Anyone have any experience with this mattress. I am considering buying one (harmonia or Selene model) over a Serta Icomfort (genious) because I think it is a better constructed bed and also the VOC issue. They also sell under the selectabed brand but I was told that they use lower grade materials for that bed. Its a small company, 20 employees, they have a great warranty but that is only good if they are still in business. Thier website is www.tempflow.com
Like I said, any experiences would be appreciated.
I am very familiar with the Tempflow and have had some extensive conversations with Dr. Rick Swartzburg who designed them. They use a custom memory foam (Biogreen) which is unique to them and very high quality. I have also tried a pillow made of the softer version of this memory foam (just under 5 lb density) and it is what I would call a medium speed recovery but also soft meaning that it doesn’t have the “stuck in quicksand” feeling but is also very dense and responsive to a wider temperature range (doesn’t get too firm too easily). The firmer memory foam is a higher density and also a higher ILD. The pillow I tried was also newly manufactured and had almost no detectable odor or offgassing even to a very sensitive nose (my DH). Rick himself is focused on providing a unique product to the market that is not just “another story”.
I should also mention that his airflow system is one of the few that I believe is legitimate. The foam itself is quite breathable but the holes in the memory foam itself in combination with the channels underneath are more effective than either of these by itself. He was also designing and producing mattresses with softer memory foam over firmer memory foam similar to the Tempurpedic cloud series and now the iComfort long before others began to do the same thing.
So all in all … there is no doubt in my mind that this is a high quality mattress that uses high quality materials.
Thanks I appreciate the response. I was also considering having them add an additional .5 inches of top layer foam to come closer to the stats of the Icomfort (they use 2.75 of gel foam) verses the Salene model of 1.5. What do you think? or maybe jsut wait and go with a topper if it isnt as supportive? My wife likes the cloud and also the support of the Icomfort (genius), there are a lot of benefits to the tempflow over these beds, in my opnion the stats from the tempflow make it a better constructed bed with higher quality materials. They have a great warranty, but they are a small company so I am not sure how great thier warranty will be in the long run. I also like the idea of buying from a local company that produces the bed localy.
There is a danger in trying to match layer thickness using different materials in order to match the feel of different mattresses. This is because there are many different types of memory foams all of which have different performance characteristics. In addition to this … memory foam by nature is a non supportive foam (“more supportive” memory foams are only “supportive” in comparison to other memory foams and not in comparison to other types of “support” foams) and is usually best used in the thinnest possible layers that are suitable for each individual. The real support with a memory foam mattress comes from the layers under the memory foam.
The specs for the Selene show 1" of HD ultra plush biogreen over 2" of HD firmer biogreen over the base polyfoam. So in effect it is 3" of biogreen over 6" polyfoam.
The iComfort Genius has 2.75" of gel memory foam over 2" polyfoam “support foam” over a 6" polyfoam base.
The Selene memory foam will likely be softer than the iComfort gel memory foam.
The firmness of the layers under the memory foam is not listed.
Because these two mattresses have different layering schemes and use different types of memory foam … and because how each person perceives the feel of each mattress differently based on their individual weight and body profile … it would be diffficult to predict how similar these two would feel to you. If you were to add another .5" of memory foam to the Selene … the differences would likely be even more (this would give the selene 3.5" of memory foam vs the 2.75" of the Genius).
If you have access to the cloud series from Tempurpedic … they have a listing here of the approximate similarities in feel between their mattresses and tempurpedic (even though the layering and specific foams used are of course different).
In cases like this … it is usually wiser to choose based on the recommendations of a manufacturer and on the feel you are looking for rather than on trying to “duplicate” another mattress which uses different types of foam and layering.
In terms of warranties … most warranties only protect against manufacturing defects which tend to show up very early in the life of a mattress (first year or so). Any softening of foam is not covered. Any body impressions are only measured once you have been off the mattress for a few hours and in most cases the foam will have just enough resilience left to come back within the warranty exclusion. In other words warranties have little if anything to do with how long a mattress will last or will be suitable for sleeping on. They are mostly about marketing.
Again, thank you very much for all your insight. My wife and I are going back this weekend to check out the beds again, the first time we went my wife liked the Harmonia model and we were all set on that until the Icomfort genius, I then went back and the harmonia seemed to have more of the quick sand feel and I tried the Salene which seemed a bit firmer (later I found out its becuase it has a thicker support foam) I also tried another model there which I really liked but it was out of my budget. So we will see which one the wife likes. truthfully I think its between the Harmonia and the Salene which are very similar, not sure if the Harmonia will be a little cooler based on thier description of the air chamber layer. I will also ask thier opnion about adding anything to any of the layers (maybe it would be more worthwile to get the harmonia and add to the support layer bumping that up to 2" from 1.5?
once again thank you for all you help. This has certainly been a learning experience!
I would be a little careful about adding more memory foam to the layers because it will allow you to sink down deeper with your hips. The Harmonia already has 3" of memory foam and adding more (even of the higher density) will reduce the support rather than add to it. Don’t forget that the real support in a memory foam mattress comes from the layers under the memory foam rather than the memory foam itself (which is more about pressure relief and overall comfort).
On Saturday my wife and I went back to the Temperflow showroom, We tested out all of the beds we were interested in and my wife liked the Selene model the best. Last time we were there she liked the Harmonia, but we both felt it sunk in too much. The Salene gave an extra 1/2" support layer so it felt firmer.
The doctor had matched an offer that had been made to me by a local mattress company for the Icomfort. The deal was the mattress, free delivery, two free pillow, and a bunky board. I went ahead with the order and I also took your advice and did not add anything to the bed, just went with the specs listed.
When the order was written it showed “1 Cal King Plywood ¾” interior grade". I suspect this is the bunky board . I am in the process of ordering the wood platform frame and I hope that is the same type of bunky board I would have gotten with the Icomfort and not merely a sheet of plywood. If it is I am concerned with the stability of the mattress. I did e-mail tempflow about this so I should have an answer to that shortly. The other bunkys I have seen are thicker and have a fabric covering so not to damage the mattress. What are your thoughts on this?
I will let you know my thoughts on this bed after I get it and have a chance to test it out.
I got an e-mail today that they will be sending me a 2" bunky board. Hopefully its not just 2" of plywood sheets, but I will have to wait and see what arrives. I will update you in about 4-6 weeks when the bed shows up.
I don’t know the specifics of the bunkie board they sell but I would guess (and hope) that it’s more than just a sheet of plywood. I think that a fabric covering is a good idea both to prevent snags on the mattress ticking and to help it stay in place without slipping.