In the market for a new mattress: Requesting info on the classic Bergad Isoform Mattress.

December 27, 2007 12:26 AM

I've been sleeping on a cheap Ikea mattress for a few years now and have finally decided to invest in a better one. I like the Tempur-Pedic beds, but I haven't really looked into them due to the high prices (I need a Queen). I recently came across these Bergad Isoform Mattresses while researching online and found quite a few good reviews on epinions. I'm a bit worried about having to purchase one without being able to test it, though I hear they are quite comparable to the Tempur-Pedics. What are your thoughts? As an aside, I have a genuine curiosity about how these beds are for sex. I'm used to spring mattress beds which seem to be more buoyant than the foam beds, and I'm curious if that affects sex in any way. I don't mean to be crass, but it IS hard to find reviews on that other thing people do in their beds!
posted by ISeemToBeAVerb to home & garden (17 answers total)

Ha!! I know it's humorous, but seriously, I'm curious!!!
posted by ISeemToBeAVerb at 12:38 AM on December 27, 2007

Search for more opinions about the Bergad mattresses. There are a LOT of unsatisfied people out there who ordered from them and had major problems with the shipping process.

Tempur-Pedic is just an overpriced brand name. Search for "memory foam mattress" and you will find loads of them at MUCH cheaper prices. Do a little research about foam densities and thicknesses, and you'll get an idea of what your minimum expectations should be. I looked into this two years ago when I moved to a new apartment and ultimately decided to stick with a conventional mattress for reasons of personal taste. If I were buying a memory foam one, though, I would just use Google and buy wherever it seemed cheapest. Contrary to what Tempur-Pedic tells you, it's not rocket science.
posted by autojack at 12:45 AM on December 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

I was mattress shopping not too long ago. Ultimately I chose a pillow-topped something or other from the Simmons Beautyrest family of products. Nice and firm, but yieldingly springy with good isolation. I've very much enjoyed it. The foam stuff is crazy spendy, IMHO, and feels disturbingly immobilizing.

So, I don't have one, but I have been told by someone who did have one that the Tempur-Pedic mattress was a serious buzz-kill in the lovin' department. Where a normal mattress is all springy and subtly trampoliney, the miraculous Swedish memory foam absorbs all impacts. My informant returned it because it made for Bad Sex.

Of course, I think most Tempur-pedics are sold with a complete satisfaction guarantee, so one would think that if it were really the universal death of sex, it'd be more widely known. I guess it depends on how you roll, but recoil may be more important to your game than you think.
posted by mumkin at 12:51 AM on December 27, 2007

Tempur-pedics, in my experience, do not enhance the makin' of the lovin'.

As for other mattresses - egg crates do God's work, I'm tellin' ya.
posted by katillathehun at 1:19 AM on December 27, 2007 [3 favorites]

Anyone who is having 'Bad Sex' on almost any kind of mattress just doesn't have the moves. Bad workers blaming their tools (hoho!) and all that.

I've had a Tempur mattress for nearly seven years following a 60-day home trial and absolutely love the thing and it still feels as good as the day it arrived. I'm as pretty much anti-brand as you're going to get but if something is good then it's good IMHO.

I can't vouch for other memory foam versions but the sex has been fantastic (although I'd put enough of that down to the people involved). Costly? Yes but my thought was that if I was going to be spending up to a third of my time on the thing then paying extra was no problem.

My gf has a decent normal spring mattress which is fine but she loves mine and anyone who has slept on it has commented on how comfortable it is. Being able to put drinks down safely is pretty handy too ;-)

My advice is to get the trial for the Tempur and see how you go with that if you can't get a trial for similar products.
posted by i_cola at 3:13 AM on December 27, 2007

Tempur-Pedic is just an overpriced brand name. Search for "memory foam mattress" and you will find loads of them at MUCH cheaper prices.

It's just latex, but just like with latex paint, one seems to get what one pays for. Me, my time in the sack is worth more than saving a few bucks (and possibly going cheap) on the purchase.

The only drawback to a memory foam bed is that it's warm. You sink in, latex foam doesn't breathe very well, and you might have to go with a lighter duvet to compensate.

As for sex, I make my own bounce so this isn't a problem. The dense foam provides excellent purchase.
posted by three blind mice at 3:28 AM on December 27, 2007

In my searching during my summer bed-hunt, I found a few references to memory-foam sex. It boils down to this:

The mattress will no longer give you any bounce, but by the same token, it adds a lot of grip.

Whether you find that effect a serious problem obviously depends on the preferences of you and your partner(s).
posted by Tomorrowful at 5:47 AM on December 27, 2007

An alternative is a Sleep Number bed. We have one, because I like to sleep on concrete and he likes to sleep on marshmallows. The downside is that if I snuggle over towards him, I'm likely to fall into The Pit that his higher body weight and the bed's lower air pressure have created.

Of course, it's fully adjustable so it's just fine for sex.
posted by desjardins at 5:50 AM on December 27, 2007

I've gotta say, though, I'd suggest just going to a local bed and/or furniture store and actually lying on the things. It's well worth it, to make sure you're going to be able to sleep well on it.
posted by limeonaire at 6:05 AM on December 27, 2007

I have a memory foam mattress (not brand name), and love it. I sleep much better than I used to, and no longer wake up with backaches.

Sex is fine, thank you very much. I can't see why it wouldn't be -- which makes me think that either I'm doing it wrong, or other people have very odd mattresses.
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:26 AM on December 27, 2007

I recommend a firm mattress (no pillowtop) and a 2 inch memory foam topper. This is what I've settled upon and it's worked wonderfully.

If you're going to add the foam, you cannot have a pillow top because even the extra-deep fitted sheets aren't deep enough to contain a pillow top and foam at the same time.

As for sex, well, no problems. One kid and one on the way.
posted by unixrat at 6:31 AM on December 27, 2007

Based off of my experiences with my memory foam bed (a Serta), as well as comparison reports with my friends, you may consider the following information useful:

- The bed traps heat. That's great on cold winter nights, not so much when you've got two sweaty bodies in the bed.

- If two people are laying together in the center of the bed, you can go beyond the support limit of the foam and end up in a little sort of ditch/dip in the middle of the bed for a few minutes. It goes away if you get up or move apart for a little bit.

- The lack of springs is nice because there's no squeaking. Some people might find the lack of bounce back cramps their style, but it's not that hard to get used to the new, er, physics of the thing and stop banking on the bounce back factor.

- The bed is less likely to end up thumping against the walls because the shock is being absorbed.

- There is a 'grip' to it, as mentioned above, and it can be very helpful.
posted by SassHat at 6:35 AM on December 27, 2007

I would never, ever buy a bed without trying it out first. Think about it, you are buying something you are going to spend an average of 8 hours a night. If you are buying a mattress and boxspring, go someplace. Take your shoes off. Lay on it. I don't mean sit on the edge of the bed and bounce for a few seconds. I don't mean kind of flop down for 5 seconds. I mean lay down on the bed like you would if you were going to sleep and spend at least 10 minutes there. If you have a partner that you sleep with regularly, bring them with. It is the only way to buy a bed.

I know that wasn't really your question, but I found so many people don't take the time to properly purchase a bed (I was a manager at a furniture store). They spend forever picking out the proper color for a sofa, but 30 seconds on their bed.

As for the sex, I don't think it will make that much difference. Worst case you will have to make a few minor adjustments. But hey, you do that with sex in the kitchen too right?
posted by Silvertree at 7:00 AM on December 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

I highly recommend what I have: a queen sized Sealy Posturepedic Stryker - it has the best of both worlds: nearly 800 coils, and the "tempurpedic" memory foam. You can probably get one at a discount place for $1,000.
posted by wfc123 at 9:47 AM on December 27, 2007

I've found the Tempurpedic worth it (some people I gather don't care for its "feel," so definitely try before you buy) - had it for several years, would buy again, significantly reduced back pain and restless sleep.

Is it overpriced? Sure, maybe. No personal experience with the budget brands. Again, I found the "brand name" worth it. Be smart, do your research like I didn't. I bought mine on a payment plan, zero interest same a cash sort of deal. I never felt bad paying that bill.

Zero effect on sex. The difference has never crossed my mind until you brought it up.
posted by nanojath at 10:00 AM on December 27, 2007

I spent $600 on a full-size memory foam bed, and it was probably the best $600 I've ever spent. I've only had it for 6 months or so though, so I can't vouch for how well it's going to hold up over the years, but I've been sleeping better than ever over those 6 months.
posted by booknerd at 11:15 AM on December 27, 2007

I have a Tempur-Pedic. I've found it to be pretty great. I haven't yet had sex on it, unfortunately. Tempur is explicit in their literature about not topping their mattress with anything but the rather thin fabric cover they supply. I do wonder how well it would deal with the, er, 'juiciness'--it seems like it would soak in pretty readily. Here's hoping I get a chance to find out this year :-P
posted by oats at 11:38 AM on December 27, 2007