I am interested in upgrading several mattresses in my house and have a few questions after reading many many posts in this informative forum today.
First, does anyone have any experience or opinion on the Ultimate Dreams Budget Saver mattress? I am interested in using these for bunk bed mattresses and wondered if they are appropriate for a tween.
Second, I am heading to The Original Mattress Factory to check out their latex mattresses. Assuming one feels good to us, how do they compare to the Ultimate Dreams latex mattresses? How do they compare to Brooklyn Bedding’s latex mattresses (though those are more customizable)?
Finally, is there a guideline for what type bed to use in a guest room? Which style? Which firmness? Our guests are mainly of average to low height and weight, though one set of parents is heavier. Guests tend to stay for 3-5 nights, infrequently, but our current guest mattress is like sleeping on concrete. I feel awful that they have been sleeping on it until now…
These mattresses are very new on their site so there may not be much feedback yet from forum members. Typically mattresses in this budget range would be much lower quality and for temporary use such as guests or for smaller children but Dreamfoam uses better quality materials and has better value in every budget range and they have said that it would also be suitable for an adult as well so based on my knowledge of them I would have to say yes they would probably be an appropriate choice for a budget mattress. Of course your tweens are about to become teens and they are on the way to having more “adult” needs in a mattress which also means that their own specific needs and personal comfort preferences will play a larger role so they will likely also have a lot to say about how they feel about the mattress when they sleep on it. For this part, your knowledge of them and their preferences along with a conversation with Dreamfoam would be the best way to decide.
You can read more about the difference between an all latex mattress and a latex/polyfoam hybrid in post #2 here. This is really an apples to oranges comparison of two completely different mattresses but if you are able to approximate the top 3 or 4 inches of the mattress then this would be about as close as you can get because the layers in the upper part of a mattress have a bigger effect on what most people “feel” and the pressure relief of the mattress.
As far as a comparison between the Original Mattress Factory all latex and the Total latex mattress … they are similar in that they both use all blended Talalay latex except for a thin quilting polyfoam quilting layer (although the Total Latex also has wool in the quilting and is a more flexible design because you can exchange your comfort layer after a purchase) but other than that they are a completely different design which will feel and perform differently. As you can see in post #14 here … trying to approximate one mattress with a different design that is very different can be difficult and would require some educated guesswork and intuition along with accurate information about the mattress you are trying to match. Once again though … the upper parts of the mattress will have a more obvious effect on how the mattress “feels” than the deeper layers which provide the support (and will have an effect on how your back feels in the morning depending on how well it keeps you in alignment).
Your best odds are to make sure you know as many details as possible about the mattress you are trying to approximate and then having a more detailed discussion with the manufacturer or retailer you are purchasing from to help them help you decide on which comfort level you believe would be the closest … keeping in mind that every difference in layering and design between them may make a difference and be more or less noticeable to you. I would keep my expectations of a “match” quite low when you are dealing with different designs even though the one you choose may feel and perform better than the one you tested … and has options to exchange layers if you need to as well.
No … this is really a preference choice not a “best or worse” choice. If anything I would choose a mattress that most people would call “medium / firm” which would be an “average” choice that would suit a larger number of people for temporary use which means a somewhat soft comfort layer (but not too soft or thick and no pillowtops or eurotops) and then a relatively firm support core as well. I would also tend to avoid memory foam and stick with more “neutral” materials because while some people have strong preferences for it … others have just as strong preferences against it. Another good option would be a firm mattress for those who prefer this and then a 2" to 3" topper (if you have room to store it) for those who prefer a softer sleeping surface then you can offer them a choice. Of course if you have a certain group of people that will be using it more than others and they have common preferences you may want to take this into account as well. Heavier people tend to need firmer and lighter people tend to need softer although there are no “rules” here either.
Thank you so much for your detailed response. It sounds like I still have plenty of research to do, so I will try to fit some mattress shopping in this weekend!
Well, we visited The Original Mattress Factory and The Healthy Back Store and were surprised with our findings!
For background, my husband is 5’10", weighs 160, and is a side sleeper who usually ends up on his stomach. I am 5’5", weigh 120, and am a side sleeper. We currently have a 8 year-old Simmons Beautyrest with a slight pillowtop. I would characterize it as slightly plush on top, with good firmness underneath. We like the current mattress, but are ready to replace it.
In mattress-shopping, my husband was turned off by the “springiness” of the latex mattresses we tried (he likened it to lying on a trampoline), though I liked the firmness. On the other hand, we don’t like to sink in quite as much as a Tempurpedic allows and found that the Healthy Back Store Embrace brand Relaxation memory foam (13") was closest to what we liked–we felt more like we were sleeping “on” the mattress rather than “in” it. The Embrace has 2" of ventilated memory foam, 2.5" of standard memory foam, and 8.5" of support foam. Is this considered a hybrid mattress since it is not all memory foam?
To complicate matters, we both prefer a cool mattress (we also liked the feel of the Technogel-over-latex option at The Healthy Back Store)–and I know latex generally sleeps cooler than memory foam.
Trying to take all of this into account, I am leaning toward the Aloe Adelle from Brooklyn Bedding. Is this the same conclusion you would have reached after hearing our story? I am thinking that the gel memory foam will mimic the soft top we like, while the latex layer will reduce the sinking-in feeling. I am open to considering the Aloe Alexis or even the Total Latex, though my husband is reluctant due to his springiness aversion. Depending on what mattress you recommend, which firmness level/configuration sounds like it would be best for us?
I have asked the folks at Brooklyn Bedding these same questions and am just trying to get as many opinions as possible!
All memory foam mattresses are “hybrids” in effect because memory foam is too soft to be used as a deep support layer. There are no “all memory foam” mattresses. The difference between “typical” memory foam mattresses (including Tempurpedic) is in the memory foam layers they use in the top or middle layers and in the polyfoam layers that are used for the support system under the memory foam.
When you are looking at this type of mattress … it’s important to know the thickness and density of each memory foam layer and the thickness and density of the polyfoam support layers because this is the only way to know the quality and value of a mattress and to make meaningful comparisons between mattresses. You can’t tell the quality of materials or identify any “weak links” it may have in terms of quality and durability by how a mattress feels.
Without knowing the specifics of the materials in the mattress you tested (density and properties of the memory foam) there is really no way to compare it to another mattress outside of side by side testing in “real time”. You can read more about how you may be able to compare two different mattresses and the difficulties involved in post #4 here. I can only speak to the quality and value of a mattress (and Brooklyn Bedding like the other members here are among the best quality and value in the country IMO) and help to identify any possible “weak links” in a mattress. In other words … there is no way for me to compare one mattress to another mattress which has a different design and materials or to know which specific mattress may work best for someone else that could possibly be more accurate than your own personal testing and/or more detailed conversations with a knowledgeable online manufacturer or retailer that makes and/or sells specific mattresses they work with every day. My role is to help you connect with better options and with “how” to choose not “what” to choose.
While I doubt that Brooklyn Bedding will be familiar with the mattress you are mentioning or how their mattresses may specifically compare to any other mattress they aren’t familiar with … if you know the details of the layering they may have some ideas of which of the models they sell may be the closest “approximation”. They will probably also be able to give you some guidance about how their memory foam mattresses may compare to mattresses that they are more familiar with such as Tempurpedic. All manufacturers have more knowledge than anyone else (including me) about how their mattresses feel and perform and how they may compare to other mattresses or designs they are familiar with. Their help and guidance and “educated guesses” about how one mattress may approximate another would be the best source of for this type of guidance outside of your own side by side testing (which of course isn’t possible in this case).
Many thanks for taking the time to address my questions. I will follow-up more with Brooklyn Bedding before I make my decision, but I think I would prefer to buy through them.
Jacob at Brooklyn Bedding indicated that he feels the Aloe Alexis might feel less springy than the latex models we tested because of the quilted cover on top; he said that the feel of the 1" wool/reflex foam layer differs significantly from sleeping directly on latex. I am trying to figure out how to weigh that into our sleep equation, specifically whether that would alleviate my husband’s concerns about sleeping on a trampoline while allowing us to choose something that typically sleeps cooler.
I think I’m convinced that there is not a bad choice - whether I start out with the Aloe Alexis (latex) or Aloe Adelle (hybrid), I am able to swap out latex for memory foam later, if we feel we need to change the feel of either of these mattresses. Still, I would prefer to get it right the first time, of course!
Yes … the quilting of a mattress can make a significant difference in the surface resilience, feel, and performance of a mattress. There is more about this in post #2 here and as you can see it can add resiliency to a memory foam mattress or reduce it for a latex mattress.
As you mentioned … it’s always great to get it right the first time but there’s also comfort in knowing that you can do a layer exchange as well if your choices don’t work out quite the way you planned.
I’m looking forward to hearing about what you end up choosing and of course your feedback when you sleep on it