We have had a Serta Iseries Enjoyment for about 4 weeks. This mattress is a lot firmer than it felt in the store and i know it will soften up some more but I dont think it will soften to our liking. We are within our 100 days for free exchange. We can only exchange for Serta products as that is all they sell. Would it work better for us to get an IComfort Prodigy or Renewal Refined or just get a good 3 inch quality Memory Foam topper or Talalay Latex topper. The set up is Split King with adjustable frames. We are 5’9" 200lbs and 5’5" 300lbs. Did not know if the Icomfort will hold up to the weight. Of course the Enjoyment has the Duet Coil springs which i believe is a pocket coil system.
Hi gmgdwnchblck3,
Unfortunately you are in a similar position to other forum members who have purchased a lower quality (or sometimes higher quality but poor value) mattress and are only able to exchange for other options that are available in the store.
Post #66 here and the links it contains would be well worth reading.
Your “best” course of action would depend on which mattresses are available in the store you made your purchase and if you only have access to Serta then this makes your choices much more difficult.
The goal is always to minimize any lower quality foams in the upper layers of your mattress which are generally the 'weak link" in every mattress. If there are no mattresses available that are suitable for your needs and preferences … then the “best” course of action is generally to exchange for a mattress that us very firm and uses the least possible amount of lower quality materials in the comfort layers and then add a topper or your choice that is higher quality for the pressure relief you need.
This is especially important when you are in higher weight ranges and all materials will be less durable than they would for those who are lighter.
The iComfort Prodigy and the Renewal Refined are both in the softer end of the iComfort lineup and already have thick comfort layers so a topper on top of these would make the comfort layers even thicker than they are and would be very risky ion terms of alignment … especially with your weights. I would look for a much firmer mattress with the least possible amount of questionable materials in the upper layers and then add the comfort layer you need with a topper rather than on top of one that may already be too thick and soft for you.
I should also mention that the iSeries enjoyment has one of the thinnest comfort layers in the lineup (only 2" of the gel over the innerspring) and is very firm so it may also be a good candidate for a topper to fine tune it for the pressure relief and comfort you need rather than exchanging it for a higher priced mattress that has thicker layers of somewhat questionable materials. this is assuming of course that the mattress keeps you in good alignment and the only issue is pressure relief and comfort. With a topper you can control the quality of the materials in the top layer of your sleeping system which will be the first to soften and degrade. It will also lengthen the life of the foam below it. If it does soften faster than the rest of the mattress … all you have to do is replace the topper rather than the whole mattress.
Phoenix
Thanks Phoenix, I think we will try a topper with the Enjoyment as I am not sure the Icomfort mattress will hold up. I am thinking of a 3 inch talalay latex or 3 inch tempurpedic topper unless you can guide me to something more suitable.
Hi gmgdwrnchblck3,
I think 3" would be a good choice in your circumstances. The choice between latex and memory foam (Tempurpedic is just a brand name like Kleenex and not a type of material like “tissue”) is really a matter of personal preference. You may want to test some mattresses locally that have both in the top layers (make sure there is no polyfoam over them so you are feeling the latex or memory foam itself) to see whether you prefer a fast response material like latex or a slower response material like memory foam.
Either way … in the case of latex I would be looking at a medium firmness rather than softer because of your heavier weights or in the case of memory foam I would tend towards 5 lbs density or higher (or if it is a good quality gel memory foam then 4 lbs would be fine).
Post #8 here has some topper guidelines (and again I would tend to agree with 3" in your case) and post #4 here has some of the better topper sources I’m aware of regardless of which material you choose.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
What ILD would you recommend for Latex and would you do Talalay, Dunlop, or blend.
Hi gmgdwrnchblck3,
Unfortunately there is no formula that can provide these kind of details for someone else and there are too many variables involved for anyone to accurately suggest a specific layering out of the thousands of possible combinations of layers and components that are available. There are some general guidelines for different body types here and for different sleeping positions here as well as different types of layering and design here that can affect both of these but these are meant to provide you with some information about the variables involved so you can work more effectively with retailer or manufacturer. If you are testing locally … then your body will tell you which is th best layering in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) even if you don’t know any of the ILD’s of any of the layers and if you are working with a good online manufacturer or retailer … then their knowledge of the options and layers they have available to choose from can help you choose which of the options they offer (out of many fewer choices) would be most suitable for you based on the “averages” of other people with a similar body type and sleeping style.
You can read more about some of the differences between Talalay and Dunlop in this article and in post #6 here. The choice between them would not be a “better/worse” choice and would be based on personal preference. Both are very good quality materials. My own personal preference for example is towards the “feel” of Talalay and my daughter after testing both much preferred the “feel” of Dunlop and both can be equally pressure relieving and supportive for the people that prefer one over the other.
In terms of overall “value” … I would tend towards either blended Talalay or 100% natural Dunlop unless there was a compelling reason that you may want to make different choices.
Phoenix