In a word, no. Tempur-Pedic® is by far the absolute most popular national brand and they make a perfectly fine product. But the main comfort material in their product: visco-elastic memory foam, is available elsewhere. The choices are in fact quite daunting. You can buy it in over five different weights, and I think I have seen over five different colors (as if that matters once you have put your sheets on the bed).
Publications from Newsweek to Vogue Magazine have their ads for the Tempurpedic mattress topper. These national advertisements show people reclining on a visco foam mattress pad looking like they are in the height of comfort. So, how do you compare memory foam mattress toppers?
First: what is a mattress topper?
A visco foam mattress topper is made of "memory foam" and is placed on top of a regular mattress, hence the nick name "topper". This 100% visco foam gives added comfort due to the unique properties of memory foam. The memory in the foam holds the body's impression. This cradling of the body by the memory foam provides extra relief from pressure points so you sleep more soundly with less tossing and turning. One thing I have noticed, is I wake up a lot less with my arm asleep, having slept on it too hard. The pillow top mattress cover has turned my regular mattress into a more comfortable sleep experience.
You don't need to pay full retail for the Tempur-pedic mattress topper.
Tempur-Pedic® is a brand name, as is the Isotonic mattress pad. The tempurpedic mattress topper is sold by Tempur-Pedic. It is possible to purchase a pillow top mattress cover of equal quality at a fraction of the price.
How does one compare memory foam mattress toppers?
The visco foam mattress topper should be made of 100% visco memory foam and be either four-pound density or five-pound density. The memory foam that is three-pound density or less is too much like regular polyurethane foam. It doesn't have the better memory properties of higher quality memory foam. This cheaper memory foam is usually sold in big department stores. Higher density visco memory foam, such as four and five pound density, relieves pressure points and has the cradling effect of high quality memory foam.
The five-pound density memory foam is found in the Tempur-Pedic mattress topper and in our three-inch and four-inch Sensus memory foam. Five-pound density visco memory foam is more durable and is considered the most luxurious visco foam mattress pad. But some people find the five-pound a little stiff or firm.
The four-pound density memory foam is found in products like the Isotonic mattress pad and in two-inch and three-inch visco memory foam mattress toppers. The four-pound density is also used in some pillow top mattress covers. Comparing one memory foam topper to another we find the four-pound density memory foam to be slightly softer than the five-pound. The four-pound density memory foam mattress toppers are known to give a sensation of floating on the bed.
All things equal, that really makes the choice for you - a firmer feel, buy the five-pound, a softer feel, buy the four-pound memory foam.
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