Serta Icomfort request for advice
Apr 10, 2011 8:51 PM
Joined: Apr 10, 2011
Points: 4
Greeting mattress experts and lurkers,

I am a once-a-decade mattress buyer in need of assistance.  Can anyone provide input for the Serta Icomfort foam mattress line?  Specifically, I'm interested in the Revolution model king size.  My initial search led me towards the Tempurpdic Rhapsody.  However, many reviews suggest Tempurpedic's sleep "hotter" than spring or other foam mattresses.  My wife is furnace so I dare not bring a mattress home which amplifies that issue.  So, my next focus was the Simmons ComforPedic.  My wife laid on every model and said they were "too springy" compared to the Tempurpedic and the iComfort.  So we are down to one option right now, the iComfort.  What I'm asking for help with is advice and comparison.  The iComfort line of Serta is very, very new and this is possibly why there is no data or opinions on the internet.  My heart is not set on the Revolution for $2,000 and I am genuinely interested in hearing advice and comments even if that information leads away from iComfort completely. 

Thoughts?

Much appreciated,
Bronson

Re: Serta Icomfort request for advice
Reply #177 Sep 8, 2011 8:31 AM
Joined: Sep 8, 2011
Points: 5
It is time to call it quits on our 16-year-old king size pillow-top mattress. We have extended the life of this mattress with several toppers on it over the years; the first one was a feather bed that was pleasant until it started excreting white feathers that swirled like snowflakes on our the hardwood floors. It was quickly replaced with a memory foam topper, which has been on the bed for the past two years and has done much to keep the old bed comfortable, but still ... it's time.

With the Labor Day sales last weekend it seemed a great place to start, and so I found myself staring at the ceiling of the Sears showroom from the iComfort beds. I was drawn to memory foam due to our good experience with our mattress topper, and to the iComfort two reasons in particular:  its promise to "sleep cooler", and also because of the "Ultimate Edge Support Perimeter" (no "roll off") as I often wake up in the morning to find myself lying on my side along the very "knife's edge" of the bed, as this is all the space that I have to work with because during the night my husband and two cats have claimed the rest of the bed. (I am primarily a back sleeper, and so is my husband.)

I immediately fell in love in with the iComfort. Serta's claim about the edges seemed to be true -- the edges were even more supportive than the edge of my 16-year old pillow top. While I thought that the Insight might have been the most comfortable to initially lie down on (I prefer a firmer mattress), I ended up ordering the even firmer Genius as I thought it was a bit better after settling in. Further taking advantage of the sale,  I also selected the Motion Perfect base (or, in the case of my king size bed, two twin XL bases that will work together like a single unit). So, I placed my order, and was so excited about the prospect of this uber comfortable bed and the spa-like experience I was envisioning with having the special bases ... that is, until I came home, got online to do a bit more research, found this forum, and read all the posts the iComfort issues: hardness, softness, sagging, and smells -- and became more than a bit concerned. 

Concerned, yes, but not worried enough to cancel, I decided to venture around town during the past week to 3 different showrooms where I've laid on their iComfort beds and disappointed sales personnel everywhere as they found out that I had already bought the bed. Ha! On one of these excursions I took my husband with me, and on another I took a good friend (who also fell in love with the bed and is considering a future purchase of the Insight -- but they didn't have a Genius bed at this showroom for her to try) and the result was that I revalidated my original decision. I also tried the TemperPedic beds (which really weren't under consideration due to the softer edges) and thought that the iComfort beds were MUCH more comfortable (and my friend agreed with me).

Of course, despite visiting all these showrooms I do realize that the people who had bad experiences with what the mattressess that were delivered to their homes were HAPPY with the mattresses that they tested in the showroom. I really love this bed, and I guess I love it enough to take the gamble -- especially as I am also investing in the Motion Perfect base. My investment/gamble is $4500 ($1700 for the mattress and $2800 for the two bases) not including sales tax, but that seems to be a great deal as the undiscounted price for this would be $12,250 (but, does anyone EVER pay full price???).

TOMORROW is the big day when Sears delivers my new bed ... and I will be sure to come back with an update and let y'all know how it turns out. (In case you can't tell ... I can't wait!!!!)

Re: Serta Icomfort request for advice
Reply #178 Sep 8, 2011 12:24 PM
Joined: Jun 8, 2011
Points: 100
slpngoc,

Did the S&F boxes not work out with your new SleepEZ latex mattress? How is that arrangement working out for you? Is it the right amount of support without the pressure points of the wood foundation??

 

 

slpngoc wrote:

What I don't like about the Revolution is it has 5.75" of memory foam in 2 layers.  I'm pretty sure all sign boards advertise it is only 4.75" memory foam, but it is not.  An easy measure with a ruler - feel sides of mattress for foam seam, measure thickness of each.  You'll find a 6" core foam.  Mattress is 11.75" in Revolution, so 5.75". 

 

The 2.75" gel foam doesn't feel all that dense to me.  Not like a Cloud Supreme support foam layer which feels very dense.  I dunno, Rev has a lot of sink, too much for me.  But that was hampered by the cheesy twin box spring that bows in the middle.

btw, the resale on the iComfort was lousy.  I had the twin XL priced at a mere $250 for a while and no calls.  I ditched the set for $175 measly dollars.  Cost me $1500 originally.



Re: Serta Icomfort request for advice
Reply #179 Sep 8, 2011 1:54 PM
Joined: Sep 8, 2011
Points: 1
My husband and I looked at the icomfort matress down at the beach first but they would not deliver it here so we went to Florence to buy one .We did look at the tempurpedic but I though the one we looked at was too expensive close to 4000 dollars.We bought the revolution for 1800 plus tax and he gave us 2 free icomfort pillows.The matress is very comfortable does not hurt my back and I do have low back problems but this thing helps.I sleep very sondly on the bed it is very comfortable am not looking back had a springaire which was old and repaced with this love it!

Susan

Re: Serta Icomfort request for advice
Reply #180 Sep 9, 2011 1:37 PM
Joined: Sep 8, 2011
Points: 5
My new bed arrived this morning and while it doesn't seem to have quite as much "give" as the ones I laid on in the showroom, I don't believe it will be uncomfortably hard to sleep on ... I guess I will know more tomorrow!

There is absolutely no smell whatsoever with this bed.

There is, however, a glitch: the delivery people that Sears uses had never seen these adjustable bases before, and were telling me that they could not set my bed up and that Sears was going to have to send someone else -- but this was after my old Serta Perfect Sleeper mattress and box springs had been carted out to the truck and gotten all wet (and probably pretty dirty, too) in the pouring rain. I told them that they were not going to leave me without a bed tonight.  I called the number on my receipt for Sears delivery and was told that they are not responsible for installing, only delivering and that I would need to arrange for my own installer. WTF? Like who, Mattress Discounters?

To be honest, the delivery people tried their best to set them up and get them working correctly, but they had not received any training and were here for about an hour reading the instructions.

I then called Serta and they reaffirmed that yes, Sears was responsible for the installation (of course). I just spoke with the sales person who sold me the bases who promises that they will get it sorted out. If I were strong enough to lift the mattress off the bed to get to the switches that are in the bases, I might be able to fix it myself. Actually, I can reach the one on the right side of the bed from underneath, but not the one on the left side of the bed. Additionally, it appears that the 0G function on the left base isn't functioning at all. 

I'll be back in a few days to update on the resolution of the bases and to give thoughts on how the Genius mattress actually sleeps. Despite the issue with the bases, I'm really looking forward to sleeping on my new mattress tonight.

This message was modified Sep 9, 2011 by CathyDC
Re: Serta Icomfort request for advice
Reply #181 Sep 9, 2011 11:26 PM
Joined: Jun 2, 2011
Points: 481
Dallasgirl wrote:  

 slpngoc, 

Did the S&F boxes not work out with your new SleepEZ latex mattress? How is that arrangement working out for you? Is it the right amount of support without the pressure points of the wood foundation??

The SleepEZ works well on the S&F box spring foundation.  The 10000 straight out of the box with F/M/S has nice support for me and nice softness.  I've been still comparing it with Tempurpedic Cloud mattresses at Sleep Train and my frequent visits there have  a couple salespeople wondering what I might buy.  I decided to get a Tempurpedic advanced ergo adjustable base.  Putting the latex on the solid base of the adjustable changed the response and bounciness of the latex, but it seems to have the same support and softness.

My right shoulder situation is real and very rare.  Not many have had shoulder surgery just to make it half way decent.  It made sense to get the adjustable base in hopes to sleep on my back more.  It feels pretty awesome to lay on the adjustable near the 'zero gravity' position.  I'm still not used to falling asleep in that position, but I can get some rest that way and I do like laying with feet and head up a little.

Last word about the SleepEZ mattress - it's a pretty good mattress.  No slouch at all.  It is certainly the best mattress I've had recently.  Would a Tempurpedic Cloud be better?  Don't know, but they feel pretty awesome in the store.

 

This message was modified Sep 9, 2011 by slpngoc
Re: Serta Icomfort request for advice
Reply #182 Sep 9, 2011 11:57 PM
Joined: Jun 2, 2011
Points: 481
CathyDC wrote:

 

My new bed arrived this morning and while it doesn't seem to have quite as much "give" as the ones I laid on in the showroom, I don't believe it will be uncomfortably hard to sleep on ... I guess I will know more tomorrow!

 

There is absolutely no smell whatsoever with this bed.

There is, however, a glitch: the delivery people that Sears uses had never seen these adjustable bases before, and were telling me that they could not set my bed up and that Sears was going to have to send someone else -- but this was after my old Serta Perfect Sleeper mattress and box springs had been carted out to the truck and gotten all wet (and probably pretty dirty, too) in the pouring rain. I told them that they were not going to leave me without a bed tonight.  I called the number on my receipt for Sears delivery and was told that they are not responsible for installing, only delivering and that I would need to arrange for my own installer. WTF? Like who, Mattress Discounters?

To be honest, the delivery people tried their best to set them up and get them working correctly, but they had not received any training and were here for about an hour reading the instructions.

I then called Serta and they reaffirmed that yes, Sears was responsible for the installation (of course). I just spoke with the sales person who sold me the bases who promises that they will get it sorted out. If I were strong enough to lift the mattress off the bed to get to the switches that are in the bases, I might be able to fix it myself. Actually, I can reach the one on the right side of the bed from underneath, but not the one on the left side of the bed. Additionally, it appears that the 0G function on the left base isn't functioning at all. 

I'll be back in a few days to update on the resolution of the bases and to give thoughts on how the Genius mattress actually sleeps. Despite the issue with the bases, I'm really looking forward to sleeping on my new mattress tonight.

This is classic Sears lack of customer service - you get a different answer depending on who you talk to.  Classic.  I've heard it many times before with Sears.  They simply do not all know their policies.  Delivery claims they are not responsible for setup of your mattress and base.  Sad actually.

Hope it gets worked out though. 

This message was modified Sep 10, 2011 by slpngoc
Re: Serta Icomfort request for advice
Reply #183 Sep 10, 2011 12:19 AM
Joined: Jun 2, 2011
Points: 481
CathyDC wrote:

 

... I also tried the TemperPedic beds (which really weren't under consideration due to the softer edges) and thought that the iComfort beds were MUCH more comfortable (and my friend agreed with me).

Of course, despite visiting all these showrooms I do realize that the people who had bad experiences with what the mattressess that were delivered to their homes were HAPPY with the mattresses that they tested in the showroom. I really love this bed, and I guess I love it enough to take the gamble -- especially as I am also investing in the Motion Perfect base. My investment/gamble is $4500 ($1700 for the mattress and $2800 for the two bases) not including sales tax, but that seems to be a great deal as the undiscounted price for this would be $12,250 (but, does anyone EVER pay full price???).

TOMORROW is the big day when Sears delivers my new bed ... and I will be sure to come back with an update and let y'all know how it turns out. (In case you can't tell ... I can't wait!!!!)

I find a regular Tempurpedic Cloud to be more comfortable than an insight although the TP costs somewhat more.  Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme feels better than Revolution and the specs are better - TP - 2" support foam 2" super soft memory foam.  Revolution - almost 6" of 2 layers of memory foam.  No airflow channels in iComfort either. 

No comparison between the fixed foundations - the icomfort box spring has a tendency to sag (mine did).  I can't imagine a TP reinforced MDF solid top foundation sagging. 

I had a Revolution for 4 weeks - it slept a little hot.  I had a Sleep Innovations topper with gel memory foam for 1 night.  Wow, that thing slept way hot.

I suppose if one doesn't sink too much into an icomfort, they may not sleep too hot.

I might have done ok on an Insight, but the floor model I tried early on had sag issues.

 

Re: Serta Icomfort request for advice
Reply #184 Sep 12, 2011 1:52 PM
Joined: Sep 8, 2011
Points: 5
We had a Genius king sized mattress and two twin XL Motion Perfect adjustable bases delivered Friday.

It does appear that one of the adjustable bases just isn't functioning correctly -- sometimes it works, but often it doesn't. The other base works perfectly. I have been adjusting the switch settings and I was excited when I finally got the troublesome base to respond and go into 0G -- but like they say "be careful what you wish for"  -- and then it ended up stuck in 0G for 2 nights despite numerous attempts to reset it. For those that haven't experienced it, 0G is an amazingly comforable position with the head slightly elevated and the feet elevated higher than the head, but not the best way to be forced to sleep an entire night ... and I had two nights like that.

Finally and inexplicably, after the 2nd night I was trying the remote for what must have been the 100th time and stuck base responded again, and I was able to return both bases to a flat position and finally slept in a normal position last night. My husband returned from his business trip, so I had the help I needed to lift the heavy mattress and switch the malfunctioning base (which is also very heavy) from the left side of our sleighbed to the right, as we were wondering if interference from a nearby radio tower could be causing the problem. The result is still the same: one base that always worked continues to work reliably and flawlessly, and the other one mostly doesn't respond. Once I determined that it was set correctly and that it could respond but was still "acting up" I have mostly left it alone as it is better to be stuck in a flat position than in some other configuration.

I've been working with the salesperson and Sears is delivering a replacement base tomorrow. I've got my fingers crossed that this will fix the issue once and for all.

The Genius mattress still feels a bit hard to me but I haven't had any back pain and I am assuming that my experience will be similar to others here who found the mattress softened up after a bit. I do know that once that adjustable bases are working correctly that I am going to LOVE LOVE LOVE them. While I did get a bit too much of the 0G position, it is so very comfortable and I can totally see myself putting the bed in 0G to grab an afternoon nap in the future. It is a great position for easing strain on the back. I know I will also enjoy using the lounging and TV/PC settings, too.

And the massage function -- wow!  I had thought that the massage might be a bit cheesy because in the showroom it did remind me of the "magic fingers" from some of the motel rooms my family stayed in when I was a kid. The Motion Perfect massage has been a pleasant surprise as is it is actually very soothing (and without any more elaboration on the subject, I will also add that it was also so very,very nice for when hubby got back home ... blushing.) I know, TMI!!!!

So, here's hoping that my struggles with getting the bases to work correctly will be over tomorrow when the new one arrives. I am feeling optimistic and am still happy about the purchase so far.

Re: Serta Icomfort request for advice
Reply #185 Sep 12, 2011 2:26 PM
Joined: Sep 12, 2011
Points: 2
junebug82 wrote:

My husband and I just got a Serta icomfort Genius,after sleeping on a old spring mattress for years.We have slept on it for two nights and it just seems to stiff and I wake up with a kink in my back.Is it that I am adjusting to the new bed and that it needs to be broken in. Has anyone else had the same experience? If so does it get better?


I actually sell Icomforts, the way the Genius is made does make for a much more firm bed than all of the other Icomforts.  If you like firm, but wish still for great support you might try the Insight.  We've had the Genius in for a short period of time, but most prefer the Insight over it.

 

Also, for others thinking the boxes are dipping, making sure you have a good solid frame.  If you were sold a new one, make sure all connections are made and tightly done.  Almost anytime we see a problem it's frame related.  I realize there are a lot of dealers out there, and lots of information, some bad and some good, but our practice is to provide a very heavy duty frame for only $38, powder coated, and double support down the middle to ensure a long lasting great frame.  Something so little in cost can damage the best of beds :)

 

From a dealers standpoint I will say that we still have not had one Icomfort returned.  We have had comfort exchanges to go softer or firmer, but all have been thrilled with the overall performance and sleeping well.  don't hesitate to ask me any questions.  If it's any thought at all, I had a 7 month old Perfect Day luxury bed that I gave to my sister in law to get the Icomfort Prodigy :)  yes I LOVE IT!!! (oh, and if you have never slept on an adjustible bed, you do not know what you are missing.  I would even go as far as saying I would subsitute a bit of comfort and go with the Insight, and add the adjustible rather than getting the prodigy flat.  Our price on that is $2574 for the queen.  Thanks and sleep well.

Doug

Re: Serta Icomfort request for advice
Reply #186 Sep 12, 2011 4:07 PM
Joined: Jun 2, 2011
Points: 481
clrcopy wrote:

 

I actually sell Icomforts, the way the Genius is made does make for a much more firm bed than all of the other Icomforts.  If you like firm, but wish still for great support you might try the Insight.  We've had the Genius in for a short period of time, but most prefer the Insight over it.

 

Also, for others thinking the boxes are dipping, making sure you have a good solid frame.  If you were sold a new one, make sure all connections are made and tightly done.  Almost anytime we see a problem it's frame related.  I realize there are a lot of dealers out there, and lots of information, some bad and some good, but our practice is to provide a very heavy duty frame for only $38, powder coated, and double support down the middle to ensure a long lasting great frame.  Something so little in cost can damage the best of beds :)

 

From a dealers standpoint I will say that we still have not had one Icomfort returned.  We have had comfort exchanges to go softer or firmer, but all have been thrilled with the overall performance and sleeping well.  don't hesitate to ask me any questions.  If it's any thought at all, I had a 7 month old Perfect Day luxury bed that I gave to my sister in law to get the Icomfort Prodigy :)  yes I LOVE IT!!! (oh, and if you have never slept on an adjustible bed, you do not know what you are missing.  I would even go as far as saying I would subsitute a bit of comfort and go with the Insight, and add the adjustible rather than getting the prodigy flat.  Our price on that is $2574 for the queen.  Thanks and sleep well.

Doug


I don't really know which pattern of box spring rods the icomfort's come with.  Mine had the Simmons / Serta pattern and the Revolution twin at Sears Newpark had the Sealy / S&F pattern.
 

My icomfort Stabl base box spring sagged.  I had it on a $110 L&G heavy duty frame, 6 legs with heavy duty center rail on the twin setting.

The problem is the vertical support rods in the twins have a 3 - 2 - 2 - 3 pattern.  Between those two 2's, there is 8" gap between vertical support rods from head to toe.  There are surface rods criss crossing, but with 8" gap, they sag down a bit.   I wonder how much it would have sagged if there was no center rail on the frame.  Those center slats from head to toe are just not meant to bear all that weight.  I think they're only 1" thick wood, and wood bends.

I think Serta (and Simmons) should use the Sealy / S&F box spring layout which as vertical rods every 4", from side to side.  Not going to sag.

This message was modified Sep 12, 2011 by slpngoc