Memory foam mattress. What's the winner?

March 16, 2012 1:10 PM

I need a new mattress. I'm looking at memory foam and would like to keep the costs down to $500-600. What is the winner?

My current mattress is an inner-spring, and it is shot. There's no saving it. My parents bought a Swiss Lux off of Overstock.com, and claim they love it. I've seen mixed reviews on their longevity, and I'm curious to see what the hive mind says about what's best. My budget is limited to $600 max, and I'd like to come in under $500 if possible. FWIW, I'm a fairly cold sleeper, and a stomach sleeper. I tend to prefer somewhere in the firm range. I do have a memory foam pillow top on my current bed, so I can slap that on top of anything I buy as well. Should I go with latex or memory foam? I have a box spring that is in good shape as well. And lastly, I'm looking for a queen size.

Some options I've looked at thus far:
- Swiss Lux. I've seen mixed reviews on how long they last, and so that makes me a bit iffy.
- Body-pedic. Another Overstock brand. Some seem to report they are meh.
- Ikea. I've got an Ikea under 5 miles away, but I've heard mixed reviews on their overall quality.

What have you slept on? Are there any particular winners within my budget?

Thanks Hive.

posted by Mister Fabulous to home & garden (30 answers total)

I have one of the cheaper Ikea memory foam mattresses and I love it, best sleep of my life. It's a bit shallow, so I can't like walk on it or anything, but the thing was only 250 or so. The box spring is probably going to be the worst part of your sleeping experience if you go this route - personally I sprung(HAHAHAHAHAHAHA) for one of these babies because the memory foam is flexible enough to easily accept the different angles it makes possible. If you read a lot I recommend it~~~~~~~~
posted by MangyCarface at 1:18 PM on March 16, 2012

I would personally not go with an IKEA mattress. My fiancee has one and it's terrible. I almost never get a good sleep at her place but do fine at my place or when we're in hotels (i.e., it's not the "sharing a bed" issue). I've managed to narrow it down to the mattress being the most likely culprit.

I suspect that you're not going to get anything particularly long-lasting in your price range,

Swiss Lux seems to be more favourably reviewed than Body-pedic, so I'd likely go that route, if I were you.
posted by asnider at 1:23 PM on March 16, 2012

I'm in the process of looking myself, and there seems to be some potential in this previous AskMe thread.
posted by zombieflanders at 1:26 PM on March 16, 2012

I hated the memory foam mattress I had from IKEA, and the adjustable slats that I used with it only made it worse. I replaced it with a mattress from Keetsa, which I love, but their cheapest option is a bit out of your price range.
posted by asphericalcow at 1:27 PM on March 16, 2012

in response to your ? on latex vs memory: I've had a latex (non-memory) foam bed in the past and now i have a memory foam. The memory foam (from Bob's) is definitely nicer but definitely out of your price range. I bought the latex foam from knoxfoam.com. it wasn't a mattress exactly, just a piece of foam cut to my request -- i got a 4" thick queen size foam cut of their highest density foam. it cost ~$150 and it was awesome! it was, as i said, not as nice as the memory foam, but it was so much better than any 'spring' type mattress i have ever had. I would happily have it again if I needed to buy a new mattress. both the regular foam and the latex are 'warm' -- i now find regular mattresses drafty.

unfortunately, knoxfoam doesn't seem to exist anymore!!! maybe someone else can suggest a similar place. if you can find a latex mattress that you're happy with and is within your budget, shelling out the extra for the memory foam probably won't be worth it.
posted by Tandem Affinity at 1:34 PM on March 16, 2012

This is the one you want. I got it off that thread zombieflanders linked to, bought it last summer, and it is comfy. And cheap.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 1:39 PM on March 16, 2012 [3 favorites]

Er, I guess I got it last fall, based on the date of that thread. Also, it is on the firm side, which you say you like. Not sure what "cold sleeper" means, but I find that I'm very warm on this mattress, I'm not normally a person who sweats at night but on this mattress I do. IMO, the only bad thing about it, and I could probably fix that with the right mattress topper and just haven't gotten around to researching it yet.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 1:44 PM on March 16, 2012

thefoamfactory.com
posted by ennui.bz at 2:06 PM on March 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

Our Ikea memory foam mattress is great, but we went with a much more expensive model than what you're talking about. My recollection is that the lower-priced ones at the store weren't super great, but it would probably be worth going in person to check them out. It might also depend on what kind of bed you have.
posted by Narrative Priorities at 2:22 PM on March 16, 2012

Costco sells memory foam mattresses for about that price range. I slept on a Novaform one, and it was totally fine.
posted by thewumpusisdead at 2:27 PM on March 16, 2012

If there is a large local-to-you store that sells memory foam mattresses, that might be a good source. My brother and sister-in-law got a "Bob-o-Pedic" mattress from the local to New England chainette Bob's Furniture, and it has worked out great for them.

Costco is also a good bet, and you will save enough on this purchase alone to cover the cost of the membership if you aren't already a member.
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:31 PM on March 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

We got a latex base and a memory foam topper from JC penny's and really love it. Combined it was less expensive than other options, and works great. I can't remember where we got the base.
posted by lab.beetle at 3:02 PM on March 16, 2012

My advice: Go to the largest mattress store in your vicinity and try lying down on the mattresses. You can easily tell whether you like memory foam or not, whether it's too hot for you and whether it's firm enough for you. You can also try out the mattresses (latex and innerspring) in your price range and see what they feel like. Hopefully you will find something comfy in your price range.

(I did this six months ago, shopping for a memory foam mattress. I was surprised to learn that all the store's memory foam mattresses were too hot for me as well as too soft. I decided on a name-brand, firm, latex foam mattress for $850, queen size, and am a happy sleeper.)
posted by exphysicist345 at 3:03 PM on March 16, 2012

We have really loved the Serta Apple Valley 8" memory foam mattress. It's regularly in your price range at the queen size sold with a box spring. It's a hybrid mattress that felt the same as the well-known and expensive brand name memory foam. It also comes with all the regular Serta guarantees. We've had it for almost six months and we're super happy--we replaced an Ikea mattress. I also have this idea that a box spring extends the life of a mattress and maintains its feel over a slats-in-platform situation, but maybe I'm wrong. What I really appreciated, too, about the Apple Valley memory foam was that it had zero smell from the moment it was delivered. I've had friends who have had to let their memory foam mattress off-gas for several days before they were okay sleeping on it. If you need to purchase online, Mattress Firm regularly sells the model. Also, Sidhedevil's advice is super good.
posted by rumposinc at 3:26 PM on March 16, 2012

My boyfriend and I just received the full-sized version of this one (queen is $479 with free shipping and a 20-year warranty) which we ordered off Amazon for what appears to be an insanely good price based on the original "list price" they show. We literally just got it in the mail today, so I don't have any personal reviews, but it--and other mattresses by the same brand--got great reviews on Amazon.
posted by a.steele at 3:41 PM on March 16, 2012

I bought the latex foam from knoxfoam.com. it wasn't a mattress exactly, just a piece of foam cut to my request -- i got a 4" thick queen size foam cut of their highest density foam. it cost ~$150 and it was awesome!

Are you sure that was latex? They usually run about 8-10 times that price and last for decade or two. There’s a lot of types of foam out there. Latex is also heavy as hell, way heavier than a spring mattress. I’m a pretty big guy and it takes all I’ve got to flip my mattress.

From my experience latex and memory foam are absolutely nothing alike, about as different as it gets. I have a latex mattress and have only slept on memory foam in hotels. Sleeping a whole night on one is much different than trying it out for a few minutes, I didn’t care for it much, but didn’t hate it.
posted by bongo_x at 3:45 PM on March 16, 2012

I had a good quality but worn out mattress and put a $150 memory foam topper from CostCo on it. It's now an awesome mattress.
posted by zippy at 4:31 PM on March 16, 2012

My previous mattress was memory foam from Costco and I loved it. They have a great return policy if it doesn't suit.
posted by cyndigo at 4:32 PM on March 16, 2012

Seconding Novaform from Costco, if you or someone you know has a membership. We had the mid-level one which was about $600. They change the names frequently, but I think it was called "pure comfort" at the time.
posted by echo0720 at 4:41 PM on March 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

I'm not a big fan of memory foam, but I am a big fan of Costco mattresses, so I definitely second that recommendation. (Actually, I did get a memory foam topper from Costco for a non-standard size mattress- an ancient one that was truly impossible to sleep on, and is now quite bearable, if not ideal.)
posted by instamatic at 6:08 PM on March 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

I've got the same one from Amazon as rabbitrabbit, love it. I do, however, wonder if it would be as comfortable for someone much heavier- I weigh 125 lbs.
posted by mareli at 6:50 PM on March 16, 2012

I got a $300 full size memory foam mattress from foambymail.com, aka The Foam Factory. Couldn't be happier! They also have latex foam, if you decide you'd rather go with that.
posted by vorfeed at 7:59 PM on March 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

I meant to post this earlier, but couldn't find the link on my phone: the folks at What's The Best Mattress Forums know everything there is to know about mattress deals and building your own cheap/DIY mattresses from layers of foam. That's where I found out about Foam Factory. You can search the forum for Costco, Ikea, etc if you're looking for more feedback.
posted by vorfeed at 11:20 PM on March 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

I went with Bed in a Box based on previous AskMe advice and info from Sleep Like the Dead, and have been very happy with my mattress.
posted by asperity at 12:23 AM on March 17, 2012

Nthing the Amazon mattress linked to above, it's cheap and good.
posted by nicwolff at 8:51 AM on March 17, 2012

I got a plush matress from sleepy's for $500. its an innerspring but I have gotten the best sleep of my life on it. They gave me that sleep test and recommended me this mattress. I was actually amazed they recommended me this cheap one.

Dont just go for a foam matress because everybody says its the best. Go to some places and try them. Try the foam ones, try hard ones, soft ones ,plush.

The foam might not be the best for you.
posted by majortom1981 at 10:55 AM on March 17, 2012

My partner has one purchased from Costco about 5 years ago. It's been awesome. But it is starting to dip a bit in the middle. I think he paid about $400 for the queen size.
posted by sundrop at 3:57 PM on March 17, 2012

When I was searching for mattresses I was surprised to find that a memory foam mattress from foammattressdiscounts.com was about the same price as a regular mattress. I was a little hesitant buying a mattress online, but I took a chance and I am very happy I did. All of the queens are well within your price range.

I got a full sized mattress about 7 months ago. It came in long box and was wrapped in a tight cylinder. I pierced the plastic that it was in and it immediately started expanding (pretty cool to watch). It smelled a bit like factory for perhaps a day but that smell is long gone. I let it expand for those first 24 hours, plopped it on my bed frame, and have been enjoying an amazing sleep every night since. I have absolutely no complaints. I think they even wrap the mattress in some kind of cover that you can take off and wash, but I haven't done that yet.
posted by Defenestrator at 10:43 PM on March 17, 2012 [1 favorite]

Also, for comparison, I weigh about 165.
posted by Defenestrator at 10:44 PM on March 17, 2012

Just as a warning for memory foam - they are HOT. We got a memory foam set 5 years ago that we are still trying to make ... less hot. Good luck.
posted by getawaysticks at 6:34 AM on March 19, 2012