We went out and checked some of the local manufactures here in Atlanta that were suggested. After trying the memory foam and latex mattresses my husband and I could not agree on one. He likes the feel of the memory foam, and although I do too I would prefer to get the latex because of its durability. The latex feels good it just doesnât have that cradling âsleep inâ feeling that you get from memory foam which we both love, but I donât think we should sacrifice feel for durability/resiliency, or should we. After reading some of the information on here, I thought you could get a foam mattress with latex in it, but when we asked about getting a mattress like that we were told that you cannot get a foam mattress with latex, you either get a latex mattress or a foam mattress. They explained that combining the two would cause their properties to cancel out per say and you would not get the benefits for which they are intended for. They also said that you would only combine them in the comfort layers when using innersprings as the core not foam as the support layer. Is this true or can you have memory foam and latex in the comfort layers of a foam mattress. As always thanks again for all your info and help.
The word âfoamâ is just a generic term and describes anything with air bubbles in it. Itâs like saying âfruitâ.
In mattresses there are 3 main types of foam you will encounter which are polyurethane foam (often called polyfoam), viscoeastic foam (often called memory foam),and latex foam. This would be like âcitrus fruitâ which is a category of fruit.
Each category has different types in each category like an orange or a lemon are both citrus fruits. All 3 main types of foam have many different varieties. In addition to this each variety has a wide range of different types (softer, firmer, higher resiliency, closed or open celled, and many other differences).
In other words ⌠âfoamâ can mean almost anything with air bubbles in it.
As you can see after reading the above ⌠this is sort of confusing. There are definitely mattresses that use more than one type of foam in their layering. Both polyfoam and latex can be used in either support layers and comfort layers and memory foam can be used in comfort layers (it doesnât come in firm enough versions to be used in support layers). So you could have a âfoamâ mattress that used either polyfoam or latex in the support layers and either memory foam, polyfoam, or latex in the comfort layers. You could even have a mattress for example that used polyfoam in the bottom layer, latex in a middle layer (also called a transition layer), and memory foam in a top layer. These donât âcancelâ each other out ⌠they just are different designs that are used to make mattresses that feel and respond differently.
The two most common types of âlatexâ mattresses are âŚ
âAll latexâ (or at least mostly latex) which would contain latex with perhaps a thin layer of other material in the quilting and perhaps an inch or two of firmer polyfoam on the bottom.
Latex / polyfoam hybrid which typically uses a few inches of latex (perhaps again with a thin layer of quilting materials over it) and then under this would be a polyfoam support core.
You will also see so called âlatex mattressesâ which use a latex support core but then lower quality polyfoam on top of this which is among the worst designs for a mattress that has latex in it (you would be sleeping on polyfoam and this would usually be the weak link of the mattress)
There are also latex innerspring hybrids (latex over an innerspring) and even mattresses that use various combinations of each material. There are also thin innersprings (called microcoils) that are specially made to be used in the comfort layers of a mattress.
If you look at the comfort layers section of the site you will see the main types of materials that are used in the comfort layers and these can be used in any combination.
If you look at the support core section of the site you will see the main types of materials that are used as a support core in a mattress. Generally a mattress will only have one type of main support material although there can be âmiddleâ or âtransitionâ layers that are partly for comfort (pressure relief) and partly for support (spinal alignment). Almost any combination is possible.
Hopefully this will help to clarify that while the question may have been confusing ⌠what you were told is also not correct.
My girlfriend just purchased the Insight icomfort bed, and we both believe its much firmer than the one we lied on in the store. Is this a common thing with memory foam? Does it need to be broken in? Seems like a weird thing if thatâs true. If it wears in really fast and gets softer after the first weeks, then stops? Also, you say that it and the novafoam are not gonna be as durable as a better quality one. How long do you thing either of those would last in relation to one of better quality?
Anyways after reading everything youâve said about icomfort, and memory foam and large retailers im curious to look into other options. We have 4 months to return the bed (which is looking like a real possibly at this point) and im trying to find smaller local shops in my area, San Jose, CA. I saw you posted some shops for someone in San Fransisco and a few of those are close enough, but was wondering if you knew of any really good quality places around. We would still be interested in memory foam, because she really likes the feel as a side sleeper, but would like to get a better value after reading your opinions on the icomfort line.
Yes this is normal. All memory foam and polyfoam will go through some initial softening in the first 90 days or so and mostly in the first 30 days. There will usually be an adjustment period as well where your body will take some time to get used to a new sleeping surface that is different from what it was accustomed to which will happen at the same time.
Yes ⌠memory foam and polyfoam will go through an initial softening period where the foam softens much more quickly. This is followed by a much more gradual softening over a longer time and then the final stages are when the foam starts to actually break down. The quality/density of a foam is the single biggest factor in durability yes but there are also many others as well.
Itâs funny sometimes how the same questions sometimes happen in bunches on the forum. This thread from earlier tonight and the posts it leads to has lots more information about the durability of a mattress and all the different factors involved in how long they might last for different people and in different circumstances.
Some of the better options Iâm aware of in the San Jose area are listed in post #2 here.
sorry for the confusion I guess I didnât know how to say what I was trying to say, but you still did a good job at explaining it when you said that you could get a mattress that has polyfoam as the support layer latex as a middle/transition layer and memory foam as the comfort. This is exactly what we have been looking for and as explained earlier the local manufacturers we visited which included original mattress factory, and Verlo they do not make mattresses like this. They only make either an all latex mattress or a memory foam mattress. We also visited Atlanta mattress where they sell pure latex bliss which is made of all natural latex, they did not have latex and memory foam combined. Are there any other local manufacturers that you know of in Georgia where we could find a mattress with polyfoam as support layer, latex in the middle and memory foam as the comfort layer?
I donât keep track of all the mattresses that are sold in each area by their material content or construction details (and manufacturers change what they make on a regular basis as well), especially to the level of specificity you are asking about, so I really donât know.
I would suggest talking to the smaller manufacturers on the Atlanta list though to see if they make anything like what you are looking for.
Besides the manufacturers on the Atlanta list ⌠there are also a couple of others in Georgia that may be worth calling and talking to.
Some of the online members of the site that sell memory foam mattresses also have mattresses with a mix of memory foam and latex in their comfort layers (or could make them).
Thanks to all for the helpful information. I feel as though Iâve completed a college course in about 2 days. I started out looking for reviews on the Serta iComfort and couldnât be more thankful that I came upon The Mattress Underground and this forum. Based upon everything Iâve read, my husband and I went to a local manufacturer today to test out their mattresses. While we very much liked some of their mattresses, I did become a bit weary when I asked (based upon all of the helpful tips from Phoenix) the salesperson about the weight of foam used in the memory foam mattresses and her reply was âDonât worry about that so much but just think about how the mattress feels.â
We are headed to Rocky Mountain Mattress next week to try out their mattresses and feel sure that we will find what we are looking for as they have made it so easy by posting all of their materials, components, etc. on their website rockymountainmattress.com, all of which I now understand thanks to this forum. And, their prices are hard to rival from what Iâve seen.
I think this can be one of the most frustrating things with mattress shopping when you are an âeducated consumerâ.
Testing for comfort/pressure relief is of course important along with testing for support/spinal alignment and your own preferences but when youâve done this itâs just as important to know the quality of the materials and layers inside the mattress which will bell you about the relative value and durability of the mattress. When a salesperson tells you this they could be trying to help (if they think that you arenât testing the mattress and only âanalyzingâ it) but if they canât or wonât provide you with this information once youâve âfocused on comfort and supportâ I would walk on by whether they were a local manufacturer of not. Without this you just wouldnât know what you were buying. If they were implying that this information isnât important to know then they are not providing good information to their customers in my opinion.
I certainly agree. As you know they are a member here which means that I believe they are among the best quality and value in the country but they are also knowledgeable, service oriented, can custom build, and completely transparent and will tell you anything you want to know about their mattresses. They would certainly make a great choice.
My wife and I just started shopping for a replacement mattress (queen size). She typically has a stiff/sore back recently and we were looking for a memory foam mattress this time around. My mother-in-law has a tempurpedic in the spare room we use from time to time (when visiting) and have been fairly comfortable on it. In some preliminary mattress shopping today, we saw the iComfort (Savant) and were liking it in the store.
I decided to look for reviews and found your site. In reading around here a little tonight you recommend checking out local manufacturers. We might like to do that to round out our education a bit. Where would you recommend in the Sacramento, CA area?
Also, just for kicks, which of the memory foam matresses by a âmajor manufacturerâ would you most highly recommend if for some reason (availability, shop location, price, etc.) the âlocal placesâ are not an option? I havenât read all the pages here, maybe you have addressed this already?
Some of the better options or possibilities in the Sacramento area are listed in post #5 here.
A mattress is only as good as the materials that are inside it and all the major manufacturers donât disclose this or when they do (or you can track them down through other means) it becomes very clear that the materials are lower quality than the mattresses made by the better independent manufacturers. Post #1 here and the information it links to has the steps that I would use to find a mattress that is not only suitable for your body type and sleeping positions but has the best possible quality and value based on the materials that are in it. One of the links that is in this post goes to this article with some mattress shopping guidelines and guideline #1 in this article is âŚ
1. Avoid buying a mattress made by any of the major national brands such as Sealy, Simmons, Serta, Tempurpedic. While they are not all âbadâ mattresses and some may even be good quality, ⌠none of them have good value when compared to similar mattresses made by smaller independent manufacturers. NONE
Thanks for the pointers on where to go in the Sacramento area. We will check one or two out and go from there!
In seeing a post or two in other threads about cost ($4,000+ I think was mentioned, etc.), I was concerned about some of these âlocalâ bed manufacturers being, shall we say, non-competitive in the pricing area. But just looking at the European Sleep Design pricing online (as a starter), that does not appear to be the case. Hopefully we can find something that we like at a reasonable cost.
Thanks again, and we will see if we can find something in one of your recommended stores to meet our needs!
Iâm not sure which threads youâve been reading but itâs usually the other way around and a $4000 mattress (at least that I would suggest considering) would be quite rare and would have to have something about it (and only then in king size) that was very special. If you compare better local or independent manufacturer with mainstream brands the cost, value, and quality in any kind of apples to apples comparison with a major brand is significantly better in every budget range from the lowest to the highest.
SleepWell stopped carrying Natura products Mid 2011. I know because I came in the store looking for one. The cloud was eliminated from the store line-up long before. They donât do labeling in store anyway, Natura labels the beds on the footer, so the accusation of mislabeling a mattress is suspect. The Natura line was replaced Pure Latex Bliss, which I bought and love. Lastly, the Cloud was a better mattress then the Crown, so they screwed you with an upgradeâŚhuh?
They were still listed on their site till at least June of 2012 and the post I think you are referring to was posted in Jan 2012 so it seems they were carrying them for a little longer than you seem to think. I do understand that websites are not always up to date but it would also be unusual that they are that far behind and are still listing a mattress that they havenât carried for over a year.
As to the Natura Cloud Being a âbetterâ mattress than the Natura Crown ⌠the Crown contains 4.3 lbs of wool and 10" of latex with 2" of Coir on the bottom. The Cloud contains 2.3 lbs of wool, 6" of latex, and 7" of polyfoam. The Natura website pricing for the Crown (queen mattress only) is $2952 and for the Cloud (queen mattress only) is $2340.
If you still believe that the Cloud is a âbetterâ mattress than the Crown then we have very different definitions of âbetterâ.
Iâm glad to see they are carrying the PLB though along with OMI, Anatomic global, and Technogel and Iâve changed their listing to reflect what they are currently carrying.
Thanks for letting us know that their lineup has changed.
[quote=âtopspinnerâ post=5088]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.[/quote]
Just as a followup to this post, maybe it will be helpful to someone who already made the the mistake of getting the icomfort bed. I have had the bed for 1.5 years now and after putting the high quality memory foam topper on the bed, my back and hip pain have totally disappeared, I wake in the morning feeling good and rested. It just doesnât seem right to spend that much for a bed and then have to spend another $250 for the topper.
Iâm glad to see youâve found a solution that works well for you
The good news too is that the topper will slow down the breakdown of the foam layers below it and can easily be replaced when it softens or degrades without having to replace the whole mattress.
Hi! Iâm new here, but Iâve read a bunch of the reviews posted on this thread. Iâm looking to buy a new mattress, and as with many people on here, the allure of the Serta icomfort mattress is pretty overwhelming, but after reading these threads Iâve realized there are many other options out there. Phoenix, I was hoping you could steer me in the direction of local mattress manufacturers in Chicago. Thank you!
The Chicago list is in post #2 and #4 here and one of the members of this site which has some of the best quality and value mattresses in the country is right at the top of it. They would likely be the first and probably the last place I would visit if I was in Chicagoland.
Thanks for the heads-up. Have been researching mattresses and shops and have been tempted by some âSâ models at local big box stores. Will be heading to Quality Sleep Shop this weekend to check out their mattresses.
