Any comments, good or bad, about the Serta Vantage Firm, which is Consumer Reports top rated innerspring mattress? I am considering ditching my Denver Mattress Durango Firm, which is no longer firm after 5 months, for the Vantage.
Hi timetomoveon,
There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here. I would avoid any of the major brands or any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the quality of the materials inside it to identify any weak links in the mattress or make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses (see the guidelines here).
Some of the specs for the Vantage firm and plush are listed on the Serta Website here (scroll down to the question “PD Applause vs Vantage”).
Vantage Firm
- pillo-fill: this is a synthetic fiber that will be subject to impressions over time (this isn’t listed on the page)
- 1" Serta PillowSoft Foam = 1.2pcf; 17.5lb iLD: This is a very low quality/density polyfoam material
- 3/4" Cool Action Dual Effects Gel Memory Foam = 3.6 pcf; 12 lb iLD: This is a medium quality memory foam that is a bit lower density than the minimum 4 lb memory foam I would normally use as a guideline for memory foam.
- 1" Serta Support Foam = 1.3 pcf; 50 lb iLD: This is also a low quality/density polyfoam material.
Vantage Plush
- pillo-fill: this is a synthetic fiber that will be subject to impressions over time (this isn’t listed on the page)
- 1.5" Serta PillowSoft Foam = 1.2 pcf; 17.5 lb iLD: This is a very low quality/density polyfoam material
- 3/4" Cool Action Dual Effects Gel Memory Foam = 3.6 pcf; 12 lb iLD: This is a medium quality memory foam that is a bit lower density than the minimum 4 lb memory foam I would normally use as a guideline for memory foam.
- 1" Serta PillowSoft Foam = 1.2 pcf; 17.5 lb iLD: Same comments as above
As you can see from the foam quality guidelines here … both of these use more than “about an inch or so” of lower quality/density and less durable foams of fibers in their upper layers (2 3/4" plus the pillo-fill in the firm and 3 1/4" plus the pillo-fill in the plush) which means that I would avoid both of them completely.
You can see my thoughts about Consumer Reports in post #2 here and this topic. I would consider them to be a very unreliable source of good mattress advice.
The first place to start your mattress research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and know how and why to avoid the worse ones.
Phoenix