Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

UPDATE Aug 2, 2014 It's been close to a year since we got this topper. We are still very happy with it. You'd have to point a gun to my head to give it up. "BOTTOM LINE" FIRST The product arrived in two days (Prime membership). There was MINIMAL odor to it. It expanded quickly to full height. I slept on it the first night and had the best night's sleep I have had in many years. I will update this in 6 months to report on how the product holds up. You might find my "story" below to help in your decision making. BACKGROUND We bought our first memory foam bed (queen size) about 5-6 years ago from a local furniture store. It was low end, but we loved it, and immediately decided to use it for a guest bed and upgrade to a king size. We bought the same bed, or so we thought, until it arrived. The store had substituted the model. The manager assured us the product we got was the same or better. Well, it was NOT. We've been making due with it, but I finally attributed my restless, sleepless nights and morning back pain to the cheapo mattress. I decided to get something better, but this time I was going to do my homework. WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT DENSITY 2 - 2.5 The second (king size) bed must have been a 2 or 2.5 lb density AT BEST. That explains why we didn't like it. At that low density, the foam doesn't have the pliability that you want in a memory foam mattress, and it won't last. 3 The top layer (most important factor in determining the amount of "give") of the original queen size bed we bought was a 3 lb density foam. We thought is was comfortable, but the fact is, a 3lb density will not hold up over time. Luckily it only serves as a guest bed and gets little use (we have no friends). 4 - 5.3 A 4 lb density will hold up better over time and is more pliable. A 5.3 lb density has even more of that doughy feel to it and greater likelihood of lasting a long time. There are higher densities, but they are expensive, and you might not even find them to be comfortable. In fact, some people might prefer the very cheapest quality bed. Everyone is different. The foam underneath the memory foam layers are there to provide a firm foundation. WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT THICKNESS Every manufacturer plays around with thickness (and density) of the top layer(s). They put the higher density foam at the top and the lower density (cheapest) under it. Some companies won't even tell you the density (that's a warning sign to stay away) and others will promote layering as a "better" way. I suspect the real reason is to cut costs on their end. 2 to 3 inches of the memory foam is sufficient for most people. A large person would probably want at least 4 inches of the top most layer. Obviously, the deeper the foam, the deeper the potential to sink and mold to your body. Not deep enough or too deep are both bad situations. WHAT I DECIDED After reading countless other recommendations, I decided I wanted to sleep on a layer of 3 inch, 4 lb density foam. Instead of ordering a whole new bed, which would have cost $600 to $700, I ordered this mattress topper. It sits directly on top of the mattress, covered by a waterproof mattress pad. This is a MUST for memory foam. I suspect some of the bad reviews are from people who didn't do this. The product arrived in two days (Prime membership). There was MINIMAL odor to it. It expanded quickly to full height. I slept on it the first night and had the best night's sleep I have had in many years. I will update this in 6 months to report on how the product holds up.