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Hi everyone - I posted a question about this in the previous topic about toppers, but I thought it might get buried there. So I thought I'd start a new one since I'm specificaly interested in whether anyone has experience with Oodles products. For a variety of reasons, i need a new mattress topper. I was thinking of getting the 2" latex topper from Overstock.com to see how it worked. But while searching tonight, I ran across these "Oodles" products. (Actually they appear to use the infinity symbol ( I've tested and LOVED shredded latex pillows for the loft and "down alternative" feel. Apparently Oodles makes pillows AND toppers using latex pellets they call 'springs,' and some kind of natural corn fiber???. (I worry about allergies with the corn fibers... I wonder if there is any info on that anywhere...) I was curious if anyone had tried them. I hadn't seen any mention of them, and in fact when I searched the forum - nothing came up. Maybe they're really new? Anyway - Costco has the pillows for around $30.00. And I found a 2" topper online (Sportsmanguide.com ?!?) for around $107 for a King size. It's obviously more expensive than a Cuddlebed, but about $75 less than, say, an ECO topper at Overstock. If anyone has experience with this, I'd love to hear. This message was modified Oct 13, 2009 by SKeeter
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) instead of 'O's in the product name).
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Well, this is disappointing, but I'm still waking up with little twinges of back pain that I think are from the Oodles topper. (I don't usually have back pain unless I've been doing hard physical labor or, uh, it's a certain time of the month.) This morning, the twinges are in the middle of my back, or middle-upper part, rather than the lower back. Maybe I'll try a different pillow again tonight. Or put my light fiber-bed back on the bed but try it over the Oodles rather than under it. Hmmmm..... I said before that the topper is baffled (aren't we all...  ...oh, wait, different kind of baffled....) and that those baffles are definitely needed. I might be changing my mind about that. Maybe the baffle squares are too big and/or the baffle seams are in the wrong place (i.e., right where I'm lying). I seem to be cratering there. I find myself shifting my body left or right so I'm over the poofy part of the topper again instead of sinking down into the seamed area. I don't feel the seams or anything like that -- the topper is under my mattress pad -- it's that the topper is starting to bottom out along those seams. So I'm losing both softness and support. When I'm lying on the poofy part, the topper generally feels both soft & supportive. I'm going to keep experimenting for a while. And if I don't find a setup combo that works (topper, w/ or w/o fiber-bed, over or under fiber-bed, and using various pillows), then rather than return the Oodles topper, I might try doing "topper surgery." I think the idea behind this product is great; not so sure about the execution. The topper depth (at the edge) is 1.75". I wonder if the topper would work better in a shallower depth (maybe an inch), so the latex noodles couldn't spread out quite so much and therefore the topper might not bottom out so much. I wouldn't have the foggiest idea how to create a baffled cover, but I wonder if just taking the Oodles noodles out of the original cotton cover and pouring them into, say, a 1" deep cotton or terry-cloth topper cover, from SleepLikeaBear or some other place, would work. So I'd have the same amount of topper innards, but enclosed in a shallower cover. I'm thinking this might still produce some of that conforming-to-your-shape effect that I'm after, but maybe to a lesser degree and without the bottoming out. Is that making any sense? -Catherine (Am I using "baffle" right? If not, someone please tell me....) |
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Hi all - Thanks, Catherine, for your continued narrative of your trials & experimentation with the Oodles topper. I wonder how it will be with a fiber bed over the top... My concern after hearing your report is that the innards seem to shift like badly constructed down comforters - producing empty areas and poofy spots. Usually if the baffles aren't right in that kind of bedding the dispersion of the fill is too subject to gravity, displacement, etc. I wonder if the fiber bed over the top will fix that or just dampen your experience of it... Hmmmmmm.... I did try the Oodles pillow! Unfortunately I didn't like it. ... sigh... I'm a side sleeper and I like some good loft & support. But this was a little too overstuffed. Plus the fill felt lumpy! I could feel the clumps inside and NOT in a good way. It felt like an older clumpy polyfill pilow from day one. So I am going to return it. I do wonder if that bodes ill for the topper - Catherine does it feel lumpy? I DO *mostly* like my Natures Loft pillow though...I got the High Profile Plush for side & back sleepers. I wish it was about 1" loftier - I wonder if I can find a "topper" for it? (Oh god...here we go). Maybe a 1/2" wool padded cover (for a total of 1" when you factor in both sides). Anyone know of such a thing??? I will do some research. It would be worth it since the density, plushness, etc of the latex core is just right. I *should* like it - it cost nearly $70 after shipping (from Costco). But I bet if I get the height right, it's the kind of pillow that will last me a looooooong time. Do you guys ever get the feeling that we are quite a funny group of super-picky bedding connoisseurs? It is amazing how much of a difference a little variance in ILD or thickness of material can make! How does ANYONE sleep out in the world? It must be a sensitivity that only some of us have becuase I know so many people who don't think twice about their bed and can sleep on basically anything... Oh well. I guess we are just *special.* SK This message was modified Oct 2, 2009 by SKeeter
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SKeeter wrote: My concern after hearing your report is that the innards seem to shift like badly constructed down comforters - producing empty areas and poofy spots. Usually if the baffles aren't right in that kind of bedding the dispersion of the fill is too subject to gravity, displacement, etc. That does seem to be a problem with this topper -- which is too bad, because the idea behind it is good, and the poofy areas really are comfy. It doesn't feel lumpy at all. It just has poofy, comfy areas, and low, smooshed areas. If it's gonna be constructed with baffles, it needs more, smaller baffles, I guess. (Which my fiber bed does have.) I wonder if the fiber bed over the top will fix that or just dampen your experience of it... Hmmmmmm.... That's what I'm wondering too. But I might wait one more night to try it, because I'm tired and don't wanna tear the bed apart and remake it tonight. So maybe tomorrow. If I do experiment, I'll report back. Too bad you didn't like the Oodles pillow. Lumpy, huh? Makes you wonder if the people who make the product ever actually tried it out... Glad to know you (mostly) like your Natures Loft pillow. Until recently, I didn't know there were so many kinds of pillows. Or so many kinds of mattresses and toppers, for that matter. (Cue the Disney song, "It's a Whole New World." Hee.)  Do you guys ever get the feeling that we are quite a funny group of super-picky bedding connoisseurs? ...Oh well. I guess we are just *special.* Uh... yeah... that's it.  -Catherine Edited to add: Now I'm wondering if I could add some baffles with some hand-sewing. Hmmm.... Oh well. For now, I'm just getting into bed and sleeping on it the way it is. G'night. This message was modified Oct 2, 2009 by Catherine
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Yesterday morning I unmade the bed and stared at the Oodles topper for a bit. I think that hand-sewing some baffles in might help even out the poofs and craters, though not as much as if the topper had been constructed better to begin with. Maybe I'll try that at some point; maybe not. I put my light fiber bed on top of the Oodles topper and remade the bed, and slept on it that way last night. I think that having the fiber bed on top of the Oodles topper helps even out the poofs and craters in it. (Both products have elastic skirts that tuck under the mattress and help spread the products out by pulling them to the mattress edges.) I wasn't aware of sinking into any craters last night or of shifting around to find poofier areas. I was also really tired, though, and zonked out pretty well. Since yesterday, I've had a backache from something unrelated to what I'm sleeping on, so for now, I can't tell how well this topper combo is working in that regard. In another day or two, I'll have a better idea. My shoulders felt fine (not crunched), and my hands & arms were not asleep when I woke up this morning, so that's something. SKeeter, if you've already ordered another Oodles topper, you might like it with your CuddleBed on top of it; the combo should provide plenty of cush if this setup takes care of the cratering-at-the-baffles problem. If you haven't ordered it yet, I'm not sure if I'd recommend it. Might depend on how cheap you could get it. -Catherine |
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Another good night's sleep with the current topper combo (light fiber bed, on top of Oodles topper, on top of 1" 24ILD Talatech topper, all on top of firm innerspring). No backache this morning (from the bed or other reasons). No crunched shoulders. No limbs asleep when I woke up. Didn't sleep hot, even though I hauled out the comforter last night. (I have the thermostat set to go down to 62F at night, and here in upstate NY, it is getting nippy outside.) Still possible that the current setup will turn out to be a little too soft & cushy (& cause some lower-back pain) -- it's only been a few nights -- but right now, it feels great. I might have a different problem now: getting out of bed in the morning. I might have to go back to setting an alarm clock! SKeeter, let us know what you think about the Oodles topper, if you order it again, or what you try instead, if you don't. -Catherine |
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Hi Cath - Thanks so much for your detailed reports. It makes me optimistic for the topper that is no doubt winging it's way across the country (as we type) to my home in NW Washington State. I ordered it from BonTon like you did - they seemed to be the only place that had any left in stock. Who knows, maybe I'll get another cancel order, but so far just waiting for it to arrive. I don't have any latex layers, so I'll keep that in mind if I don't get enough support from the Oodles and Cuddlebed. Hey - that makes me wonder (if you decide you need to tweak things again) whether a reordering of the layers might add more support - i.e. latex on top? Hmmm... Well have a lovely night. I love cool nights for sleeping, and it's getting nippy here too. Yay! I'll report again when I have my topper. Toodles till I get my Oodles. (Hee hee!) SK |
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SKeeter wrote: I don't have any latex layers, so I'll keep that in mind if I don't get enough support from the Oodles and Cuddlebed. Hey - that makes me wonder (if you decide you need to tweak things again) whether a reordering of the layers might add more support - i.e. latex on top? Hmmm... I think putting the solid latex layer on top would defeat the purpose of using the Oodles -- which, for me, is having it conform to my body a bit. Sorta kinda like memory foam but without the chemical off-gassing or the heat build-up. The latex noodles can shift around and conform in ways that a solid latex layer can't. Also, I think it's best for the solid latex foam to rest on a solid surface. However... I might still tweak.... I have a twinge of lower-back pain this morning. Nothing bad, but if I can tweak things to prevent it, that'd be nice. I'm not ready to give up my Oodles cushiness. I might just get some small thin layers of regular foam from a local distributor and try putting them under the mattress pad, or under the Oodles topper or fiber bed, to boost support in the lumbar region (and only in that region). Other forum members have done, or are doing, something like that. (Cloud9, if I remember right? Or is it BeddyBye?) I love cool nights for sleeping, and it's getting nippy here too. Yay! I'll report again when I have my topper. Toodles till I get my Oodles. (Hee hee!) Cool nights for sleeping are the best. A side benefit of all this cushiness on the bed -- and the comforter makes it even more squishy -- is that my little kitty sinks down into it, and her cute, funny sleeping positions look even cuter and funnier. Gave me a giggle fit last night. --Catherine |
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I'm so disappointed to write this review becuase I loved the concept and price point of the Oodles products. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the pillow was not great- started out lumpy like an old polyfil pillow. Not good for sleeping, but not bad for propping to watch movies - but not what we'd hoped by a long shot. OK - the topper arrived and I was so excited. I got it upstairs and wrestled it out of the bag, and spread it out on the bed. I could hardly believe what I saw... It looked like someone had taken about 20 square throw pillows, sewn them together at the edges, and made a "mat" out of the whole thing. There was a huge (4" +) difference between where the seams joined and the highest loft of each pillow section. Some of the pillows were far thicker than others. OK the WORST part was that there were 5 rows of pillows across a King sized bed. This put one layer down the center, and 2 layers for each person to sleep on. Well... I'd actually say sleep BETWEEN since the height difference between the pillows and their seams meant I slid down into the crack between two mountainous lines of oodles filled pillows. Trying to sleep on top of one of the lines of pillows was a balancing act that was not sustainable. Ugh! Always the optomist, I decided to try a night on it and see if appearances and initial impressions were deceiving. (My husband was dragged into trying it also-he's such a good sport!). Well, no miraclous transformation was forthcoming. After about 20 minutes of resting in the crack, my arms jutting up at weird angles over the adjacent pillows, and my back starting to cramp up as I tried to figure out where to put my legs, I gave up and tried putting the cuddlebed over the top of it (as Catherine had mentioned doing). Even that was too weirdly lumpy, so we eventually gave up all together. Catherine - I'm curious what size you ordered... I imagine if the pillows were a bit better arranged, or maybe sewed smaller for a smaller pad, it might not have been quite as bad as it was with the King version... Do you still have yours? Are you still comfortable? I'm back to ordering a pure latex mattress topper - just need to figure out the best one to buy or our needs. I don't think 2" will be enough, so I think I should order a 3" piece and pray... Hope this review saves someone else the pain of ordering Oodles and shipping it back! Perhaps this is why the product was so scarce online, and why my original order was cancelled by the mfg. I am betting they are on their way out of business with this thing... Just MHO. SK |
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I know some places sell (sleeplikeabear.com for example) latex toppers in 1,2, and 3 inches thickness with various ILDs. So, you may want to try 2" inches, and you can add 1" later if you want. I have not checked their return policy.<BR> This message was modified Oct 13, 2009 by delilah
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SKeeter wrote: Catherine - I'm curious what size you ordered... I imagine if the pillows were a bit better arranged, or maybe sewed smaller for a smaller pad, it might not have been quite as bad as it was with the King version... Do you still have yours? Are you still comfortable? SKeeter, what a disappointment. Hope you can take your topper back to a store instead of shipping it back. I do still have mine, and I am still comfortable. My shoulders don't get crunched, and I really like the fact that when I wake up in the morning, my hands & arms are not numb. (Not lately, anyway.) The biggest problem I have with my bed now is getting out of it in the morning -- I don't wanna. I have the Full size Oodles topper. It has 12 baffle squares -- 4 down and 3 across. I wouldn't say there are 4" between the top of the poof and the bottom of the craters (where the seams are) on mine; maybe 2" or 3". It sounds like the construction of the King Oodles topper is worse -- or the overall effect is worse -- than for the Full size one. Each of these toppers should probably have at least twice as many baffles as they do, to prevent the peaks & craters. The fiberbed that I have over my Oodles topper isn't the Cuddlebed; mine is a Laura Ashley topper/pad that I picked up at Kohl's several years ago. I haven't seen the Cuddlebed except in pictures online, but I believe my fiberbed is thinner (about 1" thick) and has more baffles. It has lots of small squares, so I'm betting that those are evening out the poofs and craters in my Oodles topper. My fiberbed also has a skirt, which pulls the thing taut, and that probably also helps with evening out the Oodles squares. Too bad the Oodles topper is constructed so badly -- I still think the idea behind it is a good one. If the manufacturer had just taken more care and added a lot more baffles, the product could have been great. And yeah, I'm guessing that it's being, or has been, discontinued; and if so, we know why. Look into the products at SleepLikeaBear.com -- their prices are reasonable, their products are good (you know what you're getting), and their service is great. My guess is that you wouldn't want anything less than 28 ILD, but I could be way off on that. I'm guessing 28 only because on my 1" of 24 ILD from them, my hips were fine but my shoulders bottomed out. Maybe 2 or 3 inches of 24 ILD would have been fine, or maybe 28 would have been better. Dunno. If you call and talk to Evelyn, she'll be able to recommend something. And you'll be able to return it (I think within 30 days) if you don't like it. Good luck. Let us know what you try and how it works for you. -Catherine This message was modified Oct 13, 2009 by Catherine
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