Hi all! I am new to this site and new to mattress shopping in general. My SO and I have been sleeping on a full sized pillowtop for a few years now, and after waking up every day for the past year with severe back pain, we have decided it is time to get a new mattress. I am far too young to have back pain, but I have it nonetheless, and have decided to upgrade to a memory foam. We are looking to spend no more than $2000 and have been most interested in the Serta iComfort, particularly the revolution, though I do have concerns that the revolution is too plush, and would wind up feeling too much like a pillowtop. Nebraska Furniture Mart offers 24 month zero interest financing, free delivery, and a $200 gift card with the purchase of a Serta iComfort. The no interest financing is a great deal, and the gift card would allow us to buy brand new sheets. The mattress also comes with a 25 year warrant (10 prorated) and a 120 day trial period.
The Revolution feels lovely and fulfills my desire to have a plush bed, but still has the firm and supportive nature of memory foam (I hope). I suppose what I am most looking for is advice, reviews, information, etc. All would be greatly appreciated!
I didnât realize the Tempur pedic cloud is the same price as the icomfort revolution, Hmm. Thoughts? I tried out the cloud a while back and fell in love.
I merged your thread with the main iComfort thread which has lots of information in it about the iComfort and many people who have looked elsewhere for better quality and value. An analysis and review of the original iComfort lineup is in post #11 here.
This article will also help you avoid most of the traps of mattress shopping (and avoid the major brands and chain stores as well).
In almost every case, the best quality mattresses and the most knowledgeable people who can help both educate consumers about the materials that are used in their mattresses and have much better value are local factory direct manufacturers or smaller sleep shops that sell smaller independent or local brands. They are âmattress peopleâ who are far more interested in helping you find a mattress that will suit you for the long term than they are in selling you a high profit margin lower value mattress that will benefit the outlet far more than it will benefit you. These are the types of mattresses that are designed to sell in the highly managed and subjective environment of many mattress showrooms but will rarely be what people need or even prefer in the long term. This article will help you recognize some of the qualities of these better outlets. The overviews in the mattresses section of the site will help give you all you need to know to ask better questions and more importantly to be able to tell when you are getting accurate information from a knowledgeable person or whether you are being âsoldâ a story rather than a mattress. Scanning the overviews (not âstudyingâ which isnât necessary at all) will make you more of an expert than most of the people in the industry that sell mattresses.
The more the outlet or the person helping you has the knowledge, skills, and selection of good quality and value mattresses to help you make your best choices , the less you have to learn
If you let me know which city you live in or your zip ⌠Iâd be happy to look and see if I know of any better outlets or factory direct manufacturers in your area.
The Tempurpedic cloud has 2.8" of memory foam vs the Revolution which has 4.75". Both of them are over a polyurethane foam base. A more reasonable comparison between the Revolution $1774 mattress only queen. ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: us-mattress.com/serta-icomfort-revolution.html
in terms of value would be the Cloud Luxe (which also has 4.75" of memory foam) which is 3699 (queen mattress only). Even the Cloud Supreme would be a more reasonable comparison and with the current sale it would be $2499 for the set (with $500 off) and the Revolution would be $1999 for the set.
When you are comparing mattresses for âvalueâ ⌠itâs important to know the materials in each mattress so you can come closer to comparing apples to apples.
Both of these are poor value compared to many other much better choices that are available.
Thank you for the quick reply. After doing some research, and finding websites like this Chemicals in Mattresses and Pillows Linked to Many Illness, I am suddenly nervous about buying foam at all. Especially considering my future children will likely sleep on this bed with me. Help!
I think you are wise to be cautious when thinking about foam when it comes to the effect on children (and on adults) but itâs also important to know that all foam is not the same.
There are really 3 main types of foam. These are memory foam, polyurethane foam, and latex foam. The first two are made from various chemicals (primarily a polyol and an isocyanate) and the last is made from natural rubber (NR), synthetic rubber (SBR), or a blend of the two.
Of these 3, I believe memory foam should be avoided completely for infants and young children and not just because of concerns about chemicals and offgassing. Post #2 here has more of my thoughts about this and this thread and post #2 here and post #21 here also has more information about infants/children and mattresses.
Polyfoam tends to be a little less risky because of how it is made but I would still tend to avoid it if your budget makes it possible and stick with safer or more natural materials. At the very least ⌠I would make sure that any polyfoam in a mattress that may be used for children is either Certipur or Oeko-Tex certified (or certified by another reputable agency such as GreenGuard).
Natural or organic fibers also make very good choices (with no harmful chemicals added or used in manufacturing).
Articles and sites like the one you mentioned are well worth reading and are an important part of good research IMO but there is sometimes also a danger that they can be so scary that people may overreact and lump almost everything into the âharmfulâ category and overlook some of the many safer and better choices that are available.
Thanks again for the quick and informative answer. You mentioned giving you my zip code and you could help me locate some local retailers. It is 66046. I know you arenât a huge fan of the big name companies, but I see that Simmons is both certipur certified and Oeko-tex certified. To us, the draw of using Nebraska furniture mart is their excellent financing opportunities, and we have a nfm card. Not to mention the ability to go and test out beds, I just wonât order online. Our price range is no more than $2000.
Whatâs your take on the Simmons Natural Care line?
Some of the better options in your area are listed in post #2 here (which includes NFM).
The previous Simmons Natural Care Elite line (that may still be available in a few places) were very nice and in some cases had good value (depending on the outletâs pricing) and were almost all talalay latex (except for a 2" layer of firmer polyfoam on the bottom). The new Natural Care lineup is a polyfoam/latex blend which is more economical (has a polyfoam core) but are also one of the âbetter effortsâ by a mainstream manufacturer. ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: olejostores.com/Search/natural%20care%20elite.aspx
You can see the partial specs of the lineup here. âComfort response technologyâ and âIndependent response technologyâ is their new name for latex it seems. The quilting of the two upper models would be quiltable Dunlop latex (the lower end model uses polyfoam in the quilting) but they donât say what type of latex they use in the comfort layers (except that itâs either a 65% or a 20% natural/synthetic blend). The independent response technology with âpillowsâ would likely be similar to this or to this except these examples are higher quality 100% natural Dunlop latex. I have a few people who are trying to track down the type of latex (they didnât know when I asked and need to ask their rep) but no confirmation at this point (although based on the 65% and 20% natural content a good guess would be blended Dunlop). It would be better value than many mainstream brand mattresses although not in the same value range as smaller local manufacturers who use latex in their mattresses (and probably higher quality latex as well). ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint 1: Latex Mattresses On Sale - Latex Mattress Toppers - Phoenix, AZ | Archived Footprint 2: cozypure.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=113
Most of the major brands do use American foam manufacturers in their mattresses which are CertiPur certified although Simmons does a better job of telling people about this. CertiPur foam has been tested for harmful ingredients and offgassing (to certain testing standards) but it doesnât say anything about the density/quality of the foams they use. To know this you need density information with either memory foam or polyfoam which are more difficult âspecsâ to find out (although Simmons is also a little better at this as well).
If financing is a major part of your âvalue equationâ then NFM may be a reasonable option and they at least do carry several alternative brands (such as Omaha bedding and Southerland) that may be better value. You may also want to check and see if Omaha bedding has come out with their latex line. The difficulty in dealing with many retail outlets though is finding out the layer information that makes meaningful value comparisons possible. sometimes it can be like âpulling teethâ as they try to tell you either that itâs a âsecretâ or âproprietaryâ or that you donât need this kind of information at all and you should just lay down on the mattress and see how you feel.
Phoenix, what is your view on this model ? This site is having a serious sale and it ends tomorrow. Would this be a fairly safe bet as far as ordering a mattress online? Seems like a really good deal and a mattress that I am really interested in. Also, do you know if it is just the Natural Care line that is certi-pur certified or is all of their foam? It is hard to find their Natural Care line in stores here to try out but I wouldnât be opposed to getting another one of their foam beds (i.e. Comfortpedic) Again, thanks for your time and input. It really has helped us exponentially! ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: us-mattress.com/simmons-nc-tuckertown-plush-queen.html
This would certainly not be my first choice, or even near the top. In addition to that ⌠âmajor salesâ that never end but are just replaced with another one are a red flag for me and not an enticement. They just create a false sense of urgency.
Higher quality and better value mattresses are available 365 days a year from local manufacturers and better sleep shops (where you can test a mattress first) as well as online outlets that have better quality and value. Some of the members of the site that specialize in online sales, have the skill and knowledge to help their customers make better choices, and in many cases offer the ability to make adjustments after purchase at minimal costs are in post #21 here. They offer a better quality and value choices and in many cases far greater flexibility if you need to make adjustments than what you are considering.
In addition to that ⌠itâs important to know the cost of making a mistake when buying online. In the case of US mattress their policy states âŚ
Customers are responsible for incurred round trip shipping fees + 17% restocking fee
This means that if for some reason the mattress doesnât work for you ⌠you would be paying a few hundred dollars for their original shipping plus a few hundred to ship it back plus a 17% restocking fee. That would be a $500 or more mistake and you would end up with nothing. You also have no choice of comfort level and there is no way to make adjustments to the mattress after the fact and the âmajor sale priceâ they are charging is not particularly attractive. While the value here may be a little better than other major brand purchases ⌠it is not an attractive enough price that I would even consider it and the risk involved would rule it out completely for me. There are just too many better options available ⌠particularly for someone who is willing to take the risk of an online purchase.
The value of the Comforpedic line is even worse than what you are looking at. Guideline #1 in this article advises to avoid all major brand purchases and there is good reason for this in terms of both quality and value. These brands just donât have the value that justifies their prices ⌠even when they have a âserious saleâ. You could do much better with some of the other online outlets available to you.
I think you should get memory foam mattress for your daily needs because it is able to support each part of your body evenly and individually so your spine stays in a neutral position the entire time. I am using it from the last 4 years without any problem.
You are the 4th poster from the same somewhat âsuspectâ retail outlet in Florida that has been spamming this forum with meaningless or misleading information and then trying to use it to promote and link to your business.
I have removed your link, deactivated your account (as I did with the others) and will delete your posts by the end of the day. Iâm replying first so that you can see this post before I do.
I thought I would share my experience and ask for advice if anyone can help. After trying out the Serta I comfort Genius in the store and loving it, I bought it about 6 months ago. For about four months it was great, and then I noticed that where I slept the foam was starting to break down, there wasnât a valley but it felt âsquishyâ and noticed that I awoke in the morning with one of my butt cheeks being numb. About two weeks ago I woke with very bad back pain ( have had a bad back for awhile), and couldnât even straighten up and could barely walk.
It appears that the foam is breaking down and is not providing good support. Fortunately I have a high quality memory foam mattress topper that I put on top of the mattress and my pain has slowly gone away. The I serta mattress is still the same height as when I bought it, so I canât return under warranty, but the foam has broken down and it is not what I bought. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
Unfortunately ⌠you are in the same position that many other people that have purchased an iComfort mattress are either already in as well or may be over time.
There are generally three stages of foam softening and breakdown. The first stage is over the first few weeks and is the initial more rapid softening or âbreaking inâ of the material. This is followed by a more gradual softening period over the life of the mattress. The final stage is when the foam starts to break down completely and starts to develop impressions. Warranties donât cover foam softening which is the most common reason that a mattress becomes unsuitable for sleeping on and only covers the impressions if they are more than the warranty exclusion without any weight on the mattress (allowing the foam to weakly come back) which is usually not the case. This is why most warranty claims are denied and why warranties as a whole are mostly meaningless except for obvious manufacturing defects which tend to show up early in the life of a mattress. Warranties have nothing to do with how long a mattress will last in other words.
The iComfort uses a type of gel memory foam which adds particles to memory foam and any particulates or fillers which are added to a foam will generally shorten the life of the foam. You can read a bit more about the different types of gel memory foam in post #26 here. In addition to this ⌠the materials they use in their mattress are not the highest quality when you consider the prices and a mattress is only as good as itâs weakest link and most of the larger manufacturers wonât give you meaningful information about the quality of the materials they use in their mattresses⌠They also cater to a certain âsubjective feelâ in the highly managed environment of a typical mattress showroom where people are often encouraged to buy a mattress that âfeels goodâ (and certain marketing techniques will make mattresses seem to be more comfortable than they are in long term use) without really understanding a lot about or knowing how to test for pressure relief and alignment which is a large part of the long term performance and suitability of a mattress for an individual.
It appears to me that your Genius may have been on the edge of being suitable for you in terms of support and that the initial and some more gradual foam softening may have put you âacross the lineâ.
In general ⌠there is not so much you can do for a mattress that has lost the appropriate level of support because any topper you put on top will still be subject to the further softening of the materials below it which can still lead to sleeping out of alignment over time.
Memory foam though responds to body heat and if you add a topper on top ⌠it will isolate the softened gel memory foam from some of your heat which may firm it up in the short and maybe even medium term. How well or how long this works will depend on the type and quality of the memory foam topper you are using. It will also be subject to the typical softening of memory foam with longer term use (even though for the moment it has put you back to the other side of the line) and the problems with alignment are likely to re-appear as both your topper and the foam underneath it continue to soften most in the areas where there is more weight (hips/pelvis). As this happens the topper will start to âfollowâ and bend into the softened foam below it.
One âbetterâ possible solution would be to use a topper that isnât as subject to softening as memory foam and will isolate your body heat from the memory foam below it and help to keep it slightly firmer. Latex may help here (it wonât soften as much or as rapidly as memory foam). A thicker wool topper will also help prevent the compression of the memory foam below it with heat and likely wonât compromise your alignment nearly as much as an âextraâ layer of memory foam. Even a topper with polyurethane foam may hep firm up the memory foam for a while although it will also soften over time.
In the end though ⌠these may end up being imperfect or temporary solutions because the 2.75" of gel foam in the Genius and the 2" of polyurethane âsupportâ foam below it will continue to soften over time and even a topper that helps to keep the memory foam firmer (or at least slow down itâs compression over the course of the night so you donât sleep out of alignment as long) and help extend the life of the polyurethane foam below it may not be enough if you are âclose to the edgeâ. At least it may extend the life of your mattress for a while though and with luck this may just keep you on the âbetter supportâ side of the line for long enough to make the investment in the extra materials worth it.
I wish I could give you better news but at least you know the âbestâ solutions ⌠even if they are not completely satisfactory. Itâs always easier to soften a mattress that is too firm than to improve the support of a mattress that has become too soft.
Great info Phoenix! I am currently bed shopping and I was going to buy the Serta iComfort mattress and adjustable base shown at this link.
However, after reading all the info you have provided a better bargain would be to buy the Serta adjustable base and the Aerus mattress from Walmart you recommendedâŚdo you think that mattress will be compatible with the Serta adjustable base?
Thanks for your help!
While the Aerus mattress (with 4 lb memory foam or higher) from Walmart is good value for the price ⌠it will also be significantly different from the iComfort line and of course you run the risk of buying a mattress that you havenât tested for pressure relief or alignment and the purchase is from a source that doesnât have the knowledge to give you good advice about how suitable it may be for your needs and preferences. While itâs an âall or nothingâ purchase ⌠the good news is that the Walmart return policy is great so that at least the ânothingâ side of the equation doesnât have a cost attached and all you have lost is some time and the effort involved to return the mattress if that becomes necessary.
The Aerus mattresses they sell like most all foam mattresses ⌠would work with an adjustable base yes.
Another option that can provide the best of both worlds is to talk with a local manufacturer or better sleep shop that has both the knowledge and skill to help you make great choices and also makes or sells mattresses that are the equivalent or better quality and value. This is the best of both worlds.
If you let me know what city you live in (or your zip) ⌠Iâd be happy to see if I know of any better local options that are near you.
Phoenix,
The Serta adjustable base is on sale right now at Sears for $1600 for a King!! At tat price I am going to go with that for sure. The mattress is still up in the air though so I would love to check out a local place and âtest driveâ some mattresses. My zip is 90740.
Thanks!
The Motion Perfect as Sears is only half of what you will need for a King size bed so the total cost for two (which makes up a King Size) would be $3200. This is about $1200 more than you will find here ⌠just so you know. ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: adjustablebeds.org/reverie_deluxe_adjustable_bed_with_wireless_control_and_massage-9981.aspx
There are some great choices for mattresses available in the Greater Los Angeles area. Post #2 here has many of the better ones.
We were testing out numerous mattressâs yesterday and this is the one we were strongly considering. Now after reading this I am not sure. Can you please tell me what stores you recommend in zip 16501. I am generally leaning to the memory foam. I also liked the Temper Pedic line as well.
Forgot to tell you I am 5 11,170lbsâŚsleep on back,side and stomach. Have bad back/hip pain. My husband is 6 2 200lbs side sleeper. He has been having horrible neck/shoulder pain. Our bed is about 16 years old. We really like the feel of the memory foam but after reading thru this may have to go with latex. So confused. I found another website where everone said they had horrible back pain with the icomfort.
