Memory Foam Mattress Confused! Help!
Nov 20, 2011 9:51 PM
Joined: Nov 20, 2011
Points: 1
My husband and I are currently looking into purchasing a memory foam mattress but have found ourselves very confused with all the choices out there. We currently have a pillow top mattress that has formed a dip in the middle making the bed very uncomfortable to sleep in at night.  I am a side sleeper so my arms have been falling asleep at night because the outside is higher then the inside of the bed so I am constantly rolling over on my shoulder and cutting the circulation off.

We have visited a variety of mattress stores and have found that we like the memory foam mattresses the best.  We would love to purchase a tempurpedic cloud but unfortunately we do not have the means to spend that much money on a mattress at this time.  So we have been looking into comparable brands and styles of memory foam mattresses but have found ourselves puzzled on which one to choose.  We have been looking at the 10 inch sleep innovations featured on amazon as well as the icomfort by Serta. We had the chance to lay on the icomfort this weekend at mattress firm and loved that it had a happy medium between being plush but yet still firm. 
 
I think where the confusion sets in is that we noticed that Sams club has a Serta by Sleep Innovations 10 inch gel memory foam mattress for a fraction of the cost at $499 in comparison to the icomfort at mattress firm running about $1299 - so we were wondering what the difference is between these two mattresses if there was one at all because if we can purchase pretty much the same mattress for the fraction of the cost then we would like to do so! 
 
The sleep innovations 10 inch memory foam mattress sold on amazon seems to also be pretty consistent in reviews - so we were confused which would be the better purchase and if this would be the same mattress as the one featured at Sams since it says its a serta by sleep innovations.  
 
I would greatly appreciate any feedback anyone can give us!  If anyone can recommend a better mattress comparable to the tempurpedic cloud we would love to know!
 
Thank you!!
Re: Memory Foam Mattress Confused! Help!
Reply #4 Nov 22, 2011 2:12 PM
Joined: Nov 19, 2011
Points: 76
Actually, I think this is a great question and will throw my 2 cents in:

I found a "Stearns and Foster" at Costco a couple of years ago and was excited to see the price so low in comparison to the Stearns found in Sleep Shops. I found out later that (and I don;t understand how this is actually done) Kirkland had purchased the rights to place the name on their product. In essence, this made the bed a "Stearns and Foster Signature Bed by Kirkland" None of the Stearns elements were actuallty in the bed... just the name on the outside. I found quite a few complaints about that particuilar bed later on (afterowners had owned them for about 15 months).

I will use this scenario as well, when you are looking for a name brand at a low price, Costco and Sam's Club can be great options. Theproblem is that the name brand is on something at either the lower end of the quality/expectation level or is just the name used to drive sales. I bought a watch from Sam's club years back that I really like from Gruen. I had heardsome good things about the brand, but when I took it into a jeweler for a new battery, theguy actually smirked and said something to the effect of "is this a knock-off watch?" before he even got the back off. when I inquired further he said there was something to do with the clasp that  let himknow it wasn't the same quality.

Tempurpedic is the only memory foam company that Iknow of that has been selling their product for longer than the stated warranty. Having said that, I am hearing a large number of iComfort beds are sold due to their exceptional pricing (when compared to Tempurpedic). I am a firm believer in the body's response to what it needs, so:

  • when testing a bed, there are 4 levels of comfort you need to find: immediate, long-term, psychological and financial.
  • Immediate - when you first lie down in your sleeping position, IS IT COMFORTABLE?
  • Long-term - it takes theaverage human back approx 12-15 minutes to recognize deep down support and subsequently release their "hold" on the spine. If it feels good at first... stay on it longer. Do you feel your muscles relaxing, melting, etc? If so, you are on the right track. Once yuo havefound your two "favorite" beds with immediate comfort... give those two the "long-term" test.
  • Psychological - If you have a fearof "heat" in a Tempurpedic or "pressure points" in a coil because of something you read or heard, you are already psychologically programmed to not be comfortable in that particular bed. Try to avoid the ones you "think" won't help you, but, if you can get your mind outof the game andlet your back do the deciding, you may find that one of your fears is the perfect bed for you! (i.e. people who fear latex are usually afraidof the reaction whenthey come into contact with the detergents or cleaning agents or "powder" that coats latex and can irritate skin. Most latex productsin a bed are at least 2 material layers away from skin and many times "dustless" eliminating the possibility of skin contact. there are even moreproducts with latex where a water washing process has been used to eliminate detergents and still remove the proteins thatnaturally occur in the rubber sap.)
  • Once you have found your 1st three areas of comfort, we must look at the reality of the financial. If the bed is too high priced for your budget, find out whatmight be given up to acquire a better price. For example, the Tempurpedic CloudLux is about $4000 in a queen set, the TempurCloud Bedis about $2000. Can you give up some of the softness and the thicker profile to still be comfortable in order to get the $2000 less price tag. The Tempur Cloud being $2000 and the iComfort Insight is about $1300 in a queen; can you still fully relax in the Insight with the same pressure point relief as the Cloud inorder to get the $700 less price?

This final step iswhere the difference between salespeople and comfort or sleep specialists are found. Price is not the motivator, comfort is and trying to find the most comfortable price AND feel is the dance you are looking for. Serious about finding it? Expect to spend anywhere from 45-90 minutes for the process. Take your favorite pillow too so youcan see if the almost 20% of your spine that never touches a bed will feel good on the new mattress... it is your back, your desire for a great night's sleep and your need to awaken refreshed and ready for the next day that should be driving this experience... don't be oversold (or undersold) if your back is asking for something else.

Sleep well 'jthomp24"!

Re: Memory Foam Mattress Confused! Help!
Reply #5 Oct 4, 2012 12:17 PM
Joined: Jan 24, 2012
Points: 70
Jt..  I really want to save you some grief later on.. there is a difference between the mattresses at Sam's & Costco.. just like being in a Hotel and you fall in love with that mattress and then buy that same one.. guess what.. NOT the same..  I personally after having some of the best memory foams out there and spending thousands of dollars to get a comfort level that felt good for a very short time higly recommend you either visit a friend that has one and spend a complete night in it.. or go to a Hotel that has them and get right in that bed for a couple of days.. I hated them.. it was a sink hole and never felt complete support for my back or hips.. not to mention moving around on them is a pain in the butt... If you are going to spend major dollars look at good latex or really good coil beds that have a decent padding but not too much on them and have superior coil count.. Never ever get swayed into a bed with a topper.. that's all you will buy is that topper as they congeal and then you have nothing.   I am back in a coil and am happier than my previous ones and spent a lot less $$$'s not listening to the hype from all there is to choose from today.. I wish I had listened to those that told me but I said they don't know what they are talking about and now I know so much more especially with the dent it put in my check book.. Hope you make some intelligent decisions and give youself the time to really look at those memory foams.. they are not what you think.. Good luck..
Re: Memory Foam Mattress Confused! Help!
Reply #6 Mar 24, 2013 10:14 AM
Joined: Mar 23, 2013
Points: 5
When you try out the display beds at some of th eoutlets and stores, you'll find that they are usually comfortable and when you receive your new mattress at hime it is not as comfortable.  That's because the ones on display are broke in and comfortable.  We bought a new memory foam mattress and it was very comfortable in the store but when we received ours at home it is the most miserable and pitiful excuse for a mattress we're ever slept on.  I don't know if it'll ever be comfortable!  
Re: Memory Foam Mattress Confused! Help!
Reply #7 Mar 25, 2013 3:06 PM
Joined: Sep 11, 2007
Points: 116
That's so funny (Or not).  I had the same thing happen when I bought a watch at Costco.  The battery guy new right away it was a cheaper version than what he normally gets from jewelry stores.  Makes me wonder what else I've gotten from Costco that is made with inferior parts.  I'll stick with food, tissue, drink, and asperin when it comes to Costco.

I also had the same experience with may memory foam mattress (Tempur. Allura).  It took quite awhile for it to condition.  Now it's hard to sleep on anything else.

Try walking on it.  It may be to firm if you have had it awhile and it has conditioned.  Some complain they soften too much over time.  I haven't had that experience.

Recent Posts