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Tempur-Pedic Beds
Review, Ratings, Comparisons & Complaints Based on 1,682 Actual Consumer Experiences
What You Need To Know
THE GOOD. Tempur-Pedic is often the standard by which other memory foam mattresses are judged. Tempur-Pedic's durability / lifespan, warranty, availability and overall reputation have historically been above average.
THE BAD. Tempur-Pedic mattresses are often 20-50% higher in price than mattresses with similar specifications, benefits and owner satisfaction.
In addition, compared to the average memory foam mattress, Tempur-Pedic mattresses overall are 1.) more difficult to move on / get up off, 2.) more likely to off gas, and 3.) somewhat more likely to retain heat.
THE COMPANY. Tempur-Pedic makes mid- to luxury-level memory foam beds (and other memory foam products) ranging in price from $1,100 to $7,500 (queen). The company – in business since 1992 and headquartered in Lexington, KY – largely originated the memory foam mattress market.
THE COMPETITION. Serta iComfort, Sealy Optimum, and Simmons ComforPedic are the main competition to Tempur-Pedic, but there are many other competitors including the Sleep Number Bed. See the mattress comparisons and the memory foam mattress reviews – summary to learn how other brands compare to Tempur-Pedic.
Contents
Tempur-Pedic Ratings: Overview
Owner Satisfaction
Longevity / Lifespan Ratings
Prices
Pain Reduction
Density
Off Gassing / Initial Odor
Sleeping Hot
Temperature Sensitivity
Ease of Moving On and Getting Up Off
Weight
Motion Isolation
Sleep Quality
Noise
Customer Service
Return Policy
Better Business Bureau Ratings
Warranty
Love-Making Suitability
Model Prices & Specifications
Tempur-Pedic Weightless: Preliminary Evaluation
About Our Tempur-Pedic Bed Research
Sleep Like The Dead collected over 1,680 Tempur-Pedic bed owner reviews and comments from hundreds of online message boards and other credible sources. We receive no compensation in any form from any company, organization or individual to affect in any way or degree the content or findings of our mattress research. Learn more about our unbiased and accurate research methodology.
Tempur-Pedic Bed Ratings: Overview
The ratings below are based on 1,680+ consumer reviews for various Tempur-Pedic bed models including Cloud (Supreme, Luxe, Select), Contour (Select, Signature), Simplicity, as well as high density models (Grand, Allura, Rhapsody), and similar discontinued models.
Our ratings currently do not include the Tempur-Pedic Weightless because it is a new model with little owner experience data available. See our preliminary Weightless evaluation.
| Rhapsody | Allura | Grand | Cloud | Contour2 | Simplicity2 | |
| Sample size1 | 958 | 240 | 212 | 316 | 47 | 15 |
| Owner satisfaction | b | b | B | b+ | b | b |
| Longevity / lifespan | b | b | B | b | b | c+ |
| Price / affordability | d | f | f | d | c- | b |
| Less pain | b+ | b+ | B+ | b+ | b+ | b |
| Side sleep friendly | c | c+ | b | a- | d+ | b- |
| Back sleep friendly | b+ | b | B- | b | b+ | b |
| Stomach sleep friendly | b- | b | b | b- | c | b |
| Easy to move on | d | d | d | c- | c | b- |
| No initial odor | d | d | D | c- | c- | c |
| No sleeping hot | d3 | d | d | c-3 | c | c+ |
| Motion isolation | a | a | A | a | a | b+ |
| Good for sex | c | c | C | c | c+ | c+ |
| No noise | a | a | A | a | a | a |
| No need to rotate / flip | b- | b- | B+ | b+ | b+ | b |
| Lightweight | d | d- | f | d | d+ | c |
| Warranty | b+ | b+ | b+ | b+ | b+ | b+ |
| Firmness | medium-firm | medium | medium-soft | medium-soft to soft | firm to medium-firm | soft, medium or firm |
| Density | 5.3+ lbs/ft | 5.3+ lbs/ft | 5.3+ lbs/ft | 4.1 lbs/ft | NA4 | 2.5 lbs/ft |
1 Sample size depends mainly on how long the mattress has been available on the market and model sales. More established models tend to have higher sample sizes.
2 Ratings are at least a partial estimate because real-world data is limited given model newness.
3 Rhapsody Breeze and Cloud Supreme Breeze are designed to sleep cool, but based on limited owner experience data they tend to sleep nearly as warm as the regular, non-Breeze models.
4 We estimate that Contour uses medium-density memory foam (3 or 4 lbs/ft). Tempur-Pedic currently does not disclose actual density.
Owner Satisfaction
Tempur-Pedic beds overall as a group have 81% owner satisfaction (). Owner satisfaction for the specific models is as follows: Grand 81%; Allura 80%; Rhapsody 79%; Cloud beds overall (Select, Supreme, Supreme Breeze, Luxe) 85%; Contour beds overall (Select and Signature) 80%; Simplicity 80%.
By comparison, all memory foam mattresses overall as a group have 81% owner satisfaction, and all mattresses overall as a group (innerspring, air, memory foam, latex, water, futon) have 72% owner satisfaction.
Longevity / Lifespan
Given that Cloud, Contour and especially Simplicity are fairly new models, long-term owner experience data for them is largely unavailable. What data is available shows them to have generally similar longevity to more established models (Grand, Allura, Rhapsody) which do have significant long-term owner experience data available. The fact that all Tempur-pedic models have the same warranty is further reason to believe they have similar longevity.
Average Ownership Length
The graph below shows that consumers on average report keeping their Tempur-Pedic mattress for about ten years. Some owners keep the bed for a considerably longer time than ten years and some for a considerably shorter time.
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| 20 Years | 10 Years | 0 Years |
Lifespan of Tempur-Pedic Vs Lifespan of Competition
Most memory foam mattress competitors to Tempur-Pedic have only limited owner experience data available regarding their longevity because most are fairly new to the market.
Based, however, on what data is available as well as warranty information, it appears that Tempur-Pedic's longevity is at least slightly above average compared to both mattresses overall (innerspring, memory foam, latex, air, water, futon) and other memory foam mattresses overall.
Against entry-level memory foam mattresses ($700 or less), Tempur-Pedic often has a 50% or greater lifespan. Against mid-level memory foam mattresses ($700-$1500), Tempur-Pedic likely has a smaller advantage. And against luxury-level memory foam mattresses ($1500 and up), Tempur-Pedic likely has little or no advantage in longevity.
Sagging and softening
As a Tempur-Pedic mattress ages and wears, it is normal for it to become somewhat softer and, to a limited extent, sag or develop a body impression(s) due to loss of resiliency.
Premature softening / sagging, however, is significant softening / sagging that occurs when the mattress is fairly new, namely within four years of purchase.
Based on our collected consumer experience data, about 11% of Tempur-Pedic mattress owners report premature sagging / softening to an extent that significantly undermines comfort and support. (The cause of the sagging / softening is not clear, but the weight of the sleeper does not appear to be much of a factor.)
For perspective, 18-35% of innerspring mattress consumers report premature sagging. In other words, as a group, Tempur-Pedic beds are about two to three times less likely to have premature sagging problems compared to innerspring beds as a group. Innerspring beds, however, unlike Tempur-Pedic beds, usually do not soften as they age and wear.
Prices
The chart shows the average price paid for a mattress, the average price paid for a memory foam mattress, and the average price paid for the various Tempur-Pedic models.
About 25% of Tempur-Pedic bed owners, especially owners high density models (Rhapsody, Allura, Grand) complain about the price they paid. No other major mattress brand in our research has a higher percent of owners complaining about price. It should be mentioned, however, that most Tempur-Pedic owners report that their mattress is worth the money they spent.
In addition, with the introduction of less pricey Tempur-Pedic models (Cloud, Contour, Simplicity, Weightless) the number of complaints regarding price is decreasing.
More information: See prices for the various Tempur-Pedic models in the prices and specifications table below. For how Tempur-Pedic compares to the competition on price see mattress price comparison and memory foam mattress reviews - summary.
Pain Reduction
For at least 20% of owners, Tempur-Pedic beds relieve or even eliminate pain that one may feel both in and out of bed. Relief of back, shoulder, hip and joint pain are commonly noted.
While all Tempur-Pedic models perform well overall for relieving pain, the high density models (Rhapsody, Allura, Grand) may provide somewhat better pain relief than Cloud, Contour and Simplicity, owner experience data suggests.
Other mattresses, such as the Sleep Number Bed, may equal Tempur-Pedic's potential to reduce pain, but none likely exceed it.
It should be noted, of course, that Tempur-Pedic beds do not relieve pain for everyone, and for about 6% of owners (usually women more than men) the beds cause pain, usually back and or shoulder pain.
More information: See our mattresses and back pain research.
Density
Tempur-Pedic mattresses come in a variety of foam densities. See the specifications table for the densities of the various Tempur-Pedic models. Foam density determines many mattress characteristics, and the different densities each have their own advantages and disadvantages. For more details on density, see the memory foam density comparison.
Off Gassing / Initial Odor
Off gassing is the release of a gas or chemical-like odor that a mattress may give off when it is new. It is the result of the manufacturing and or packaging process. About 19% of Tempur-Pedic bed owners report significant off gassing which is higher than the rate for both mattresses in general and most other memory foam mattress brands.
Owner experience data shows that higher-density memory foam mattresses tend to off gas more often and more strongly than lower-density memory foam mattresses. Tempur-Pedic mattresses overall, especially the high density models (Rhapsody, Allura, Grand), tend to have density that is equal to or higher than the density of most other memory foam mattresses.
Off gassing Odor Amount / Severity reported by Tempur-Pedic owners
Tempur-Pedic beds (and memory foam beds in general) can vary in how much they off gas. Most owners, as the chart below shows, report little or no off gassing problem.
Length of off gassing Period reported by Tempur-Pedic owners
Most off gassing lasts a few days but can persist considerably longer in some cases.
More information: See our mattress off gassing research.
Sleeping Hot
About 10-14% of Tempur-Pedic owners, especially owners of high density models (Rhapsody, Allura, Grand), report that their bed absorbs and retains their body heat resulting in an unnaturally warm sleeping surface. No other mattress included in our research has a higher percentage of owners complaining about heat being trapped than Tempur-Pedic. Woman report more heat problems with their Tempur-Pedic than men by at least a 2-1 ratio.
The Breeze models (Cloud Supreme and Rhapsody) are designed to sleep cooler. Whether they actually do, however, is unknown as they are new models and lack significant owner experience data at this time.
Owners often say that the heat problem is minimal in the cooler months of the year and becomes a problem in the warmer months. The solution that seems to work best to overcome the problem, according to owners, is to simply not use as many covers and or turn the air conditioning cooler.
Sleep Like The Dead Editor Talks Memory Foam and Tempur-Pedic Heat Potential
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More information: See our mattress heat retention research.
Temperature Sensitivity
Tempur-Pedic mattresses, especially the high density models (Rhapsody, Allura, Grand) tend to be firmer when cold, that is, firmer when room temperature is below about 70 degrees. As a result, about 10% of owners complain that the bed is uncomfortably firm for the first few minutes when they get into bed or when they move to a new area on the bed during the night. The foam, however, gets softer and more comfortable as the sleeper's body warms it.
Temperature sensitivity also has an upside in that it allows the Tempur-Pedic to mold to one's body resulting in supportiveness and comfort. However, 3% of owners say they do not like the sensation of the bed molding to their body because it gives them the feeling they are sleeping in, to use their words, "mud" or "quicksand."
Ease of Moving On And Getting Up Off
Memory foam, especially the higher-density memory foam that many Tempur-Pedic models use, is temperature and weight sensitive. This means that the foam molds and contours to the sleeper's body at least somewhat.
As a result, there may be resistance when one tries to move on the bed or get up off of it. At least 15% of owners report this problem. Those owners who change positions frequently, are weak from sickness or injury, or are elderly usually have the most complaints regarding difficulty of movement.
Other memory foam mattress brands often use less-dense foam than Tempur-Pedic and, as a result, their beds tend to be easier to move on and get up off.
Weight
A complaint by Tempur-Pedic owners, especially owners of thicker, more expensive models, is the heavy weight of the mattress. The weight, according to owners, causes the bed to be difficult to transport / move / handle and can make changing the sheets or removing the cover difficult as well. At least two people, say owners, are often needed to transport / move / handle the bed.
At least 7% of Tempur-Pedic owners have complaints about weight; no other mattress included in our research has a higher rate of complaints regarding heavy weight.
Motion Isolation
Memory foam mattresses in general, including Tempur-Pedic, localize and absorb motion. This characteristic makes the mattresses couple friendly in that it allows one person to move around on or get up off the bed without the other person being much disturbed or disturbed at all by the movement.
Tempur-Pedic's use of higher-density foam in many of its beds may give it a slight edge in motion isolation over its less-density competition and memory foam beds overall. At least 15% of Tempur-Pedic owners praise the mattress for having good-to-excellent motion isolation.
Sleep Quality
tossing and turning
At least 12% of owners say they toss and turn less since sleeping on their Tempur-Pedic mattress. This is likely mainly due to the fact that the mattress minimizes pressure points and therefore the need to change positions to maintain comfort. Less tossing and turning may also be due to the fact that Tempur-Pedic beds, especially the high density models (Rhapsody, Allura, Grand) resist and discourage movement somewhat.
Restful Sleep
At least 15% of owners report that they sleep better since they began sleeping on their Tempur-Pedic mattress. They often cite the lack of pressure points and the improved comfort and supportiveness as reasons why they sleep better. Some owners also say they sleep more efficiently on the bed. In other words, they say they sleep more soundly and can spend less time in bed as a result.
Noise
Memory foam mattresses, including Tempur-Pedic beds, are completely silent when lied upon or compressed because they are made mostly of foam. They do not have an innerspring system that can creak or squeak or air pumps that make noise when in use. The mattress foundation, however, may creak, usually due to poor assembly. About 7% of Tempur-Pedic bed owners complain of a less-than-silent foundation.
Customer Service
Consumers have historically reported Tempur-Pedic's customer service to be knowledgeable and helpful with before-sale questions, after-sale questions, delivery issues, and warranty claim resolution. More recently, however, there has been an increase in complaints regarding a lack of responsiveness.
Return Policy
Tempur-Pedic's return policy when buying directly from them (by phone or online) generally gets mixed ratings. It consists of a 90-day trial period that allows the customer to return their mattress for an exchange or refund. While owners like this aspect, they do not like that they must pay return shipping which can range from $200-$325.
Keep in mind that when buying a Tempur-Pedic mattress from an independent retailer they are not obligated to honor the 90-day return policy, but usually do.
Better Business Bureau Ratings
Tempur-Pedic has an "A+" BBB rating which is stable and has been maintained over time. In addition, Tempur-Pedic is one of only a few major mattress manufacturers that is accredited with the BBB. Learn more about BBB ratings and what they mean.
Letter Grade
Complaints / Company Size Ratio
A more accurate estimate of Tempur-Pedic's consumer friendliness is likely its number of employees (2,000) / number of BBB complaints (135) ratio – which is somewhat better than average compared to other mattress manufacturers.
Warranty
Consumers generally give Tempur-Pedic acceptable or good ratings for its warranty. The warranty is similar or better than the warranty of several other memory foam mattress brands. It provides non-prorated coverage for the first 10 years, followed by prorated coverage for the next 15 years for a total of 25 years of coverage.
A potential weakness of Tempur-Pedic's warranty is that it does not definitively cover mattress softening despite the fact that softening, owner experience data suggests, can be just as common and as problematic as sagging. In fairness, however, no other mattress brand definitively covers softening either.
Sagging Coverage
For mattresses overall, sagging is the top consumer complaint. Tempur-Pedic has among the best sagging coverage of any mattress brand. While other brands on average often require more than 1.25 inches of mattress sagging before warranty coverage kicks in, Tempur-Pedic requires only more than .75 inch.
Love Making Suitability
Owner opinion is generally split in regard to the suitability of Tempur-Pedic mattresses for love making. The characteristics of memory foam, especially higher-density foam, can make some aspects of love making better and some aspects worse, say owners.
More information: See the sex and mattresses comparison.
Tempur-Pedic Model Prices and Specifications
The table below provides current pricing (May 15, 2013) and specifications for the various Tempur-Pedic models.
| Price Twin | Price Double | Price Queen | Price King | Thick- ness |
Comfort Layer (Density) | Support Layer | Base Layer | Firm- ness |
Cover | Warranty | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand | -- | -- | $7500 | $8500 | 15" | 3.2" total memory foam (5.3+lbs/ft) | 4" of memory foam | 8" of regular foam | med- soft |
nonremovable quilted silk/cashmere w/ suede sides | 25 yrs, 10 yrs nonprorated |
| Allura | $3550 | -- | $4300 | $4900 | 13.5" | 2" quilted memory foam pillowtop (5.3+lbs/ft) | 2.8" of memory foam | 8.6" of regular foam | med | nonremovable silk/bamboo w/ suede sides | 25 yrs, 10 yrs nonprorated |
| Rhapsody Breeze | $3150 | -- | $3700 | $4100 | 12" | memory foam w/ cooling material (5.3+lbs/ft) | 2.8" of memory foam | 8" of regular foam | med- firm |
nonwashable cooling material | 25 yrs, 10 yrs nonprorated |
| Rhapsody | $2650 | $2900 | $3200 | $3600 | 12" | 1.2" memory foam (5.3+lbs/ft) | 2.8" of memory foam | 8" of regular foam | med- firm |
tex-top w/ suede sides | 25 yrs, 10 yrs nonprorated |
| Cloud Luxe | $3050 | -- | $3700 | $4300 | 13" | 2.75" memory foam (4.1 lbs/ft) | 2" total of 5.3+ lbs/ft memory foam | 8.25" of regular foam | soft | removable stretch top w/ suede sides | 25 yrs, 10 yrs nonprorated |
| Cloud Supreme Breeze | $2750 | -- | $3200 | $3700 | 11" | 4.1 lbs/ft density memory foam | 2" of memory foam | 7" of regular foam | ultra soft | nonwashable cooling material | 25 yrs, 10 yrs nonprorated |
| Cloud Supreme | $1850 | $2150 | $2400 | $2900 | 11" | 2" memory foam (4.1 lbs/ft) | 2" of memory foam | 7" of regular foam | soft | removable stretch top w/ suede sides | 25 yrs, 10 yrs nonprorated |
| Cloud Select | $1200 | $1550 | $1700 | $2300 | 8" | 1.2" memory foam (4.1 lbs/ft) | 1.6" of memory foam | 5.2" of regular foam | med- soft |
stretch top | 25 yrs, 10 yrs nonprorated |
| Contour Signature | $2350 | $2550 | $2700 | $3300 | 12" | 1.6" memory foam (3-4 lbs/ft)* | 2.4" of memory foam | 8" of regular foam | med- firm |
removable knit | 25 yrs, 10 yrs nonprorated |
| Contour Select | $1700 | $2050 | $2200 | $2700 | 10" | 1.2" memory foam (3-4 lbs/ft)* | 2.8" of memory foam | 6" of regular foam | firm | removable knit | 25 yrs, 10 yrs nonprorated |
| Weightless Supreme | $1850 | $2150 | $2400 | $2900 | 12" | 2" memory foam (3-4 lbs/ft)* | 3" of memory foam | 7" of regular foam | med- soft |
removable stretch top w/ suede sides | 25 yrs, 10 yrs nonprorated |
| Weightless Select | $1400 | $1750 | $1900 | $2500 | 10" | 1.2" memory foam (3-4 lbs/ft)* | 2" of memory foam | 7" of regular foam | med | removable stretch top w/ suede sides | 25 yrs, 10 yrs nonprorated |
| Simplicity | $700 | $1000 | $1100 | $1400 | 8" | 2" memory foam (2.5 lbs/ft) | none | 6" of regular foam | soft, med or firm | removable knit | 25 yrs, 10 yrs nonprorated |
* Density is an estimate. Tempur-Pedic has not revealed actual density for Weightless and Contour.
Tempur-Pedic Weightless: Preliminary Evaluation
Tempur-Pedic Weightless (Select and Supreme) is a new model and, consequently, there is not enough owner experience data available at this time to publish ratings.
After Simplicity and Contour Select, Weightless is the least expensive Tempur-Pedic mattress model mainly because it likely uses mostly lower density memory foam, probably 2.5-3.5 lbs/ft. (Tempur-Pedic will not reveal actual density.) Consequently, compared to higher-density Tempur-Pedic models, Weightless will likely be 1) somewhat easier to move on, 2) somewhat less likely to act as a heat trap, and 3) somewhat less likely to strongly off gas.
Based on a comparison of prices and specifications, Weightless will likely compete successfully with low- to mid-priced varieties of the Sealy Optimum, Simmons Comforpedic and Serta iComfort. See the memory foam mattress reviews – summary for more information and ratings on these mattresses.
At Amazon: High-Rated Memory Foam Mattress Topper
Sleep Like The Dead Editor Discusses Tempur-Pedic Research Findings
About our unbiased Tempur-Pedic Beds review and research
Our ratings are based on 1,680+ owner reviews and experiences for Tempur-Pedic mattresses including Grand, Allura, Rhapsody, Cloud, Contour, Simplicity and some similar discontinued models.
The sources of the collected owner experience data include hundreds of online message boards, review sections on retailer websites and other credible sources. Learn more about our accurate and unbiased mattress research methodology and sources.
Our mattress research findings have appeared in such publications as –
At Amazon: High-Rated Memory Foam Mattress Topper
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