My own search for memory foam
Nov 14, 2007 3:46 AM
Foam Nerd
Location: USA
Joined: Aug 30, 2007
Points: 605
I have written much about memory foam, but I have not yet decided what to buy for myself. Each of five foams has its pros and cons. I'm buying a 2" topper to put under my Intelli-Gel overlay.

  • Foamex Venus
This is the memory foam I would buy if money were no object. It has a remarkably fine and consistent cell structure and yet is very "breathable." It's tough - I have tortured my sample and there isn't a mark on it. It has a very "liquid" feel to it but recovers fairly quickly. It's not very temperature sensitive. Even after a night in the freezer, it remains flexible. This stuff has it all. Unfortunately the 2" Cal King I want costs $600 and it's a custom order.

  • Foamex Sensus
This is the best known brand of memory foam next only to Tempur. It's made with Foamex' exclusive Variable Pressure Forming process. Pretty much everything I said about Venus applies except that Sensus is not as permeable as Venus, and at a 5# density doesn't have the luxurious feel that Venus does.

This is the memory foam I should get, it's just that I keep comparing it to Venus. SleepWarehouse offers a 90-day comfort guarantee on Sensus.

  • Sleep-Aid "Dream"
I haven't talked a lot about this, not recently anyway. This foam is made for Sleep Aid by Foamex using their patented VPF process. But it's not an existing Foamex product relabeled but a unique product. It has a very fast recovery time. It's not temperature sensitive. It comes with something Sleep-Aid calls "Heat Reduction Channels", which are groves laser cut into the surface, ostensibly to make it sleep cooler. I have no opinion on whether it works or not because I just don't know. It's referred to as a 5# foam, but it's more like a 4.5# foam.

I have personally dismissed this foam because I don't need and really don't WANT the heat reduction channels, and this extra fabrication step makes this foam a bit pricey.

  • Foam By Mail "Pink"
This is a good "budget" memory foam. For the price of some cheesy garbage from a department store, this is real memory foam. It feels like a 5# foam to me, but someone here who bought a topper calculated his as 4.5 lb or a bit less iirc. I call it a "poor man's Sensus." Think of it as Sensus made with a conventional process rather than in one of Foamex $12M VPF machines. It's a small step-down in quality from Sensus but a good value at about 2/3 the price. I don't know for a fact who makes this foam, but my strong suspicion is Premier Foam, which is owned by Foamex. This would explain its pink color which is a Foamex trademark.

I like this memory foam but I like Sensus better, and for the same money I like Isoform better, plus I'm ready to give someone else my business. FoamByMail has been "OK" to deal with but they have still not credited my account for 2" of latex I returned last week (and I know they got it because they called me to ask which of two orders I returned.)

  • Isoform
This is the foam that's tempting me. It's priced right and it has a great "feel". It's midway between the "fast" foams and the "slow" foams. It's a legitimate 5# density foam with a very "liquid" feel to it, surpassed only by Foamex Venus. My own reservation has to do with its temperature sensitivity. It gets very firm when cold. This foam more than any other makes me wish ILD's were taken at varying temperatures so I could know just how much firmer it would be at 64 degrees than at 72.

I'm being pulled in two directions with this foam. I love the price, and the foam, but they do not accept returns. If I like it, it's a great value, but if I don't, I'm stuck with it. The other FUD factor is that because it's made with a conventional manufacturing process, by a small company, I'm just not sure how consistent it will be from batch to batch. If I knew a topper would have the same physical characteristics as the two samples I have, I would be more confident, but I just feel like I'm rolling the dice when what I want is something I can "take to the bank."


I need to call Isoform and see if I can talk to someone "in the know." Perhaps they can alleviate my concerns. OTOH, for an additional $80 I can buy something I don't have any reservations about, and carries a money-back guarantee...just in case.
This message was modified Nov 14, 2007 by haysdb

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