Aerus Natural 5lb. Impressions

[tony]

ok good job report back

 

[sandman]

I tried the Aerus last night with 1" of 19 ILD latex above it. I moved the 1" of 24 to the bottom of the stack, so from top to bottom I had 1" 19 ILD latex, 2.5" 5lb Aerus, 2" 32 latex, 1" 24 latex. Wool topper and mattress pad over everything.
I would say that definitely felt a bit more supportive for several hours. After everything warmed up, I could still feel a fair amount of sinking in. I could make a little firmer still by taking out the 1" of 24 on the bottom. I did not notice any back pain in the morning, so it seems like an okay solution.
However, at this point I feel like I am trying to work around a flaw and will probably return the Aerus. At 2.5" if is too thick for the support it gives me. It might work for someone lighter or if it was 2" or less. I think I can fine tune a more supportive and similiar comfort situation with the 1" Sensus and 1" of mem-cool that I already have.
I am coming to the conclusion that they give up something in the support area when they try to make it more open and breathable. It seems like a fairly tough technology to solve, which is perhaps why Tempur-pedic can charge a premium for a the research they have put into it.

 

[Phoenix]

I think a big part of the problem with memory foam, and you have touched on this before as well, is that every company is going in a slightly different direction in terms of how they make it and also that there is nobody that has a range of choices available in the same material so it's difficult to customize. Foamex is a good example of this where they make a good product and yet it is only available in a limited range inside of each "line". I have seen mattresses using 8 lb memory foam for example http://www.ebed.com/mf_luvienna.php and yet it seems near impossible to get and use as part of a layering scheme.
Some companies are experimenting with polyol variations, some with TDI and MDI variations, and some with other technologies (mixtures) leading to differences in heat sensitivity, breathability, ild at the same density, support factor, memory time/resiliency, and others. It is so complex ... and usually proprietary to each company ... that using memory foam in a layering scheme is far more difficult than other materials that are available in a wider range within the same type of foam. Even if you suspect for example that an 8lb memory foam of a certain type (such as Aerus) would solve a certain problem, where do you get it?
I think that a visco manufacturer would do really well to make certain lines of memory foam available in a much wider range of densities and known qualities for those who wanted to customize either their "make your own" or even a commercial "mattress with options". They would probably "capture" a market that nobody seems to be really interested in going after at the moment and I believe would also give Tempurpedic a real run for their money and market leadership position.
Phoenix

 

[tony]

what lb memory foam does Tempurpedic use?

 

[sandman]

tony wrote:
what lb memory foam does Tempurpedic use?
I think most of the Tempurpedic is 5.3. However, some of the higher end mattresses have some higher density layers as well. I think the Cloud has some less than 5.3.
Density is not destiny though! The 5.0 density Sensus seems firmer to me than the 5.0 density Aerus. So, the feel can vary quite a bit. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be much data that tells you how it will feel. My experience has been that the newer "breathable" foams are softer than the less breathable ones. I guess that is the compromise. If you like soft and are not too heavy, than the 5.0 Aerus is pretty nice. I probably would use it, if was not as thick.

 

[chattvol]

Sandman - did you ever get a chance to take a look at this 1.5" of Aerus? At $89, I am curious as to what the density is, but I like the fact that it is thinner than the 2.5" we have both tried.

http://www.amazon.com/NaturalTM-Eco...72PC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289172670&sr=8-1

 

[sandman]

chattvol wrote:
Sandman - did you ever get a chance to take a look at this 1.5" of Aerus? At $89, I am curious as to what the density is, but I like the fact that it is thinner than the 2.5" we have both tried.


http://www.amazon.com/NaturalTM-Eco...72PC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289172670&sr=8-1

Yes, I have seen that. At the 12lb.s they list the queen size at, it is 3.0lb density. So, I personally rule it out on that basis. I assume it would not last as long and probably be even less supportive than the 5lb.
I probalby would have kept the 5lb if it were 1.5". Unfortunately, I have never found it less than 2.5" in the 5lb density. It does not provide enough support for me to use something that thick.