Request for clarification regarding 'good' PU foam
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I have seen it said a few times on this site that there is good PU foam that does not break down. I have also seen it said that most PU foam in mattresses these days is bad and does break down, and that is the reason for the massive number of consumer complaints about sagging problems. So I made this thread to clarify these points so that my knowledge is correct. I'd appreciate if the knowledgable posters could answer these questions: 1. How is good PU foam defined? 2. Is there a tangible way to discern good from bad PU foam in a mattress, prior to buying said mattress? 3. Do any manufacturers still use good PU foam today, or is 100% of the PU foam made today crap? If 100% is not crap, which manufacturers still use good PU foam? |
Re: Request for clarification regarding 'good' PU foam
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I agree with Budgy of course. I will just add a few things from my own experience. First of all, no, you will likely not find any major mattress manufacturer that uses good pu foam. As far as I know, all major manufacturers are putting crappy cheap non-supportive, low-density, non-lasting PU foam in their mattresses. Incredible but true. What is good pu foam? Well, HR foam is rated for a longer time than less dense foams. HR is a denser PU foam (HR stands for High Resiliency) and this is used in things like camper mattresses and good furniture from what I understand. I used to use it as layers in an all-foam mattress and later as layers on top of my springs, but I have now decided it is not good for either. As Budgy said, maybe it might be okay for a base or core for an all-foam mattress. If one cannot afford latex and wants an all foam mattress, then HR foam is probably the best alternative. There is also HD foam, and frankly I'm not sure exactly what the difference is. High Density foam or HD foam is probably more or less the same as HR foam. HR foam is "rated" to last 10 years but I've found it lasts more like 2-3 years before noticeable changes. Not everyone will feel these changes; I happen to be sensitive to foam giving out or breaking in. In other words, no, you won't necessarily notice a "dip" in the mattress from looking at it but I will feel that it is no longer supporting me the same as it was. There is something called "M-Grade" foam and it seems pretty good for an HR type foam, but it is very hard to get any real info on it outside of what the people who sell it say about it. I did try it as a core for a mattress once and found it to be comfortable for awhile, so for a low budget foam mattress, M-Grade foam might work for some people. I think these dense PU foams may last longer but don't really conform to your body the way latex or high-density memory foam does. So they're not as good as latex for mattresses. But then again, not everyone likes latex either. It IS supportive, but sometimes people feel it is too "bouncy" or "pushes back" too much. One has to just try it. As for memory foam, I've tried about every type and density available and none of it is any good as far as I'm concerned. I take that back, I have not tried Venus foam which is 8lb density memory foam. I bought some from overstock but now it is said that it is not really the real "Venus" 8lb memory foam. But every other one I've tried seems to provide no support at all and I can't tolerate it. Yes, it feels great when I first lie on it. But during the night my hips sink in and it begins to hurt my back. So stick to latex! Or, you may be one of those people who do like something like Tempurpedic. I am amazed but there are people who do like it. But for most memory foams, I would limit it to no more than 2" maximum, as a topper. Even 1" has never worked for me, though. Too non-supportive. |
Re: Request for clarification regarding 'good' PU foam
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Thanks budgy and jimsocal! I appreciate you guys sharing that knowledge. I think it's great that people can come here to learn this kind of information that is hard to find elsewhere. I guess I wouldn't be misleading people then to tell them PU foam sucks and they should get something better. One thing I am confused about. IIRC, I think saw a post by you, budgy, where you said that mattresses used to be good in the 70's. Did those mattresses use PU foam? If so, how come they did not have the problems that you've described in this thread? |
Re: Request for clarification regarding 'good' PU foam
| most mattresses in the 70's probably had a small amount of PU foam but such typically a small enough amount that it didn't lead to large body indentations |
Re: Request for clarification regarding 'good' PU foam
| Good question confused. I don't have the answer :) but I'll be following the thread. |
Re: Request for clarification regarding 'good' PU foam
| I think the older mattresses used stuff like cotton batting, dacron stuffing and things like that in addition to some foam. And since they were flippable, if one flipped them regularly as recommended, they lasted much longer. I'm betting they used a higher quality foam as well. But I'm just guessing on that. |