What is Tempur-Pedic ®?
"Tempur-Pedic ®"
is a very familiar word we hear year after year in television and print
advertising, and amongst friends avidly discussing memory foam bedding.
But when I stop to think about that specific word myself, I wonder, What exactly IS Tempur-Pedic?
Tempur-Pedic® is actually the Brand or Trade Name for Swedish-based foam and bed manufacturer Tempur-Pedic Inc's line of memory foam mattresses and bedding products. The proprietary TEMPUR® Foam that forms the heart of their product line is a very firm 5.3 lb density visco-elastic memory foam, which has been promoted as Space-Age NASA technology.
Being the first company to bring memory foam to the consumer market, the Tempur-Pedic name brand has become a household word much like Kleenex® and Xerox®. When people think of foam beds and memory foam, the name Tempur-Pedic most frequently comes to mind. Their company's professionalism and focus on high performance and quality, combined with a generous advertising budget, certainly has given them nearly worldwide brand name recognition. The costs of Tempur-Pedic's advertising budget are exorbitant and drive up the cost of their products. We are able to offer you high quality mattresses that compare to Tempur-Pedic mattresses and pillows at a fraction of the cost. See our Tempur-Pedic Comparison for more information about how our memory foam products compare to the Tempur-Pedic brand.
The basic formula for 'memory foam' was developed by NASA scientists
in the 1970's in response to their need for providing better and more comfortable cushioning that adjusts to the pressures and g-forces astronauts experience in flight. Memory foam is a specially designed foam that conforms gently to the body according to weight and temperature, and springs back gently and over time – rather than instantly -- to its full shape. See What is Memory Foam? for more information about memory foam and how to select a memory foam mattress that will suite you.
Within the foam industry, however, the reality is that open-celled foam such as memory foam had been previously seen as a processing and/or formulation defect that ruptured the foam cells and ruined its unique properties. "Correct foam" products up to that time were all closed-cell foams that bounced back to shape immediately. It was simply a stroke of genius when scientists noted the unique properties previously seen as worthless – retaining a 'memory' of body impressions and longer 'recovery time' to full shape, as well as temperature sensitivity -- actually had great potential in the aerospace cushioning industry.
After initial development, the Swedish international foam company Fagerdala World Foams took that basic formula and spent many years refining and improving on it and developed what is now known today as Tempur pressure-relieving material, Tempur Foam, or simply Tempur-Pedic. As a company, Tempur-Pedic Inc entered the American marketplace in 1992, while the parent company Tempur-Pedic International also sells strongly in countries outside the USA.
Technically speaking, this category of polyurethane foam is known as 'visco-elastic memory foam' when all proprietary names are stripped away. Other domestic and international companies such as E R Carpenter, Vita-Foam International, and Foamex International have also -- and perhaps after Tempur-Pedic -- developed high quality and competitive memory foam products manufactured according to their own proprietary formulas and carrying their Trade and/or Service Mark labels and names.
Tempur-Pedic was the first big company to use memory foam in beds and bedding materials, and their intial market was in hospitals and burn wards for relieving pressure points and bed sores for patients. And after seeing how comfortable and effective these beds were, they decided wisely to market their products to the general public.
The Tempur-Pedic Swedish Sleep System®
was very well received and Tempur-Pedic subsequently set upon a very large and comprehensive advertising campaign to promote their products, and their name as the first manufacturer of these new memory foam beds. Since their first step into the mattress market, Tempur-Pedic has expanded their product line to include five different kinds of memory foam beds, as well as adjustable beds, memory foam toppers, pillows, and other comfort accessories.
The popularity of memory foam bedding has increased steadily as their company and the industry in general has gained visibility through advertising, research, doctor and chiropractor referrals, and word-of-mouth. People everywhere became excited about a sleeping material that responds to body heat and then conforms to the body's shape while redistributing body weight more evenly across a larger area, resulting in more of the body being in contact with the sleep surface. This can reduce pressure on your skin and 'pressure points' by up to 50%, as well as potentially aiding proper spinal alignment and better circulation. Please read more about The Memory Foam Experience.
Medical Doctors and Chiropractors have recommended the use of TempurPedic memory foam bedding for certain patients due to its unique pressure-relieving properties. Whether you sleep on your side, back, or belly – or move between those positions throughout the night –pressure-relieving memory foam products offer a unique comforming and cushioning option that may reduce overall pressure on your spine, joints, and wherever it always seemed to hurt the most. For a Tempur-Pedic Comparison see our Memor Rest Memory Foam Topper and how it compares to Tempur-Pedic.
The choice between a Tempur-Pedic Sleep System (mattress and foundation)
and a covered mattress overlay that rests on top of your current mattress is an option that should not just be a financial decision. While the mattress overlay is certainly less expensive, it does not come with a trial period and its performance for you will depend heavily on the sleep surface upon which you place it. Yet, if the only thing your current mattress needs is some memory foam, this is a much more economical option than buying an entire sleep system. Please read more about how our Ultimate Sleep Mattress compares to Tempur-Pedic. And, don't forget the added comfort and luxury of a Tempur-Pedic Neck PillowTM. Please read more about how our memory foam pillow compares to the Tempur-Pedic pillow.
As a company, Tempur-Pedic has built a reputation for high quality bedding materials at a premium price. Some reasons for these high prices include an enormous advertising budget for aggressive television and print marketing campaigns, a 20 year Limited Warranty, and 90 day Trial Period on Sleep Systems. While the saying, "it takes money to make money" is true, many find these prices beyond their means.
Despite all of this, some customers find Tempur-Pedic memory foam products too firm for them or too slow in recovering from body impressions. In response to this feedback, some new high-end bed designs have come out of Tempur-Pedic's workshop that include an extra soft top layer of TEMPUR Foam and/or a pillowtop design. Yet, the basic foam layers of the bed have remained the same firm and supportive foam layers on which Tempur-Pedic has built their worldwide reputation. See a comparison of our Serene Sleep Mattress to Tempur-Pedic.
So far, there does not yet appear to be a Tempur-Pedic memory foam solution for the heavier man or woman, the one who weighs over 250 lbs. While Tempur Foam at 5.3 lbs density has firm support for the 'average' individual, it is known that heavier body weights cause memory foam to compress and wear more, resulting in more likelihood of permanent retention of body impressions or general product compression and/or failure. Our Comfort Max 300 is a perfect alternative to the Temprapedic Mattress and is engineered for use by those who weight between 250 lbs and 300 lbs. In addition we also sell the Comfort Max 400 for those who weigh over 300 lbs.
Absolute Comfort on Sale also offers high quality memory foam and domestic latex beds, memory foam toppers, adjustable beds, pillows, magnetic and specialty products at more affordable prices. The memory foam in our beds and bedding products is manufactured by leading foam manufacturers that have also been in the forefront of the foam industry for decades, such as E R Carpenter, British Vita Foam, and Foamex International. Each of these companies has a proven performance record for quality products at reasonable cost.
Whether you're looking for genuine Tempur-Pedic brand products or a great alternative, memory foam is an amazing product that provides alternative quality bedding for all those needing more than the traditional mattress offers. And the King of all our memory foam mattresses is the Majestic Comfort. It is a mattress that combines the comfort of memory foam with the support of latex foam. Please see how this compares to Tempur-Pedic.
| Contact one of our Sleep Experts at 1-877-856-7378 for more help on how to improve the quality of your sleep. Our state-of-the-art range of visco elastic memory foam products - beds, mattresses, mattress pads, and toppers, pillows and other home bedding products is designed to increase your personal comfort and improve your sleep. Now enjoy the best rest of your life! |
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TEMPUR-PEDIC ® is a registered trademark of Tempur World LLC, or Tempur-Pedic International, Inc. Use of such mark herein does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of this website by TEMPUR-PEDIC. We are in no way affiliated with Tempur-Pedic and do not sell their products. The information in this site about Tempur-Pedic products is for comparison purposes only.
