) in the mattress. Every memory foam mattress has a polyfoam base layer and this would certainly not be 5 lbs and it’s unlikely that anyone that would give you this type of information really knew. I would also question the density you were given for the gel foam although it’s possible that it is 5 lbs.
Of course each person will make a purchase based on what is most important to them but I personally would not buy a mattress where I didn’t know the specifics of what was in it so I could know what I was buying.
The law tag has no information about the quality of the foam … only the type of foam that is in the mattress.
Well at least you are getting some “vague” information but you can’t feel the quality or density of the foam layers by lying on the mattress. I would still want to know the specifics of every layer (memory foam and the polyfoam) in the mattress. Every memory foam mattress has a polyfoam base layer and this would certainly not be 5 lbs and it’s unlikely that anyone that would give you this type of information really knew. I would also question the density you were given for the gel foam although it’s possible that it is 5 lbs.
Of course each person will make a purchase based on what is most important to them but I personally would not buy a mattress where I didn’t know the specifics of what was in it so I could know what I was buying.
The law tag has no information about the quality of the foam … only the type of foam that is in the mattress.
Phoenix[/quote]
Clearly short of cutting a mattress in half I’m not gong to get much help from the sales folks. I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between quality foam and sub par without sample images and more information. Perhaps you might have some for all to view. Even then what more can I really do, try as I might I wasn’t getting far with the cut the bed in half and show me the guts routine.
I ditched my original iComfort choice, not because of quality but because of price fixing
I looked at restonic as they tend to use quality foam per your recommendations and those of others.
I asked all the questions your mattress forum told me to ask. The salesmen were curious how I knew so much to ask. Never knew a bed had IBD, ppsqin, lb vs. 1/4 lb per sec sq. etc.
Based on all the answers I got, I made a judgement call that 51 percent of the data they gave me was true and I wasn’t getting ripped off though I’m still skeptical
This bed clearly feels 1000% better than the coils of my 10 yr old sterns and foster
Win for you, because I did listen to most of the advise, win for me because as of now my bed is comfy. (We’ll see in 2 yrs if it holds up)
I know more now than 10 yrs ago when I shrewdly negotiated a 1/2 price markdown on a bed to last me for 10 yrs even though the starting point was 1/2 the original cost. I still feel pretty good that purchase worked out.
All is good tonight, we’ll see how good it is when I wake up tomorrow and again thanks for the help!
I certainly agree that the odds are in your favor that you have a better mattress but for me the issue is also a larger one.
Until consumers hold both mattress manufacturers and salespeople accountable for what they sell, “blind purchases” will continue to be the norm and the industry will continue in the direction it has been going for years. It isn’t so much about winning as changing and there are always choices in every area to do business with people who are truly transparent about what they are selling.
In my ongoing research I have had hundreds of conversations with salespeople or business owners who never even thought about what makes a better quality mattress or how their training was mostly spin and after a longer conversation started to realize that they really didn’t know what quality meant or what they were really selling. In some cases the idea that they had little clue about the mattresses they carried was truly surprising to them … and yet the logic of knowing what is in their mattress was undeniable to them. Sometimes they get angry or argue as if nobody should expect them to know the answers to these types of questions or worse yet do anything about it and they see them as threatening but others start asking questions themselves and once it makes sense to them, the ones that really do want to sell “quality” begin to do their own research … and start to change. In some cases they may even begin to change what they have on their floor and focus on manufacturers who are more transparent.
It’s always consumers that drive changes in the industry because they speak with their wallet and businesses depend on them for their income. At this point educated consumers are such a small percentage of mattress shoppers that little is lost by selling whatever people will buy regardless of its quality but the number of educated consumers are growing. Manufacturers in turn depend on their retailers which are their customers to keep them in business. If consumers ask the questions and only do business with the retailers and manufacturers who provide the answers they need … the industry can change. It may be slow and it may take years … but it will change.
I am always encouraged by how many manufacturers, retailers, and business owners already know and understand the importance of the type of information that is on this site and welcome the kind of information that it provides. It sometimes gives them hope that their efforts to educate their customers is worthwhile. In some cases they are slowly being choked by the constant flood of marketing that comes from the larger manufacturers or chain stores and have a difficult time selling quality products when consumers are so confused and focused on “cheap” … and the cost in money and quality of sleep that can go with it.
So overall … every step helps and even asking questions that don’t usually get asked … regardless of whether a salesperson can answer them or not … at least adds to the process of slow and incremental change. If enough people ask the questions that “never get asked” … then more and more retailers will need to find the answers to keep the business that educated consumers will bring to the table.
So every step in a better direction is a good one … and the next steps will hopefully be better yet.
As you say all is well … and one person at a time asking better questions and buying better mattresses … and helping someone else to do the same … is really all it takes
