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So you have decided you want to buy a memory foam mattress, but which one to buy?! It is pretty widely accepted that TempurPedic is a great choice, but they are very costly, and frankly, you can get a mattress that is just as good or better for less now. Below, we will teach you how to be a more educated memory foam consumer so that you can get the best mattress for the best price.

Here are some things to consider…

1- Density – Memory foam density is a big deal. Never buy a mattress with less than a 4lb memory foam. The density of the memory foam is the weight that 1 cubic foot of the foam weights. So, if you had a 1′ x 1′ x 1′ block of 5lb memory foam, that cube would weight 5lbs. So why does this matter? A higher density memory foam will hold up better over time. A common misconception is that high density memory foams are hard, whiler lower density foams are softer. This is not true. Along with densities, foams have a number called the ifd, or ild. The ifd/ild is a number that rates the firmness of a foam. You can have a 4lb foam with an ifd of 20 that will be much firmer than an 8lb foam with an ifd of 8. The lower the ifd, the softer the foam. Generally speaking you want between 10-15 ifd in a 5 or 6lb memory foam

Now, we’ll make your head spin a bit. Density isn’t always true! Many manufacturers use a dirty little trick so they can say they use high density memory foams when they in fact are inferior foams. That trick is using fillers in the foam to make it weight more while using less of their expensive raw materials. To do this, manufacturers will mix all sorts of things into the foam, sometimes as crude as dirt, or marble dust to make a 3lb foam weigh 5lbs when put on a scale! doing this creates a foam that does not have the same pressure relieving properties, or long life of a true 5lb density foam. BUYER BE WARE!!!

2-Amount of memory foam – a good memory foam mattress will usually have between 3 to 5 inches of memory foam. More than 5 inches is a bit over-kill, less than three inches does not give the same level of pressure relief.

When it comes to adjustable beds, most people are familiar with one company – Craftmatic. For years, Craftmatic made themselves THE source for adjustable beds. They had commercials on TV all day long, an 800 number where you could call and speak with someone that was going to get you the bed of your dreams, and you’d even have a friendly sales representative show up to your house to help you pick with adjustable bed would be best for you.

Today, you will find a wide variety of adjustable bed frames on the market for what seems to be an infinate amount of sources..but here is what most retailers don’t want you to know. Almost all adjustable frames are made by the same company. They are a US based company called Leggett & Platt. They make several different models with the S-Cape being their top of the line. These adjustable bed frames are sold all over. Sometimes they are called by their manufactured name, but many times, they are sold under a different name as in the case of TempurPedic and Select Number Sleep Comfort. No matter what it is called, MOST of the adjustable beds on the market are the exact same thing.

Being that there is so little variety, a couple companies have caught on to the need for a more affordable, yet quality adjustable bed. RestOnClouds for instance started bringing in their own version of adjustable bed from over seas a few years back, and it matches the more expensive Leggett & Platt adjustable features for feature with only one exception. You will find the Leggett & Platt S-Cape adjustable bed has 3 programmable settings so that you may get back to your favorite 3 positions at the touch of a button. The RestOnClouds model does not offer this feature, but does offer a one touch “Zero Gravity” position, which puts your feet up a bit as well as your head. This is the same position used by astronauts during take off to relieve the stress on their bodies from the excessive G-Forces they experience. From what we can tell, this model from RestOnClouds is just as good as the more popular Leggett & Platt. We believe more and more people will continue switching over to the more economical versions in the future.

That said, there are several other companies offering their own adjustable beds as well. We offer a word of caution about getting too much for too little. The fact of the matter is good manufacturing costs money. That is not to say that things that are cheap can not be good, but rather is a suggestion to take a very close look at any adjustable bed you feel is “too good of a deal”. Keep in mind that there are a lot of aspects of an adjustable bed that need close attention paid to them during the manufacturing process. The most obvious is the frame. Good quality materials are a MUST. You don’t want inexpensive metals that are going to bend over time front he everyday stress of being used. The frame must be made with good welds and machining as well. Motors should be self contained and well powered. There is ONE good adjustable bed on the market that we have found that is cheap. What do you sacrifice? Well, there is no massage, it is not a “wall hugger”(see below), you have to assemble it, and we don’t recommend it to people over about 225 pounds. It is the standard adjustable bed sold by RestOnClouds.