This is an updated review, made on March 29, 2011, or about four months after the original review. It's been updated and rewritten since then, as my opinion of the topper has downgraded some. I'm reevaluating my review from March 20th, as a local bedding salesperson who knows me has provided me with information that I didn't previously know.Counting this topper, I've owned 7 memory foam toppers (topper pads) in the last six years. Three of them were unusable and had to be sold/returned. The others varied in quality. During this time, I've learned a good bit about memory foam.
The tutorial on buying memory foam has been moved to the end of the review.
After some research, I ordered the listed topper (Sleep Studio 3-Inch ViscO2 Green Tea Memory Foam topper). I did so based on the many reviews that said that there was no, or very little, odor, which is a key issue with me.
The topper arrived packed tightly in a carton, as all do. After carefully removing the plastic wrap and gently pulling the foam apart to a flat form, I let it set and expand. I also measured it. It was a bit short of the advertised 58" by 78".
TOPPER HAD AND HAS A STRONG ODOR:
Odor from memory foam is caused by what's known as "outgassing", which is basically the release of the chemicals used in the manufacture of the product. With good memory foam, the odor should be slight, and it should go away after a day or two of airing. Low-quality memory foam has very obnoxious, and potentially harmful, odors/outgassing (Serta is notorious for this), and with some, that odor doesn't go away even after months of airing.
Many reviews of this product stated that it had little or no odor after a short time. This wasn't the case for me. The topper DID have an strong odor, nor did it go away quickly, as others have stated. It took a full week of airing to eliminate about 2/3 of the odor and a month before the odor had dissipated to the point that it wasn't a bother.
In fairness to the topper, the odor isn't as noxious as that of some toppers. The product claims that it's "green tea". To me it smelled a bit like chocolate mint, as other reviewers have noted. Even after four months, the odor is still there, and it isn't "slight" in nature. The bedding expert informed me that "green tea" toppers never really lose their odor, and while it's essentially harmless, it can seem obnoxious to some people.
UPDATE: October 21, 2011 After about a year with the topper, the odor is about as strong as it is with other toppers, and it's not noticeable with sheets or covers on. Most toppers that have odor when they ship will never completely lose the odor.
Update: February 2nd 2012. The topper is holding its own; it hasn't gotten any better or worse since the last update. It still has a mild odor, but it isn't noticeable with sheets and a cover.
HAND IMPRINT TEST:
With good memory foam, when you press your hand into the foam for a few seconds and remove it, the imprint should linger and very slowly disappear. With cheap memory foam, the imprint will go away instantly or after a second or two. With this topper, I pressed my hand into the foam and removed it. The imprint went away slower than it does on regular foam, but faster than it does on high-quality foam. I've repeated this test periodically since then, with the same result. The bedding expert told me that the reason for this may be due to it containing some latex, as latex rebounds quickly and isn't supposed to pass the "hand imprint test".
TOPPER WAS A BIT SHORT:
The topper was a full inch short in both length and width. Other reviewers have noted this, as well. Slight variances are normal for memory foam.
TOPPER'S SUPPORT IS SOFTENING:
The topper was a bit on the firm side when it arrived,and it provided reasonable support for a while. Over time, the topper softened---good memory foam should not do this in a few months. After two months, I began waking up with minor back pain---the sign that the topper was not supporting my body as it should (Update: the pain went away after another month; it's possible that it was related to some minor injury). This worsened to a degree as time went on. Today, less then four months after I purchased it, the topper is a bit softer; it's lost some of its support. UPDATE October 21, 2011: It hasn't lost any more support in the ensuing 7 months). While there aren't any permanent indentations in it (UPDATE: this is still true as of October 21, 2011), it's not as firm as it was when it arrived. Good memory foam should not do this as quickly as this topper has, nor should latex. The past couple of weeks, I've woken up after 3-4 hours of sleeping on this, due to back and/or leg pain. While using the topper is still better than sleeping on a too-firm mattress, it's clearly lost some of its quality.
UPDATE October 21, 2011: The topper hasn't lost any more of its quality in the ensuing months. Perhaps it needed to break in.
Update: March 12, 2012: The topper is holding its own and hasn't lost any of its shape since the first review.
CONCLUSION
I can only conclude that this is either regular foam, a hybrid of regular and memory foam (and possibly latex), or very low-quality memory foam. It's also possible the combining memory foam and latex just doesn't work. In any case, I do not recommend that it be purchased. Sleep Studios regular memory foam toppers (those without any latex) may be better.
UPDATE October 21, 2011: Since the topper hasn't lost any more of its resiliency in the ensuing 7 months, it might be recommended for those looking for an inexpensive memory-foam alternative, pursuant to its limitations. I still consider this to be somewhat moderate-quality foam, but it's been reasonably adequate.
Update: March 2, 2013. The topper has held up well over its two year lifetime. It hasn't lost any of its resiliency and still offers the support it did since the last update. It's turned out to be a serviceable product, and I can recommend it to anybody who is looking for an inexpensive alternative to the pricier memory foam and latex toppers.
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TUTORIAL FOR BUYING MEMORY FOAM:
Here is a short guide on researching memory foam toppers.
1) If it's really inexpensive, it's probably not high quality memory foam.
2) Stay far away from anything that's made in China, period. It's best that your topper is made in the United States, as there are strict rules about what can and cannot go into the topper.
3) Don't take "eco friendly", "natural", "green", etc. at face value. It can be listed this way if it has as little as 5% "friendly", meaning that 95% is polyurethane chemicals.
4) Be sure the topper you buy will comfortably support the weight of everybody (meaning the heaviest person) sleeping on it. The minimum density should be 3 lbs per cubic foot. In my opinion, the minimum thickness should be 2".
5) I recommend that you stay away from anything but solid memory foam, e.g. don't buy "wavy", "contoured", "egg-crate", etc.
6) Don't buy a topper if the bed you're putting it on is uneven or terribly saggy. You need a relatively firm, flat surface for a topper to work. If you can't afford even a cheap new bed, you might buy a piece of plywood and put it on the bed. If you do this, be sure you buy at least 3" thick memory foam (4" thick if you're 200+ lbs). I don't recommend using memory foam on a pillow top bed, unless the pillow top has degraded to the point that it's relatively flat.
7) I don't recommend buying a memory foam MATTRESS, as even high-quality memory foam will only last 4-5 years before it breaks down. Unless you want to buy a whole new mattress every 5 years, you're better off buying a topper. If you must buy a mattress set, you should probably go with latex, which lasts a lot longer. Note that latex is generally firmer than memory foam, although it comes in varying degrees of softness and/or firmness.
7) Good memory foam has, at worst, only a slight odor when it arrives, and that odor will go away after a day or two. Bad memory foam has a very noxious odor which takes weeks to go away and may never go away completely.
8) One quick test of high-quality memory foam is to press your hand into the foam for about five seconds, then pull it away. With good memory foam, the imprint should still be there, and it should disappear very slowly. With bad/fake memory foam, the imprint will go away instantly or it will only last a second or two.
Buy Sleep Studio 3-Inch ViscO2 Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress Topper Now
I needed help. I dropped several thousand dollars on a Sleep Number bed and I was getting a horrible night's sleep no matter how I adjusted it, for over a year. I decided to try a mattress topper as a last resort, and I'm so glad I chose this product! Every night since purchasing, I seem to sleep better. My fibromyalsia-type symptoms have all but disappeared, and my terrible shoulder/neck pain (from being a side sleeper) is SO much better (a 95% improvement after a week). I also purchased the pillow and it is perfect for side-sleeping as well. Together, these products have made so much of a difference, I wish I had kept my money and bought a cheap, firm bed instead of a Sleep Number, lol.Read Best Reviews of Sleep Studio 3-Inch ViscO2 Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress Topper Here
I'm no connoisseur of memory foam, but this this thing took my rock-hard futon and turned it into something I can actually sleep on comfortably (thank goodness!). The smell was fine (pleasant, even, though I aired it out for a day or two before putting on my bed).The only thing is that you definitely have to pay attention to the reviews which say it runs small -they tell the truth! So buy a size up from what you think you need -I got myself a queen size one, and it fits perfectly on my full bed.
Want Sleep Studio 3-Inch ViscO2 Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress Topper Discount?
When I unwrapped this product I was prepare to allow it to decompress for a day as the website suggests. However, when I removed the plastic the mattress topper unrolled to its complete size immediately. When I felt the topper it was not memory foam at all. The product always retained its same shape and did not "form to your body" as advertised. I assumed they shipped an untreated mattress by mistake so I tried to contact them several times by both phone and email. It has been two weeks now and I have heard nothing back from them. When I called today I heard an automated voice say their voice mail box was full so I assume many other costumers are feeling equally frustrated right now. The other reviews suggest that this mattress topper is very comfortable but be aware that if there is a problem with the topper you receive this company will not help you out.Save 63% Off
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