Memory foam beds and mattresses

I have been checking out some memory foam mattresses online and also in stores.

The price variations are massive with the most expensive being those produced by the Tempur company.

Tempur are widely regarded as being the first company to take the NASA developed memory foam and use it in bedding and their reputation is the highest in the industry.

This is due to a number of reasons ranging from the mattress concept originating from their R & D department, to the high density visco foam that they use, along with the mix of different foam layers for stability and ventilation as well as moulding.

How good, or indeed how much better they are than the competition I do not know. But I can certainly say that their prices range from double to quadruple that of their rivals.

Staying with Tempur, they offer a 15 year warranty – the longest in the industry, but on looking at numerous forums there seem to be a few people who are unhappy with them.

As far as I can determine their warranty requires a permanent deflection in the mattress of around ¾ inches for the unit to warrant replacement (or repair), and they would also seem to be subject to damage through sweating. Rather concerning as memory foam has a reputation for having warm sleeping characteristics. Water damage (which this constitutes) is not covered by any guarantee.

Needless to say, I would assume that every other memory foam manufacturer is just as unwilling to admit “fault” liability, or a problem with a mattress and my personal view is that very few guarantees are worth the paper that they are written on.

What I should add is that I have tried out some Tempur mattresses for about 10 minutes on 4 or 5 occasions and I found them very comfortable. They certainly do mould to the shape of the body and, in the short term, I found this supportive.

Ultimately, I think that we all have different views of comfort and also different reactions to these body contouring mattresses. Clearly some people love them, some people adapt to them, and others simply find them impossible to sleep on. In the case of Tempur there is a 60 day free trial which lets you determine which category you fit into. If you choose not to take the mattress, then you pay only for delivery and return and receive a refund for the actual cost.