I know that 13 years sounds like a long time ago, but it was only 2011, and the quality of foams and materials that Stearns and Foster uses now and back then hasn’t changed much. If you go back to 1990, they used different materials and tended to be firmer and more supportive with offset heavy-duty open coil units and not as much padding as they use today. I know online forums have all sorts of complaints about S&F not being good quality these days, but you would find the same level of complaints back in 2012 when Onno founded The Mattress Underground. Not much has changed—the more they change, the more they stay the same.
We can’t speak for Stearns and Foster’s policies, materials, durability, etc., but if it were us, I’d get a Stearns and Foster again. You had success with it in the past and found the in-store model comfortable. The only issue could be if your 13-year-old mattress had less padding, which helped with its longevity. The more materials, especially less dense (though S&F’s density of foam probably hasn’t changed in nearly 20 years) over the springs, the more softening and compression there will be.
We appreciate your concerns about getting a DLX mattress that is soft enough. It is in our best interest to be as straightforward as possible in our recommendations. We understand the hassle and inconvenience of the refund process and starting over. For us, a return is also not ideal either; we have invested time, labor, and materials, so it is in our best interest not to push you into something that would not work. We have a generous policy and do not put up roadblocks to prevent refunds after someone has slept on the mattress—we would always prefer not to sell it than to have to issue a refund when we could have prevented it pre-sale. There are times when people seem like good candidates for our mattress and would likely find it comfortable, and we tell them that we think they’ll like our mattress. However, if they end up not liking it, we give the refund and do not prevent it.
There are times when we tell people that our mattress might not be a good fit. We’d rather tell someone that our mattress might not be comfortable for them than have them buy it and then request a refund. However, there are people whom we advise that our mattress might not be a good fit, who still purchase it and end up getting a refund. We honor our policies.
But if someone purchases our mattress and then finds it uncomfortable, we always try to make them comfortable by asking questions or suggesting some in-home tests to see if there is something that can be done to make the mattress more comfortable rather than immediately issuing a refund.
Keep in mind that even with the same coil unit, we can make something super soft or very firm. The variety in coil units does not significantly impact how soft we can make the mattress unless someone wants something very rigid or extra supportive, like a brick.
The limiting factor with our mattress getting super soft like a marshmallow with the Premier is the amount of foam over the coil unit that impacts how soft we can get the mattress. For softness, most of it comes from what is above the coil unit, not the coil unit itself—yes, there are always exceptions to the rule. In general, thicker layers of foam above the coil unit usually lead to a softer feel, so a mattress with 5.25" of foam over the coil unit versus the identical specs but with 7.25" of foam of the same density and ILD will feel softer than one with 5.25" because the coil unit tends to be the firmest part of the mattress, and more flexible material above the firmest part will make the mattress feel softer on average.
The Stearns and Foster might have an initial softer feel than ours because of the quilting foams. We use 1.8-pound foam, and Stearns and Foster does not list theirs, but it could be anywhere from 1.5 down to 1.15, which Sealy uses in their Posturepedics. I know 0.3 pounds doesn’t sound like much, but a 1.8 is 20% denser compared to a 1.5 pound. Keep in mind that a higher density foam will feel firmer than a lower density of the same ILD. This is a double-edged sword in terms of durability and comfort if you need the extra softness.
So, we’d estimate that the quilting in the Stearns and Foster will be a little plusher than our mattress because they use a lower density foam, which will give a plusher feel initially
In most cases, people who find a Stearns and Foster that measures less than 14.75" tall comfortable also find our Premier Hybrid comfortable. The 16" does have added plushness because of the extra foam and fiber.
Keep in mind that terms like ‘super soft’ and ratings like ‘1 or 2’ are subjective and mean different things to different people. We are working with someone right now who wanted something very soft and got the Premier Soft and is finding it too soft. Though, your experience may vary, and some people find the Premier Soft not soft enough—it varies.
Based on some research, here are the specs for the Stearns and Foster Lux Soft Pillowtop. It states that it is a 16" mattress. Assuming the coil unit is 8.75", which they don’t state, they have approximately 6.25" of foam and fiber over the pocket coil, whereas the DLX Premier has 5.25". The extra inch can add some additional softness.
Quilt Layers:
- FR Fiber
- 1" Premium Ultra Soft Gel Foam
- 1/2 oz Polyester Fiber
- 1" Premium Ultra Soft Gel Foam
- 3/8" Premium Ultra Soft Gel Foam Center
Comfort Layers:
- 0.75" TEMPUR-Indulge™ Memory Foam
- Pillow Top Support Layer
- 1" Premium Soft Gel Foam
- Inner Panel
- 1" Premium Soft Gel Foam
- 1" Premium Soft Latex
Support System:
- Coil Density: 2044 Intellicoil® Encased Coils
- 8 S&F AirVents
- Precision Edge™ System
Base:
- 1" Premium Firm Foam Base
Sorry for the long-winded nature of this post. We went off the deep end when explaining things. In the end, our first recommendation is to stick with the Stearns and Foster. If you feel compelled to get a DLX Premier, we’d recommend our 14" in Soft. Feel free to ask more questions. We promise to keep it shorter next time.