Thnking of returning mattress to Jordan's - Need Advice

Hi,

Just came across your very informative board here.

I purchased a King Size Sealy Optimum Elation bed when I moved into my new condo in Boston. I bought this from Jordans. I’ve had it for about 3 weeks and at first it was bothering my back and I find I am really sunken in by morning. By morning turning in bed is difficult. It also makes me feel like I am sleeping hot as my back sweats. So I am thinking about returning it.

My past bed was a Stearn & Foster that was very firm and was like sleeping on a board making me stiff. I got a Memory Foam topper and that help a little but not much.

I also have a memory foam bed at my place on the Cape. It’s a little bit too firm - but better than this mushy Sealy Optimum Elation (I forget the brand - it came from Canada).

I bought the Sealy from Jordans so I may be only able to exchange and not get a refund - not sure. But if I can only exchange I am at a loss on what to get from their inventory.

I am worried about Sealy Memory Foam beds now, i.e. getting a slightly firmer one. I still may wake up in a hole and be sweaty.

I have read great reviews about Latex beds - but then read your review/opinion on the value of Prana beds and the Simmons Natural Care and Jordan’s brand in foam may be no better.

By looking at their inventory can you recommend any for me to check out that has decent value and comfort and won’t sag or put me in a hole and not make me too hot? I guess any type will do that meets this criteria - even a hybrid.

I am 6’2" and weigh about 198 lbs. My partner, who is there on weekends, is 6’2 and 220lbs. I also tend to sleep hot (which may be why I am melting the memory foam at night in this bed lol)

I tend to sleep on my back and my sides.

Thanks in advance.

Hi bigredinmass,

You are in a similar position to others who have come to the site and need to exchange a mattress that they bought at a store where you are somewhat limited in terms of what you can exchange for. Post #66 here and the other posts it links to includes my comments to some other members in a similar position. The good news though is that from a quality perspective … Jordans has better options than the chain stores the other members were dealing with (where there isn’t a single mattress I would consider and they have to “make the best” of a bad situation) and at least you have some better quality options available to you … even if the value of what you bought and will probably need to exchange for is not the best available.

The first place I would start is the same place where people start when they are first looking for a new mattress and post #1 here which along with the information it links to will give you the basic information you need to eliminate the worst choices and focus on the better ones that are available to you. The same “rules” would apply for an exchange as for a new mattress purchase and the most important of them is to make sure you can find out the details of what is in a mattress you are considering. Jordans is at least more transparent with this type of information than most so you will be able to make meaningful quality and value comparisons between them.

In most cases … latex mattresses deserve the good reviews they receive but there are many differences between them and some “so called” latex mattresses have some weak links that shouldn’t be there IMO.

The PranaSleep are one of these. They are significantly overpriced and they also have thick layers of polyfoam on the sleeping surface which is much less durable than latex and will be the weak link in these mattresses. It’s not the latex in these that is the issue (it’s good quality) … it’s the polyfoam you would be sleeping on. You can see more about the Prana line in post #3 here.

The Simmons Natural Care also uses good quality materials in the comfort layers (which is typically where the weak link of a mattress is) and is a basic latex/polyfoam hybrid. The issue with these is not the quality of the materials they use but value because they are typically more than other similar mattresses made by smaller manufacturers. They also use slightly lower quality polyfoam in their support core than I would like to see (1.65 lb). Because you are probably locked in to a final purchase from Jordans … they may be among the better values there depending on the prices they charge (and of course on making sure you find out all the information about what is in each one you consder). They at least use good quality materials in the comfort layers which may make them one of your better options.

The quality and value of a mattress always depends on the specifics of what is in it. It’s always important to look at a mattress based on the contents and quality of material and never by brand even though it’s true that some manufacturers tend to use better quality materials in their mattresses. These are typically (but not always) smaller manufacturers that are sold either factory direct or through better sleep shops across the country.The Jordans brand mattresses may have some better value there because they make them themselves. A suitable mattress in the Jordan line may also make a good exchange option.

Unfortunately there is no “formula” that can translate your weight and height and sleeping position “specs” and turn it into a mattress design that is suitable for you. The only way to know this for certain is by local testing. As the link I provided earlier talks about … Comfort is mainly about pressure relief and you can test for this in a showroom. Support is mostly about alignment and you can also test for this in a showroom (although it’s more difficult). The third main part of buying a mattress though is knowing the quality of the materials in a specific mattress you are looking at because this determines whether the mattress has any weak links, its relative value compared to other mattresses, and whether it will maintain its comfort and support over the years. This is the part where knowing the quality specs is vital.

Because of all the variables involved … there is no way that someone else based on “theory at a distance” can know what may be comfortable for you but I can help you in terms of knowing whether a mattress that matches all your needs and preferences based on your testing (see post #46 here) has the quality that will have a better chance of maintaining the PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) that is the reason you bought it in the first place.

In the case of Jordans … I would tend to focus on and test their own mattresses and secondarily on the Natura and the Simmons Natural care line and exclude the rest of the manufacturers they carry.

As I mentioned earlier … you are more fortunate than many others who need to exchange a mattress and have purchased from a store or chain where there are no even reasonably good quality and value options to choose from :slight_smile:

Hope this helps

Phoenix

Thanks for the reply Phoenix.

As many others do…I wish I researched before buying a mattress. But I was practically buying all new furniture for the whole place and was getting burned out of shopping at different stores with everyone hitting me with delivery charges - so I went with Jordan’s for most of my furniture for that reason.

I plan to look tomorrow (Sunday). Good to know they have other brands. I paid $3200 for the Sealy Optima Elation so I kind of hate getting a cheaper mattress with no refund and a swap out charge to boot. The Natura looks very interesting to check out as well as Simmons. Jordan’s brand is much cheaper but I’ll look at them too even though it would be a loss in terms of $$ spent.

FYI…I did write to Prana to see what they use in their top layer and did get a response.

Here it is…
What I wrote:
I bought a Sealy memory foam mattress from Jordan’s that I am unhappy with.

I am considering exchanging it for one of your mattresses.

Could you explain the density of the foam used in the top quilted layer? Unfortunately I have come across some reviews about sagging occurring in this layer.

Their response:
Thank you for your inquiry regarding the possible purchase of a PranaSleep mattress from Jordans Furniture. Their specifications provide the layers in inches for each model and they all consist of either high-density poly or super-high density polyurethane foam from Carpenter. It is also U.S. Certipur certified. High density foam may be defined as greater than 1.45 lb. density and super high density greater than 2.0 lb.

Your Jordans sales representative should have the information available for the models you are considering. The reviews you may have read would have been for models of previous PranaSleep generations and not the 4th Generation that is represented at Jordans.

Thanks again for your inquiry. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we may help you further.

Thanks again Phoenix for your help and I’ll let you knwo how I make out.

Hi bigredinmass,

This is a very large variation in what they could be using in the upper layers of their mattresses. While there is a variation in what different people call HD … I tend to think of it as 1.8 lbs or higher but there are many who define 1.5 lbs (or in their case 1.45 lbs) as being high density as well (which really means higher than say 1.2 lbs which is a very poor reference point to define high density). There is really no such thing as “super high density” except as a descriptive term. Since both of these are conventional foams they would be significantly less durable than latex even in higher densities and because there is 3" of it this would affect the feel and performance of the mattress quite significantly when it softened. All of this is beside the fact that HD polyfoam is significantly less expensive than latex and IMO polyfoam doesn’t belong in a latex mattress at this price or in this thickness. Regardless of what the density is in any particular model … it is still conventional polyfoam and when you buy a latex mattress … it’s reasonable to expect that you are sleeping on latex (with perhaps a thinner quilting layer) and not on 3" of polyfoam.

Phoenix

Agreed - especially from reading the overviews you posted.

Just figured I share the response they gave me to you.

The Natura looks well made. I’m curious to what it feels like and the price as Jordan’s says “Call for Pricing”…we shall see.

Hi bigredinmass,

I appreciate that you shared it. What strikes me most about their reply is that it seems to imply and acknowledge that their previous generations had the very issue that you were asking about … but that now they are on their 4th generation they’ve finally figured out how to solve it.

And yet they are still using polyfoam in the top layers … Hmmmm …

I agree as well that the Natura’s are well made and use good quality materials even though they often sell for significantly more than similar mattresses that have similar materials. I would describe them typically as “good quality but their ‘value’ would depend on the price they are selling for”.

Phoenix