My own search for memory foam
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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
|
Re: My own search for memory foam
|
haysdb: Thank you so much for sharing all the research you have done! After reading your reviews and countless others, I am convinced the Isoform is for me. I need a king sized configuration, and have decided on the 4 inch foam. However, I am concerned about the weight of the king sized mattress. I plan to turn and flip the mattress, and I know I couldn't do that by myself. I couldn't find on the Isoform site just how much the mattress will weigh, but I know it will be a lot. If I get two x-long twin mattresses, do you think the memoroy foam would wear in the middle? My husband and I are both on the heavy side, (hopefully not for long, but for now.....) and I am afraid that if we sleep in the middle, the edges might tear or stretch. I have just bought a pine wood platform bed frame from the room doctor, and have two x-long twin foam mattresses (6 1/2 inches) made by innerspace on the frame. I like the innerspace foam, but it is just a little too firm. I think the memory foam would add just the right amount of comfort for us. I would appreciate any input you could give me. Thanks! |
Re: My own search for memory foam
|
It'll weigh right at 70 lbs: (76"x80"x4")/1728in^3/ft^3 x 5lbs/ft^3 = 70.37lbs |
Re: My own search for memory foam
| Thanks, donw. For some reason, I thought it would be heavier. That is still a lot for one person to maneuver, though. I think I would prefer to have it split in two pieces, but my husband thinks it would be more comfortable to have a solid piece. My first thought was to buy the king size, then if it was too heavy we could cut it, but after reading the warranty,cutting the foam would make it void. |
Re: My own search for memory foam
|
How about two king size 2" toppers? That gives you a bit of flexibility, say for example you don't care for 4" of memory foam. |
Re: My own search for memory foam
| That is a great idea! I had gone back and forth so much between the 3 and 4 inch that I never considered that. Do you think it would feel the same being stacked as it would in one solid piece? I guess that would be my only concern. I do appreciate your help. |
Re: My own search for memory foam
|
I do think it would feel the same. Or rather let me state it this way: you will never know by laying on the mattress that the layers under you are two 2" pieces or a single 4" thick piece. Unless of course you are are true princess! :-) One caveat: If you were to find that 4" was just a bit too much, and wanted to try 3", be aware that virtually no one offers 1" layers of memory foam. However, latex is available in 1" layers from Foam By Mail. [ If you are not familiar with the story of The Princess and the Pea, it's available online and very short, and puts much of what we do in a clearer perspective. :-) ] |
Re: My own search for memory foam
|
I am very familiar with the Princess and the Pea. Unfortunately, I don't have Princess status--I just have a bad left sacroiliac joint. : ) This has been such an ordeal. I thought I had it figured out three years ago. I had a setup with three slabs of Resilitex, but they quit supporting about 6 months ago. I have even tried them over the innerspace foam in various configurations and none of them work. I think I'm going to order just one 2" king from Isoform. It might do the trick by itself. If not, I can double it over and see how that feels. I can order another 2" if I need it, and if it is too much, order the latex like you suggested. This seems to be the most practical solution. I would never have thought to do that, though. Thanks for figuring it out for me! |
Re: My own search for memory foam
| I thought I'd post my impressions of FBM "pink" foam here. It definitely is VERY soft. It conforms well to your body and does offer support. I'd hate to have 3" of this topper, though, as I believe it would swallow me. Also, when you sink in, it tends to sleep hot. It is some what temperature sensitive, too. When temps approach 70 deg or so, it is noticeably more firm than when it is warmer. But when laying on it with merely a mattress cover and fitted sheet between me and it, it makes no difference. My body heat warms it up and the softness returns quickly. I do not think this foam would RELIABLY soften another too-firm topper if the FMB "pink" were placed under the firm one, because it would be insulated against your body heat. When the room gets around 70 degrees, it could potentially FIRM up the upper topper. I have my doubts about most memory foams used this way. In the MyComport store, I tried their Gel-over-memo foam bed, and it was the most firm bed they had. Maybe if the store were warmer, that would be different - but that isn't good. |
Re: My own search for memory foam
|
comfortseeker wrote: This has been such an ordeal. I thought I had it figured out three years ago. I had a setup with three slabs of Resilitex, but they quit supporting about 6 months ago. I had a similar experience with Resilitex. I'm sure that is why Foamex pulled it off the market. They were way off on their marketing for that foam! |
Re: My own search for memory foam
|
donw wrote: In the MyComport store, I tried their Gel-over-memo foam bed, and it was the most firm bed they had. Maybe if the store were warmer, that would be different - but that isn't good. Oy vey. MyComfort use Sensus foam, which is what I was preparing to order. My Intelligel is over two 1" layers of latex, supposedly 20 and 32, and I need to soften it up. Sensus is not reported to be particularly firm. Foamex calls it an ILD 13. I don't think a warmer store would make much difference as Sensus is not particularly temperature sensitive. I know why it's hard to soften up the Intelli-Gel. Anything under it starts 3.25" away for a start, and then between the Intelli-Gel and the 1" foam layer (that gives the Intelli-Gel two of its three dimensions), forces are going to be widely distributed by the time they get to the memory foam. For sure it needs to be a memory foam that's not firm in the absence of body heat. Now I'm back to pondering 2" of the softest latex I can find instead. That would be SleepWarehouse, who say their soft is 16-18 ILD. I might order one of each (soft latex and Sensus memory foam) since SleepWarehouse offers a 90 day return policy on toppers. It sounds like I might even end up using both of them and removing one of my ILD 40 support layers. I could consider 4# memory foam, but I REALLY would hate to do that. Foamex Aerus maybe. I didn't ask for a sample of that from SleepWarehouse so I don't know anything more than I've read, which really isn't much. What are the softest memory foams? Based on the data I have accumulated, no 5# foam has a lower ILD than Sensus. I hate to do it, but maybe I should consider a 4# foam such as Foamex Aeurus. I have a couple of 4# foams in my "database" with an ILD of 10, but I don't know where to buy them. They are Flexible Foam Products AdaptaFlex and North Carolina Foam Industries Vx. AbsoluteComfortOnSale carries the widest variety of memory foams I have seen anywhere online (and it's not even close). They might be worth a call for a recommendation. |