Seeking help on my next mattress selection - Plushbeds Memory Foam Mattress

[phoenix]

Hi ozenfu,

[quote]
I recently have tried the Brooklyn Bedding Best Mattress Ever (Medium) and the 4sleep mattress. With the BME, I felt the medium was a bit too firm and that latex was not the feel I was looking for, with memory foam being a better fit for me.[/quote]
I’m sorry these mattresses didn’t turn out for you as well as you had hoped, but at least you had the foresight to purchase something that had a good return/exchange option.

I called Brooklyn Bedding and they offered to send me a complimentary memory foam mattress topper. I really like how plush the top memory foam layer felt like, and unfortunately, the 4sleep mattress has a much firmer feel that doesn’t suit me.

The memory foam placed on top of the BME will be a more “gradual” transition into the deeper latex layers, where it 4sleep will be a bit of a different feel with a little firmer feel as you sink into the product, which I think is what you’ve discovered.

I’ve been utilizing TMU to get a better idea of what a next option would be for me, where I stumbled upon the company Plushbeds.

You can see some of my comments about Plushbeds in post #2 here . A forum search on Plushbeds (you can just click the link) will bring up much more information and comments/feedback about them as well. They generally use good quality and durable materials in their mattresses and they would certainly be a much “better than average” choice compared to most of the mainstream mattresses that most people end up buying. However, they do a lot of internet advertising so they do attract a lot of online attention with large “discounts”, so I would make some careful “value comparisons” with some of the other options that are available to you because they may not be in the “best value” range for many of the members here that are aware of the many other similar options that are available to them.

he believed the 12 inch Coolbliss mattress would be the best option for me. This would provide a top layer of memory foam with a layer of latex below it to avoid the sinking and trapped feeling, while still maintaining a plush feel… I just wanted to mention that I couldn’t help notice the sales person was a little bit aggressive when I was speaking with him, telling me the sale ends tomorrow and their running out of the free pillows, sheets, etc. I decided to jump on it since it comes with a 100 day trial period.

You can see my comments above about the advertising of Plushbeds, and it sounds like you experienced some of that with your phone call to them. At least you did again purchase an item that has a good return/exchange option should things not turn out as well for you as you desire.

Does anyone have experience with Plushbeds, especially the Coolbliss and Heavenly Plush? I am debating whether I made the right choice.

The answer to this would be the same as I replied to you in an earlier post, but for the ease of reference… 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 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).

Additionally, 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 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).

The only difference between the two is that the Coolbliss has 3" 4.0lb GEL foam whereas the Heavenly Plush has 3" 4.0 Soft Memory foam. Everything else is the same barring the texture of the cover.

The top layer of memory foam in the Cool Bliss has a small amount of gel in it, which can assist with an initial cooler sensation or “hand feel” when you first try out the mattress. However, this will tend to even out rather quickly at which point the gel in the foam will become loaded and your body temperature will take over as the main determinant of mattress temperature. In very general terms, gel and/or other thermal conductive or phase change materials can have “some effect” on the sleeping temperature of a particular material but how much of an effect they will have and how long the effect will last will depend on the specific formulation of the material and on the “combined effect” of all the other materials and components of the sleeping system including your sheets, mattress protector, and bedding. Many thermal conductive or phase change materials tend to have a more temporary effect when you first go to sleep at night or over the first part of the night than they will over the entire course of the night. If you desire, you can read more about phase change materials in post #9 here and at the end of post #4 here) and you can read more about the various different types of gel foams in post #2 here.

Overall, the densities of the foams you listed in each mattress are all in the range of better quality materials, with the exception of the 4 lb. memory foam, which I would caution for individuals in a weight range of 200 pounds or so and above.

What can I expect these two mattresses to feel like in comparison to each other with that top layer? I am trying to replicate that initially plush soft feeling I experienced when putting the topper on my BME with the strong support below, and unsure of how ‘firm’ the GEL foam would feel compared to the SOFT memory foam, and if it is worth the sacrifice in coolness to achieve that level of comfort.

You can see my comments above about the inability for anyone to accurately predict what a mattress might feel like for someone else. Plushbeds does rate the Cool Bliss just a bit firmer than the Heavenly Plush, and this may be due to the small amount of gel in the upper memory foam layer, which can make the memory foam feel a bit firmer, although all memory foam is a quite plush product as far as ILD goes.

Plushbeds advertises that even it’s Heavenly Plush is cooler than most memory foams as it is, however I do spend quite a bit of time in bed reading and watching TV and have been getting very warm with my BME.

All foams are an insulator to some extent, and 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 much 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.

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.

Is the price I paid for this mattress considering the quality of these materials a good value?

There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here 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 suitability, durability, and all the other 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). I also commented a bit above about the advertising practices of Plushbeds, and I would focus more upon the final price you paid, as opposed to any “discounts” you received.

PS: I am not sure if I allowed to post prices paid so please let me know if this is a violation and I will remove

The pricing you listed was for informational purposes regarding your purchase and not promotional in nature, so no worries!

As an additional note, do you still have the BME with the memory foam topper? I’d be interested in your personal opinion of how it compares to your new mattress (once you receive it) side by side.

Phoenix