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Posted by Honest Expert on January 03, 2001 at 12:24:06:In Reply to: Still More! posted by Ruby on January 03, 2001 at 03:13:28:
Hi Ruby,
Thank you for the encouragement! You ask good questions.
Let's see, where to start? The high-density foam of your previous mattress could have been either open-cell or closed-cell. Unfortunately, I am not knowledgeable enough about the manufacturing side of foams to know to what extent they differ, meaning I don't know what secondary and tertiary factors may be involved in the selection of one over the other for specific uses. Price and longevity may play a role.
Instead, I'll give you (and anyone reading along) a small bit about some of the factors that affect foam. Maybe it will help arm you with a little more knowledge while talking to the salesperson.
Foam is made up of two primary componenets: Resin and Air. As you can imagine, there are Resins that dry very stiff and there are resins that dry very pliable. There are also Resins that have excellent longevity and Resins that do not. Just among those four factors -- stiff vs. pliable; long vs. short durability -- there can be an incredible array of choices.
Once you introduce the Air bubbles into the mix, the number (and confusion) explodes! Air, combined with the balloon-like bubbles, give foam its springiness. Conceivably, you can get two foams that will feel nearly identical by using either a stiffer Resin with more Air (lower density) or a softer Resin with less Air (higher density). The opposite is also true, of course: Stiffer Resin and LESS air makes a very firm foam, etc..
Then, to make things REALLY confusing, the size of the air bubble comes into play! You can have the same amount of Air with many tiny bubbles OR fewer larger bubbles! And: The bubbles may be very consistent in size or very diverse in size within the foam.
It is not hard to see -- it you have any sense of math -- that the number of variations can get into the thousands!
((For example: I know of one "memory foam" mattress company that sells two quality levels. The "technology" of the foam used in both is the same, but the Resin and Air content is different. The better quality mattress uses a more pliable Resin ... at higher density ... with very small and consistent Air bubbles. The lesser quality mattress uses a stiffer Resin ... at lower density ... with much less consistency in the bubble size. The end result are two mattresses that feel pretty similar, but have a significant difference in both price and longevity.))
Honestly, I'm not sure how this will help you in your shopping! I guess the best I can hope is that you can be talking like you have some knowledge about foam construction, so a salesperson won't try to pull the wool over your eyes ... for fear of getting caught! While we all know how dangerous "a little knowledge" is, I've found that showing that you have some knowledge -- while implying that you have a lot more! -- can get you some straight answers, too. LOL.
Although I (obviously) don't know the store where you purchased you mattress, my experience has been that foam specialty stores are not usually very good about knowing what makes a good sleep surface. Your store may be very reputable, but what I have encountered are foam specialty salespeople taking advantage of their unique "expertise" to sell an "inferior" quality foam for an outrageous price. After all, they are an "expert" on foams! Who are we to question their veracity? (I fully acknowledge that my limited experiences may have been tainted.)
What I have found is that staying with major brands or national brands (since "memory foam" mattress manufacturers would hardly be called "major") will keep you dealing with someone who values their reputation more than a quick profit. (Again, your foam store may be VERY reputable!) The people selling them will not likely know as much about the construction of internal components, but will have dealt with sleep needs a lot more and will have seen what models tend to have higher warranty claim rates.
Unfortuantely, shopping is still the key!
Now, about that "wavy surface": Rather than being a part of the cell construction (open vs closed), it is just the way the foam has been cut. They can be either open-cell or closed-cell, but what I have usually seen have been open-cell.
These pads can be purchased in a variety of types and used as a "topper" on your mattress. But if you are getting a mattress that you love, you shouldn't need one. The mattress should be suitably padded all on its own.
Where it gets tricky is on the inside of mattresses: Some companies are using the convoluted (wavy) foam inside the upholstery, but as far as I can tell, you cannot really feel that it is convoluted. Honestly, I'm not quite clear on why they are doing this!
Convoluted foams are only as durable as the "mountain" portion: The wear is more heavily concentrated on those spots. As a result, they tend to lose their body more quickly.
And to conclude: You don't need to worry about open-celled foams soaking up perspiration!
Keep a positive outlook! There IS a bed out that will be perfect for YOU!
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