Shopping for softer mattress -Not sure which brand is suitable

Boy this mattress shopping sure is stressful!!! Glad I found this website.
Well l,ike some others I was burned about 2 years ago .Bought a Comfortpedic mattress and the Mattress King salesman wouldn’t take it back after 2 weeks when I found it was too firm and uncomfortable.

So my son sleeps on it now.

I am back at it again looking. Have been to check out the Dunlopillo Harbor Lux Plush and the Beautyrest Wallington Plush. I liked the feel of the Beautyrest but am getting scared with reading the poor reviews. Seems like Beautyrest in general is not favored in customer reviews. Has anyone tried either of these? I was also thinking to try the Sleep Number beds and the Vyspring.I live in Denver,Colorado. I know I prefer a softer mattress. I just cannot sleep very well at all on a firmer mattress. Too uncomfortable. Anyone had experiences with Urban Mattress in Denver? The Vyspring process seems like an art but they are SUPER expensive! Not sure whether they are worth it. Is Sleep Number just an expensive air mattress? The Dunlopillo is latex and foam I believe.Not sure about this combo either. How will this hold up over time? Will it be hot?
Thanks,Ellen

Hi javaqueen601,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

The first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones (including any major brands such as Simmons or any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the quality of the materials inside it and identify any weak links in the mattress).

You can also see my thoughts about airbeds in this article and I would tend to avoid them unless there was a compelling reason to consider it over all the other options you have available.

The tutorial post also has some testing guidelines that can help you choose a mattress that is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) because every manufacturer makes mattresses that are both softer and firmer.

There is also more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress in post #13 here.

As you can see … outside of PPP, a mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (which is relatively unimportant) so it’s always important to make sure you can find out the quality of all the layers and components inside any mattress you are considering (see this article) so you can identify any weak links in the mattress and make more meaningful comparisons with other mattresses. Without this information it’s not possible to be able to assess the quality or durability of a mattress and you would be making a blind purchase which is a very risky choice and one of the biggest reasons for buyers remorse much too quickly after a purchase.

VI Spring is a very high quality and “ultra premium” mattress but it’s also in an ultra premium price range which certainly isn’t necessary to find a mattress that is both suitable for you in terms of PPP and durable in terms of the quality of the materials. There is more about ultra premium mattresses in post #2 here and post #2 here.

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Denver area (subject to the “value” guidelines I linked earlier) are listed in post #2 here. You have some good options available in the area.

In simple terms … your research will come down to …

  1. Careful testing for suitability (PPP).
  2. Checking the quality of the materials inside a mattress for durability and to make sure there are no weak links or lower quality materials.
  3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix

There is a lot of information here. I have been to Sleep Nation and didn’t find anything soft enough in the store.I know for sure I am not interested in Temperpedic or the moldable to the body types of mattresses. We have a newer Temperpedic in our guest room ,inherited from my father in law. It feels too firm and hot.I can’t sleep through a night on it.
I know that I feel most comfortable sleeping on more soft mattress types-like pillow tops. I have noticed when staying in some hotels I am sleeping better than at home these days -so I know I need to be shopping.My mattresses are getting too old.
It seems like many of the mattress stores I have been in so far have so many more firm mattresses than what feels comfortable to me.
I sort of have been putting the air mattresses at the bottom of my places to go.They seem kind of like a gimmick.
Thanks,I will read the tips you sent Phoenix.
Ellen

Hi javaqueen601,

Good luck in your research and testing!

There are many soft mattresses that are waiting for you to find them. The trick is to make sure that a soft mattress also uses good quality and durable materials so that it doesn’t soften and break down and start sagging much too quickly and you end up having to replace it much too soon relative to the price you paid. Pillowtops can be especially risky if they use lower quality materials in the comfort layers.

I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding and of course any comments or questions you may have along the way :).

Phoenix

Thanks.I have read the thorough info and am ready now to go test beds. I do have a question before I go out. I currently have an IComfort that I bought 1 1/2 years ago that I never have been able to sleep on.The mattress place would not let me return it after 2 weeks. I HATE it! I think it’s made of Polyurethane? I also have a Temperpedic that I inherited in a guest room from a family member and I don’t like that mattress either. Is Temperpedic made of Polyurethane as well? I just want to know.My husband said the Temperpedic was made of Latex. The tag is cut off of it so I can’t tell.
I am 115 lbs female and am almost 55 years . Getting some orthopedic problems in the hips.I am a side sleep most;y-sometimes sleep on my stomach.
Thanks

Hi javaqueen,

Most of the Serta iComfort mattresses have various combinations of memory foam and polyfoam layers but the specifics will depend on the model you purchased. Of course as you know from the information here I would avoid the major brands (see the guidelines here)

Tempurpedic mattresses are also memory foam mattresses which means they are made with different combinations and densities of memory foam over polyfoam support cores as well. The specific layers also depends on which model you have.

There was were a couple of old Tempurpedic models (the Bellafina and the BellaSonna) that had some latex in their design in addition to the memory foam and polyfoam but these were both discontinued quite some time ago (the BellaSonna in 2010 and the BellaFina in 2012).

If you are at step 3 in the tutorial (ready to test some mattresses) then you will have all the basic information you need and you will have decided on your target budget range and on the types of mattresses and/or materials you are interested in testing.

If you let me know your city or zip code then I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix,
I already have your list of mattress places in the Denver Boulder area. I know I am steering clear of air beds for sure and steering clear of water beds. I am most interested in Latex blends. I am interested in trying comfort layers of softer Talalay if I can find them. Also would just like to see what the micro coils feels like . The Tempurpedic was purchased before 2010 so maybe it could have some Latex in it.
The I Comfort has 3% gel. It is an Air Cool model is all I can see on the label.
I stopped into Urban Mattress,Sleep Nation and Denver Mattress a few weeks ago but had not found your website yet. I feel much more informed about how to go about this now.
I was reading some reviews about the Boulder mattress company Verlo which didn’t sound very good but they are on your list. Have you heard anything bad about them recently? I’m not sure I want to even go there.

Hi javaqueen,

The gel would be part of the gel memory foam layers. The AirCool is just a proprietary name that they used for some of their polyfoam and memory foam layers … it’s not a specific model name.

I haven’t heard anything specific about the Boulder Verlo (either good or bad) and I haven’t talked with them personally but as long as any store is transparent about the materials in their mattresses (see this article) then you would be reasonably “safe” going there and you would be able to identify any weak links in their mattresses and make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses.

Phoenix

Hi again Phoenix,

I am breaking this mattress testing into multiple days as out takes time to go to various mattress stores between Boulder and Denver.
You have Furniture Row on the listing of places in the Denver Boulder area. I am assuming you mean the Denver Mattress Company with that? There are several furniture stores collected in the same location at Furniture Row locations.Denver Mattress only sells mattresses in Furniture Row locations. Am I correct?

Hi javaqueen601,

Yes … Denver Mattress is their mattress division where they sell the mattresses they manufacture along with other mainstream and major brand mattresses (which I would avoid).

They changed their URL for Denver Mattress to Denver Mattress® - The Easiest Way to Get the Right Mattress but some of the forum lists haven’t been updated (I changed the one in the Denver list … thank you).

They have a retail store locator here that shows the stores where they sell their mattresses.

Phoenix

I am still testing mattresses . I tried the Savvy Rest-Serenity Pillowtiop which is the sales person only told me was medium density the middle layer was medium density and the support layer was firm density. .The range is medium ILD 17-22 of Talalay. and firm is 20-23 ILD?Does that sound right? I’m not sure he knew what he was talking about. I went to another store and the salesperson told me when I was talking about how comfortable this Savvy Latex bed seemed. that if I felt like it was " soft " now" in a year you will be sinking into it and be sleeping in a dip." From what I have read on the website here latexx is giving and that does not happen. Am I correct in what I have rad on the website here? Latex would not breakdown even if the I;LD is soft and forgiving because latex has the property of being flexible. Am I right? I think she didn’t know what she was talking about. Just checking with you. Thanks.

Hi javaqueen,

No … it doesn’t sound right at all. 17 - 23 would all be in a soft range. Savvy Rest doesn’t disclose the ILD of the layers they use but their approximate range is in post #2 here (or at least this is what they were at the time of the post but they would still be in a similar range).

This depends entirely on the type and quality of the materials inside the mattress. While all mattresses will go through an initial break in period where the foam will lose any of it’s “false firmness” and will soften slightly (see post #3 here) … if a mattress uses high quality and durable materials the you certainly won’t be sleeping in a dip in a year.

Latex is the most durable of the foam materials yes although softer versions of any material are less durable than firmer versions so it’s always important to make sure that you are making a suitable choice in terms of PPP for your body type, sleeping positions, and preferences regardless of the type of material in a mattress. There is more about the many variables that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress relative to different people in post #4 here and the posts it links to.

It sounds like you have been talking to some salespeople that are not particularly knowledgeable.

Phoenix

Thank you, I LOVE this forum!!!
I also tested once again the Vyspring.Boy that is a comfortable bed but wow that price tag is a killer. What other beds would be anywhere comparable in terms of micro coils? I really loved the comfort of that bed as well as knowing how natural the ingredients seem to be that it is made of. I have a bone marrow failure chronic illness and I am sort of wary of chemicals in mattresses.
Thanks. Ellen

Hi javaqueen601,

There is more about the different ways that one mattress can match another one in post #9 here.

The Vi Spring mattresses don’t use microcoils but use one or more narrower diameter pocket coils with relatively high coil counts as their support core(s) and then use combinations of different types of natural fibers as their comfort layers. Post #4 here has a list of other inerspring/natural fiber mattresses but most of the Vi Spring competitors that had build similar mattresses with the same hand building methods would also be in much higher price ranges.

You can also read more about “ultra luxury” mattresses in post #2 here and post #2 here. These are mattresses where what you feel “about” the mattress would be just as important as what you feel “on” the mattress and would be more attractive to a very small percentage of people who have a different sense of “value” from the norm. In most cases you should easily be able to find a mattress that is just as good a match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences), is just as comfortable, and would be just as durable in much more reasonable price ranges but the only way to decide which mattresses are just as good a match for you in terms of PPP would be based on your own personal testing or experience because you won’t be able to “match” a mattress like a Vi Spring based on specs.

There is a lot of misinformation about organic, natural, chemical free, green, and “safe” mattresses and materials throughout the industry but there is more information in post #2 here that can help you sort through and differentiate the more factual information from the marketing information you will encounter about all of these interrelated topics that can help you choose a mattress and materials that meet your criteria in any budget range and that can help answer your questions about “how safe is safe enough for me?”.

Phoenix

Thank youPhoenix. This has been such an informative process!
I had some coworkers ask me if Latex beds might cause Latex allergies in the future? Is there any correlation? I wouldn’t think so because of the processes the Latex goes through in the mattress process.

Hi javaqueen,

It would be very rare that latex in mattresses can cause an allergy issue because most latex allergies are contact allergies and there is generally no contact with the latex in a mattress. Foamed latex is also very different from dipped latex that is used in products like gloves, condoms, balloons which are the most common causes of latex allergies because most of the surface allergens are washed away during the manufacturing process. There is more detailed information about latex sensitivities and allergies in post #2 here.

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix
I finally bought a mattress.I bought it from the Healthy Back store.I bought a Pure Bliss Latex Elegance.It has some sort of temperature regulating material on the top layer called Celsion.Does this really keep you any cooler? What is this made from?
With the Christmas holiday the mattress will not be delivered for a few weeks. I thought I would ask you as you have been knowledgable.

Hi javaqueen,

Celsion is now called Talalay GL fast response by Latex International (who manufactures it) and Active Fusion fast response by Pure Latex Bliss (who uses it in their mattresses) but it’s all the same material. You can read a little more about it in post #5 here.

Most importantly … congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

Phoenix