Hi iBuyer,
I looked back at the thread and the ones you’ve mentioned that you liked are the iSeries Applause firm and the iSeries Celebration firm. Hopefully these are the two you wanted me to comment on?
It would probably be more “accurate” and helpful the other way around where you actually test these mattresses and then let me know which ones your body tells you are similar and then include these as part of identifying a possible “pattern” of mattresses that you like to see if can help you identify what properties all the ones you like have in common.
Post #2 here talks about the difficulties involved in trying to match one mattress to another based on specs alone (which really isn’t possible unless both mattresses use the same or at least functionally similar layering and materials) as opposed to a common set of more objective standards. There are really only three ways to do this which you can see in (see post #2 here).
None of these 3 methods are really possible in the case of the iSeries because they don’t provide the “comfort specs” of every layer of the mattress (that have to do with the softness/firmness of every layer and component which are different from “quality specs” which have to do with their durability and quality) so you won’t be able to exactly duplicate it by materials. You also won’t be able to compare it with another mattress in “real time” unless a store had both the iSeries you liked and another specific mattress you wanted to compare. There also aren’t a lot of mattresses that have been both designed and tested to have the same specific feel and performance as the iSeries where a retailer would be able to confidently say that “this mattress” feels 90% the same as the iSeries you want to duplicate for the large majority of people.
Because of this … it’s much more effective to rate every mattress you test against a common set of more objective standards and then see how each one measures up to your individual criteria rather than to each other.
Having said all that … since you seem to like both the iSeries Applause firm and the iSeries Celebration firm there are a few very general “pointers” you can draw from this.
ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint 1: us-mattress.com/serta-pd-applause-fm.html| Archived Footprint 2:us-mattress.com/serta-pd-celebration-fm.html
The first of these is that both mattresses are on the firmer end of the range and use relatively thin layers of soft foam in combination with some firmer foam in the comfort layers. The applause uses 1.5" of soft foam on top (the comfort foam) before you reach a thin 1" layer of much firmer polyfoam (the support foam) and then there is some softer memory foam and the softer upper part of the duet coil under this before you “reach” the final firm part of the Duet coil (when both springs kick in). They “rate” this one as a 4. The Celebration has 2" of “softer” foam on top (the combination of memory foam and comfort foam) before reaching the firmer 2" support foam and because this firmer foam is thicker and the comfort layers are also thicker … they would reduce the compression of the innerspring below it so the soft part of the spring also wouldn’t be as soft. The rating here is 2. Because they both use the same innerspring for deep support … this would indicate that a slightly firmer than average comfort layer/transition layer (a slightly shallower than average pressure relieving cradle) would probably be better for you but not so thin that you can’t sink into it enough and the cradle is too shallow that it wouldn’t adequately relieve pressure. Your preference for the Applause also indicates that “not really firm or thin” in the comfort layers may work best.
Beyond this … there really isn’t much you can use to compare the iSeries to other mattresses that use different materials and layering except by assigning a rating for pressure relief, support and alignment, and any of the other preferences that are important to you and then compare other mattresses you test with each of the same criteria.
If other mattresses indicate a similar “pattern” meaning that the ones you prefer have slightly firmer than average comfort layers (but not really thin) over firm support cores then at least this could provide a guideline if you ended up ordering a mattress online. It may also indicate a preference for an innerspring support core which has a different “feel” from a either a latex or polyfoam support core (even though they can be just as or more supportive than an innerspring) but you can confirm this if the “feel” of several polyfoam or latex support core mattresses just don’t “feel” as good for you (they would have different levels of “springiness”) even though they may provide similar support and keep you in alignment just as well.
A “firm” mattress can either be a thinner layer of soft foam which you “go through” enough to feel the firmness of the layers below them or a slightly thicker firmer comfort layer where the firmness comes more from the comfort layer itself. It’s this second type of firmness that would be more of the “cause” of the firmness in both of these and which you could use as a guideline.
There is no right or wrong in this … only finding a mattress that provides good pressure relief, spinal alignment, and has the other preferences you want. Many different material combinations can provide your “needs” and then it’s just a matter of deciding which of them best match your other preferences including of course value and durability.
Hope this helps … and when you test other mattresses which seem to match your criteria just as well (or better) then looking at the layering of these as well may provide further insight into the general layering patterns that work best for you. Of course the best “guideline” for an online mattress purchase is one that uses the same materials and has a simpler layering that needs less “translation” between materials and more complex layering patterns.
Phoenix