Novosbed: An Online Bed In A Box Company
Novosbed was an online-only boxable bed company before this marketing strategy became a trend. In fact, it was designing and making mattresses in 2009, three years before Tuft & Needle began in 2012. Its establishment was motivated by the same reasons as Casper Sleep, Yogabed and Tuft & Needle: confusion, over-priced mattresses, and poor trial period and warranty coverage.
Novosbed (meaning “new bed”) is genuinely a first generation family business. It was started by twin brothers, Sam and Andy Prochazka, and their sister Helenka. The company is based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Ironically, their offices in a former Hudson Bay Company department store are a floor above where the mattress department used to be.
Mattress Features
American Made
At first, they had their designed mattresses made in China, but there were issues with the consistency of quality. Now Novosbed memory foam mattresses are made in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. The Novosbed mattress can certainly be said to be a North American product.
The Benefit of Memory Foam
These are memory foam mattresses. Novosbed says, “Nothing sleeps better than a memory foam mattress. [It has] body contouring and motion isolation for more restful sleep.” And they do not use gel-infused foam. Gel is chemical, and some people have a problem with that.
Construction
3 Layers
The Novosbed is a three-layer mattress. Unlike Casper and Yogabed, it has three models, all 11” (28 cm) high. Each of the three models has a different firmness, which is the name of that model: Soft, Medium and Firm.Originally they were named Harmony, Aria and Classic. The name change is consistent with one of the goals of the company’s founding, to make purchasing a mattress less confusing. Now customers know the relative firmness of the models they are ordering without having to ask or look it up.
Firmness
The firmness of the models is determined by the relative thickness of the middle layer and the support layer and the densities of the top two layers. The top two layers (called “Ultra-dense airflow & comfort layers”) of each Novosbed model are memory foam.
Airflow
Both of the top layers are ventilated with vertical perforations to facilitate airflow for cooling. This is much better than just relying on open-cell foam. However, there does not seem to be an effective way for air to be channeled to the side of the mattress for better airflow (see this video by Dr. Rick Swartzburg), which would result in more cooling and freshness. This Airflow Transfer System is featured in several mattresses by Relief-Mart, including all TempFlow models and the Snuggle-Pedic Mattress, as well as an option for Tri-Pedic and Air-Pedic mattresses.
The Foams
The top layer in each of the three Novosbed memory foam mattress models is 2” high. The density is different for each model: 4-lb. in Firm, 5-lb. in Medium, 3.7-lb. in Soft.
The middle layer is 2” high in Firm and Medium, and 3” in Soft. It also varies in density by model: 5-lb. in Firm and Medium, and 4-lb. in Soft.
The “super dense” support core is 1.8-lb. polyurethane foam. It is 7” high in Firm and Medium, and 6” in Soft.
Advantage of the Configuration
The three-layer structure of Novosbed memory foam mattresses is like that of the Tri-Pedic, developed by Relief-Mart and sold by Selectabed, with two layers of memory foam, the upper one less dense than the lower one. Lesser density memory foam is more pressure-sensitive, making it more responsive to the weight of the sleeper. This lets it conform before the foam warms up, an advantage when the room temperature is cool. The second layer of greater density foam is more temperature-sensitive, making it more conforming, to maximize pressure relief.
Cover
The cover for Novosbed mattresses has three components. Wrapped around the entire mattress except for the top is the upholstery grade fabric border cover. It has a zipper around the top edge for attaching the waterfall top cover. The top cover is a stretch-knit fabric blend of several fibers. It is breathable, and its stretchiness allows it to follow the conformity of the memory foam beneath. It is removable for washing and for firmness adjustment (see below). Inside the outside covers is a spandex sub-cover to protect the memory foam when the top is removed. It also helps in holding the layers together.
Perfect Firmness
The reason for the variety of comfort level (firmness) in Novosbed mattresses is, as they say, “One size does not fit all, neither does one firmness fit all.” This is their Perfect Firmness. Just in case the customer finds the mattress too firm or too soft, the company has a Perfect Firmness Guarantee. This is a firming or softening Comfort+ adjustment kit, which is free. This consists of a layer (about 2” thick) of firming or softening foam, and a Comfort+ Extender. The customer unzips and removes the top cover, puts the Comfort+ layer on the top, zips the extender onto the border cover, places the top cover back on, and zips it to the extender.
Sleep Trial and Warranty
From its beginning in 2009, Novosbed has had a 120-Night trial period, which begins when the mattress is delivered. In 2016, they added the Comfort+ adjustment kit so the user could fine-tune the firmness of the mattress, a little softer or a little firmer. The trial is in three segments. The first 60 nights is the Break-in Period, and the last 60 is Return Available. Overlapping these is the Comfort+ Available Period, from night 30 to the end of the sleep trial.
Starting the day of delivery, a Novosbed memory foam mattress is covered by a 15-year warranty against manufacturing defects. This is between the current industry standard warranty of 10 years and Selectabed’s 20 years.
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