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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, |
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slpngoc wrote:
Careful with a Revolution if you're thinking Insight is too firm. Give it at least 3 or 4 weeks. I had Revolution for 4 weeks. Insight has 2.75" gel mem foam. Revolution has 3" Koolcomfort, 2.75" gel mem foam both over the 6" core. Nevermind the board says 2" Koolcomfort, get out you tape measure. Bottom line, Revolution is MUCH more plush and has quite a bit of sink which *may* lead to neck or back misalignment. It did for me. So, be careful. Good you're on the adjustable base, 'cause the Stabl base foundation are cheesy, they bend in middle. Absolutly you want to give any memory foam 3 to 4 weeks to adjust and a little longer for the Gel foam, because they dont breathe as well. The core in the iComfort isnt such a big deal for that adjustment period as it is not memory foam. A quality foundation on a frame with a center support wont bend in the middle at all, but the adjustable base is far better as you can elevate your feet slightly to improve blood flow and raise you head slightly, which will relieve pressure on your shoulders and allow you to breathe better as well. |
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burdiebo wrote: As someone who has been in the industry for a number of years, let me clear up a few points:
First, if you are genuinely interested in the benefits of a memory foam mattress, you have to understand that, in spite of whatever anyone else may tell you, Tempurpedic really is THE best quality bed in the category. Buying any other brand means compromising in some way. They have the science, the research, and the years of experience that no other manufacturer can pretend to. Other brands can (and should!) be less expensive, but bear in mind the old adage, 'you get what you pay for'. With all the competition between mattress manufacturers, retailers, and even mattress types, if there is a product category in which this saying is true, it's bedding. For every dollar you save, rest assured, there's something you give up (quality, support, durability, comfort). Second, the idea of certain brands 'sleeping hot' is a myth. If anyone or anything 'sleeps hot', it's the sleeper themselves. And if that's the case, there are things you can do: turn down the thermostat, lose the blankets, lighten the sleepwear (or, in some cases, just wait for your own 'personal summer' to end!). There is also a product called the 'ChiliPad' that you may want to consider. True, you can find a lot of comments on the internet about one of these beds sleeping hot, but bear in mind, it's the internet: anybody can say anything they want, without any need to back it up - not very objective or scientific! Most of these are just knee-jerk reactions. The truth is that, initially, every properly conforming, pressure-relieving mattress will sleep warm - until you get adjusted to it. The reason has to do with pressure points and blood flow. If someone has been on a bed that was too firm, or did not provide enough pressure relief, they had to deal with pressure points which, among other things, reduced their bloodflow (most noticeably to extremities like arms and legs). To compensate for this, their body worked harder to increase the bloodflow to these areas (increased heart rate, blood pressure). If they then move to a sleep set that does the right job of reducing these pressure points, bloodflow surges, and they feel warm. (If you squeeze your arm and restrict the bloodflow, you hand get cold; let it go, and it gets warm again. If you did this enough to get accustomed to the sensation of being cold, feeling warm would be uncomfortable.) After enough time on their new bed, their body learns that it doesn't need to work as hard as it was used to, and they readjust. Typically, they had years to gradually adjust to WHATEVER their old set was doing; it shouldn't be any surprise that it could sometimes take weeks or even months for their bodies to essentially learn a new way of sleeping. A lot of people will be quick to post their initial reaction, but how many will come back later to update or post a retraction? As someone who has slept on several memory foam mattresses let me clear up a couple points. Memory foam does "sleep hotter" than conventional beds and the reason for that is because it is foam and foam has tiny cells that keep air from moving freely which is exactly what ALL types of insulation do. Any foam mattress will give a similar effect. Second, most (not all) memory foam will do some off gassing but it will go away (some take longer than others and some are worse than others). The only one I have not found any off gassing with in my experience is from bed in a box. As for which is the best, well, I don't have an opinion on that since I have not tried them all. One cannot judge which would be the best for someone else as not everyone's needs are the same. I know people who like air or inner spring but not memory foam. In my "opinion", sir or ma'am, you sound like nothing more than a salesperson. |
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trautpa wrote:
Thanks for the feedback slpngoc. I'm glad to hear that the bed will soften up a bit more over the weeks. It has been now two days and I can say that it was even better the second night.
You mention that you had the Revolution and it sinks too much. From what I can tell in the store you are right that is why I went with the Insight. I have a bad lower back and was worried it would soften even more then what it was at the store and nto provide any support.
Have you tried the Insight? Did you return the Revolution? I had to pawn off the Revolution for $175 on Craigslist. Tough lesson. I won't ever buy a mattress from Sears again. 30 day policies stink. They were a pain to deal with through and through. This message was modified Dec 9, 2011 by slpngoc
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trautpa wrote: Buridiebo, Thanks for the information. I having been sleeping on a new iComfort Insight for the past week or so and I don't think I am happy with it considering the price we paid. I was wondering if you could give your opinion on the complaint that the Tempurpedic smells really bad. The sales person said that when they got the new Tempurpedic's in recently it smelled up the store for a week or so. That and the price is why I got the IComfort, but I am now thinking of returning the iComfort as I was promised a full refund if I am not satisfied. I did notice that the Tempurpedics in the store have a stronger smell. Does that eventually go away? My Revolution odor was less than my Tempurpedic, not that either was a big deal. I can give you a really good account from my new TempuPedic Cloud - I bought a Cloud and TP Comfort pillow the same week. The odor is not strong, but noticeable. I noticed it the most when entering room with door closed. At 30 days, switched adjustable base to a fixed Tempurpedic foundation. TP foundations obviously use quite a bit of adhesive which smells. So at 30 days, I had another new item needing to 'off-gas'. At 60 days, I was still smelling a little bit of odor when entering closed room. Keep in mind, foundation was only 30 days old at that point. At 90 days now, I haven't noticed the odor. One last note, the odor never kept me from sleeping. Ony noticed it when entering room when it had been closed. The odor is the downside of the mattress and even I worried/worry a bit about the effects, but I had to have something I can lay on my right shoulder on, so I accept it. This message was modified Dec 9, 2011 by slpngoc
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DaveStro wrote:
Comparing iComfort to Tempurpedic is very comperable in terms of feel and both are very good quality. The way iComfort has been able to get the cost down for such a high density memory foam is to not use all memory foam in the mattress. The core support layer of iComfort is not memory foam. It is a standard high density 6 to 7 inch poly foam. only the cushining layers are the high end memory foam. Where tempurpedic is using the High End memory foam in their enitre mattress and not substituing it with a less expensive poly foam. Comfort wise they are similar, but durablty wise the Tempurpedic is going to out last the iComfort by far. The Tempurpedic fixed foundation is a heavy, sturdy, wood piece of furniture. I was able to pull the bottom fabric aside enough to see the vertical piece of wood and reinforcements fully supporting the wood top, right down center from head to toe. That foundation will not sag one iota. I looked hard at the iComfort 'Stabl' base foundation. My twin XL foundation was like almost all other 'box spring' foundation which these days use vertical 'V' shaped support rods. I could plainly see there was an 8" measured gap between vertical rods on the iComfort. Between those vertical rods there are surface rods that fill in the center, but with nothing to support down to the base slats, the center bent down about 1/4 to 1/2 inch mostly in the hips / butt area in a few weeks. No abuse of mattress whatsoever. btw, I weight about 190 lbs. The other thing is the wood slats that form the base of the Stabl base foundation is very prone to flexing down. it's very similar to a Simmons box spring foundation. I liked the pattern of the Stearns and Foster / Sealy foundations -they have a consistent 5" spacing between the vertical rods which fill in the center area better. I don't sell mattresses, nor do I work for any mattress mfr in anyway. I have MUCH more confidence in my Tempurpedic foundation. |
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DaveStro wrote:
Comparing iComfort to Tempurpedic is very comperable in terms of feel and both are very good quality. The way iComfort has been able to get the cost down for such a high density memory foam is to not use all memory foam in the mattress. The core support layer of iComfort is not memory foam. It is a standard high density 6 to 7 inch poly foam. only the cushining layers are the high end memory foam. Where tempurpedic is using the High End memory foam in their enitre mattress and not substituing it with a less expensive poly foam. Comfort wise they are similar, but durablty wise the Tempurpedic is going to out last the iComfort by far. |
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Comparing iComfort to Tempurpedic is very comperable in terms of feel and both are very good quality. The way iComfort has been able to get the cost down for such a high density memory foam is to not use all memory foam in the mattress. The core support layer of iComfort is not memory foam. It is a standard high density 6 to 7 inch poly foam. only the cushining layers are the high end memory foam. Where tempurpedic is using the High End memory foam in their enitre mattress and not substituing it with a less expensive poly foam. Comfort wise they are similar, but durablty wise the Tempurpedic is going to out last the iComfort by far. While I agree that I think the Tempurpedic will last longer; I do so because it HAS lasted longer than anyone else's memory foam/visco bed out there... the Original Bed is almost the same as it was 25 years ago. However, the statement about the foams is incorrect. both beds are using a polyurethane or poly/blend base foam. the Tempur "airflow" base foam allows air to circulate to reduce the amount of heat build up, while the iComfort uses a soy-based polyurethane foam for the time being (I believe the cost will determine how long they will use the soy version) I would include here that to my knowledge, Serta has done more testing for longer on these iComfort beds than most of the other big manufacturers to feel confident in putting the 25 yr warranty, etc. on these beds and think they should do well over time... but only time will tell. Remember Bronson, many salespeople (of which, I admit, I am one, will try and TELL you what you need or should do... if you have a concern that truly is yours (and not someone else crying "wolf") I think that most of us on here would love to help or give our own feelings or experiences. While different areas of the country can offer quite large variances in what you can test in a store, etc. your back (and that of your partner) are the true best determiners of comfort... spend about 15 minutes on your favorite mattress (or two) and see if you can feel your back muscles relaxing as you lie in your sleeping position; if they relax, that is a pretty good indicator of a good support layer inside the bed. If you think there are any drawbacks, ask your consultant, write down his/her answers and bring those responses back here and let us help with their validity. Lastly, I think that density has become a very casually used and often misrepresented word. iComfort and tempurpedic both have a 5.3lb density foam... and they feel very different. In fact, Tempurpedic has a 5.34lb density comfort layer and a 5.34lb support layer of Tempur Material that actually feel very different from each other (we have cut several beds apart in our quest to understand the memory foam world)... Tempurpedic's claim is that cell size has more to do with the end result in "feel" and durability (or how long it lasts) than anything else...
I hope this has helped Bronson... sleep well! |
| I'm willing to bet Serta has done no testing of the icomfort foam. They are like any major 'S' brand. They will buy it from a foam manufacturer that will give them the best price. A manufacturer like Carpenter. In fact, you can buy the same gel memory foam topper from Costco. I believe Sleep inovations is the name. Buy that 3" topper and a poly base and you have an icomfort for less than $500 (king size). You can replace that topper when it compresses in 2 years. That seams like the way to go. Serta sells marketing, not beds. They don't manufacture anything. They assemble beds. These beds are new to the market and if you bought one, your the guinea pig. Good luck, you bought a story. Give me a review of these beds in 2 years. By then they will have the next generation of the greatest bed ever with a different story to them. |
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trautpa wrote:
Buridiebo, Thanks for the information. I having been sleeping on a new iComfort Insight for the past week or so and I don't think I am happy with it considering the price we paid. I was wondering if you could give your opinion on the complaint that the Tempurpedic smells really bad. The sales person said that when they got the new Tempurpedic's in recently it smelled up the store for a week or so. That and the price is why I got the IComfort, but I am now thinking of returning the iComfort as I was promised a full refund if I am not satisfied. I did notice that the Tempurpedics in the store have a stronger smell. Does that eventually go away? I just wanted everyone to know that I have given up on my icomfort Insight. I can say that at first I was willing to give it a chance, but after using it for more then 2 weeks I called the store and scheduled a return. I am not exacly sure what it is about the serta icomfort that is so uncomfortable but it just is not comfortable. I do have a minor lower back problem and this matress has made it much much worse. I decided to go with the Vera Wang Natural Poise, I got for $1,200 saving me about $1,400. We decided to go with a standard box spring and are returning the serta adjustable base. |
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chi123 wrote:
Hi, Bronson:
Let me just say that I am NOT a salesperson. I, too, have been looking to others for advice on a new mattress and/or pillow for a while. Two years ago, we broke down and bought a Tempurpedic. In the store, it was nice and soft. We didn't buy the top of the line, but the way it appeared in the store, it seemed we did not need to. When it arrived, it really gave off a smell. That smells lasted for days! Also, my husband and I aren't heavy people (110 and 150). We would lie on the mattress and it wouldn't give at all. Very weird and hard to explain. After living with it for a couple of weeks, we decided to return it within the time period allowed. We bought it at a furniture store, so our only other choices were even MORE expensive Tempurpedic mattresses or your standard coil mattresses. We thought we needed something firm so we ended up with a pretty firm Laura Ashley mattress. After a while, we bought a gel memory topper and decided to "make do," even though one or both of us would wake up each morning with lower and/or upper back pain. We thought about the Sleep Comfort bed, but with the mixed reviews I kept reading on quality, I was reluctant to even try one because or our experience with the Tempurpedic (which also gets mixed reviews, but we had decided to take a chance). One day, I had enough, so we went to "look" at mattresses at a mattress store and tried the iComfort. We chose one that was not the best seller, but the one a step above that (in price and firmness). We tried an even more firm one, too, but that seemed like the bed we already had, so we went with the semi-firm one. We also broke down and got the adjustable base. This was a huge splurge, I know, but we went with the 3-year, no interest deal, which allows us to pay it over time and makes the cost a little more palatable. Mind you, I should add that this was also at a point where I was even trying new pillows on our existing bed, hoping that maybe I could get away with having to spend less because it was the pillow's "fault," We've had the bed for 3 nights, now. I think we got the iComfort "Prodigy." The mattress had very minimal odor, which was something we had been worried about. The salesperson said we could place a cut apple on a plate on the bed (obviously while we weren't in it) to help absorb odor, but honestly, we didn't need to. The first night was a little getting used to, but even after that 1st night, we both woke up with NO back pain. It's the perfect firmness for my hip support. One thing I need to work on, still, however, is my pillow. We got them to give us the iComfort pillow for free, and I also ordered a Talay latex one. So, while the bed supports our hips and back perfectly, I still have an issue with my shoulder. So, it's like I need a little LESS firmness for my hips, and a little something else for my shoulder, as my arms and shoulders get a little numb while sleeping (so, maybe its too hard on the shoulder area??). I'm trying my Side Sleeper Pro pillow with the bed tonight to see if that works. But, for now, it is SO worth it to not hobble around like an 90-year-old when I get out of bed in the morning. And, we absolutely LOVE the adjustable feature. So much more comfortable to sit up in bed! I'll try and post how things are after a couple of weeks. After nearly 2 months on our iComfort Prodigy, we are at mixed reviews. We added our gel memory foam topper to the mattress, and that seemed to help my shoulder issues, but it was a little soft for my back. So, we were at a conundrum. Seems like I couldn't get my both my back and shoulder happy. I tried cutting out a piece of the memory foam to put just under our shoulder area, but that didn't work. So, we put the whole thing back on the bed (the cut piece slipped right in to the cover, at our feet, to become part of the whole pad again). Let me add that we did try one night again without the pad, and it wasn't bad. I think what we'll do is try that again and see. What happens over time is that the mattress gets softer, so while the gel foam memory topped may have helped make the bed nice at first, perhaps the mattress softened somewhat now so that it is not needed. I'll post again. |