The Alexander Hybrid Signature Select Mattress Has Arrived!

Hi Melanie_KE,

I switched your last post to a new topic of its own so that our conversation doesnā€™t hijack another members topic.

Itā€™s a higher price because the materials and components inside it are more costly. Since you canā€™t test this mattress in person I would make sure that you talk to Nest Bedding on the phone and if after your conversation you believe that the mattress would have a reasonable chance of success in terms of ā€œcomfortā€, firmness, or PPP then beyond that the only way to know for certain would be your own personal experience. This would be the case with any online purchase.

There are many people who prefer latex/innerspring hybrids (see post #13 here) and some of the better innerspring/latex options Iā€™m aware of are listed in post #2 here and the post it links to but if you wish to test any of them in person you would need to check their websites or call them to see if any of them have a dealer close to you.

Subject to confirming that any retailer or manufacturer on the list is completely transparent (see this article) and to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here ā€¦ the better options or possibilities Iā€™m aware of in and around the New Orleans area are listed in post #2 here.

There are also several factory direct manufacturers in Baton Rouge, LA that are listed in post #191 here and a trip there to visit them may also be well worthwhile.

Again ā€¦ no matter how much you may hope it was otherwise ā€¦ the only way to know whether a mattress will be a suitable choice for you with any certainty will be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience.

Phoenix

Hi,
I donā€™t think I have a ton of insight for you but we just went to the Nest store this past Saturday and tried out all their mattresses - we decided to go for the regular Alexander, not the hybrid, because dh and I are both motion transfer sensitive - we donā€™t want to be woken up when the other comes to bed late or tosses and turns. We both found the hybrid relatively bouncier, possibly due to the coils.
I donā€™t think we tried the Honest Coil with Latex - the one we tried was the one with memory foam.
I actually thought I really wanted to have a mattress with Latex, but IRL that wasnā€™t my thing at all. I also thought I wanted relatively soft because our current, worn out mattress is like a pillow top on steroids, but nope - we were clearly in the medium heading toward somewhat firm camp for all their mattresses (the shop assistant who helped us also pointed out that relatively few people go for the soft mattresses, at least in the store we were (Albany, CA). So - sometimes what we think we like is totally not what we like IRL, unfortunatelyā€¦
You probably already know that, but Nest bedding has a little chart on their website listing all their mattresses in terms of soft to firm, and I think for the most part, this was spot on.
Also, their FB site has reviews on it as well and you may find more mixed reviews there, or by checking out the local yelp sites for their stores - those may also be more unbiased.
Lastly, I believe the sleep Sherpa site is a good place to find out how the Nest mattresses may compare to big brand name mattresses which you could try out in a store somewhere near you for more insight - if itā€™s not on the sleep Sherpaā€™s site, I believe you could email her/him (?) and ask if thereā€™s a big brand comparison.
Good luck!

I totally understand what youā€™re saying, and Iā€™ve read many a post where you say the same thing to others. I suppose my response to that is that I canā€™t even rely on trying out a bed in a showroom. I chose my current bed based on what it felt like at the store, and 4 years later, it beats me up every night! That was before I knew how to research materials, etc. as you have thoroughly explained here, and I wonā€™t be making that mistake again. But even trying a bed out in the showroom and lying on it for a couple minutes doesnā€™t do much to inform you of what it will feel like to sleep on it for a whole night, much less every night for months or years.

My approach this time around has been to thoroughly research materials, read all the reviews I can find, and test it out if possible (not usually possible). Even then, I know that I can only know if the mattress is right for me after using it consistently for a few weeks. Since in most cases, I canā€™t try out my options in person, I have to try to rely on other information, and thatā€™s why I look for other peopleā€™s reviews. I take them with a grain of salt always, but it is helpful to get a full picture, since the in-person testing is not really possible.

Anyway, I look forward to reading anything that anyone might want to share here about any of the Nest beds, really. As far as Iā€™m concerned, any information is helpful. Thanks again!

Melanie

Hi elke,

I certainly agree with you here.

On this point I couldnā€™t disagree with you more. Most of the ā€œso calledā€ review sites such as Sleep Sherpa (and many others) are just revenue sites that will say or repeat anything that they need to in order to earn referral fees. They know very little about mattress materials or mattresses in general and much of the information and guidance on their sites is very misleading (and often incorrect). You can read more about this in post #11 here and in post #1 here (and the video it links to) in the simplified choice mattress topic.

There is more information in post #9 here about the different ways that one mattress can ā€œmatchā€ or ā€œapproximateā€ another one. Every layer and component in a mattress (including the cover and any quilting materials) will affect the feel and performance of every other layer and component and the mattress ā€œas a wholeā€ so unless you are able to find another mattress that uses exactly the same type of materials, components, cover, layer thicknesses, layer firmnesses, and overall design (which would be very unlikely) then there really isnā€™t a reliable way to match one mattress to another one in terms of ā€œcomfortā€, firmness, and PPP based on the specifications of the mattresses (even assuming that you can find out all the specifications you would need for both mattresses you are comparing in the first place).

Mattress manufacturers generally try to differentiate their mattress from the mattresses made by other manufacturers and donā€™t normally try to ā€œmatchā€ another mattress that is made by a different manufacturer so unless a manufacturer specifically says in their description of a mattress that one of their mattresses in the same general category is specifically designed to ā€œmatchā€ or ā€œapproximateā€ another one in terms of firmness or ā€œfeelā€ and PPP and/or they are very familiar with both mattresses and can provide reliable guidance about how they compare based on the ā€œaveragesā€ of a larger group of people that have compared them (different people may have very different opinions about how two mattresses compare) ā€¦ the only reliable way to know for certain how two mattresses would compare for you in terms of how they ā€œfeelā€ or in terms of firmness or PPP (regardless of anyone elseā€™s opinions of how they compare which may be different from your own) would be based on your own careful testing or actual sleeping experience on both of them.

There are also no ā€œstandardā€ definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer. Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like ā€œmediumā€ for someone else or even ā€œsoftā€ for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they ā€œrateā€ a mattress as well (see post #15 here) so different people can also have very different opinions on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness and some people may rate one mattress as being firmer than another and someone else may rate them the other way around. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science.

In other words ā€¦ if two mattresses have different designs and materials then your own careful testing or personal experience is the only reliable way to compare two mattresses in terms of ā€œcomfortā€ firmness, and PPP.

Comparing two mattresses in terms of durability is much more simple and more objective once you know the specifications of all the materials and layers in two mattresses you are comparing (see this article) because making durability comparisons is just a matter of comparing the quality and durability of the materials and components inside it and making sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress that would be a reason for concern. If for any reason a retailer or manufacturer you are dealing with either isnā€™t willing or able to provide you with the specifics of the materials and components in their mattresses then I would avoid it completely. Again though I would always keep in mind that the quality and durability of the materials has little to nothing to do with how a mattress will feel or compare to any other mattress in terms of comfort, firmness, or PPP.

Phoenix

Thanks, elke! Iā€™m so jealous you were able to go to the store in person! I had to laugh at your description of thinking you like one thing and finding that youā€™re wrong. That is exactly what I fear I would do! I have also considered the medium version of the Alexander Sig. Select, but when Nest came out with the hybrid, I thought it might be cooler-sleeping (because of the coils). My husband is actually a HUGE toss-and-turn sleeper, and Iā€™ve been assuming that pocketed coils would mean at least a decent decrease in motion transfer (not as good as all foam, I know), but maybe Iā€™m wrong?

Thanks for the tip about the Facebook page; I actually discovered it earlier today and read a bunch of the posts. Also, thanks for the sleepsherpa tip! Iā€™m not totally sure Iā€™ve looked at that site yet, so Iā€™ll check it out. I would love to hear about your experience with the Alexander Signature Select after you receive it! Thanks so much for all your input! I really want to make the right choice this time.

Melanie

Hi Melanie_KE,

Your best chance of making the best possible choice is to follow all the steps in the mattress shopping tutorial here one at a time which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice ā€¦ and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure youā€™ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best ā€œmatchā€ for you in terms of ā€œcomfortā€ and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesnā€™t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the ā€œvalueā€ of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix

Hi Hi Melanie_KE,

I was writing my own reply when you posted this comment so I didnā€™t reply to it in my last post.

With a local purchase for the majority of people ā€¦ careful testing using the guidelines in the tutorial rather than just testing for the more subjective ā€œcomfortā€ of a mattress (which often wonā€™t predict how well you will sleep on a mattress or how it will ā€œfeelā€ when you sleep on it at home) and some good guidance from a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer will usually result in a mattress choice that is well inside a suitable comfort/support range and will generally be ā€œclose enoughā€ so that if any fine tuning is necessary it would be relatively minor and involve different mattress pads, sheets, mattress protectors, or perhaps even a topper if a mattress is too firm (see post #4 here and post #10 here).

Of course if you canā€™t test a mattress in person or if for any reason you arenā€™t confident that a mattress you are considering would be a suitable choice then the options you have after a purchase including the the exchange/return policy (and any costs involved) would be a more important part of the ā€œvalueā€ of an online purchase just in case (and in spite of the ā€œbest judgementā€ of everyone involved) the choice you make doesnā€™t turn out as well as you hoped for.

At the end of the day you will either need to rely on your own careful and more ā€œobjectiveā€ testing or a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable retailer in combination with a good trial period and exchange/return policy. Anything else would lower your chance of success.

Phoenix

I bot the Alexander Hybrid and the Easy Breather Pillow in Jan 2016. I did my research and thought this would be an incremental upgrade from my previous mattress. I could not find any critical reviews of Nest, the Alexander series or any sites that did not recommend them for any reason. This was sort of a flag to me, but I decided to go through with it.

It has been a rough 2 months. I am really trying to make this purchase work, but I have not had a good nights sleep on the hybrid so far. I am still testing it out, but I believe this could be due to the memory foam pillow not being a fit for my normal sleeping position. I have shoulder pain, wake up lethargic and generally feel tired all day. I feel better not using the pillow and just sleeping on the mattress with a ā€˜normalā€™ pillow. I tried sleeping on the floor, couch and old mattress and I have felt better the next day.

Can someone suggest what my possible options are in this situation? I am considering either getting a mattress topper to make the Alexander Hybrid firmer and then testing it for another week or so.

Additionally, I can return the product and consider alternative brands. Any ideas there (tufts and needle, brooklyn bedding, spindle)? I am torn as I realize the internet is almost all marketing/advertising and it is difficult to make an informed decision.

Help.

[quote=ā€œMelanie_KEā€ post=61986]Scoaste, I am waiting for your thoughts on your new Alexander Hybrid with bated breath! I think I have decided on this mattress, but I really wish there were more objective reviews out there. I REALLY wish Nest as a company would post more balanced reviews on their website, but since they donā€™t, Iā€™m having to rely on other outlets, like this fabulous website.

If the Alexander Hybrid offered a latex option instead of the memory foam, I probably wouldā€™ve bought it already. Anyway, I am super interested to know how you like it, how soft you find it to be, how the edge support is, whether it sleeps cool, etc.

Please let us know how you like it soon! I know you only received it a few days ago, but initial impressions would be so, so helpful. Hope youā€™re loving it! (Phoenix, please donā€™t fuss at me for seeking out other peopleā€™s impressions. I need all the help I can get! Thank you for this invaluable website; I think Iā€™m now a mattress expert because of it.)

Melanie[/quote]

If it helps I own the Alexander Hybrid myself although I am likely going to return it as itā€™s simply too soft for my tastes. The Hybrid may have memory foam in it but doesnā€™t feel anything like a memory foam mattress to me. It feels like a traditional soft pillowtop mattress. Now a lot of people might be looking for something like this and if you are and donā€™t mind something a bit softer then this a great mattress for you. It doesnā€™t sleep hot and has great edge support which are my two favorites things about the mattress. I was unfortunately hoping for something more like the Tempurpedic Flex line and this is nothing like those. Anyway hope this helps.

I am in the same camp - likely going to return the Alexander Hybrid.
If you can suggest any medium firm mattresses under $1500 for a queen, please let me know. I am also going to try to return the pillow I got from them as well.

Any ones you think of that can narrow down the searchā€¦ Might just buy a tempur pedic and call it a day.

Well this just proves that you cannot rely on individual reviews (consensus reviews might be another matter).

I personally find the mattress to be too firm for my tastes and that it sleeps too hot. Nest is sending me a wool pad to see if it helps with these. As for edge support, itā€™s sufficient; obviously not as much as my old traditional mattress, but probably better than all foam (idk because Iā€™ve never had one).

I also think soft is a relative term and can mean something different to each person. My problem with it is that I feel I am literally sinking all the way into the coils creating pressure points. I know they say it has 6" of memory foam but just feeling the side of the bed where the coils stop and foam begins I get nowhere near 6" foam. I am only 140lbs so if I feel that way I can only imagine for someone heavier sleeps on their side on this mattress.

I will say the mattress slept hot to me for the first week or so, I assumed my body had to adjust to it and I was just getting over a cold. After the first week or so the issue went away and I never thought it was hot again.

Hi karl235,

While itā€™s not possible to ā€œdiagnoseā€ mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because there are too many unique unknowns, variables, and complexities involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of ā€œcomfortā€ and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) or any ā€œsymptomsā€ they experience ā€¦ there is more about the most common symptoms that people may experience when they sleep on a mattress and the most likely (although not the only) reasons for them in post #2 here that may be helpful.

If your mattress is too soft then some of the suggestions in post #4 here may be helpful. While adding a softer topper can be an effective solution for a mattress that is too firm ā€¦ itā€™s much more difficult to ā€œfirm upā€ a mattress that is too soft without removing and replacing the foam layers that are too soft or too thick,

See my reply in your other topic in post #3 here.

Phoenix

Scoaste, that is totally not what I expected to hear! Hopefully itā€™s a breaking-in type of issue. Iā€™ll be interested to hear your opinions after having slept on it for a while longer, in addition to the difference the wool pad might make. Very interesting.

Zexpress, I saw your thread about the bed being too soft (the same experience it seems Loiloi had) which is where some of my softness concerns come from. I guess it is such subjective and undefined terminology (soft/firm, etc.) that it really isnā€™t very helpful, as Phoenix says.

Who knew mattress selection could ever be this complicated?? Thank you guys so much for responding, regardless!

I wanted to make this thread as useful as possible, so Iā€™m going to add all my stats and details here.

I am a 5ā€™ tall female and usually weigh between 115-125lbs (right now Iā€™m pregnant, so itā€™s obviously a bit more). Iā€™m petite and have a somewhat curvy body type; small shoulders with bigger hips. I used to be an every way sleeper - stomach, back, and sides, but after having our first child, I canā€™t sleep on my stomach anymore. Mostly I go to sleep on one of sides and wake up on my back. I prefer a plush, luxe comfort feel.

My husband is 5ā€™10; I donā€™t know how much he weighs but I think itā€™s around 150 lbs. (heā€™s slim, does that sound right?). He has wider shoulders and narrow hips, and similar sleep positions to me. He says he prefers a more firm mattress, but Iā€™m not sure what thatā€™s based on besides assumption.

Our mattress story: we mostly slept on hand-me-down traditional innerspring mattresses from our parents until I got pregnant the first time. At that point, we were sleeping on a hand-me-down mattress from my mom that was ok but got increasingly more uncomfortable as I got further along in pregnancy. I decided to bite the bullet and buy the Tempurpedic I had always dreamed of (this was in 2012). I honestly donā€™t even remember which one we ended up with, maybe one of the Rhapsody line? All I remember was the horrible and potent yeast, mildew, and inflatable pool toy plastic smell that filled our entire house for weeks. Being pregnant, it REALLY freaked me out and I couldnā€™t deal with it. I also found the mattress to be not very comfortable and too firm, though husband really liked the comfort level (hated the smell too, though). In a panic, I returned the Tempurpedic and got the most comfortable pillowtop mattress at the same store, a Sealy Posturepedic. 4 years later, Iā€™m in exactly the same situation! Incidentally, so are my in-laws; they bought the same mattress set we did a few months after us and are finding it to be super uncomfortable already, though they are much heavier than we are.

So here I am, in pain every morning again - all-over back, shoulder, and neck pain when I wake up, and persistent back and shoulder stiffness/achiness throughout the day. I wake up many times in the night from back pain, I think because my hips are being pushed too far upwards, causing my spine to be totally misaligned while I sleep. I suspect I also need new pillows; whenever I decide on a mattress, I will decide between Nestā€™s easy breather latex pillow and a DIY shredded latex pillow kit from DIYnaturalbedding.com. My husband has been sleeping on our sofa mostly (our toddler likes to sneak into our bed at night and he wiggles a lot), but he claims our current bed, though much less comfortable than it once was, is not unbearable for him like it is for me. He thinks I am just more picky, but I think our body types are just different. When he was sleeping in our bed more regularly, he did complain of feeling tired a lot and waking up during the night. I think he just didnā€™t believe me that it was the mattress.

As far as mattress requirements, here are my requirements in order of importance:

Comfort - must feel luxuriously comfortable, which I interpret to mean soft/plush.
Durablity - must be comfortable for more than 4 years!
Price - Ideally less than $1500 shipped
Support - must be supportive enough that I donā€™t wake up in pain
Edge support - we canā€™t go bigger than a queen size, which means sometimes there will be more than 2 people in the bed, which means we need to be able to sleep right up to the edge without children rolling off.
Cool - canā€™t sleep hot
Off-gassing - must be minimal
Motion Transfer - I would love to feel my husband/children toss and turn less, but compared to the other factors, this one is towards the bottom of the importance list.
Natural materials - This is not a deal-breaker, but I would prefer all natural materials with minimal chemicals, and made in USA

So thatā€™s all my pertinent info! Taking all that into consideration, I have thought the Nest Alexander Signature Select medium or one of the Nest Honest Beds would be our best choice, but then they released the Al. Hybrid, and I was nearly sold on it because of the pocketed coils (durable support and better air flow). Hearing that it is so soft, though, has me hesitating because of my husband. I also didnā€™t realize until recently that the Love Bed featured latex foam, which has me considering it as well. Ideally, I would love to test them out in person, but thatā€™s just not an option. I think itā€™s time for me to take Phoenixā€™s advice and call Nest to speak to someone. Maybe I will do that today.

If anyone has any input they would like to share, Iā€™m all ears. Thank you to everyone who has tried to help, and a BIG thank you to Phoenix for being such a wealth of information and assistance.

Melanie

Hi Melanie_KE,

I can make a few comments about each of your criteria that may be helpful.

There are also no ā€œstandardā€ definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer. Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like ā€œmediumā€ for someone else or even ā€œsoftā€ for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they ā€œrateā€ a mattress as well (see post #15 here) so different people can also have very different opinions on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness and some people may rate one mattress as being firmer than another and someone else may rate them the other way around. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science.

In other words ā€¦ if two mattresses have different designs and materials then your own careful testing or personal experience is the only reliable way to compare two mattresses in terms of ā€œcomfortā€ firmness, and PPP.

While there is no way to quantify how long any mattress will last for a specific person or predict exactly when you will decide to replace it because it is no longer suitable or comfortable for you (because this is the only real measure of durability or the useful life of a mattress that really matters) because there are too many unknowns and variables involved that are unique to each person ā€¦ if a mattress is well inside a suitable comfort/support range and isnā€™t close to the edge of being too soft when it is new (see post #2 here) and you have confirmed that it meets the minimum quality/durability specs that are suggested in the guidelines here then it would be reasonable to expect a useful lifetime in the range of 7 - 10 years and with higher quality and more durable materials like latex or higher density memory foam or polyfoam (in the comfort layers especially) it would likely be in the higher end of the range or even longer and the chances that you would have additional ā€œbonus timeā€ would be higher as well.

While itā€™s not possible to be too specific because there would be thousands of mattresses in your budget range ā€¦ there are some very general guidelines about what to expect in different budget ranges in this article that may be helpful. You certainly have many great quality/value choices in your budget range.

If you are looking at online options then the mattress shopping tutorial includes several links to lists of many of the better online options Iā€™m aware of (in the optional online step) that include many different types and categories of mattresses in a wide range of budgets, firmness levels, and with different return/exchange policies that may also be well worth considering.

ā€œSupportā€ is often misunderstood because the goal of a ā€œsupportiveā€ mattress is to keep the spine and joints in good alignment and this requires the type of contouring support that allows some parts of the body to sink in more (softer) and some parts of the body to sink in less (firmer) and this will vary on an individual basis. There is more about primary or ā€œdeepā€ support and secondary or ā€œsurfaceā€ support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the ā€œrolesā€ of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between ā€œsupport/alignmentā€ and ā€œcomfort/pressure reliefā€ and ā€œfeelā€ and how they interact together.

You can see my thoughts about edge support for innersprings in post #2 here and for polyfoam and memory foam mattresses in post #33 here and for latex mattresses in post #3 here.

Innerspring mattresses with an edge support system will generally have firmer edge support than foam mattresses (memory foam, polyfoam, latex foam).

While itā€™s not possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on sleeping temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the ā€œoven to icebergā€ range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials ā€¦ there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.

The only reliable way to to assess the ā€œsafetyā€ of different materials in more general terms is based on lab tests and the certifications they have for harmful substances and VOCs so that you have some assurance than the VOCs are below the testing limits for the certification (see post #2 here for more information about some of the more reliable ā€œsafetyā€ certifications). If the materials in a mattress or the mattress itself has a reliable ā€œsafetyā€ certification then for most people they would certainly be ā€œsafe enoughā€ ā€¦ regardless of the type of material or the name of the manufacturer on the label and any initial smell.

All foam materials will have some initial smell (which is the same thing as offgassing) but if they have a reliable certification then they will generally dissipate quickly to levels where they wonā€™t be noticeable for most people.

There is more about motion transfer relative to different types of materials and components in post #18 here.

The most natural materials would be 100% natural latex (see post #18 here) and natural fibers (such as wool, cotton, flax linen, silk etc) and depending on how you are defining natural ā€¦ perhaps steel innersprings as well (steel isnā€™t natural but most people would consider it to be ā€œnatural enoughā€).

While it may be more information than you are looking for ā€¦ there is also a lot more information in post #2 here and the more detailed posts and information it links to about safe, natural, organic, ā€œchemical freeā€, and ā€œgreenā€ mattresses and mattress materials that can help you sort through some of the marketing information and terminology that you will encounter in the industry and can help you differentiate between them and answer ā€œhow safe is safe enough for meā€ or ā€œhow natural is natural enough for meā€ and that can help you decide on the type of materials and components you are most comfortable having in your mattress or on the certifications that may be important to you. These types of issues are complex and are generally specific to each person and their individual sensitivities, circumstances, criteria, beliefs, and lifestyle choices.

I believe that this is one of the most important parts of deciding on any online mattress purchase.

Phoenix

Melanie, Iā€™m new here, but I can offer my initial impressions on the Alexander Hybrid. Mine just arrived last week and tonight will be my 4th night sleeping on it.

I bought this mattress to replace a Tempurpedic I bought back in 2006. Back then the Tempurpedic only came in one of two options: original or soft. None of the crazy model variety they have today! I had the original, which I remember a lot of people complaining was ā€œtoo firm,ā€ but I loved it, despite being a side sleeper. But I recently moved into a new house, which has a guest room. And when shopping for a guest bed, I realized I was going to be really bummed out if there was a brand new bed in the guest room and I was still sleeping on a 10 year old mattress, which at this point had the beginnings of a perma-dent in the side where I sleep. So I decided Iā€™d go all out and treat myself to brand new mattress and move the old one to the guest room!

When I started shopping for this bed, I did a lot of research and was attracted by some of the positive blog reviews Iā€™d read about the Alexander Hybrid. I really like the feel of foam, but was intrigued by the idea of the hybrid because it sounded like it would be better for non-sleeping bed activities. And if Iā€™m being honest with myself, I love new manufacturing processes and technology, whether itā€™s in the form of a gadget or in the form ofā€¦wellā€¦a bed.

So, back to my first impressions:
The first night I slept on it, I enjoyed it but I was afraid it was going to be too soft. It was significantly softer than my old mattress. It also feels very different than the Tempurpedic ā€” I donā€™t have the feeling of being ā€œinā€ the mattress with the Hybrid the way I did on the Tempur (although I did actually like the in-the-mattress feeling). Being on the Hybrid the first night felt to me like I was laying on a marshmallow!

I donā€™t have any issues with chronic pain, with the exception of a nerve on my right hip that would sometimes feel uncomfortable when I slept on that side in my old bed. And despite my fortunate lack of back issues, I still had this idea in my head that a bed needed to be pretty firm to give me great support.

However, over the past few nights, Iā€™ve actually felt remarkably supported despite my initial concerns about a softer bed. Additionally, I found that by night 3, the bed had firmed up a bit. Itā€™s still softer than my old mattress, but not as soft as it was in those first couple of days. Itā€™s pretty close to Goldilocks perfect for me, actually. Now that Iā€™m going on my 4th night, Iā€™m really liking the Hybrid a lot! I like that I sink in just slightly for a tiny bit of body hug, but nothing presses on that nerve in my hip like my old mattress did. It didnā€™t even occur to me that my old mattress was the problem until I slept in this bed and stopped having it.

So far my first impressions are positive. I still need a while before I reach my final conclusion about it, but I like it a lot so far! Iā€™m interested to see how the feel of it changes for me over the next few weeks as I break it in and as my body adjusts.

Also worth noting: I bought 2 new pillows when I purchased the mattress (replacing my Tempurpedic pillows). Theyā€™re the Easy Breather Natural pillows, and I did have to take some of the stuffing out for them to be right for me. The first night I slept on them as they came and I thought they were uncomfortable. Now that Iā€™ve reduced the amount of filling in them, theyā€™re just right.

I wanted to add my 2 cents here as well - mostly because i also found it difficult to find reviews of the alexander hybrid even though the mattress review sites have all been favorable. Perhaps because itā€™s more of a traditional bed the on-line community is not into that as much as they are memory foam or whatever the purple bed is. Iā€™ve never had a memory foam bed before and my husband is very sensitive to smell, so I suppose we were open to the more traditional options.

I was initially interested in Alexander because i liked the story of Nestbedding - somehow knowing they were brick and mortar was a plus to me even though Iā€™m not near a store. I also liked that they were not overly invested in sales and marketing (as evidenced by their website). I was leaning toward the Alexander, but after some emails with Joe about being a side sleeper, low back pain, occasionally having my arm fall asleep, and my husbandā€™s concern over overheating, he recommended the hybrid. If you have not emailed Joe i definitely recommend it.

Weā€™ve been sleeping on it just over 2 weeks and i find the top to be soft but cushy/pillowy soft. I tried out another hybrid at a dept. store and found the top to be squishy soft - which i didnā€™t like. I feel like iā€™m sinking in a little, but that iā€™m still well supported. Part of me worries it will start to feel too soft but I think thatā€™s because iā€™m used to a firmer mattress (with or without a pillow top). But part of my worry is because i have never had memory foam before and i donā€™t have personal experience on how it holds up. As a female side sleeper in my mid 40s, i realize i need that top softness to better accommodate my body.

I typically roll around at night, but i do that less on this bed. I find myself sleeping longer periods, and waking in the same position. We have 2 little kids and a senior dog, so thereā€™s no sleeping through the night regardless of the mattress. It has not relieved my numb arm entirely, but iā€™m trying to modify my sleep position by holding a pillow and that seems to help. I probably could do with a new pillow to help this too. I had hoped the mattress would entirely relieve my low back pain, and this hasnā€™t happened, but i am much less sore and stiff when i get out of bed. I still have pain- particularly when i roll. Obviously a lot of this is on me because thereā€™s no bed thatā€™s going to strengthen my core muscles for me.

Side support is pretty decent - just slightly less supportive than our traditional mattress. However, I also noticed the coils come up higher than expected - past the line on the mattress where you think the memory foam startsā€¦ I wondered if this was only on the edge to increase edge support and would be interested in seeing an inside view of the bed.

We have not noticed the bed being hot at allā€¦ Since we purchased a king, i needed new bedding. Anticipating that it might sleep hotter, I purchased a quilt and fleece blanket rather than a fluffy duvet and weā€™ve had no heat retention issues. Someone else commented that the stitching on the bed was distracting. My husband did comment on this, but we use a mattress protector under our sheets, which adds an extra layer against the irregular surface we donā€™t find it bothersome.

All in all weā€™re really happy. We have a couple months left to make a final decision and I hope we donā€™t have to, because I have spent a lot of time doing research and donā€™t want to have to start from scratch again. I do think we will think about the lifespan of this bed differently from our old one - we were probably 5-8 years beyond its lifespan when we got rid of it. Coil beds donā€™t last 15 years! We used the 200 coupon and that bought our investment down and responsive feedback from Joe helped make the decision.

Heather

Hi onemillionbucks,

Thanks for taking the time to share your comments and experiences in such detail ā€¦ I appreciate it.

Itā€™s great to hear that your mattress is working out well for you.

Most importantly ā€¦ congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Thanks, onemillionbucks and HeatherinMI, I really appreciate the feedback! Your experiences are closer to what I have been thinking the mattress would be like. This is such a help! Thanks again.

Melanie