[Consumer Filter] Memory Foam mattress recommendations?

January 27, 2009 8:31 PM

What are your memory foam mattress recommendations and experiences?

Considering purchasing a memory foam mattress (Tempurpedic in particular). Like Tempurpedic (at least the pillows) but a little hesitant to drop almost 2k on a mattress.

I'd like to have anyone's thoughts re: their experience w/ Tempurpedic (or other) memory foam mattresses. Are there any Tempurpedic like alternatives that are almost as good but cheaper?

posted by gnash to shopping (29 comments total)

I bought an Angel bed about three years ago. It took some breaking in but now I absolutely love it. I would definitely purchase one again and there was significant savings vs. Tempurpedic.
posted by crunchtopmuffin at 8:35 PM on January 27

My wife and I got a Sealy Posturepedic TrueForm mattress for our wood slat bed.

The memory foam mattress was a huge improvement to our sleep. My wife was happy day one. It took me a few weeks to get used to it, but now I am very happy with the memory foam and regular spring mattresses don't feel as good.
posted by Argyle at 8:36 PM on January 27

Three years ago, I purchased a Tempurpedic knock-off (4", $499) for an extended vacation stay. I had tried the mattress in-store and it seemed extremely comfortable. However, nightly use felt like I was entombed in turkish taffy, and after a few weeks the mattress had permanent indentations where I typically slept. This could have been a knock-off flaw, but I opted to toss out the foam mattress and replace it with a conventional plush mattress which proved to be wonderfully comfortable.
posted by terranova at 8:46 PM on January 27

I have not tried them, but a friend swears by Bed in a Box. Their mattress-only prices run from $330 to $600, and it's ostensibly very similar technology to Tempurpedic. I'm not sure how you'd verify that, though.
posted by rkent at 8:48 PM on January 27

I bought a used Tempurpedic in early 2008 for less than 1/2 the advertised price. Although a good deal of shopping, investigation, and so on was involved it has ultimately changed my life significantly. Please MeFi mail me if you're interested in the boring details or have specific questions.
posted by ezekieldas at 8:48 PM on January 27

Luazinha and I have a Tempurpedic Euro-Bed and it is glorious. Seriously. We were hesitant as well. It was expensive, but we've never regretted it. I can't describe it exactly, so you should just try it and return it if it isn't for you. It supports your body, but you melt into it at the same time.
posted by umbú at 8:55 PM on January 27

They can be too hot in the summer if, like me, you tend to get warm when you sleep.
posted by fshgrl at 8:58 PM on January 27

I have a Tempurpedic and I am very happy. Can't compare it directly to any other foam mattresses, but I actually need less sleep with this bed. Guests who sleep on it have been universally impressed with what it's like to sleep on.

But get it delivered unless you have several really burly friends. They weigh a ton.

I've had it three years and it's still just as memory-y and foamy as the day it was new. No dents, indentations, or soft spots.

Oh, and it doesn't have the persistent strange odor that the Tempurpedic pillows have.

On the down side it's heavy enough that getting a mattress pad on and off is a bit of a chore, and it does hold a fair bit of heat, which can bother some people, though I got one that's a step firmer than the standard which I think keeps me a bit cooler since I don't sink in quite as much. And the 20 year warranty falls apart in the fine print. It's pro-rated for 20 years, so if it falls apart in year 19 you only get 1/20'th of your money back. But hey, 20 years is a long time for a mattress, and from how mine has fared, I think it could probably last that long.

I think you get a 90 day money-back trial. Try it out. Most people love them, but a few hate them.
posted by Ookseer at 9:08 PM on January 27

I bought a memory-foam mattress from emattress.com a few years back for < $800 and it's been great.
posted by nicwolff at 9:13 PM on January 27

I slept on one a few years ago at a fancy hotel and was underwhelmed. I didn't like the feeling of sleeping in a crater, and rolling over meant rolling uphill out of the crater.
posted by mogget at 9:26 PM on January 27

I tried a tempurpedic in a mattress store a few years ago, and didn't really like the way it felt, I sank in too much. Instead, I bought a regular sprung mattress and boxspring. Two years later, the (fairly expensive) mattress had 4 dents in it, lining up with where I usually sleep, in all possible rotations of the mattress. My other half really wanted to try a memory foam mattress, and we ended up getting one from Room and Board. We don't have a boxspring, it sits on wooden slats. It's slightly cheaper than the tempurpedics, and feels a bit different. I think its better, it doesn't encase you so much, just conforms. Of course YMMV. I've had it for almost two years and still love it.
posted by Joh at 9:52 PM on January 27

Additionally, I don't find I get too hot with the memory foam mattress, although I am a pretty cold-blooded person generally. I do find it does a fantastic job of isolating movement between partners. I can lie down with my toddler to get him to nap (right next to me) then once he is asleep, get up and slip away if needed. He barely stirs, and I think this is a pretty good demonstration of its properties!
posted by Joh at 9:55 PM on January 27

We bought a cheaper (@$500) memory foam queen sized mattress over the internet. It was great for the first 2.5 years, then it started to stay too mushy for my tastes. I like a firm bed, and it got to point where the only time the foam mattress was firm was after we'd come back from a week's vacation. We got a nice firm traditional mattress and I am much happier than sleeping on my old worn out foam mattress. The technology and construction of traditional mattresses has improved I think. The mattresses you can buy now are different than the mattress your parents bought in the 80s. I think if you go the memory foam route it may be worth ponying up for the Tempurpedic.
posted by gnutron at 10:27 PM on January 27

You should, of course, read this article from Slate even though it's nine years old. The technology might have changed (a little) but the techniques of mattress salesmen surely have not.

I have a memory foam mattress and I hate it. If I could somehow justify purchasing a new one after only owning our current one for two years, I would do so immediately. The foam is hot, mushy, and heavy. Given the opportunity (and budget) to start over again, I'd buy an innerspring mattress for half the price and be, undoubtedly, twice as happy.
posted by terceiro at 10:58 PM on January 27

Something to think about, if you have back or hip problems or are pregnant they are really hard to get up from.
posted by Jules22871 at 10:58 PM on January 27

I tried a Tempurpedic and hated it. Hot! The material doesn't breathe, and doesn't wick. This means that when you awake, you're lying in a warm pool of sweat. Since you're also in a form-fitting depression, the salt-water induced buoyancy is overcome by the vacuum seal effect, and the only reason it's possible to get out of bed at all is because the mattress is so heavy. Of course, another person can jump up and down on the bed without spilling your crater of sweat. If that's really important to you.
posted by spasm at 11:42 PM on January 27 [2 favorites has favorites]

Add me to the haters list. My wife and I tried a Tempurpedic mattress when we went bed shopping a few years ago, and we both hated it more than any other mattress we laid on. It was like sinking down into a warm, mushy pit. Our hatred was justified a few months later when we stayed at a friend's house and their guest bed had a Tempurpedic mattress. I woke up soaked in sweat because I had been unable to move all night from my indentation in the mattress.

Maybe if you're stick thin and can float above the sheets like a cloud the Tempurpedic mattresses are a good option. But everyone I know who is not so thin (like me) has had the same complaints about them that I have.
posted by ralan at 4:18 AM on January 28

I slept in one at my girlfriend's parent's house. It was pretty comfy. They absolutely swear by their's. Her dad said that he never remembered dreaming prior to sleeping on this Tempurpedic bed, and has had the best sleep of his life on it. FWIW, they are both in their late sixties, and report that their various old-age body aches are vastly improved as well. Her dad is a slim guy, by the way (like ralan, above).
posted by orme at 4:41 AM on January 28

It's like sleeping on cheesecake.
posted by Herschel at 6:16 AM on January 28 [1 favorite has favorites]

My parents bought one from Costco. My wife and I slept on it while house sitting and instantly came down with a terrible case of mattress lust. We ended up ordering a "Spa Sensations" mattress from Walmart for $422 (Queen) last December. Just over a year in and I still miss our bed whenever I'm way from home. I absolutely love it. From what I can tell there is no difference between this mattress and the ones costing twice as much.

FWIW, I'm very much a "hot body" and I don't sweat on this bed any more than I did on our old pillow top. Seems to breathe pretty well to me.
posted by jluce50 at 7:01 AM on January 28

I have a $500 foam mattress from these guys with a memory foam topper from Costco. I love it. I hate sleeping on any other beds now, and am never going back to box springs. It was especially great when I was pregnant; I didn't get any of the hip agony I had with an early pregnancy and a conventional mattress.

But it is starting to get too soft now, about three years along. I might go with a name brand when I replace this one.
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:58 AM on January 28

I absolutely LOVE my TempurPedic mattress. However, if you are on the heavy side I can see how it would be uncomfortable since it retains a good deal of heat. If you decide to purchase one, definitely take advantage of the 90 day trial period. I found that it took a few weeks to get used to the feeling, but once I did I loved it.
posted by HauteMama at 8:06 AM on January 28

my SO got one before we had discussed living together (which we now do). i hated spending the weekend there because i absolutely hated it - it made my neck hurt, my back hurt. it's very hard to move around on, the sheets come off of it in the middle of the night (even the super deep ones that are supposed to), and in the summer it's INSANELY hot - it's like sleeping on top of a heat vent even with A/C and a ceiling fan.

of course, HE thinks it's wonderful, he has had not one complaint about the darn thing. it no longer makes my neck hurt, but occaisionally it still makes my back hurt. i like to sleep on my stomach and on my side and this bed does not let me do that comfortably.

i have found that i am in the minority of people who hate the temperpedic bed so it's heartening to see that others have not liked it.

YMMV. see if there's a return policy where you are getting it from.
posted by sio42 at 8:25 AM on January 28

oops...make that "aren't supposed to" as in come off - the sheets aren't supposed to come off.
posted by sio42 at 8:26 AM on January 28

We got a foam mattress from Design Within Reach. Expensive, and DWR is so hoity-toity that I was a-feared that it would be all hype. Both my partner and I are forever converts. It's not as hot as the Tempurpedic beds on which I've slept, and as someone mentioned, I swear I get better sleep and require less of it. Also, foam mattresses are best on slats, so they can get proper air flow.
posted by sadiehawkinstein at 8:54 AM on January 28

Not all tempurpedic mattresses are created equal. Some breathe better than others. The criticism that you'll end up in a pool of sweat simply doesn't apply to all of the mattresses.
posted by umbú at 11:46 AM on January 28

We got a memory foam mattress (Englander) thinking it would be totally awesome. My husband is an insomniac, and I have problems with joint arthritis, and I was so excited. But it turned out to be a mistake - instead of sleeping on clouds, it was hot, and the "body conforming" properties just mean you end up being stuck in one position all night. I ended up with worse arthritis. A year later, our bed was fortuitously ruined by a water leak in our ceiling. We went out and bought a high-end natural latex mattress, and both of us sleep like babies. YMMV.
posted by media_itoku at 8:54 PM on January 28

Thank you everyone for your excellent advice and recommendations! I now have several paths I will be investigating. Again my thanks!
posted by gnash at 7:09 AM on January 29

A follow-up to everyone.

I purchased a 12" memory foam mattress from Wal-mart for $500ish dollars which was shipped free (pretty great as it weighed 120 or more lbs).

I feel the foam is quality foam and thought it was good, though perhaps too firm. My wife felt it was MUCH too firm, so those considering the purchase caveat emptor. Please note the feedback on this mattress was 4 1/2 stars w/ 350 reviews.

We purchased a 3 inch Serta memory foam mattress topper for about $120 from Overstock which did the trick. It is a much softer foam and bridged the gap for my wife as well as being more than acceptable to me.

We both quite like the end solution though I thought it was funny that I bought a memory foam topper to a memory foam mattress.

Had I not needed a memory foam mattress to go upstairs (because I couldnt fit a conventional one) I think the topper would've definitely sufficed for a change in firmness / feel to my current mattress.

My thanks again to everyone for their advice!
posted by gnash at 11:14 AM on February 23