First off, in my research quest to find and replace an aging innerspring mattress, there was one particular site who’s owner I found utterly frustrating in that he would never commit to making a recommendation and would always go back to the basics of transparency of materials. Frustrating because with the plethora of choices out there, sometimes you just want someone to tell you what to do! However, I have since come to the conclusion that Phoenix is RIGHT! Reviews of user experience are generally meaningless and you really need to know what your own likes and dislikes are and make your own decision based on the information on hand.
Now, with this in mind, here is my story of what led me to choose Novosbed and my initial thoughts on the mattress after only 5 days.
My story is likely similar to many of you. With the availability of tons of information at our disposal on the internet, I tried to make an informed decision as to what would be the best bed on the market for me within a $2000-$3000 budget. I went into our local bed stores and tried to mattress compare. Armed with models that after laying down on for 30 seconds seemed like good choices, I went to the internet to compare and surprise… it’s nearly impossible. There was no data on spring wire gauge ratings or coil counts, no details on the materials used, and no real research on whether it actually made a difference. Even more frustrating is that models are differently named in each store and you begin to really understand and wonder if manufacturers are behaving unethically.
I then began reading into the hugely growing “bed in a box” memory foam direct to consumer industry. Fascinating and completely contrary to everything we’ve ever been taught about buying a bed! Trying before you buy. It’s an investment and therefore should cost more. Sceptical at first, it took me over 2 months of internet browsing to really get comfortable with this idea.
My first Google search was literally “best bed for backs”. The results were surprising and my very first exposure to this industry was reading about Laatva’s Loom and Leaf offering. It seemed to hit everything I was looking for. Fairly elaborate cooling technology, great reviews, and the price was right! I went and “tested” the comparable Tempurpedic models for firmness and was ready to pull the trigger… until I converted to Canadian $'s which acted like a pause button. In hindsight, this wasn’t a bad thing.
Looking for an alternative, I began reading about offerings from Leesa, Purple, Eve, Tuft and Needle, Casper, Endy, Novosbed, etc, etc, the list is huge and all the reviews were extremely similar and, honestly, none of them really answered the question “which is best for me and my partner”. Latex was another wrinkle in the equation but options were more limited and price started to become a factor.
So, why did I settle on Novosbed? Couple of reasons and in no particular order:
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120 day trial - Ok, this is probably the most critical - 5 days in and I’m still not yet convinced. I really like the idea that if this doesn’t work out, I can walk away after 4 months!
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Materials - I really liked the fact that Novosbed fully discloses the specifications and details of the foams used in their mattress. 2 layers of 5lb memory foam and 1.8lb support base. All my research (and not just limited to Mattress Underground) clearly pointed to what to look for in differentiating quality foams.
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Firmness flexibility - this was very tricky to me. Many reviews seem to indicate this was actually “too firm” or “hard”. Honestly, my initial impression is this bed actually is SOFT to ME! Just goes to show you everybody is different in what “firmness” means to them. Like I said, after only 5 days with this mattress, I still don’t know if the firmness is a good or bad, just different compared to what I was used to sleeping on. I appear to be sleeping well, I’m not feeling any particular aches or pains, and best of all, my extremely sceptical wife has said absolutely nothing negative. She was adamant that we get a Firm mattress (that’s what her parents said 20 years ago backed up by family doctor at the time) but she hasn’t complained the bed is too soft which clearly points to Phoenix being right when he doesn’t really comment or make recommendations. That said, Novosbed has a comfort+ guarantee and unique to the market innovation where each firmness level can be customized +/- with an integrated topper at no additional charge. I will most likely have them send me the firmness enhancer after my initial 30 days!
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Customer service - I like the flexibility of online chat and Novosbed is extremely responsive. I have used the online chat for pre and post purchase and all agents have been very helpful.
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Sleeping Hot approach - I won’t go into much detail here as I started another thread on this subject when I was researching. Bottom line, my initial thoughts are that Novosbed’s approach to deal with this issue are likely the best. Gel foams or gel layers, in my experience with pillows and toppers, are temporary heat traps at best and lose their effectiveness after a couple of hours. I think ventilation systems are likely better which is why I chose Novosbed as my first try. After 5 days, I can attest that so far I haven’t had any issues with heat but it’s been cool at night. The next heat wave will be a real test and I’ll report back.
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Price - $100 off coupon and priced in Canadian $'s - the price with tax was well under my $2000 budget including with the base. The best price I was able to get out of the local store for the equivalent Tempurpedic with base was almost double before taxes!
Ok, so what has my experience over 5 days been like?
Ordering - couldn’t be any easier. Couple of clicks and I was ordering a foundation and the Medium firmness Queen size. Got a call from Novosbed within 30 minutes of ordering to confirm the order and ensure I had chosen the right mattress for me. Excellent touch.
Delivery - I ordered on a Friday and was told there was a 5-7 day backlog. Funny enough, my bed arrived on Monday, 3 days later! I love the Scotty principle, under promise, over deliver! Two boxes, fairly heavy (69lbs for the foundation, 98lbs for the mattress 
) but nothing I couldn’t handle by myself. I was a little annoyed that I had to be home to sign for the order as Novosbed did ask the question and I did waive the need for signature. However, FedEx would have none of it unless I had an account with them. In the end, this forced me to be there when the bed arrived and allowed me to set-up the bed early in the day to give it time to expand and use that night!
Foundation - extremely easy to put together, took about 20 minutes with a power drill. One surprise was that the cover didn’t match the mattress colour scheme. For some reason I had assumed it would. I suspect the cover matches previous mattress versions and they are simply going through remaining stock. However, a quick online chat with Novosbed and they confirmed new covers are being designed and they would be happy to ship one out to me free of charge when they are available. I’ll have to remember to hold them to it!
Mattress - it’s a beast! I can’t believe a full 11" Queen fit in that box! Fun to watch it expand. There is an initial new product smell but with windows open and a couple of strategically placed bowls of vinegar, after 6 hours, the smell was barely noticeable. I did walk all over the mattress to try to squeeze any remaining “stale” air. Like I said above, my initial 5 day impressions are good. The bed is much softer than our previous innerspring “extra firm” model but I’m still not sure if that’s good or bad. All I know is that I’m sleeping well and have no apparent aches or pains and there is no motion transfer between me and my significantly lighter wife. However, due to softness and sinking in characteristics of memory foam, bedroom activities have been modified 
allowing us to try different things :evil:. If I were to make the call today, I would most likely get the firming option now but that may change as I continue to adjust over the next 25 days.
There you go. I’m almost 100% sure many of you who read this far are facing the same choices I did. If you are on the fence, find yourself a seller with a long enough trail and return period. You have nothing really to lose and only money to save.
