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Memory Foam Mattress.org Quick tip:
Always pay attention to the density and ILD of memory foam, as foam can
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Dr. Rick Swartzburg,D.C.
Author of
1backpain.com, bursitis.org, probiotic.org
and tendonitis.net
Be sure to take a look at our Memory Foam Reviews
Memory Foam Mattress Reviews and Links
Memory Foam Mattress.org is proud to offer
foam mattress reviews and links to help you make an informed decision when
buying a memory foam mattress. With the help of Dr. Rick Swartzburg, D.C.,
we have reviewed the material on the following mattresses and even tested some
of them personally. The result: A better understanding of what they
are really selling and whether they really offer what they claim. Keep in
mind that some of these companies may not give out important information like
ILD ratings, but you can and should inquire before making the purchase. If
you have any questions regarding any memory foam or other foam mattress types,
you can email
Dr. Swartzburg personally at
moreinfo@MemoryFoamMattress.org
If you have a memory foam mattress that you
would like to have linked to our site, we would be pleased to review your memory
foam product. Just click here to
read our policy on links and advertisements.
Personally Tested and Reviewed Foam Mattresses:
Tempur-pedic® - The original visco-elastic mattress company. They still offer their Original Bed, with three inches of 5.3lb. memory foam over a 5 inch base of high density and high resilient (HR) polyurethane and the Classic Bed, which adds another half inch of the softer 5.3lb. memory foam over the HR base. They offer a stretchable, thinner material cover for more of a memory foam feel. Dr. Swartzburg personally used the classic bed for a number of years, as well as testing all the various models Tempurpedic offers. He found the Classic and Original beds to be very supportive of the spine, but a little too firm for side sleeping at times, especially on cold nights when the memory foam was not warmed up enough to be soft. The other problem with the 5.3lb. density and 7.0lb. (Tempur-HD™) memory foam is that it is so temperature sensitive, when rolling over at night, the surface does not feel the same as the place your body was finally able to mold to. It actually takes quite a few minutes to get the area soft again, so he found that it would wake him out of sleep. Even so, he still believes that this mattress was far superior to any spring mattress that he has ever tried, as all good quality memory foam seems to allow a much higher degree of overall body contouring and therefore reduced pinpoint pressure on your joints. In many of their models, they talk about their Dual Air flow system™, but the convoluted foam they use on the base cannot transmit air to the surface of the bed, so this may be of little use as an airflow system. More specifically, it would seem from Tempur-Pedic's patent filing, that they are using this convoluted layer to offer an ideal spring characteristic in supporting the overlying memory foam layer. Overheating is still the number one complaint heard from Tempur-pedic® and memory foam mattress users, but new innovations in mattress cover technology and full airflow ventilation systems (see Kool-Flow and Tri-Pedic reviews below) offer solutions to this once problematic situation. They now divide their 12 models into three categories: The Tempur® collection, the Tempur®-HD collection and Tempur- Cloud™ collection, as described in these reviews:
The Tempur®-Contour Collection (Original Memory Foam Material): This collection uses the original 5.3lb. formulation of the Tempurpedic memory foam in both of their softer and more supportive versions. The softer Tempur® memory foam will reduce pressure points nicely, but will still have the problems with the hardening of the foam with cooler temperatures. The Orignialbed will be the firmest of the bunch and much better for back sleepers. The Tempur-Contour (new version of the previous Advantage Bed), BellaFina Bed and Tempur-Contour Select (new verison of the previous Classic Bed) offer about an inch of the softer Tempur memory foam on the surface, so they will be very similar in feel, with the Tempur-Contour bed being just a bit firmer and the BellaFina bed being softer due to the extra springy foam underneath the viscoelastic layers. These models will still be firm overall and work well for back sleepers or side sleepers that have narrower shoulders and do not seem to need as much softness. The Tempur-Contour Select will provide more softness, but not to the level of the Tempur-Contour Signature bed (the new version of the previous Deluxe Bed). The Tempur-Contour Signature offers more of the softer memory foam on the surface, as well as a double convoluted base, so you will sink in much more on these designs, making this a much better side sleeping mattresses (with the exception of the firmness that is created when the temperature drops and firms up mattress). As you sink further into these more plush designs, the back is less supported and the body is more enveloped. This can be a problem for some back pain sufferers and it will cause more heat to build up around the body, since there is no true outlet for airflow in the very dense surfaces of these products.
The Tempur-HD Collection (Higher Density, More Temperature Sensitive Memory Foam): Some of the other Tempur-Pedic models they offer include the extremely pricy Grand Bed, which offers their new HD memory foam. While they do not state what HD stands for, it should simply stand for higher density, since this newer foam they introduced has an approximate density of 7lb. The Grand bed is the most unique bed they offer, as it has multiple layers and multiple densities of foam. Specifically, it uses the most 7lb. HD memory foam of all the models they offer. According to Dr. Swartzburg, the bed has a very contouring, yet more buoyant and supportive feel than the other models. However, don't get too excited by it, unless you have an extra few thousand dollars to spend over the other designs. Also, it should be noted that the higher the density foam, the more viscous and temperature sensitive that foam will usually become (meaning more warm up time may be needed in cooler temperatures). Out of the Allura Bed and the Rhapsody Bed, the most popular Tempur-HD mattress is the Rhapsody bed. The Tempurpedic Rhapsody uses a very similar layering system as the Deluxe bed, but in this case, the top surface 5lb. layer is replaced for the first inch with the newer 7lb. memory foam. This will be a bit firmer from the get go and respond even more to temperature changes than the Deluxe bed, but also be a bit more supportive overall. The Allura bed has more of the supportive Tempur-HD memory foam on the surface, but it uses the same, almost 5 inches of combined memory foam as the Celebrity bed (see below), so you sink in almost as much, but it is still firmer and more temperature sensitive overall.
The Tempur-Cloud Collection (Softer Designs, Less Temperature Sensitive and More Reactive Memory Foam): In 2003 we reported that Selectabed.com came out with the Tri-Pedic (see the review below), the first 3-layer memory foam mattress to use a 4lb., less temperature sensitive memory foam surface, over a 5lb., more temperature sensitive surface. This combines to give a less temperature and more pressure responsive memory foam mattress. Seven years later, Tempur-pedic came out with their version called the Tempur-Cloud™, Tempur-Cloud™ Supreme and Tempur-Cloud™ Luxe. The regular Tempurpedic Cloud has a combined memory foam total of approximately 3 inches, with both densities split almost evenly, as compared to the more plush Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme mattress, which has the 2 inches of 4lb. density memory foam over 2 inches of the firmer 5lb. memory foam. The most recent addition, the Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe mattress, offers the softest and most pillow-top like feel in the collection with 2.75 inches of the 4lb. memory foam over 2 inches of the firmer 5lb. memory foam. The Cloud Luxe has rapidly become the most popular feel by prospective customers that test the various Tempur-pedic models while shopping at their local mattress retailer. However, according to Dr. Swartzburg, the Cloud Luxe is lacking a bit on the support seen with some of the other, more firm Tempurpedic models, so he advises consumers to be cautious in choosing the most soft mattress based on feel alone, as this may lead to a loss of spinal support for those that would not fair as well with sinking in so much, even though the Cloud-Luxe still offers a better contouring support than a soft pillow-top mattress would. Whichever Cloud model you choose, it should be noted that the Cloud collection will be less temperature sensitive on the surface, so they will be softer from the get go and more responsive, but firmer when you hit the more dense memory foam underneath. Therefore, the Cloud, Cloud Supreme and Cloud Luxe mattresses will respond quicker to your body, while retaining a firmer feel underneath for support. Since Dr. Swartzburg had a hand in helping to design the Tri-Pedic, he was proud to see the largest memory foam distributor take to the idea and happy to see that a wider audience can enjoy this design. While the the Tempur-Cloud™, Tempur-Cloud™ supreme, and Tempur-Cloud™ Luxe do feel similar to the Tri-Pedic Gold, Platinum and Diamond mattresses, there is a very slight bit of more firmness with the Tri-Pedic series that was added to retain more support. The fact that the top layers of all three Cloud mattresses are very soft, also means that they will allow the body to be more enveloped and retain more heat. Therefore, the patented airflow transfer system optional to the Tri-Pedic (as discussed in the Tri-Pedic and KoolFlow mattresses below) would be a feature that the Tempur-Cloud mattresses would greatly benefit from.
Tempur-Pedic has recently discontinued the BellaSonna Bed and Celebrity Bed. While the Celebrity Bed was one of the most popular in their series for a time, they must have realized that the 5 inches of firmer and more temperature sensitive memory foam caused quite a bit of sinking in, but it was not as surface soft in comparison to their new Tempur-Cloud series, making this a less popular choice. With the BellaSonna, they attempted to be innovative and produce a hybrid model, but their use of the latex barrel system, while unique, were too flimsy and just did not become as popular of a choice as some of their other models. Also, it was unknown where they are getting their latex foam, so it may have been coming from China and not as high quality as what what they are known for. However, Tempur-Pedic does only manufacture their memory foam in high quality facilities in both the U.S. and Sweden.
Tempur-Pedic now offers their own adjustable bed called the Advanced Ergo System. Adjustable bases will work with all normally flexible memory foam mattresses. It has many of the same features available from other competitors, but it is backed by Tempur-Pedic's full one-year and limited 19-year warranty plan. For their mattresses, Tempur-Pedic offers a 20-year limited warranty with the first 10 years non-prorated and the 2nd 10 years prorated. They also offer a 3-month sleep trial on all purchases. Tempur-Pedic mattresses are always sent in a large size box that is the size of the mattress to prevent damaging the high quality HR foam used for proper stability, durability and support.
SelectaBed ® - The original Tri-pedicÒ memory foam mattress offers a variation on the traditional memory foam mattress, in that it has three different layers, with two different densities of memory foam. The memory foam structure is designed to avoid the problem that occurs when 5lb. memory foam hardens up on colder nights, due to its extreme temperature sensitivity. It uses a top-layer of the special 4lb. 10-ILD memory foam layer over a middle layer of the traditional 5lb. 16-ILD memory foam layer. This avoids the problem of rolling on to a surface that is too temperature sensitive, as 4lb. memory foam is more pressure sensitive. Even though the 4lb. memory foam that is made in the USA is a very high quality, it is still not supportive enough to be the only memory foam layer in a mattress. Therefore, the Tri-pedic uses the 5lb. memory foam underneath the 4lb. for support. The bottom layer is composed of a HR (high resilient) and high density polyurethane for support and stability. Like Tempur-Pedic, the quality HR foam used in the Tri-Pedic mattress offers a higher level of stability, durability and support and consequently, prevents the mattress from being able to ship in a cheaper, small box freight, through shippers like UPS, as this would damage the foam. The Tri-Pedic was the first three-layer, multiple density memory foam mattress and was recently selected by the U.S. State Department to be used in all the embassies around the world. A recent addition to the Tri-Pedic is the optional add on feature called the Airflow Transfer System™. This patented technology, also used on the KoolFlow mattress as discussed below, is best used for those who run hot when they sleep, like a cooler bed environment or even have specific conditions that require them to avoid overheating when they sleep. The patented Airflow Transfer System™ allows the cooler air to flow in two directions, even when you are sleeping in the same position throughout the night. Cooler air will enter through the many small holes that go down through the surface of the memory foam and out through the convoluted channels on the firmer base foam. It also works in reverse, as air can enter through the sides and up through the surface holes. By combining the communicating holes and channels, the airflow transfer system fills the missing void found with memory foam mattresses that either have ventilation on the surface that cannot escape out the mattress, or mattresses that have airflow in the middle layer, but no way of ventilating that airflow up to the surface of the mattress (see the Tempur-Pedic® review above). The Tri-Pedic mattress line now features three different models, the Gold, Platinum and Diamond. The Tri-Pedic Platinum™ is based on the original design, with 2 inches of the softer 4lb. on the surface, over 2 inches of the firmer 5lb. memory foam underneath. This makes the Tri-Pedic Platinum™ a plush mattress that is best for all position sleeping, since more softness will work better for side sleepers, but it still retains enough spinal support for back sleepers as well. The Tri-Pedic Gold™ uses one inch less of the softer 4lb. memory foam, making it a bit firmer and more for back sleepers or those that do better with a medium-firm mattress. As the most luxurious and softest Tri-Pedic, the Tri-Pedic Diamond™ works best for side sleepers and those who want a much more plush feel, while still retaining the signature support that has made the Tri-Pedic so popular over the years. The Tri-Pedic Diamond model uses 3 inches of the 4lb.on the surface over 2 inches of the 5lb., followed by a 6 inch HR base, for a total of 11 inches.
The Soft-pedic™ mattress offers a variation of the Tri-pedic® in that it has the same first 2-layer composition, but also contains zoned latex foam underneath to add more softness, without allowing the hips and low back to sink in further and, thereby, avoiding any hammock like effect of the body and spine. Dr. Swartzburg, who advised, helped design and tested these mattresses for the company believes that the Soft-Pedic mattress is the best side sleeper mattress available, as it has the highest degree of body contouring, with just enough spring to lend extra body support. While the Soft-Pedic gives a softness that has a feel that is somewhere between the Cloud-Supreme™ and Cloud-Luxe™ mattress by Tempur-pedic, its re-enforced middle zone gives it the advantage in low back support. He believes that the Tri-pedic mattress models have the most consistent and plush, pure memory foam mattress feel and also supports the spine better than the traditional memory foam mattresses do, although three Tempur-Cloud models do have a very similar feel to the corresponding three Tri-Pedic models. These mattresses are priced much less than Tempur-pedic® mattresses, but the optional patented Airflow Transfer System™ will be an additional and worthwhile cost for those that tend to overheat during sleep.
Other mattresses SelectaBed have created include a specialty one for Arthritis and Fibromyalgia sufferers called the Fibro-Pedic™. A recent winner of the best mattress for Fibro-Pedic, as rated by ViewPoints, a leading consumer product review and discussion site. This mattress offers a softer surface feel to reduce pressure points on tender muscles and joints, but also uses a zoned latex support layer that is similar to the Soft-Pedic, to provide proper spinal support underneath. For those on a low budget, be sure to inquire about their more generic Memory Zone™ 4lb. or 5lb. , 2 inch memory foam over 2 inch high density Polyflex™, a more supple and springy high density polyurethane foam. With the ability to choose the firmer 5lb. surface foam or the softer 4lb. surface memory foam, this mattress offers a cost-savings over the other Selectabed models, but still retains enough of the quality and feel one would come to expect from a good memory foam mattress to make it a worthwhile value. The Memory Zone™ replaces the long standing Selectabed2000 and 5000 models.
One very unique feature that Selectabed offers, is the ability to customize different configurations and shapes to fit the needs of the buyer. For this reason they ask more detailed information before their final mattress recommendation, as they may offer to substitute something a higher density or increased ILD (firmness) in a case where extra support and longevity is needed to compensate for increased user weight. Selectabed.com offers a 4-month sleep trial and 30-year limited warranty, with the first 10 year non-pro-rated and the second 20-years prorated. Selectabed.com has been certified for using 100%, U.S.A. manufactured memory foam and as a 100% U.S.A. manufactured product.
Serta iComfort - The iComfort® sleep systems by Serta® marks this sleep industry giant's big push to gain traction in the memory foam mattress arena. The iComfort uses insightful marketing to address areas of memory foam concern, such as heat build up and durability. Unfortunately, the mattress technology has not caught up with the hype. There are four models in the iComfort sleep line and they all utilize one layer of a MicroSupport™ gel that infuses tiny gel beads in memory foam with the thought that it will provide a cooler experience, along with more support to the body. However, this is where insightful marketing and real life experience can differ. When Dr. Swartzburg felt the foam, it did not have the high quality memory foam feel like what would be found on the heavier density, more true to form memory foam products. It seems as though Serta may have also realized that this is the case, as they put a more dense memory foam layer above the gel beaded memory foam layer in their top 3 models and only 1 model out the 5 models uses the beaded gel memory foam layer on the surface. This would have been a concern with regards to the cooling effect proposed by Serta, since a layer of memory foam is a more dense foam, however, it is not likely that that much cooling temperatures would come from tiny gel beads that have not been chilled to begin with. In fact, it should be noted that gel has conductive properties that will actually cause it to heat up more than other types of materials when exposed to a heat source like the body. With that said, Serta has managed to put together what Dr. Swartzburg believed to be overall nice feeling and fairly good quality mattresses. However, he also feels that they are not in the same category as Tempur-Pedic and the other high density, traditional feeling memory foam designs and wouldn't be expected to offer a much cooler sleep, contrary to the marketing campaign (if heat is a concern with memory foam, see the Tri-Pedic and KoolFlow mattress reviews to learn more about the patented Airflow Transfer System). Additionally, the iComfort series uses an edge support that is unnecessary with mattresses that have firmer and more resilient core layers like the Tempur-Pedic and other comparable mattresses, as the more resilient cores will not create an edge weakness. It should also be noted that the mattress edges are always what holds up the best over time and that added edge supports can deform over time and cause more problems than they were intended to prevent.
The five models of the iComfort mattress series in order of least to most expensive are the iComfort Insight Mattress, the iComfort Genius Mattress, the iComfort Revolution Mattress, the iComfort Prodigy Mattress and the iComfort Renewal Refined. The iComfort Insight mattress is a medium-firm mattress that uses 2 3/4 inches of gel beaded memory foam as a comfort layer for the surface and has 9 inches of overall mattress thickness. The iComfort Genius is a firmer feeling mattress that uses 2 3/4 inches of the gel beaded memory foam as a comfort layer, but they place it under a Serta® foam polyurethane comfort layer, to firm up the surface for this 11 inch thick mattress (when including the more generic high density foam core). In the iComfort Revolution, Serta created a plush feeling model by opting for a more immediate memory foam feel by placing 2 inches of a more traditional feeling memory foam over 1 inch of a the Serta® polyurethane foam comfort layer, over 2 3/4 of the gel beaded memory foam in this 12 inch thick mattress. The iComfort Prodigy gives more layers to create a model that is thicker, but a bit firmer on the surface than the Revolution. The Prodigy offers 1 inch of a slower reacting latex over 2 inches of the more traditional feeling memory foam, over 1 inch of a polyurethane comfort layer, over 2 3/4 inches of the beaded memory foam in this 13 inch thick mattress. In their newest model, the iComfort Renewal Refined, their top-of-the-line iComfort model uses 2 inches of the traditional feeling memory foam, over 2 3/4 of the beaded memory foam, over 1 1/2 inches of a gel beaded faster reacting polyurethane foam, followed by a final 1 inch of a more supportive polyurethane foam in this 13 inch thick mattress. In the iComfort Renewal Refined, it would seem that Serta has attempted to create their answer to the very popular Tempur-Pedic® Cloud-Luxe (nothing like a little friendly competition). While the gel beaded foam will not offer the same feel as the Tempur-Pedic or other premium brand, higher density memory foam, it will offer a more soft and luxurious feeling than the previous 5 models. Serta does not list the density of the its memory foam, nor does it list where the foam is made. Serta also offers a lower profile adjustable bed that will readily accommodate any of the iComfort mattresses.
Reviewed Only Foam Mattresses and Mattress Pads:
GoMattress - The Sleep Fit memory foam mattress offers three inches of 4lb. memory foam with a 1.5 inch quilting, over an eight inch base. The quilted cover will take away some of the memory foam contouring, but some buyers may be happy to find a memory foam mattress with more of a traditional look and feel. Go mattress offers a 20-year limited warranty and a 30-day trial period. For their standard memory foam mattress, Go Mattress uses a lower quality imported foam from China, but they do use 100% U.S.A. produced foam for their Sleep Fit quilted memory foam mattress. Therefore, their Sleep Fit memory foam mattress has been certified as a 100% U.S.A. manufactured product.
Abed - Since our last review, Abed has become Dormia Direct and they have recently changed their specs. for all of their models. In addition they are currently undergoing some restructuring changes due to a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy they filed recently. Therefore, we will need to review all of this further before we can give the proper guidance about these new designs.
Back be Nimble - Offers the Nimblepedic™, a 3 5/8 inch 5.3lb. density memory foam mattress with a slightly lower ILD than Tempur-Pedic and a bit less on the mattress cost. The base is a high resilient 32ILD foam with edge support. As mentioned previously, we do not feel that edge support is necessary in a well built memory foam mattress. Back be Nimble offers a 60-day trial period and a 20-year limited warranty.
A.H. Beard - As one of the largest bed manufacturers in Australia, they produce the KoolFlow® mattress. The KoolFlow uses the latest innovation in memory foam mattresses designed to dissipate heat through a new, patented airflow transfer system technology, as discussed extensively in the Tri-Pedic review above. This mattress is manufactured by A.H. Beard, the oldest family owned mattress maker in Australia.
Since the last update, we have discovered that there is a mattress that has arrived on the scene and is using the same phonetically sounding name as Kool-Flow, but spelled Cool Flow and is being offered from WalMart.com. The two mattresses are very different, with the one from Wal-Mart being of a lower density foam imported from China. From what we now know, this same mattress is also being offered under the name Sarah Peyton Cool Sensations from companies like Amazon and Overstock. Both the Cool Flow mattress and the Cool Sensations are manufactured with a lower density memory foam and are imported from China.
Essentia Direct - This new mattress company advertises their mattress as the only natural memory foam mattress, but this is a misnomer, as it is not based on the original NASA derived formulation and it is really just a latex mattress that does have a slower recovery time than the usual bouncy latex designs. This is an important distinction for customers looking for a true memory foam experience and also important to note for those who suffer with latex allergies, as this particular latex is not the composite type that have been so popular because of its hypo-allergenic nature. They currently have seven models listed on their site ranging from their basic model called the Pure, starting at $1,299 to there top-of-the-line model called the Unity, starting at $4,437. All of their mattresses and latex foam are reportedly made in Canada.
The Futon Shop - Green washing is getting popular these days, so it is worth mentioning that in the case of the Futon Shop's Natural, Organic Soy mattress, there is no such thing! It is true that a very small percentage of soy has been added to certain memory foams, but this amounts to less than 10% and even that amount currently distorts the memory foam feel. We hope in the future that this may become a reality, but for the present time, it is not and want the consumers to be aware of the real truth behind this new trend. With that said, the mattress they offer is a coil/fiber filled/memory foam combination. It does have an organic cotton cover. As mentioned, the memory foam has very little soy, but it may be a better Futon alternative than the usual Futon mattress compositions. However, keep in mind that any well layered memory foam mattress with a firm enough base can be placed on a Futon.
Costco - While not a mattress manufacturer, they are constantly featuring memory foam mattress and toppers that are made exclusively for them. If you are in the market to buy something with memory foam in it and don't want to spend much, Costco has just that. They offer 10 and 12 inch Novaform™ and Sleep Science™ mattresses, but the 3 inch memory foam layer in both are lower in density and the feel is more spongy. Overall, don't expect a high quality, but at least it is priced accordingly.
More models and manufacturers are continuously being evaluated. Stay tuned for more reviews in the near future.
Beware of Cheap imitations!
Unfortunately, not all foam is created equal. Many companies will put together the mattress in the U.S., but buy the foam overseas to save money. With overseas foam, we cannot be sure of the quality or the composition, so we are very wary of recommending mattresses that use memory foam not produced in the United States, with the exception of Tempur-Pedic, who has the only high quality Swedish manufacturing facility we know of. The rest of the overseas foam makers produce memory foam that seems to flatten out with compression, even though it may feel comfortable upon the first feel. Therefore, the memory foam made overseas may not last as long, be as safe to sleep on, and offer enough support. Unfortunately, many companies state their beds are made in the U.S. because the mattress is put together in the U.S., even though they do not use U.S. produced foam. For a list of companies that have produced documentation verifying that their mattresses are 100% produced in the U.S., click here.