For the T&N Ten users, what base are you using: box spring, platform slats, or bunkie boards?
I have a platform bed with slats, and was curious if bunkie boards would provide more support i.e no chance for the mattress to sneak away through the gaps.
Thoughts welcome.
Hi darkarchon,
I don’t own a Tuft & Needle mattress but I can make a few comments and hopefully others that see your post and own the Tuft & Needle will share their thoughts as well. How your platform bed compared to a bunkie board would depend on the type of bunkie board you were considering and the specifics of the support surface on your platform bed. If a bunkie board has a solid surface it would be more rigid and evenly “supportive” than many foundations or platform beds that have wider gaps between the slats but it would also provide less airflow under the mattress (see post #10 here). I would tend to avoid a flexible box spring with a foam mattress unless there was a specific and compelling reason to use it because it can affect the feel and performance of a foam mattress which usually does best with a rigid non flexing and evenly supportive surface underneath it.
There are some slatted bunkie boards listed in post #4 here and posts #10 - #12 here may also be helpful if there are wider gaps between the slats on your platform bed than you would prefer.
Phoenix
I have the mattress on a solid platform with a coir matt between the platform and the mattress.
Stephen S of T&N stated in an email: “Whether you choose a slatted bed frame or foundation for the Five, it’s important that the spaces between slats should be no more than 3 inches apart. With the Ten, you’re safe with spaces of up to 4 inches.”
Hi All!
It is over a month, and I am glad that I didn’t rush to get a mattress topper. I have significantly less back pain now, regardless of my posture at work or if I get beat up in karate class. 
I guess this means my body is adjusting?
I also want to note that I have rotated the mattress to try to ensure it is wearing evenly.
I find this mattress a little too hard to stomach sleep (hurts my knees) but I am 100% a back sleeper so it is rare that I roll onto my side or tummy. I am waiting for the shredded latex/memory foam pillow from Dreamfoam/brooklyn bedding. I hear it is very fluffy and plan to remove some of the foam bits to make it better for back sleeping if it’s too high up with the hardness of the 10.
Note: I am using a cheapie metal frame that I paid $79 dollars for on Amazon. I don’t remember the name but it looks a lot like the one Dreamfoam was selling for $140. When I move into a nicer place I plan to get a japanese low platform bed.
How is everyone else doing?
Hi maskedrose,
[quote]It is over a month, and I am glad that I didn’t rush to get a mattress topper. I have significantly less back pain now, regardless of my posture at work or if I get beat up in karate class. I guess this means my body is adjusting?
I also want to note that I have rotated the mattress to try to ensure it is wearing evenly.[/quote]
Yes … both the initial break in period of a mattress and each person’s adjustment process and changing muscle memory will happen over the first few weeks and it’s usually best to do nothing for the first few weeks unless the “symptoms” are so uncomfortable that waiting isn’t possible.
It’s also good to see that you are rotating the mattress which is always a good idea for any new mattress (see post #2 here).
Thanks for the update and feedback … I appreciate it
Phoenix
The T&N arrived today, and has been placed on the bed to plump up for 3 hours. Here are my order details and a few pics.
Order Details:
May/06/2014 01:30 PM PDT Order placed
May/08/2014 09:04 AM PDT Items being prepared
May/09/2014 10:35 PM PDT Shipped
May/14/2014 12:22 PM PDT Delivered
Great stuff! I love having the pictures. Thank you. I’m thinking I’ll take the plunge next month. My old innerspring mattress is now less comfortable than my sectional couch.
Keep us posted, darkarchon
Hi darkarchon,
I’ll add my thanks for the update and for the pictures as well … I appreciate it
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
We’ve had a few weeks to sleep on the mattress, so I wanted to post my update about our very positive experience thus far. First off, the bed layers, while predictably cumbersome because of their size and shape, are not at all hard to adjust. I seem to recall some folks – either on this site or Amazon, I can’t recall – saying their bed had two halves (was split down the middle) in addition to the three layers, making it customizable for, say, a couple who like two different firmnesses. I just wanted to clarify that the bed is three big layers, not six narrow ones. This is not a problem for us, but I’m not sure how that confusion got started – so thought I’d clear that up.
The quality of the foam is terrific, and the cover is really great too. We’re using the more plush side of the cover, and I’m actually surprised at its quality in a mattress at this price level. The zip-off feature works great and the zippers are super sturdy. We’ve used many different combinations before finally settling on firm, soft, medium, from bottom to top. We haven’t had any problems with the foam softening or sagging at all.
One of the most important factors to me a new mattress was motion transfer. My husband moves around a lot and, at 6’2" and 190 lbs., when he rolled over, got out of bed, etc., our old mattress would toss me around. So I was initially disappointed with the Dreamfoam’s motion transfer; I could still feel a lot of my husband’s activity, and I could still feel his side of the bed weighing me down. BUT, it turns out it was just our old box springs that we were using as a foundation that was making things so springy and wobbly. Yesterday we traded the box springs for a newer, firmer one, and the mattress feels completely different. I had no idea the box springs was such an important component of the bed!
Being able to customize your bed firmness is such an awesome feature, and rearranging the layers really does give a completely different feel to the mattress. Every combination we’ve tried has been super comfortable in its own way. We feel totally supported and I swear we’re sleeping cooler on this mattress than on our old innerspring! Old aches and pains and bad nights of sleep are becoming things of the past.
The only foam mattress we’ve ever slept on is a Tempurpedic when we were at a friend’s house earlier this spring. I don’t like memory foam, but otherwise we both loved the mattress – until we found out it cost upwards of $3000! After much research, we decided on this mattress based largely on what we could afford. I definitely think we made the right choice. With the proper foundation, this mattress is every bit as comfortable as the Tempurpedic at a small fraction of the cost. I recommend it without reservation.
Thanks again for providing all this info; I learned a ton, and I couldn’t have made this decision without it. I’ll be back to Mattress Underground when it comes time for us to upgrade to latex!
Tallularue
Hi Tallularue,
Thanks for taking the time to share such detailed and informative feedback about your 12 in 1 mattress … I appreciate it
I also appreciate your comments about the effects of your box spring. A foam mattress usually does much better with a firm non flexing foundation instead of a box spring that has springs that flex which are normally used with innerspring mattresses that have helicals to connect the coils and act as a shock absorber to protect the springs against damage (which foam doesn’t need).
Just out of curiosity … do you have a favorite combination out of the ones you’ve tried?
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
I think we finally settled on the perfect combination after getting the firmer box springs: from bottom to top, we have firm, soft, medium, with the more plush side of the topper. And on your recommendation, I’ll be on the lookout for a non flexing foundation for this mattress. I guess that, with all my concerns about a mattress, I pretty much forgot to check into the box springs. Lesson learned!
I will say that it took us a few weeks of shifting things around to get the right combination, so for anyone out there considering this mattress, it seems pretty foolproof: given the number of combinations and the difference each one makes, you should be able to find a great fit.
Super happy with our purchase, and highly recommend Dreamfoam!
Tallularue
Hi Tallularue,
Thanks for taking the time to share your “ideal” layering and feedback … I appreciate it
It’s always interesting to me to see what combinations people end up doing best with.
Phoenix
Thinking of buying a couple of these mattresses for 6 and 12 year olds. I could not find a return policy though, is anyone aware of it? Also, does it make any difference whether to but from dream foam directly or via Amazon - I do have prime.
Hi Indus,
As far as I know the Dreamfoam 12 in 1 is only fulfilled by Dreamfoam (not Amazon). Amazon does fulfill some of their other mattresses (including the Ultimate Dreams latex) which means that they are subject to the Amazon large item return policy (see here) and have 2 day shipping for Amazon Prime members.
Dreamfoam fulfilled orders don’t have a return policy but do have the TMU bonus and the 12 in 1 mattress can be customized in 12 different ways after a purchase so it’s unlikely that someone would want to return it when they can customize it instead if they prefer a different firmness level.
NOTE ADDED: If you order from the Dreamfoam site instead of Amazon then there is a 45 day comfort guarantee (see the bottom right hand corner).
Phoenix
Hi jaymax-az and Tallularue,
thanks for sharing your experiences. I am looking at this mattress and hearing your experience helps. Do you (or anyone else) happen to know if there are options to exchange the layers. For example if I wanted a Firm, Med, Med instead of Firm, Med Soft. I see on their website some of their mattresses offer “exchangeable comfort” but their website has very little information on the 12 in 1 and do not have a table like for their other offerings.
thanks.
Hi yoose,
I think the idea is that re-arranging the layers in one of the 12 possible configurations would probably be enough flexibility for most people and they don’t mention anything about exchanging layers. It may be possible to order a F/M/M configuration initially but you would only have 6 combinations instead of 12 but having said that I haven’t asked them so I really don’t know.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Thanks for the reply. Was just wondering if its an option post purchase like for some of their other mattresses.
@yoose: You could call Dreamfoam and ask them this yourself. However, my hunch is that they would not allow exchanges for a mattress at this price point. I think the whole point of the flexible design of the 12-in-1 is to allow adjustability without the expense of exchanges. The cost of exchanges to the manufacturer is built into the price of a mattress and this is, after all, an inexpensive mattress—the queen is a hundred bucks cheaper than a 10" Tuft & Needle, and has the additional advantages of adjustability and slightly denser (more durable) polyfoam.
IMO, the claim of 12 possible configurations is a little optimistic. I suspect that placing the ’F’ layer on top would yield a mattress that provided neither enough pressure relief nor enough support for most people. I would also be loath to put the ’S’ layer on the bottom—it seems like it would reduce support and I think I remember Phoenix cautioning about the stability of such constructions. On the other hand, switching the ‘M’ layer with either the top or bottom layer might well be beneficial for a particular person. Realistically, with the choice of covers, I would regard this as a 6-in-1 configurable mattress. At this price, however, that’s still a lot of configurability.
Yoose, I like your idea that this mattress should also be available in F/M/M. However, even with the standard 12-in-1 Mattress, you would always have the option of removing the ’S’ layer yourself (possibly selling it on Craig’s List) and replacing it with another 3" layer of ‘M’ polyfoam purchased online or from a local foam shop. You would then have a firmer mattress that was still pretty cheap and which could also reasonably be expected to outlast most mattresses made by the big manufacturers—even those costing far more.
On a side note—on the Dreamfoam site there several highly enthusiastic reviewers who apparently believe that their 12-in-1 mattresses consist of 9" of memory foam. This is despite the fact that in a Tempurpedic, as in any other actual memory foam mattress, memory foam is only used in the upper comfort layers—never in the support core (which is most often polyfoam). There is no memory foam in the 12-in-1—and good luck trying to find a mattress containing good-quality memory foam at this price point!
Many people seem to think that there are two types of foam—“cheap” foam and memory foam. Thus, they read that the 12-in-1 mattress is made with quality foam and automatically assume this to mean memory foam. In reality, of course, both polyfoam and memory foam can range anywhere from very low to very high quality.
[quote=“Bedimpediment” post=37462]@yoose: You could call Dreamfoam and ask them this yourself. However, my hunch is that they would not allow exchanges for a mattress at this price point. I think the whole point of the flexible design of the 12-in-1 is to allow adjustability without the expense of exchanges. The cost of exchanges to the manufacturer is built into the price of a mattress and this is, after all, an inexpensive mattress—the queen is a hundred bucks cheaper than a 10" Tuft & Needle, and has the additional advantages of adjustability and slightly denser (more durable) polyfoam.
IMO, the claim of 12 possible configurations is a little optimistic. I suspect that placing the ’F’ layer on top would yield a mattress that provided neither enough pressure relief nor enough support for most people. I would also be loath to put the ’S’ layer on the bottom—it seems like it would reduce support and I think I remember Phoenix cautioning about the stability of such constructions. On the other hand, switching the ‘M’ layer with either the top or bottom layer might well be beneficial for a particular person. Realistically, with the choice of covers, I would regard this as a 6-in-1 configurable mattress. At this price, however, that’s still a lot of configurability.
Yoose, I like your idea that this mattress should also be available in F/M/M. However, even with the standard 12-in-1 Mattress, you would always have the option of removing the ’S’ layer yourself (possibly selling it on Craig’s List) and replacing it with another 3" layer of ‘M’ polyfoam purchased online or from a local foam shop. You would then have a firmer mattress that was still pretty cheap and which could also reasonably be expected to outlast most mattresses made by the big manufacturers—even those costing far more.
On a side note—on the Dreamfoam site there several highly enthusiastic reviewers who apparently believe that their 12-in-1 mattresses consist of 9" of memory foam. This is despite the fact that in a Tempurpedic, as in any other actual memory foam mattress, memory foam is only used in the upper comfort layers—never in the support core (which is most often polyfoam). There is no memory foam in the 12-in-1—and good luck trying to find a mattress containing good-quality memory foam at this price point!
Many people seem to think that there are two types of foam—“cheap” foam and memory foam. Thus, they read that the 12-in-1 mattress is made with quality foam and automatically assume this to mean memory foam. In reality, of course, both polyfoam and memory foam can range anywhere from very low to very high quality.[/quote]
thanks BedImpediment, I ended up buying the mattress as is. I figured I would try the default option and see if it works for me. I think that if this model picks up then dreamfoam can then release more options for people who know what they want. they could also introduce more firmness options for more refined levels.
I just received delivery of my mattress. cant wait to try it out!
