A pillow top is a surface layer of soft material that is stitched and packed into the cover. This provides a soft as a cloud feel to the surface of the mattress.
There are multiple types of pillow tops, though the most popular recently is a memory foam pillow top. A memory foam pillow top has a thin layer of soft memory foam that is stitched into the cover. Though memory foam is a popular material for pillow tops, you can also find them with latex, cotton, cashmere, wool, or goose down/feathers.
Pillow top mattresses generally have spring support systems in the middle of the mattress, though there could be a pillow top on a memory foam mattress as well (it is just not very common).
Pros: A plush feel on the top of the mattress that pillows the body on top of the support layers.
Cons: The pillow top alone will not make a good bed -- the materials used in the pillow top and the rest of the mattress can sag or have issues if they are lower quality.
Tempur material is memory foam manufactured by Tempur-pedic. Tempur-pedic owns the original formula of memory foam developed by a NASA contract.
Tempur-pedic offers a variety of mattresses from firm to plush that use varying degrees of Tempur material along with higher density foams.
The main difference between Tempur and other types of memory foams that have been developed by competing foam manufacturers and mattress makers is the blend of substances in the memory foam.
Pros: Tempur material is the 'original' memory foam and has been refined by Tempur-pedic's scientists over the years specifically for mattresses whereas other types of memory foam may not have been as well developed.
Cons: Like other memory foams, Tempur material is a polyurethane foam blend and prone to claims of off-gassing.
Overall Score:
Pillow Top: 8.9/10
Tempur: 9.4/10
Comfort:
Pillow Top: 9/10
Tempur: 9.4/10
Softness:
Pillow Top: 9.4/10
Tempur: 9.3/10
Cooling:
Pillow Top: 8.2/10
Tempur: 8.8/10
Hypoallergenic:
Pillow Top: 8.2/10
Tempur: 8.8/10
Odor:
Pillow Top: 8.2/10
Tempur: 8.8/10
General Support:
Pillow Top: 8.3/10
Tempur: 9.1/10
Eco-Conscious:
Pillow Top: 8.5/10
Tempur: 8.5/10
Price Value:
Pillow Top: 8.3/10
Tempur: 8.5/10
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