Memory foam is known for its contouring comfort that embraces your body, and helps dissipate pressure points and distribute weight. It is a popular sleeping surface choice due to how well it cradles stiff or sore joints without sacrificing overall support.
If you have your heart set on a memory foam mattress you may find yourself assaulted by the many choices currently available in the sleep industry to choose from. Tempur-Pedic is a leading brand name known for their time tested products that has led sales for the last quarter century. But that mean it hasn’t faced some stiff competition over the years in both quality and comfort from other product brands.
According to our own reviews here at Sleep Judge you have quite a few decent choices to take a closer look at to find your perfect sleep match. But what it all really comes down to is what exactly is the difference between the current memory foam mattress and Tempur-Pedic before making a final decision?
The Tempur-Pedic Brand Name
When Tempur-Pedic first emerged in the early 1990’s as a household brand name, they became known due to their introduction of a viscoelastic polyurethane foam. This foam is the foundation of Tempur-Pedic’s patented memory foam construction, and introduced to the world a new way of sleeping. Since then they have inspired new ways of approaching personalized sleep comfort and have introduced new technology so you can get the best sleep possible.
Tempur-Pedic – Pros and Cons
Pros
- Time tested product
- Comes in a variety of comfort choices
- Great motion isolation
Cons
- Some choices sleep hot
- Poor quality transparency
- High material cost
Construction
Tempur-Pedic utilizes a layered construction technique in their mattress creation. The first two layers are generally of varied Tempur foams to create different comfort choices. Two to three more layers of differing foam thicknesses and quality, as well as innerspring choices, make up the rest of the mattress depth.
This layered technique allows not only comfort changes across the different series of mattresses Tempur-pedic offers, but is a popular way to allow for increased airflow and overall mattress breathability.
Comfort and Durability
As mentioned, Tempur-Pedic offers different series of mattresses to meet the comfort needs of their consumers. Their different lines of options include a Flex, Cloud, Contour, and Breeze choices for all types of sleepers. The Flex line is innerspring construction that is of a more firm choice and is geared for heavier sleepers as well. The Cloud and Contour series are of soft, and firm foam construction respectively, with the Breeze line offering an added layer of cooling gel memory foam to already existing mattress choices.
Tempur-Pedic does offer a 10 year warranty, and although the transparency of their material quality is not disclosed by the company, our reviews of the entire line do show a high density of memory foam in use across all lines of mattresses offered. The density of memory foam is tied directly to quality, and Tempur-Pedic does offer a high quality item.
Consumer Reviews
With 25 years of feedback, Tempur-Pedic has an excellent base from which to consistently recreate their products for user satisfaction. Reviews through the years are consistently high concerning comfort and longevity. Heat retention seems to be the biggest company over the years, but recent innovations such as the Breeze line and new foams in layers have helped consumers sleep cooler.
Foam breakdown and areas of foam compression are also a complaint depending on the series and unique body type of the sleeper. This is a common complaint across most memory foam brands over time as a breaking in and settling of materials in supposed to occur. Occasionally it is more that what is expected.
Concerns
The biggest concerns surrounding the Tempur-Pedic use of memory foam is that through the years prices have stayed pretty consistently on the high end of the spectrum despite increased competition. They have regularly upgraded their materials and construction to reflect changing technology, but this same technology is driving other companies to do the same, and drop cost in a significant manner.
Memory Foam Mattresses
If you didn’t quite catch it above, I’ll reiterate here: Tempur-Pedic is a memory foam mattress brand, but through the years companies have taken a page from the Tempur-Pedic brand to help meet the needs of their consumers and stay competitive in the business.
With the advances of technology which has created further affordability in the sleep industry, recent years have seen an influx in new types of memory foam construction, creating a variety of choices for the consumer to choose from. Many companies that offer Tempur-Pedic the most stiff competition are online brands that ship directly to your front door, which removes the added cost of brick and mortar markups.
Memory Foam – Pros and Cons
Pros
- Great motion isolation
- Body contouring
- Many comfort choices across brands
Cons
- Some choices sleep hot
- May have to shop across brands for comfort differences
- Material quality may vary
Construction
Memory Foam mattresses truly do define a very large range of choices that vary in depth, firmness levels, and comfort. All memory foam mattresses utilize a layered construction technique for increased airflow, with the top layer or two being the actual memory foam for support and comfort.
The major difference between other memory foams and Tempur-Pedic foams is the utilization of new foam construction techniques. Visco memory foam, the open celled foam that Tempur-Pedic uses, is a popular choice with other brands, but companies have recently been patenting their own techniques.
Some of these other choices include more environmentally friendly designs that use eco-friendly materials and construction. Plant based foams are a popular organic choice, and specialized blends, including gel-infused memory foams, create varied sleep comforts.
Comfort and Durability
Although memory foam is offered in a wide range of comfort choices, unlike Tempur-Pedic you won’t find many soft to very soft choices through other companies. There is much research surrounding what is best for your body over time, and plush to firm choices are more readily available due to this.
Another factor to consider is that most companies are not as large as a company such as Tempur-Pedic, so they are unable to offer a large a range of comfort, and instead specialize in certain choices to help keep their products more affordable.
You’ll also find a wide range of mattress price choices through other companies. Factory to door delivery cuts out a lot of out of pocket overhead the company experiences, but this practice can also reflect a lower quality, and less durable mattress as well. Most companies are very transparent in their material use and foam density, but understanding this in advance of making a choice is a responsibility you, as the consumer, should practice. Plus reading up on reviews can help you narrow down your choices.
Consumer Reviews
The great thing about the many companies offering you choices is that finding consumer feedback is easier than ever. Since many companies offer front door delivery, and have taken out any sort of showroom shopping, they depend entirely upon word of mouth to get their products out there. Of course, with the many different companies that offer certain comforts, you’ll need to narrow down your searches and then delve into the details of the pros and cons offered by current users to help determine if it is a good choice for you.
Concerns
When sifting through the many memory foam options you’ll be faced with, your biggest concern should be quality and comfort. With companies focusing specifically on only a select few comfort offerings you don’t want to get sold on just one brand name without checking out the competition. Your sleep comfort is unique to you and just because one brand has great reviews doesn’t mean it will be your best choice.
Quality is also a major concern if you are unaware of how density is tied to quality. As described above the higher the density the higher the quality, so making sure you uncover how the mattress layers are utilized and which densities are used is important. A great price may reflect a less dense product, so brand transparency is worth investigating.
Conclusion
Tempur-Pedic may have started a memory foam revelation 25 years ago, that doesn’t mean they make the best bed for you. In your search for the Tempur vs memory foam brands currently available, doing your homework in advance of purchase will ensure you get what you both need, and can afford.
Don’t get yourself sold on just one brand before checking out the competition. The Tempur brand may have been around for a long time, but certain costs associated with warehouse storage, showroom commissions, and delivery may have you considering what factory direct products will agree better with your budget.
Tempur-Pedic makes shopping convenient with the many different options available, but if you are willing to check out multiple companies that specialize in specific comforts you may save yourself quite a bit of money.