Egg crate foam can be any type of foam where one side has an 'egg crate' shape. The purpose of this kind of foam is two-fold. It tends to be more responsive and distributes weight better than a thick layer of foam, and also it has cooling advantages because of the air flow that it provides.
Egg crate foam can be either memory foam or reflex foam, which are both blends of polyurethane foams and could be prone to off-gassing and odor.
The egg crate foam is generally found in the top comfort layers of the mattress, though they could be used in the base layer as well.
Pros: More response and more airflow than flat foam layers.
Cons: Comfort is entirely dependent on the quality of foam -- lower quality foams can be uncomfortable and break down faster.
High resilience is a polyurethane foam that has a much higher responsiveness than memory foam, which has a slower response. Because of this, those that enjoy more of a bounce in their mattress will gravitate towards this type of foam.
High resilience foams are much less popular than memory foam, but they make up important layers of many popular mattresses. Oftentimes the transitional layer or base layer of memory foam mattresses will contain high resilience foam at high densities. This provides a more even feel across the mattress, and less of a sinking feeling that memory foam alone would have.
Like all polyurethane foam, high resilience foam is made of a blend of polyurethane and has a tendency to off-gas. If you are susceptible to lung issues, please do additional research on the quality of foams before purchasing.
Pros: Quicker response than memory foam provides many mattresses with an even supportive feel.
Cons: Sagging and off-gassing problems with lower quality foams.
Overall Score:
Egg Crate Foam: 9.2/10
High Resilience Foam: 8.9/10
Comfort:
Egg Crate Foam: 9.2/10
High Resilience Foam: 8.8/10
Softness:
Egg Crate Foam: 9.4/10
High Resilience Foam: 8.7/10
Cooling:
Egg Crate Foam: 8.9/10
High Resilience Foam: 8/10
Hypoallergenic:
Egg Crate Foam: 8.9/10
High Resilience Foam: 8/10
Odor:
Egg Crate Foam: 8.9/10
High Resilience Foam: 8/10
General Support:
Egg Crate Foam: 9/10
High Resilience Foam: 9.4/10
Eco-Conscious:
Egg Crate Foam: 8.9/10
High Resilience Foam: 8/10
Price Value:
Egg Crate Foam: 9.2/10
High Resilience Foam: 9.4/10