I keep considering this foam, but have no idea what it's like - who makes it, etc. I know haysdb did a big memory foam study a while back and wonder if anyone can speculate about what this stuff is. They say it is pink color, 5.5 lbs/c.f. and 15lbs ILD. That's a fist for me to see an ILD for memory foam. Has anyone bought it?
foambymail memory foam - any one tried it or have any info on it?
- Thread starter donw
- Start date
This was something I posted in the old forum. My best guess is Foamex subsidiary Premier Foam, but I could as easily be wrong as right.
The Foam Factory sells a 5.5 lb memory foam they describe as...
Reading between the lines...
I intend to call them tomorrow and ask.
Update: No go. "We can't give out that information." Only confirmation that it's pink and made in the U.S.A., and they don't sell samples.
The Foam Factory sells a 5.5 lb memory foam they describe as...
- 5.5LB Memory Foam (PINK)
- ViscoMAX
- Made in USA
- Fluidly responsive to a broader range of temperatures for a smoother, gradual shift in firmness.
- Finer cell structure offers softer, more luxurious feel that better relieves pressure points, and increases circulation for a deep rejuvenating sleep.
- High tech forming process allows for excellent consistency, quality, and the process is environmentally friendly.
- 15 ILD
- Recovery (average in seconds) 30
Reading between the lines...
- Foamex Sensus is "trademark pink". What U.S. manufacturer would tread on a Foamex trademark?
- ViscoMAX? MAXFOAM is a Beamech trademark for a continuous process slabstock machine that utilizes the Maxfoam technology. It's not a Variable Pressure Foaming machine, but it's high tech for a non-VPF machine.
- "Fluidly responsive to a wider range of temperatures", "Finer cell structure," and "High tech forming process" all sound like something you would see in a Foamex ad for Sensus.
- I have come across multiple websites claiming to sell "5.3 lb Sensus"
I intend to call them tomorrow and ask.
Update: No go. "We can't give out that information." Only confirmation that it's pink and made in the U.S.A., and they don't sell samples.
haysdb, I remember that you received some samples from foam factory. Is there any way you could weigh them (maybe with a postage scale) and estimate their densities? I saw an old post on the old forum by Sager66 saying that foam factory measured their density by 2ft instead of 1ft - half the weight!!
donw wrote:
haysdb, I remember that you received some samples from foam factory. Is there any way you could weigh them (maybe with a postage scale) and estimate their densities? I saw an old post on the old forum by Sager66 saying that foam factory measured their density by 2ft instead of 1ft - half the weight!!
Ack, thanks for the reminder. I had forgotten that I had two samples from The Foam Factory / Foam By Mail.
My "pink" sample is small and somewhat irregularly shaped, so calculating the density is iffy, but I am comfortable in saying it IS a true 5 lb density foam, and very well could be 5.5 lb. This is a very slow, almost "gooey" memory foam.
Comparing it side by side with Foamex Sensus does nothing to change my mind about who makes it. It's for sure NOT Sensus, but it's quite similar. The color is different for starters (it's a different shade of pink), and the cell structure is not as fine, but it has a consistent cell structure. The "feel" of the two is very similar. Density, surface texture, and recovery time are definitely similar. I obviously have no way of testing ILD, but I'd bet 15 is overstated. I would call it slightly softer than Sensus, which is a 13 according to my notes.
I would rather have Sensus, but for the price, which is about a third less than Sensus from SleepWarehouse, this looks like a nice foam.
Their white memory foam is a step down in quality IMO, assuming what I have is a representative sample. The cell structure is not as consistent and it is very soft. Again, I can't calculate density with any accuracy, but this feels something sub-4 lb to me, and it wouldn't surprise me if it were 3.5 or even less. Maybe this is the 5.5 lb eBay foam they sell.
haysdb, I remember that you received some samples from foam factory. Is there any way you could weigh them (maybe with a postage scale) and estimate their densities? I saw an old post on the old forum by Sager66 saying that foam factory measured their density by 2ft instead of 1ft - half the weight!!
Ack, thanks for the reminder. I had forgotten that I had two samples from The Foam Factory / Foam By Mail.
My "pink" sample is small and somewhat irregularly shaped, so calculating the density is iffy, but I am comfortable in saying it IS a true 5 lb density foam, and very well could be 5.5 lb. This is a very slow, almost "gooey" memory foam.
Comparing it side by side with Foamex Sensus does nothing to change my mind about who makes it. It's for sure NOT Sensus, but it's quite similar. The color is different for starters (it's a different shade of pink), and the cell structure is not as fine, but it has a consistent cell structure. The "feel" of the two is very similar. Density, surface texture, and recovery time are definitely similar. I obviously have no way of testing ILD, but I'd bet 15 is overstated. I would call it slightly softer than Sensus, which is a 13 according to my notes.
I would rather have Sensus, but for the price, which is about a third less than Sensus from SleepWarehouse, this looks like a nice foam.
Their white memory foam is a step down in quality IMO, assuming what I have is a representative sample. The cell structure is not as consistent and it is very soft. Again, I can't calculate density with any accuracy, but this feels something sub-4 lb to me, and it wouldn't surprise me if it were 3.5 or even less. Maybe this is the 5.5 lb eBay foam they sell.
donw wrote:
More fishyness for foam factory. Here is an ebay ad of theirs. Here, they say that they measure density by 12x12x24" piece. And the 5.5 lbs they sell on ebay is white- not pink. I sent them an ebay info request pointing this out. We'll see if I hear back.
Whoa, now this is weird.
Compare this listing by FoamByMail with this listing by FoamByMail_USA.
What's going on here?
More fishyness for foam factory. Here is an ebay ad of theirs. Here, they say that they measure density by 12x12x24" piece. And the 5.5 lbs they sell on ebay is white- not pink. I sent them an ebay info request pointing this out. We'll see if I hear back.
Whoa, now this is weird.
Compare this listing by FoamByMail with this listing by FoamByMail_USA.
What's going on here?
donw wrote:
foamfactory responded to my ebay question about their measurements. They said that they do measure differently on their ebay ads than their store.
I sent the following question to eBay user foambymail:
Q: "Who is FoamByMail_USA? Their listings look the same as yours except their foam is half the density (even though it's called 5.5 lb foam). What's going on?"
A: "The company foambymail_usa is measured by two cubic feet, while foambymail is measured by one cubic foot."
FoamByMail, without the _USA on the end, is density per cubic foot.
This company is enigmatic. They actually have some good products at good prices, but they are a slippery bunch, quite happy to stretch the truth when it suits them. I now own three of their talalay latex toppers and all seem to be of perfectly reasonable quality, but they have given me no reason to trust them. Example: They said (and maybe still do) on their website that their toppers were "Made in USA." That's a really loose use of the phrase since the latex itself is manufactured in either the U.K. or the Netherlands. The toppers are only fabricated in the U.S. When I asked them where they bought their latex, I was told "from a U.S. company." Translation: they buy their latex from a U.S. distributor. I finally asked "OK, where is your latex MANUFACTURED?" At that point I was told "I don't know where it comes from" one time and "I can't give out that information" on another occasion. Caveat emptor.
foamfactory responded to my ebay question about their measurements. They said that they do measure differently on their ebay ads than their store.
I sent the following question to eBay user foambymail:
Q: "Who is FoamByMail_USA? Their listings look the same as yours except their foam is half the density (even though it's called 5.5 lb foam). What's going on?"
A: "The company foambymail_usa is measured by two cubic feet, while foambymail is measured by one cubic foot."
FoamByMail, without the _USA on the end, is density per cubic foot.
This company is enigmatic. They actually have some good products at good prices, but they are a slippery bunch, quite happy to stretch the truth when it suits them. I now own three of their talalay latex toppers and all seem to be of perfectly reasonable quality, but they have given me no reason to trust them. Example: They said (and maybe still do) on their website that their toppers were "Made in USA." That's a really loose use of the phrase since the latex itself is manufactured in either the U.K. or the Netherlands. The toppers are only fabricated in the U.S. When I asked them where they bought their latex, I was told "from a U.S. company." Translation: they buy their latex from a U.S. distributor. I finally asked "OK, where is your latex MANUFACTURED?" At that point I was told "I don't know where it comes from" one time and "I can't give out that information" on another occasion. Caveat emptor.
I agree. They are very slippery...but I just bought into their 2" pink 5.5lb memory foam thru ebay for $138 shipped - a better deal than their web site. I know that I may be sleeping on some Chinese crap, but I am hopeful because of all the positive feedback on ebay - some that had already bought 3 products. At least they have a return policy. Now, I'm just hoping that it will play well on top of the pocket gel. When I get it in, I'll put the box on the scales - it should weigh 38.7lbs (minus the packing).
I'm thinking of buying a 2" topper from them as well. I'd rather have Foamex Venus or Sensus, but Venus is obscenely expensive and the FoamByMail memory foam appears to be only a small step down from Venus Sensus and $90 less expensive. I will check eBay to see if I can get an even better price.
I swear the two 1" toppers I received yesterday from them are the same thing. I sent them an email this morning asking them to check my order and see if it said 1" of 32 and 1" of 20, which is what I intended to order. They said that was correct and I probably couldn't feel the difference because the toppers are only 1" thick. But even if I fold them in half twice so that I'm comparing 4", they still feel the same. I would not expect 20 and 32 to feel anywhere near the same. Neither is marked in any way.
Edit: I said Venus above when I meant Sensus.
I swear the two 1" toppers I received yesterday from them are the same thing. I sent them an email this morning asking them to check my order and see if it said 1" of 32 and 1" of 20, which is what I intended to order. They said that was correct and I probably couldn't feel the difference because the toppers are only 1" thick. But even if I fold them in half twice so that I'm comparing 4", they still feel the same. I would not expect 20 and 32 to feel anywhere near the same. Neither is marked in any way.
Edit: I said Venus above when I meant Sensus.
donw wrote:
"the FoamByMail memory foam appears to be only a small step down from Venus"
Is it closer to Venus or Sensus? In what ways?
Ack, I meant to say Sensus. Venus is in a league of it's own.
Bare in mind I'm looking at a sample of The Foam Factory "pink" memory foam that's 2"x2"x3", i.e. just a small piece. One can only guess whether it's a representative sample. With those disclaimers out of the way:
"the FoamByMail memory foam appears to be only a small step down from Venus"
Is it closer to Venus or Sensus? In what ways?
Ack, I meant to say Sensus. Venus is in a league of it's own.
Bare in mind I'm looking at a sample of The Foam Factory "pink" memory foam that's 2"x2"x3", i.e. just a small piece. One can only guess whether it's a representative sample. With those disclaimers out of the way:
- Foamex Sensus has a remarkably fine and consistent cell structure, as well it should for a product that comes out of a $12M piece of machinery. The Foam Factory foam has a more coarse cell structure, but it's consistent. It's analogous to the difference in the cell structures of Talaly and Dunlop latex.
- The two products have a very similar "surface feel" or "texture"
- Their recovery characteristics are nearly identical. They are about the same "speed," if you will.
- The FoamByMail sample is too small for me to accurately weigh, but it's definitely a ~5 lb memory foam. 5.5? I don't know. Maybe.
- This may mean nothing, but the two foams are very nearly the same color.
Well, my pink foambymail memory foam arrived today, so here are my first impressions. First, I placed the box on my scales (which calibrated using barbells). It weighed between 29 and 30 lbs for an eastern king, which would make the density about 4.2lbs/s.ft. - definitely not 5.5lbs. I was impressed with how readily it reverted to its proper shape. I've read horor stories about CostCo foam staying flat in areas for days, or even forever after being folded and rolled up for shipping - or sitting on a boat from China. It is quite a slow foam, but I can not tell it's reaction to temperature - will it be harder in a cold room? (I live in Arizona, and it's still not cold at night.) It does seem to have a fairly fine, even cell structure, although I can see the occasional larger gap. It does have quite a strong oder, but not as strong as I've heard others talk about - It doesn't stink up my whole room. I am so anxious to sleep on it that I'll probably do so tonight, in spite of the smell. Full report tomorrow.
Interesting about the density. That's a rather large discrepancy - almost 25% less than claimed. Does it measure a full 2" thick? A small variation there can have a major impact on the calculation. Something else to be aware of is that a typical bathroom scale may not be very accurate at 30 lbs. But no way would it be off by as much as 10 lbs. A piece of 5.5 lb density foam that size should weigh ~39 lbs.
I calibrated my scales with 26# of barbells, so it is pretty accurate at 29. The foam is maybe a hair thicker than 2", and it is around 1/2" larger than my mattress all around. So it is really more like a 4lb foam. Well we slept on it last night, and I slept really well - no back pain or arm falling asleep. I had my wife measure the amount my hip is sinking in to this bed - around 6". So the gel is still doing it's job and buckling. I love the way the memory foam follows your body exactly, supporting your lower back area. I can tell that this foam will sleap hot in the summer. It was a little warm last night at times.
scottytohotty77
New member
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2007
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 0
I just received a 3" Queen 5.5lbs from Foam By Mail. The package I received is labelled 46lbs but weights about 35. Basically I received 4lb foam as did the poster above. I purchased off of their website and then Price Matched their foambymail ebay auction that references measurement of density by cubic foot not the foambymail_usa which is per 2 cubic feet. I went to fatwallet and checked out the "Cheaper-Peadic" thread (search for emattress) and found many people with the same issue. It appears this has begun this year. My quandry is, if I had not PMed to the ebay price and thus paid the full online price I wonder if they would have sent me the correct foam?
haysdb, man if you find a way to roughly get the density of that irregular foambymail sample that would be sweet. I meen if their sample was low weight that would pretty much be the answer, hah.
haysdb, man if you find a way to roughly get the density of that irregular foambymail sample that would be sweet. I meen if their sample was low weight that would pretty much be the answer, hah.
The larger of my two samples is between 1.3 and 1.4 oz according to my analog postal scale. Figuring it would not be accurate at the lowest end of the scale, I first placed a weight on it then added the foam on top. I measured it at three different points on the scale and all were within the above range.
The sample is not precisely regular in shape. I measured the minimums and maximums with a stainess steel ruler marked to a 1/16".
Min: 3 13/16 x 3 7/8 x 1 7/8 = 27.7 in3
Max: 4 x 3 15/16 x 2 1/8 = 33.5 in3
Avg 30.6 in3
The density of my sample is ~4.75 lbs/ft3
Notes:
The sample is not precisely regular in shape. I measured the minimums and maximums with a stainess steel ruler marked to a 1/16".
Min: 3 13/16 x 3 7/8 x 1 7/8 = 27.7 in3
Max: 4 x 3 15/16 x 2 1/8 = 33.5 in3
Avg 30.6 in3
The density of my sample is ~4.75 lbs/ft3
Notes:
- I can make no claim for the accuracy of my postal scale. If it's off by 10% that could add or subtract almost .5 lb to or from the calculated density.
- The volume in cubic feet is (12 x 12 x 12) / the volume in cubic inches.
- Oz are divided by 16 to get the weight in lbs.