Soft Comfort Layer w/ Firm Support Layer

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hello everyone,

I happened to be in Phoenix this weekend so I was able to go to Brooklyn Bedding, to try #thebestmattressever, and to EZ Sleep, to try the KISS Mattress.

At R&S/Brooklyn Bedding, the only demo model for #thebestmattressever was the medium firmness. Immediately, I found that my back sunk in but my shoulders did not, causing them to bow forward slightly. On my side, I tended to hammock slightly as well.

Next, I tried some of the other beds they had in their show room. The Manhattan Super Soft Pillowtop, with a quilting foam and memory foam comfort layer, also produced a shoulder bowing when I laid on my back,
(https://www.rsmattress.com/shop/mattresses/manhattan-super-soft-pillowtop/) The Wall Street Luxury Firm was the most comfortable for me (firm but comfortable) but it was still wasn’t near something that I felt strongly enough about to buy. (https://www.rsmattress.com/shop/mattresses/wall-street-luxury-firm-eurotop/)

Over at EZ Sleep, I tried both the plush and the firm versions of the KISS Mattress. Given all of the praise for Brooklyn Bedding, I was surprised that I liked the KISS Mattress better. The difference between the plush and firm is not extreme but it’s noticeable. On the plush version, my back hammocked slightly while on my side. On the firm version, my posture was better but I felt like I was laying on top of the bed, not in it. I had a hard time deciding which I liked better. Overall, however, for me, if I had to pick between #thebestmattressever and the KISS mattress, I would easily choose the KISS mattress.

That said, my conclusion on a latex comfort layer is that it’s like sleeping on a trampoline. I don’t think it’s for me. (I’m coming from a waterbed.)

I tried a few memory foam comfort layer beds they had in their showroom. I really think I like being hugged by a memory foam comfort layer. But, I also think I like being supported by a firm support layer. Given this hypothesis, what I can’t figure out is why the Manhattan Super Soft Pillowtop didn’t work better for me. Is the comfort layer just too deep? Or do I need the memory foam layer to be the very first layer?

In the simplified choice mattress category, do any of the mattresses fit my criteria of sinking into a comfort layer that hugs you while being firmly supported beyond that?

Thanks!

2

Since you’re trying mattresses in Phoenix, you should probably visit Sedona Sleep, a sister company of Arizona Premium Mattress. They offer a base and topper in multiple configurations.

3

Hi Intelsbe,

As you mentioned latex and memory foam are completely different materials with very different properties. Just as taste is a preference choice with food … some people just prefer the “feel” and properties of latex and some people prefer memory foam. There is more about some of the general differences between them in post #2 here but the most reliable way to know which types of materials or mattresses you tend to prefer will be based on your own testing or personal experience.

Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here relative to your weight range … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are also more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article).

While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … 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).

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.

If for any reason you aren’t reasonably confident that a mattress you are considering would be a suitable choice in terms of firmness, “feel”, or PPP then any trial period and the options you have after a purchase including the exchange/return policy (and any costs involved) would also be a more important part of the “value” of an online purchase just in case (and in spite of the “best judgement” of everyone involved) the choice you make doesn’t turn out to be as suitable as you hoped for.

Phoenix