First I want to thank you for the extensive information that is provided on this site. I’ve learned more about mattresses in the last few days than I ever thought I could.
I was researching a new mattress for my girlfriend and I. I was about to buy a Sealy, Serta or Simmons because that’s what is widely available and popular. After researching about the materials used by these manufacturers, I opted to go in the direction of a more independent manufacturer that uses quality materials.
We settled on the Zedbed brand, since it is local and they have a variety of models that suit our needs.
We are looking for a semi-firm mattress that provides excellent motion isolation.
After trying out several mattresses in store, we’ve narrowed it down to 2 different models but there is a considerable price difference between them.
Here are links to the spec sheets for each and wanted to know if you believe the more expensive one justifies the added $500 price tag.
In my experience, different models of mattress made by the same manufacturer and sold though the same retailer will have very similar “value” based on the cost of materials in the mattress (and absent any special incentive offered by the manufacturer). From that perspective they would have similar “value”.
This comparison and “relative value equality” however doesn’t take into account how the mattress feels and performs for your unique body type, sleeping positions, and preferences. They certainly have a different layering and would respond very differently from each other. Each may offer better or worse (for you) pressure relief, alignment, and other preferences (such as the ones that are listed in post #2 here) that you would notice and feel in your testing. For this part of your “value equation” you would need to ask yourself “are the differences I can feel in my testing worth the extra $500?”. These would include things like any differences in motion separation, sleeping “IN” or “ON” the mattress, ease of movement on the mattress (and how this may affect other activities that happen on a mattress) and the overall subjective “feel” of each mattress. Only you can answer this.
Finally there are the differences that you can’t feel such as the durability of the materials and how quickly the various components may soften or degrade over time, differences in cooling technologies and in how ventilating and temperature regulating each may be (which you may not feel or notice until you have slept on it over several nights). For these types of comparisons you would need to know some of the “specs” of the materials in the mattress so you could better “predict” these factors. For example latex in the layers under the gel foam (assuming it is good quality) would be more durable, more responsive (which you would feel) and more ventilating than memory foam. It would also be more expensive. Part of this type of comparison would require more details about some of the specifics of the foams used in each. For example … what is the density of the memory foam layers (5 lbs and higher would be more durable) and what is the density of the polyfoam in the support layers (they may be the same) and in the gel foam layers on the top. While both top layers use “gel crystals” in their foam and would be comparable in this way … I would want to know if they were the same density and I would also take into account that if the “crystals” are particulates added to the foam, they may lower the durability of the foam polymer matrix compared to unfilled foam even though they would add to the “filled density” of the foam.
Once you know the additional details of these layers (particularly the density of the memory foam under the top layer of gel foam) you will be in a better position to compare durability and the effect of any potential softening of the materials in the mattress. Any difference in the mattress ticking (cover) if any would also provide some cost/benefits difference in terms of cooling and ventilation. Natural vs synthetic comparisons may also be part of each person’s “value equation” which they are willing to pay more for (latex is a more natural material than polyfoam or memory foam). The good news is that all the materials are “safe” and the polyfoam and memory foam has been CertiPur certified.
So all of these together would be the basis for deciding which has more “value” to you. First would be the differences you could feel … next would be the differences you could predict but couldn’t feel in short term testing. None of these of course would give you a sense of the relative value of any ZedBed mattress compared to other mattresses with similar types of materials or performance but they would provide a good basis to make a meaningful comparison between these two models.
This is turning out to be the most complicated purchase I’ve ever made. The mattress industry appears to be intentionally confusing to consumers.
We tested both of the Zedbeds I mentioned above, in various sleep positions and for motion isolation. They both performed very similarly. I figured the one with the latex would be the best bet for durability.
Zedbed apparently uses high quality memory foam with a density of 5.35 lbs across their mattress line-up. And their latex is supposedly high quality as well. They fabricate their materials in house.
As far as the gel crystals are concerned, I’m awaiting a response from the manufacturer with more details.
Like the major brands though, they manufacture different mattresses for the different retailers that carry their products. I wonder if certain retailers would insist they use lower quality materials so that they increase their profit margin.
In any case, I will continue to conduct further research about the brand and also look into options offered by some factory direct outlets in my area.
Thanks again for you insight, Phoenix. You provide a wealth of information on your website and it’s much appreciated from a confused mattress shopper’s point of view.
