Therapedic Elegance XF -- Any Recommendations or Warnings?

Does anyone have experience with a Therapedic mattress? I liked the feel of a Therapedic Elegance Extra Firm in a local store, but don’t see much about the brand on the Web.

Hi FayH,

The first place I would start your mattress research is the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Therapedic is one of the larger manufacturers in the country (see here). They are a licensee group which means that they have different mattresses in different parts of the country depending on which of the licensee factory makes them and some of their mattresses would be unique to the area that each licensee factory services.

Regardless of the name of the manufacturer on a label (which means very little) … the most important part of a mattress purchase is how well it matches your unique needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). Regardless of the price or quality of a mattress … if it’s not a good match for you in terms of PPP it would have little value to you.

The next most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase is the quality of the construction and the materials inside the mattress. If a mattress you purchase uses lower quality and less durable materials they can soften, compress, or break down too quickly relative to the price you paid. This can result in the loss of the comfort and support which was the reason you bought it in the first place and the need to replace the mattress. The loss of comfort and support isn’t covered by a warranty. I wouldn’t consider any mattress unless you are able to find out what is inside it (see this article) so you can make sure there are no weak links in the mattress and make more meaningful comparisons with other mattresses (see post #4 here).

Finally … if your careful and objective testing indicates the mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP and the mattress uses good quality materials relative to the budget range you are in … then the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you would also be important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase.

If you can find out and post the specs of the mattress you are considering on the forum I’d be happy to comment on the quality of the materials inside it and help you identify whether it may have any weak links in it’s design.

Once you reach step 3 of the tutorial post … if you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know of any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.

Phoenix

Phoenix,

Thank you. Here’s the info I got from the manufacturer in New Jersey (Bedding Industries of America – they make Therapedic, Eclipse and Eastman House): 368 coils, 12 3/4 inch coil, old-fashioned spring system, not a pocket coil. Insulation pads on top of spring are 100 percent natural fiber, cotton, etc., leftover fabric. High density foam on top, soy-based poly - no off-gassing.

My zip code is 10025. I found the Therapedic mattress at Longs Bedding in New York.

Hi FayH,

The information you would need to identify any weak links in the mattress or make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses is in this article. Unfortunately the information they provided is incomplete and doesn’t provide the thickness of each layer and the density of the polyfoam which is necessary to be able to make any meaningful comments about the quality of the materials in the mattress.

The better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the New York area are listed in post #2 here.

Phoenix

Phoenix,

The manufacturer supplied more information about the Therapedic Elegance mattress:

Quilt (surface): 2 layers of 9/16 " high density poly foam; 1 layer of high fuel load FR barrier; large 800 quilt pattern

Unit: 416 coil special 12 3/4 heavy gauge innerspring unit; double edge guard perimeter edge support

Upholstery: Bottom: heavy duty reinforced insulator pad; 7/8" fiber cushion layer; 1 1/2" high density convoluted poly foam

Top: heavy duty reinforced insulator pad; 7/8" fiber cushion layer; 1 1/2" high density convolulted poly foam

Construction: 10" perma tufts; all upholstery layers are fully hog ringed or laminated where application

What do you think of this? Does it give you an idea of the truly quality?

Thanks again.
Border support: double edge guard steel edge supports; cloth handles

Hi FayH,

The information you need is listed in this article and unfortunately the information you were given is still missing the most important information (the foam density) and some of it (the “top” and the “upholstery”) is a duplicate.

Listed from top to bottom with some comments …

Quilt (surface): 2 layers of 9/16 " high density poly foam:

This is a quilting layer and while they don’t include the foam density … it’s only “about an inch or so” though which means that it would be fine as long as there are no more “unidentified” layers.

1 layer of high fuel load FR barrier:

This is the fire barrier which is necessary to pass the fire regulations. They don’t say the type which for some people may be important

1 1/2" high density convolulted poly foam:

This is missing the density of the 1.5" of convoluted polyfoam

7/8" fiber cushion layer:

This is probably a lower recycled fiber layer or Chasen pad which is used to provide some cushioning and also provide some additional insulation over the coils.

heavy duty reinforced insulator pad:

This is the insulator pad used to even out the feel and response of the coils and prevent the foam from compressing and sagging into the coils.

Unit: 416 coil special 12 3/4 heavy gauge innerspring unit; double edge guard perimeter edge support:

This is probably a 416 Bonnell which is a strong but lower cost innerspring. There is more about the different types of innersprings in this article but an innerspring isn’t generally the weak link of a mattress and this would be fine if the mattress as a whole is a good match for you and you are OK with some motion transference.

Construction: 10" perma tufts; all upholstery layers are fully hog ringed or laminated where application:

Tufting and hog rings are a sign of better construction to keep the layers together and help the mattress hold it’s shape.

So you are missing the polyfoam density you need and the height of the innerspring so you can add up the layers to make sure that it matches the height of the mattress and confirm there are no layers or components missing in the description. The weak link of a mattress will generally be in the layers above the innerspring and the density of the polyfoam is the most important information you need.

Phoenix

1.8 density foam is used. The coil height is 7 inches. Is that OK?

Hi FayH,

If the coil is 7" tall then the total layers would come to between 11" and 12" or so and if this is the approximate thickness of the mattress then all the layers are listed.

It seems to me that the materials are all good quality and appropriate for the lower budget range you are probably in with no obvious weak links and it would be well worth considering as one of your finalists.

Phoenix

The mattress isn’t that cheap – it’s $1500.

Hi FayH,

While you didn’t mention the size which will make a difference or whether it’s a “mattress only” price … but it certainly seems to be in a high budget range for a one sided mattress with the materials and components you listed.

Phoenix

It’s a full size, and I thought it was 2-sided.

Hi FAyeH,

It may be two sided … but I didn’t see that in your description or on the description on their site. I would certainly find out and make sure and when you add up the layers to confirm that it matches the height of the mattress then the layers in the padding would be on both sides of the innerspring so the mattress would be thicker.

It would certainly be better value and more durable if it was two sided but for a full size “mattress only” it still seems to me that it’s in a fairly high budget range.

You can see an example of a similar two sided mattress here that includes an inch of latex on each side (which is only a relatively small amount but it’s also a more costly material) that is in a similar budget range.

Phoenix