Alright I appreciate all the Massive information you made available to me and I am happy to say my wife and I have purchased ā¦the Ultimate Dreams 13" gel mattress from Brooklyn bedding. We just felt that the reviews were just to good for the value and we wanted to take advantage of that. Also she set me straight on our current mattress situation we have which is no where near the 7 years I thought we were at ā¦itās only been 3 years and it was a cheap SertaĀ® Edgebrooke Eurotop Mattress from sams club apparently I have been hallucinating or something as she showed me the manufacturing date and explained her parents bought that for us as a present. But it was with that info that helped me pick this dreamfoam mattress, you see after researching the serta we have now its from sams club and it had 12 reviews equaling to a 2 star rating. With several sore and painful back comments and to firm which it really is. So I figured we canāt go wrong with 19 almost 5 star reviews on amazon! Also purchased their 14" high rise platform for the mattress. Canāt wait to receive this and hopefully write a good review here to share our experience with everyone. And I made sure to mention the mattressunderground sites so I Hope I get the free latex pillows incentive. Thanks again!
Hi Kjandtj35,
Thatās funny. I could tell you many stories about times I was āabsolutely sureā that my memory of something was accurate and was amazed (or shocked) when someone proved to me that it wasnāt!
You certainly made a good quality/value choice and Iām looking forward to your review. Itās always great to see when people know what they are buying so they can make the choices and the tradeoffs that are most important to them instead of ābuying blindāā¦
Congratulations on your new mattress 
Phoenix
Hello all!
After a couple weeks of frivolous browsing, laying on mattresses, and picking apart reviews, I am placing an order for the Ultimate Dreams 13" next week! This is my first āniceā mattress purchase and Iām very excited about it. Iāll post the final verdict in a few weeks! Thanks for all the helpful information too! Iām sure it will be amazing to say the least from everything Iāve read.
- Joe
Hi Joe2malt,
Congratulations on your new mattress
Phoenix
So like every other person on this site, Iām very curious about the dreamfoam mattress, and it seems people that get them donāt come back. What would you guys say about the sealy elation for a discounted price? I know why we are against them but if we lowered the sale price to 1400, is it then a reasonable mattress? Looking at the king dreamfoam 13" gel or the sealy elation. The elation is available on eBay for 1400. Now, it doesnāt have a warranty but with my amex I get 1 yearā¦ Is it still a better idea to go the dreamfoam route?
Hi Charlesjc,
Here are a couple of points that may be worth considering ā¦
First if a mattress is being sold without a warranty ā¦ the odds are high that it is either a comfort return or a defective mattress in some way and I personally wouldnāt consider it. At the very least I wouldnāt pay more than 50% of itās "best value"price I could find elsewhere and even that would depend on the materials in the mattress.
Second ā¦ assessing the āvalueā of a mattress based on its regular selling price which in the case of major brands are highly inflated is one of the worst ways of determining value in a mattress.
Third ā¦ how certain are you that the Elation will match your specific needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences). A mattress that has 7" of memory foam that is in the 4 lb range is a very risky construction for most people in terms of alignment ā¦ especially when the 4 lb memory foam softens over time.
The only way to know the relative quality/value of any mattress is to know the details of all the layers so you can make meaningful comparisons to other similar mattresses. Do you know the specific details of what is in the Elation?
In terms of quality and value ā¦ the 13" gel memory foam uses higher quality materials in the most important comfort layers (a combination of 4 and 5 lb memory foams) which are the most important layers in terms of quality and durability (and the risk of foam softening which can lead to the loss of comfort and support) and sells for about 2/3 the price compared to a mattress that has no warranty and may be used.
For me there is no comparison in terms of āvalueā and there is no doubt which direction I would be leaning out of the two options you are considering (or vs many other better quality/value options for memory foam mattresses as well) ā¦ but of course each person may have their own personal value equation which may be very different from mine or other people and only you can decide on the risks you are willing to take and on what are the most important parts of value for you.
Phoenix
Ahhh, thank you Phoenix! I didnāt even think about it being a returned mattress for a comfort defect. I guess that settled it for me, and will try and go for the Dreamfoam mattress.
Thanks again for the help, I will report back after sleeping on it.
Regards,
JC
Hello again,
Just wanted to give my first impression mattress review! As mentioned, the box came in looking like it was on the front lines of WWI but the mattress itself was in pristine condition. After the struggle to get it unwrapped, I got it set up of course I had to lay on it. Even without it expanding fully, I knew I made a solid choice. It was just as good as any big brand name with comparable memory foam layers. There was a bit of off-gassing but nothing major. After a week it has subsided quite a bit as well. After sleeping on it for the last week I am completely satisfied. It has a great balance of āsink in comfy softnessā and support (keep in mind Iām only 150lbs). The materials used, build, everything is top notch.
Basically, if you liked the feel of the cloud supreme I wouldnāt hesitate to make the purchase of this mattress. Me and my girlfriend are sleeping great, and we wish we hadnāt gone so long without it! 5/5 stars
Hi Joe2Malt,
Thanks for taking the time to update us and sharing your experiences
Phoenix
I am close to buying the Ultimate Dreams 13, but have a concern about alignment. Everybody seems to say the UD 13 is slightly more firm than the Luxe, but what exactly is meant by more firm? Does firm in this context describe the comfort and plushinessā¦or does it describe the posture of support and alignment so that your hips donāt sink as far in?
I have spent extensive time on the Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe and the Cloud Supreme. The Luxe supported me correctly in all sleep positions. The position that was much more different than the Supreme was on my stomach - my hips sank too far down in the Supreme, but on the Luxe, my hips were held up higher and supported. I am wondering if this was a result of the 2" layer of Tempur-HD which is 7lb / cubic ft in the Luxe which might be holding me up better, rather than the 2" layer of Tempur material in the Supreme which is 5lb /cubic ft.
If my theory is correct, I am hesitant to buy the UD 13 because it uses a 2" 5lb / cubic ft layer instead of the 7lb / cubic ft layer that the Luxe uses. Will gel foam have a different compression modulus that will keep my hips held up and supported? I do not weigh much - 6ā2" 165, but have very bad hips/spine problems.
This is concerning to me because I can try out the Cloud Luxe, but I canāt try the UD 13 before I buy (with its significant differences in construction) and there appears to be no returns.
Hi bmbsqd7,
I donāt think there is any way to compare two different mattresses that use different foams and have different designs to the degree of specificity you are looking for. In most cases these types of comparisons are somewhat subjective and only a āapproximationā based on a combination of the overall feel, pressure relief, and support of a mattress and are a way to give people a reasonably accurate idea of how the mattress will feel and perform using a widely known mattress as a reference point. Only your own experience can make these kind of assessments to the degree of accuracy you are looking for though.
In cases where your needs and preferences are in a fairly narrow range ā¦ then your recourse with an online purchase may become one of the most important parts of your personal value equation if the mattress is outside the range of what you specifically need or prefer (no matter how close it may be for someone else or even a majority of other people).
In this case ā¦ you would probably be wise to make sure the mattress was fulfilled by Amazon so you could return it should you need to (although their large item return policy can still be costly) or to choose a mattress that can be either adjusted or changed after a purchase through exchanging the mattress or an individual layer or choosing a mattress that has a return policy that will cost you little to nothing if you need to return it (such as their Cool Series here).
Because only your own personal experience can really answer these types of questions (and everything else is more of a ābest guessā based on their experience and knowledge of āaveragesā) ā¦ an online purchase generally needs to include your confidence that you are making a suitable choice, your risk tolerance if you make a mistake, and the āvalueā of your options if you make a choice that isnāt suitable for you.
For most people it would be āclose enoughā but this wouldnāt be the case for every person because there are so many variables and unknowns involved in different body types, sleeping styles, physiology, and mattress designs and materials ā¦ all of which could affect how closely one mattress matched another in your actual personal experience. these types of comparisons are as much an art as a science.
Phoenix
First off, thanks so much for all the info on this site. Itās so hard to find out anything real, as the mattress companies seem to like it that way. Thanks for cutting through all the marketing BS.
About me: 46 y.o. male, 5ā11", 180 lbs. Side-sleeper with a little back-sleeping thrown in there. For 23 years, Iāve been sleeping on a firm innerspring mattress with a foam topper ā at first latex and then memory foam. It all sits on a very stable all-steel bed with Euro-slats. I was pretty happy with the last topper I had, which was 4" of 3 lb foam. My shoulders are wider than my hips, so I tend to need the combo of very-soft-top and very-firm-bottom to keep my spine and neck straight on my side.
Anyway, last week, my elderly cat peed on the bed, and I had to throw out the topper. Since the mattress is so old, I thought I should probably just replace it, even though it is in remarkable shape for a 23-year-old mattress. At the same time, the āname-brandā MF mattresses are far too expensive for me. I went to Sit n Sleep and tried a bunch of the mattress and liked the Tempur Cloud Luxe the best. It gave me exactly the soft-top/hard-bottom feel I like, and far better than my current mattress/topper combo. I had just had a big lunch and was ready to pass out in the showroom.
The consensus here seems to be that the UD13 is a little firmer than the Cloud Luxe and softer than the Cloud Supreme. Is that your general take? Also, is it correct that the 4 lb layer on top of the UD13 will soften with time?
What I also liked about the Cloud Luxe was there way it gave way soflty but them hit bottom solidly, which I assume is from the 7 lb foam layer. I assume the 5 lb support layer in the UD13 will have some more give to it, is that right? I assume that will also soften with time.
In all, Iām afraid that the comfort layer is not soft enough on the UD13 and the support layer not firm enough, but I guess thereās no way for you (or me, since I canāt try it out) to tell. I think Iām going to test the waters as the price is certainly right, but itās definitely a risk.
Final question: can you recommend a waterproof mattress cover for my cat? I canāt watch her every second of the day. The ones on Amazon seem to get poor reviews on their waterproofing ability
Thanks again for the great site and forums. You are truly the Mattress King.
Hi sheckylovejoy,
Perceptions of softness and firmness are subjective and relative to each person but I think in general that most people would describe the āfeelā as being in the range you mentioned. All foams will soften over time depending on many factors but the primary factor in durability is foam density so a 4 lb memory foam would tend to soften more slowly than lower density memory foam and faster than higher density memory foam. There are many other factors involved though and there is more about durability in post #4 here and some of the other posts it links to.
Memory foam has many different properties that depend on the chemicals that are used to make it which can affect many of its properties much more than the density (see post #9 here). Density is directly connected to durability and to some degree to the response time and ventilation of memory foam (lower densities tend to respond more quickly and tend to be more breathable) but firmness isnāt linked to density and any density of memory foam (like polyfoam) can be made firmer or softer independent of density. The subjective feeling of firmness and softness with memory foam also depends on its temperature sensitivity and on how long it takes to soften with heat. Some memory foams may start off firmer initially and then as they warm up become softer and the āfeelingā of softness is also based on the speed of movement (just like with honey if you slap it it will be very firm but if you press into it slowly it will feel soft). The Tempurpedic 7 lb memory foam for example is generally considered to be softer overall than their 5.3 lb memory foams (although they also have different versions of their 5.3 lb memory foam that are either softer or firmer). Higher density memory foams also tend to be more conforming and will also tend to sink in less overall (they can become firmer as you sink in more deeply than lower density memory foams). In other words ā¦ itās usually best to avoid generalizations about memory foam based on density outside of knowing that higher densities are generally more durable (up till about 6 lbs or so when the difference levels off) and will also tend to warm up and soften more slowly and have a little slower response.
When you are matching one mattress to another it can match based on a general subjective āfeelā or softness, based on the quality and density of the materials, or based on design (the thickness of the layers and how they are arranged) and in some cases all three. You can read more about matching one mattress to another in post #2 here. The Dreamfoam 13" gel memory foam mattress approximates the Cloud Luxe in terms of feel (itās slightly firmer) and has similarities in design (It has 3" of 4 lb gel memory foam over 2" of 5 lb memory foam over an 8" 1.5 lb polyfoam base layer and the Cloud Luxe has 2.75" of 4 lb memory foam over 2" of 7 lb memory foam over two 4" 1.5 lb polyfoam base layers) but it doesnāt match in terms of the memory foam densities (although again this has little to do with the firmness or softness of a memory foam). They provide the comparison to the Tempurpedic mattress so that their customers have a general approximation as to how the mattress āfeelsā in terms of softness based on most peopleās perceptions of softness.
A good indication would be to carefully and objectively test the Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe (for at least 15 minutes and preferably longer to give the memory foam time to warm up) and if the softness of the comfort layers (pressure relief) and the firmness of the base layers (support) are suitable for you and you would be OK with what people would generally consider to be similar (a little firmer) mattress then the odds are good that it would work well for you. Both of these mattresses would generally be considered to be āsoftā (the Cloud Luxe is generally considered to be Tempurpedics softest mattress) at least in terms of the comfort layers which is generally what most people āfeelā the most.
You can see some suggestions for mattress protectors in post #89 here. The membrane type that are waterproof (or at least fairly waterproof) are generally quite similar and my sense is that most of the complaints on Amazon (which you will see for all of them to different degrees) are based on care instructions that werenāt followed although there may also have been some legitimately defective ones as well. If your cat claws through it then it would possibly allow any accidents to leak through but these are the only ones that are āmostly waterproofā outside of the solid vinyl type that donāt breath at all (will sleep warmer) and have that ācrinklyā type of feel to them which most people donāt like at all. So the membrane type (and they would all tend to be very similar) in practical terms are the ones that most people who want something waterproof would generally choose.
The wool protectors are more āwater resistantā but not āwaterproofā although the NaturaProtect Deluxe that is linked there has both wool and the membrane so it may be more protective then either one by itself and the wool may protect the membrane from cat claws but itās also more costly and would have a little more effect on the memory foam below it than a thinner protector without the wool. I own one of these and it has held up well for about 3 years so far and through quite a few washings.
Phoenix
Hi there,
Iām new to the site, kinda. Been lurking awhile. So glad I found you though since a mattress purchase is coming up quick and I was totally about to go strictly off of sleeplikethedead. Iām so glad I didnāt. Although the reviews there are nice, itās also nice to get a more detailed look into just what you are getting!
We went to the mattress show room a few times now. I would have to say the only mattresses we have not tried are the sleep number. The mattresses we keep going back to are the Tempurpedic line. It just feelsā¦ supportive for me. Iām a side sleeper who has all kinds of back/hip/leg problems from a previous car accident. The mattress we have now, which has to be at least 20 years old (I think we got in in '92) innerspring, pillow top, certainly does not help. I feel older than I should feel. Is it because of the mattress? Maybe! Many times I have gone to the couch and slept more comfortably!
Anyway, the one I liked best was the Cloud Luxe. My husband preferred the Rhapsody. Those are HUGE differences. One is very soft, one pretty firm. However, since I am the wife, itās all about me LOL Not reallyā¦ actually, he didnāt dislike the Luxe, he just thought in the long run we may not like the softnessā¦ In the short run, I didnāt like the price for any of them. HOLY MOLY. Donāt they realize we have mortgages and kids? Sheesh! :ohmy:
I am sorta looking at this purchase as somewhat temporary anyway. Something to take us through, say, the next 5 years comfortably which should see the children of age and out, and our pocket book looking a little on the better side to afford something with a bit more lasting power? The UD being in the middle of Supreme and Luxe as far as softness though sounded like a good compromise kinda between my husband and myself. Plus, I would imagine anything, including a sidewalk would feel better to us than the thing we sleep on now.
Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for all the info on the UD, and to the OP for the review. Hopefully more will come in with updates. We will probably be making the purchase in the next couple of weeks (fingers crossed) and I will be sure to come back and let you all know the consensus!
Hi Thekdd,
I certainly agree with you about the Tempurpedic prices.
Thanks for the kind words and Iām looking forward to your feedback once you pull the trigger and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.
The ārulesā in your house seem to be the same as mine ā¦ when there is a mattress conflict then I get half a vote and she gets one ā¦ and the majority wins
Phoenix
Thanks for all the help, Phoenix. The MUnderground was super helpful in this decision. Quickie review of my experiences (x-posted on Amazon).
For starters, Craig at DreamFoam was very helpful, but also very slow at responding to emails. I wasnāt in a huge rush, so this was not a big problem.
I ordered direct from DreamFoam, not fulfilled by Amazon. Returns would be too problematic and expensive anyway. The mattress shipped the next day and arrived 2 days after that (Iām in So Cal, so it got here pretty quick from AZ). It comes compressed and rolled up in plastic in a long box, which was pretty busted up, but the mattress was cherry.
I am 5ā10", 180 lbs and it was fairly tough to get it into the bedroom by myself, but I was able to get it in there and hoist it onto the bed. The bedroom is on the first floor, otherwise I would have needed a second person, likely.
I positioned the roll on the bed so that it would unroll in the proper position. After carefully cutting away the plastic wrapping, the bed unrolled and gained almost full height within a minute. No smell to speak of. An hour later I was happily napping.
The mattress is very soft with a nice feeling of firmness below, like the Cloud Luxe, but not quite as soft as the Cloud Luxe. Iām crazy about it and have gotten great sleeps on it so far. My girlfriend like a firmer bed, and she does not like it, so beware, it is not for everyone.
Overall, the DreamFoam is an OUTSTANDING value at $800 for the queen. To be honest, I prefer the Cloud Luxe, but more than that, I prefer the $3200 I saved.
Hi sheckylovjoy,
Thanks for sharing your experiences and feedback ā¦ I appreciate it.
Your point that any mattress (regardless of quality or value) is not for everyone is a very good one and itās always a good idea to test a roughly equivalent mattress locally whenever possible. I think though that most people who would like a mattress that has an overall āfeelā that is just a little firmer than the Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe have been very happy with it and itās great to hear that you are one of them
Phoenix
Thanks for the welcome Phoenix! Yes, my vote holds more weight in this house LOL
And sheckylovjoy, question. Iām in So Cal also and wonderedā¦ I notice when ordering from Amazon, sales tax is attached of course. When you ordered direct, were you charged the same price as was on Amazon, and was there tax?
We are actually thinking of ordering two, one Cal King and one full for my daughterā¦ the sales tax adds up A LOT.
Also, is the free pillow offer still good with them?
No sales tax ordering direct in CA. It was $799 shipped for the Queen.
Just email Craig with your order and your MUnderground user name for the pillow
My wife and I have tried several different mattresses (all foam style). From the Tempurpedic Luxe and Supreme to the Simmons Comforpedics, Restonics Tempagel Healthrest, Evosleep Conforma 7.0 and several others including a local manufacturer, we were pretty happy laying on every single one of them. We pretty much just want something plush yet supportive. And all the beds we tried were more than capable of providing that. After reading the many reviews on Amazon and finding this site and learning about materials used in mattresses as well as the many helpful insights provided, we have decided to take the risk in ordering a bed online---- the Ultimate Dreams 13! For the price, even if we feel that itās only 70 or 80% as good as the other beds we tried, I think we will be satisfied. Any better and we will be ecstatic! Majority of all our purchases are value driven, and this bed seems to hit that point pretty hard (even considering the price increases throughout the past year). I think if we get 5 comfy years out of this bed, then it will have been a GREAT bargain (and at that point become a FANTASTIC guest bed).
I have noticed that a lot of people donāt report back after getting their bed. I appreciate all the information and help that was provided during my search, and will provide back to the community once I receive our bed and have a chance to thoroughly test it out.