I was in the need for a new bed and I decided to splurge a little and get a memory foam mattress. I have been researching foam mattress online for quite a while and have heard mostly good things about visco-elastic memory foam mattresses. All was good with these except for the price. Lucky for me my new job gave us Costco memberships…so I checked out there site and saw that they had Novaform Memory Foam mattresses in their online catalog. With a little bit more research I decided to purchase one. I would have gotten it right from the costco store, but they only had queen size beds, and I wanted to stick with a full/double size since all of my bedding was already that size.
I waiting until the conversion rate between the US and Canada favored the US dollar and ordered the Novaform mattress online at costco. The price was 669.99 plus taxes Canadian, and it included shipping. Include PST and GST and the price was up around $100 more…still a bargain for a memory foam mattress regardless of brand or store!
Costco had good email communication and shipped the mattress the next day. 2 days later it was scheduled for delivery and I was ready to get the mattress. My excitement quickly turned into rage once I found out the douchebag driver at UPS decided not to drop it off that Friday night when it was scheduled. Of course here in Canada they do not do fuck all on the weekend, so I had to wait until Monday to sleep in this new memory foam bed.
Well Monday I go to work and the Novaform was delivered. It comes in a giant box, it was like 3.5 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet and weighed around 80 lbs. If you purchase the queen sized bed at a costco store the price is a bit cheaper (no shipping) and it comes in a sweet box with a metal frame on the bottom with casters so you can roll it around.
Well I lug this bitch into my bedroom, open the box…CAREFULLY! Inside there is this giant mylar/tinfoil looking bag that is vacuum sealed around the foam mattress. I read the instruction and carefully cut this open. Inside is another bag containing the mattress and is also vacuum sealed. Well the second you cut this bag open it whistles as air is sucked in and the mattress starts to grow. I open it the rest of the way and the stick of toxic fumes hits my sinuses… I read reviews that the smell was intense for a few days and reminded people of gasoline…it smells more like paint thinner…and it is pretty strong.
Well I unfold the bed and wait 24-36 hrs for it to completely grow. The smell goes away after a few days and the bed grows to its full 12″ thick size. For those of you that do not know the mattress is 12″ thick, 9″ of regular foam, and 3″ of high density heat sensitive memory foam. It is then covered in a removable cover.
Now for the best part…the sleep. The bed is amazing, better than any bed I have ever slept on, it is firm yet soft and gives just enough support but had enough give in it to not make your neck or back hurt when you wake up. I also bought a Novaform memory foam pillow for 22 Canadian and the thing is equally brilliant. If you cannot buy the bed, do yourself a favor and go to costco and buy the pillows…they are great.
Overall the Novaform bed gets a solid 9 rating and probably a 10 for value, at least compared to other memory foam mattresses. I would be careful of the stink of the mattress and would not recommend getting it in the winter…wait until you can air the room out for a few days…the smell was STRONG, but it goes away and the sleep that you get is more than enough to make up for the smell.
Another sweet feature is that if your partner gets up in the middle of the night, you sleep right through it. It is simple amazing. Do yourself a favor and go get one of these “space age” Novaform heat sensitive memory foam mattress at costco.
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
Picked up a Novaform Pure Comfort (Queen size) at the local Costco $499 pickup price. The box would not QUITE fit into my Camry so had to borrow a friends van to pick it up. Expanded very quickly once the corset was cut loose. It was fairly well expanded IMO within minutes. We slept on it that night less than 8 hours later.
I only notice a smell if I stuck my nose down into it so this smell issue is far from universal. I have a pretty decent sense of smell there is a recurring issue with whole milk in our house that once it gets to a certain point I won’t drink it anymore due to smell but everyone else will. Anyhow the little bit of chemical smell was not apparent to me when sleeping on it.
I slept well but woke up with a bit of a lower back ache maybe it takes some time to adjust to new sleeping “medium” so to speak?
Now I have to go shop for a platform bed, switching away from the traditional box spring and toward something new.
Update from my March 9th post. My Ara mattress is still firm. Mt chiropractor actually told me to get rid of it. My wife really doesn’t like it. I could go either way and call it “acceptable” but it really is firm for both of us.
I’ve decided to either send it back or get the 3″ topper on sale now at Costco. If the 3″ topper doesn’t make it less firm, evrything is going back for a Novaform xxxxx or whatever model is less firm than the Ara. I did see the “firm to soft” list above and will be using that if I go that route.
13″ + 3″ topper will be 16″ of foam. Not sure how good my sheets will fit on there. Are they supposed to stay separate or covered together? I’ve never had a topper before.
Crossing my fingers and going to costco today for the topper. Will post results.
One more thing… $1000+ for the Ara and now $100+ for the topper, and fingers crossed for the hopes being comfortable. Maybe we should just return the mattress and get a new mattress for $700 or so that would be less firm. I can’t believe we’re fixing the problem with another foam topper. Doesn’t make sense, but I don’t want to deal with the whole returning of the large, heavy mattress.A topper, more expensive, jst seems easier. OK now I’m done. Thanks!
Just a quick update on the 3″ topper from costco. (from the post above this one).
It’s great! It is a huge improvement when added on top of the Ara foam bed from costco. The Ara was way too firm for us, and now it is very comfortable. Now “it ain’t broke”, so we won’t try anything else to fix it. I’m good for now. Returning the ara wether easy or not, was not on my favorite thingas to do list. so this is a good alternative.
Ara + 3″ topper = Perfect support and comfort.
This thread is awesome. After reading almost all of it, i purchased the Novaform Pure Comfort King Mattress. Picked it up at Costco yesterday, and was able to sleep on it the same night. Took 30 min to decompress.
initially it felt great, very comfortable to lay in and watch tv. i really liked my full size stearns and foster coil spring mattress, but since my girlfriend has moved in, i have not been able to sleep with her in a full size bed, so i’ve been searching for a king.
anyway, last night i didn’t sleep that well, but it’s not clear why. last night i had the new mattress, new sheets, new pillows, and new comforter. i think i was possibly a little hotter than normal, that may have contributed to it. but i dont know if that was the bed or the comforter. also, since the two of us have tried to sleep together most every night, i haven’t gotten great sleep in a while. and finally, i may just need time to get used to the mattress. i am still optimistic though. my main concern was to avoid having back pain, sometimes when i sleep on mattresses that are too soft, or have massive pillow tops, i sink in (i sleep on my stomach) and wake up with my back hurting. didn’t happen on this mattress.
so anyway, i plan to report back after a few more nights sleep.
2nd night…slept no better than previous night. Even sleeping alone with no disturbances, one thin sheet, cool temperature, and down pillows. Woke up like all my energy was drained. Two nights in a row poor sleep sucks when trying to go to work. Anyone else had this issue where it eventually gets better?
3rd night…slept ok finally. Not sure if it was because I was exhausted, or because I’m getting used to the mattress. Had no idea I was so picky. Hope it continues to get better here. Glad I can now function today!
Scott,
We’re on the verge of purchasing this model from Costco, with the sale going on. PLEASE continue to report in – particularly on how your back feels (we both have back problems). Also wondering about this heat issue.
Odd how few posts mention back problems getting worse/better with the Costco foam bedding products.
Others with back problem experiences on these mattresses?
thanks!
mark
4th night I slept on my old mattress again because I needed to be well rested for my weekend plans. I ended up not sleeping that well on my old mattress.
5th night I slept on my old mattress again and slept better, but not as well as normal.
It seems like there is an adjustment period when going from innerspring to memory foam mattresses. At this point I’m only going to sleep on the Novaform to see if I can get used to it.
6th night, back on my new Novaform mattress. Slept ok this time, but definately wake up still sleepy. Not sure if its the bed or just me.
7th night, woke up and my lower back felt slightly pinched/tight. I get this condition only when I sleep on beds that are not firm enough. I sleep great on my old bed, and about 99% of hotel beds, but I don’t sleep well when visiting my mom who has a soft bed, and like a 4″ pillow top. I had slightly less problems on the Novaform than my mom’s fluffy bed. Still not exactly what I was hoping for.
8th night (last night), better sleep, I think I slept through most if not all night. Woke up a little sleepy, but I can’t remember if I’m always like that. Last night’s sleep was adequate, certainly not “the greatest sleep of my life” like others have enthusiastically declared. But I’ll give it another couple weeks to see if it gets better.
At this point, I am not sure memory foam beds are for me. My guess is that if you sleep on your side or back, then yes. If you sleep on your stomach, you need something more firm so you don’t get the “hammock” response from the bed that can bend your spine to where its uncomfortable.
Hope to have better news after a few more nights.
Thought I would comment after one year on a king Novaform comfortlux (i think it’s called) For 900 bucks from Costco what a great buy. My wife and I have been very satisfied with it, when we go to hotels we can really feel the pressure points of a spring mattress. Only down side is we have rotated it but still have some body molding where we sleep, ie the hump is in the middle between us. I will buy another novaform as at 900-1000 bucks it’s cheap. I will start watching and likely replace this one after 2 -3 years. This mattress has lasted as good as or better than any we have had, 10-15 years is a pipe dream imo for any bed 3-5 is my goal.
I picked up our new Pure Comfort Deluxe (King) this evening from UPS. We ordered it 8/24/09. It does have that new foam “gas” smell. I opened the windows and turned on the fan. It is not terrible, but it is noticeable. Unpacking the bed was very easy and it expanded in 10 minutes. I don’t plan in sleeping on it tonight, as I want the smell to fade and I want to give the mattress time to fully expand. This is our first foam mattress.
My husband frequently experiences lower back pain, muscle tightness in his legs, and has sleep apnea. I currently experieince hip pain. I am 5′ 6″ and my weight is 170, my husband is 6′ 2″ and weighs 260. We are curious how long the mattress will last. We, too have gotten to the point where we would prefer to buy a less expensive mattress every 3 years.
I hope we don’t have to return the mattress. The reasons for why we made the purchase was we wanted to try something new to see if it provided more support/less pain, the price is relatively inexpensive compared to other mattresses, and Costco’s return policy made the purchase less risky.
A final followup: after trying it out for three months, we gave up and are sending our Novaform ComfortLuxe back. Although firmer than the other one, it ultimately was also too soft and squishy, and we sank down too much and didn’t have enough support, giving us both backaches in the morning.
We bought a slightly used Mcroskey Airflex, and oh my god we’re so much happier.
In the end personally I’m not sure the Costco memory foam mattresses are worth it. I’d be game for the Tempurpedic firm models, but otherwise I think I’d advise people to pass.
Good luck!
I’ve read this thread for opinions before purchasing our mattress a few months ago.
We ended up going with the Ara Queen size.
Delivery was fast, right to the room and set it up on the bed.
The smell was pretty overwhelming at first. We have a 3000 sq ft home and the entire home smelled for days even with the windows open. I have a pretty strong sense of smell, but even friends and family that stopped over commented on the smell without us saying anything.
It did take some adjustment to go from an innerspring to a foam mattress. At first I thought the mattress felt too soft and like I was sinking in too far. We slept on it the first night. But after about a week it felt firmer. Now I LOVE it. It is just the right amount of softness without that sinking in swallowed up feeling.
I do prefer to sleep on it alone, but even with my husband I don’t feel like I’m rolling toward him even though he is considerably heavier.
I would recommend the mattress, although I’ll say that even a few months later there is still a smell present when you are laying on it. I think I’m used to it now.
I am going to pull the trigger on the Novaform Pure Comfort™ Grand that seems to be a model unique to Costco.ca
We’re not 100% sold on memory foam, so a costco purchase is our safest route (even though it’ll cost more than a 2-year old Tempur-Pedic Deluxe I found for sale). I figure if we don’t like it, we can return it. If we end up loving it – money well spent. I use a Novaform pillow and love it.
We actually found that we liked the knock-off’s on display at Sleep Country and Sears a little more than the authentic Tempur-Pedic’s (less dense foam?)
Sleep Innovations told me the top layer of the Grand is ~4lb foam and the second layer is the 5.3lb and then a high density foam base. The cover on it sounds like a slight upgrade to their other mattresses as well.
After we get it and try it out for a while I’ll post back here with a review of it. Thanks to everyone here, the information has been valuable.
Thanks for the many comments. I have had a “waveless” waterbed for 35 yrs. I have been reading about NovaForm mattresses for a bit now. I had convinced myself I would buy a conventional mattress for my husband’s sake- his tossing and turning wakes me! However, I could not escape the memories of poking springs from the regular mattresses, nor the sleepless nights from them growing up.
I bought a Costco mattress topper a couple years ago and love it! No smell, just delightful! Waterbed sprung a leak on my hubby’s side, and I figured I was just too tired to purchase replacements every 5 yrs.
I cannot wait to order my NovaForm top of the line Costco-Grand Cal-King! I am setting it right in my waterbed frame and will let you know how it goes! I am anticipating restful nights at long last! This is a big purchase, as my husband is out of work, going on 3 yrs. Wish me luck! Costco has a full money back gurantee, so if I am disappointed, I will send it back.
I with I had read the reviews before buying the Novaform pillow. The smell wasn’t very noticeable when I opened it. But my husband complained of a strange smell in the middle of the night. I didn’t think too much of it then, but the next day, the smell got stronger. I wasn’t sure at first where that smell was coming from but finally realized that it was coming from the pillow. The smell was so strong that it penetrated into my mattress. I’m returning the pillow and can only hope that the smell goes away from my mattress soon.
I will not recommend the Novaform pillow for anyone with breathing problem or small kids.
This commcent is for Shannon. I had the two pillows that were king size. No problem for my husband, but too firm for me.I have had wonderful sllep on the Sleep Innovatios regular sized pillow! Stink?! Oh my goodness, I put it in a paperbag and also tried every other helpful home remedies. Fortuanately, I locked it away in another room, with door closed. The smell finally went away and now I love it.
Good luck!
Jennifer
Hi all, I bought the Pure Comfort Grand King from Costoc.ca in Canada, but it didn’t expand to the full width and has humps and depressions on the top.
Has anybody got a warranty replacement directly from Sleep Innovations delivered to Canada? I know there shouldn’t be custom duties because it is a warranty replacement, but Sleep Innovations uses UPS Standard or Ground for shipping and this results in UPS charging brokerage fees for items sent from the US. Thanks, Nate
There are three types of NovaForm at Costco:
1. the most firm: Pure Comfort
2. Regular firm: Pure Comfort Deluxe
3. less firm:Pure Comfort Grand
Does anyone know/try the difference on these three?
Any suggestions will be appreciated!
Thank you in advance!
We’ve had the bed for 2 yrs. and it has left an endentation of our bodys, are having back and hip problems…I don’t recommed a bed in a box..
picked of the foam pillow from costco and it stinks. I can’t believe they would sell it like this. Currently I have a fan on it and we’ll see what happens, otherwise back to costco these pillows go.
Sorry to have to post this but my Comfortlux King has started to breakdown after 16 months use. I emailed costco and they declined my request for return because it was purchased “over one year ago”. I was shocked by this I thought their policy was not time sensitive, guess it is in Canada anyway. Not sure what we will do now, for 900 bucks changing the mattress every year is too often. i guess this deal really was too good to be true. Product not recommended.
it’s pretty common for concrete floors to sweat moisture. A foam bed is in essence, plastic that doesn’t breathe. Given this, moisture will form underneath it and moisture that is retained will develop mold. In spite of the fact that the manufacturer tells you it’s fine to put the bed on the floor, I wouldn’t attempt it unless you have a wooden floor that has a basement below or at the minimum, a crawl space. Concrete foundations will often bear these results with many things, not just your bed.
Just bought the Queen novaform 12 inch mattress this weekend, and it sucks. The mattress is as hard as a rock. You sink maybe 2 cm into mine. Anybody know why? I’m really disappointed with this bed.
So… are you still sleeping on the Novaform and how is it holding up now?
I am still sleeping on it. It seems to be holding up just fine. I rotate it around every few months. I do not notice it sagging or being less comfortable or anything. I am really happy with the purchase. I wish it was a queen size instead of a full, but I cannot imagine getting rid of it any time soon.
PEOPLE! OH MY GOODNESS! Just READING about the “stink factor” you describe with the memory foam mattresses you all have purchased makes me feel two things…sorry for you that you have a stinky mattress and stinky room, and I feel you are all completely IGNORANT that those fumes are TOXIC! Coughing, wheezing, sputtering…WTF? Listen to your BODIES people! The nose knows!
Thank you for educating me on the reasons NOT to get a memory foam mattress!
Wow!
i was horrified to find that my memory foam mattress topper (which sits on top of my mattress and box spring) had also collected lots of moisture and stained my mattress. since i can’t imagine that i’m supposed to put a piece of plywood in between the topper and my mattress, is there some other remedy for this condensation problem? thanks in advance for your comments and help!
Hi. I got the king size Novaform in late 2007. I had back surgery in January before that and needed a new bed. Had no problems with smell etc. but did notice the ridge in the middle of the bed. Slept fantastic on the thing for the first couple of years. But now there is a depression where I sleep. I’m 6′ 4″ 225 – 230 pounds. I figure the thing is out of warranty now and Costco or Nova won’t take it back. The depression in the foam causes me severe back pain. I had been rotating the mattress and when my wife slept on that side, she found it bothered her also. Just for the heck of it, I flipped it over yesterday. Slept on it last night and woke up with no pain. I know it’s not supposed to be used that way. It’s firmer for sure, but hopefully it’ll be alright.
Thanks.
I have to say that I love Costco and how they stand behind what they sale. I bought a Queen spring bed when I first moved to the Seattle area, and by the second year it was hard to sleep on. One day I was looking at buying a new one, and found out talking with someone from Costco I could bring it back and get another. So we did…..Ok have no idea why I have bad luck with beds, but within a month the new spring bed was coming apart. Great another trip to Costco and I am done. I SAW THE BED IN THE BOX…really could this 12” Nova work? I like it because it was easy to move and why not try it since I really only wanted to get my bed at Costco. I went on line the night before and read great things but the smell of it. So I went and bought a new frame at IKEA and off to Costco. I read the box and it came with a 20 year warranty. I have never been so happy with a bed, and all the pain I use to sleep with is gone. It really does feel good and help with body pain. I use to think I had to have a soft bed, but all I really need was a great bed like Nova. I had also bought the pillows a couple of months ago, and it does make a great bed put together. I know that I will not be going bed shopping for at least 20 years. PS. I also waited a month before I wrote this to make sure it did not fall apart….LOL! If you are thinking of getting a new bed try the Novaform.
Muscle and back pains returning so time for an upgrade.
Current system: (done after 3 years from new)
Costco Sealy Posturepedic Whitby Plush Spring mattress, (garbage)
with a Costco Sleep Innovations Novaform Elite Mattress topper on top.
Somewhat worn after 3 years, but held up OK.
As we know there are 3 Memory foam Costco versions available.
My local Costco only has # 1 – Pure Comfort (firm)
I want the Pure Comfort Grand (least firm) so I have to order online at Costco.com, at $799 after $150 off promo. (until 7.31.10)
Today I bought the huge value IKEA Malm King bed slatted base frame for my new Pure Comfort Grand. I only need a few years out of it before a big move, so for $1200 total, I am all set.
I remember the days of buying the $2500 pillow top disasters….never going back. I’ll review the ‘Grand’ in a while…..
The Grand Elegance is back on sale at Costco Canada. I am seriously considering buying a queen, but I’m worried about longevity. Any comments from those who have had these for a year or two?
Update to my post of 7/7/10 above.
Returning this mattress. Maybe they sent the wrong one – the box was plain cardboard not the Costco fancy packaging…its meant to be on the less firm side, but its certainly too firm, has a hump in the middle and a downward slope at one side.
My adventures with memory foam are over. The medium has not performed like I hoped.
I guess I have to eat my words. I found a local maker and ordered a custom comfort pillow top, with a 15 year non-prorated warranty, and 30 day exchange. About half the cost of the big box mattress stores, and no deception or BS.
Peace
rdy
READ THE DIRECTIONS
You are not supposed to take off the cover that comes on the mattress. It will void the warranty! It also says that sleeping on the mattress the first night will not damage it if it doesn’t appear to be fully expanded. In fact, your body heat will help soften the foam for it to take proper shape.
This mattress is excellent, by the way.
I am thinking of buying a mattress topper for my cottage. The cottage is closed up for the winter and the weather is very cold in Canada during this period and am wondering if this will freeze or would it be okay, being left there for 6 months during the cold season.
Please can you respond to this question. I suffer fro cervical,spinal cord,
lumbar; in other words my back pain is chronic and I want to make
sure if REGULAR FIRM MATTRESS is the proper type for my back pains.
or can you e mail giving me any orientation?
my weight is 125 pounds. Please I want the correct, and if the Nova Form
Full size memory foam mattress is the perfect for my problem,otherwise
Tempupedic, or what other, thanks a lot, I appreciate in advance.
I actually owned the Novaform Elite mattress in a queen for about 11 years. I thought it was comfortable compared to the standard spring mattress I owned before that. But it did sleep hot, noticeably so. I would say it started to develop indentations from my body around 7 years in which I would try to minimize by rotating the mattress 180 degrees (for reference, I range from about 180 to 215 pounds depending on my workout routine). It eventually got to the point that I needed to replace it because it was causing me back problems (due to the indentations) I recently purchased a Ghostbed to replace it — a three layer foam mattress with top aerated Latex foam, gel foam and a bottom base foam. And in the 4 nights I’ve slept on it, it is already FAR more comfortable than the Novaform ever was. I have lower back problems and the support is perfect for me while still being extremely comfortable. And best of all is sleeps cool.
The Novaform was OK but I was never so impressed with it that I would buy it again. The Ghostbed on the other hand, I would definitely consider purchasing it again once its time for replacement. Only con is I find it hard to get out of bed in the morning because it’s so comfortable!
As for other mattresses I considered, I looked at Casper, Leesa and later Purple… which was more than the Ghost. I figured if the Ghostbed didn’t do it for me, I would try the Purple. But at this point, I’m so happy with my Ghostbed that it would be a waste to spend $350 more on the Purple.
Maybe if the Ghostbed fails me in a few years I’ll jump ship. But it does have a 20 year warranty so I’m not too worried. I’ll try to remember to check back here when that time comes and report my findings 🙂