Serta 12 Inch Memory Foam Mattress

Serta 12″ Premier Gel Memory Foam Hybrid (Review)

Serta 12 Inch Memory Foam Mattress

Serta is well known for producing quality mattresses in both spring and memory foam versions. Their range includes some very high quality and innovative products. One of the most popular styles is their gel range of memory foam mattresses, with the 12-inch model we reviewed being among their top sellers.

A pricier mattress, but a good choice. You may want to check out some of our other options if price matters to you, but keep reading to get the full scoop.

Size

The 12 Inch Gel Memory Mattress comes in a range of sizes to fit the most popular beds. Currently, five form factors are available:

  • Twin
  • Full
  • Queen
  • King
  • California King

Serta Construction

Core

The Serta 12 inch gel mattress is constructed from three separate layers of foam. The base is a 7-inch slab of high-density foam, which adds cushioning and strength. The foam used in this mattress seems to be very durable, which should contribute to a long life. On top of it is a 2.5-inch support layer of profiled ActivAir foam, which creates a layer of large air channels in the core of the mattress, and finally, 2.5 inches of gel-impregnated memory foam is fitted to form the sleeping surface.

The structure of this mattress is slightly different to other three-layer ones we’ve looked at; the center layer isn’t memory foam, as with the LinenSpa 12 inch model, instead of relying on its springiness and profiled shape to help mold the mattress to your body. However, it does play a more active role in ventilation.

Serta Cover

The cover is made from a cotton fabric, which is always a good choice for keeping things cool. It’s neat and closely fitted and looks very good. It’s easy to make a bed up over this mattress. Unfortunately, the cover isn’t removable and can be spot cleaned only. For this reason, we would only recommend using this mattress with an overlay. Memory foam mattresses with removable covers are available at a reasonable price and we’d like to see it become a standard feature. Overall we did like the cover, however.

Comfort

Overall this mattress scored highly for comfort. Some people did find it too firm though. It’s rated Medium by Serta, but like many memory foam mattresses that seems to mean rather firmer than a similarly rated innerspring model. If you like a soft bed this may not be the best choice. It does seem to be more yielding than some of the other ones we reviewed though, while still providing enough support for anyone with back or joint problems. Several reviewers commented on how the mattress initially feels quite hard but progressively molds itself to suit, allowing a very comfortable posture.

Serta has gone for a different approach to comfort by using ActivAir foam for the second layer rather than an additional sheet of memory foam as Lucid did. The ActivAir layer isn’t solid foam – it has closely spaced “fingers” which the upper layer rests on. These fingers are extremely springy and allow the mattress to give where the most pressure is placed on it without bringing you into contact with the firmer base foam. We think it’s a very effective approach which accounts for the high overall approval in this department.

Serta Ventilation

Most of the mattresses we reviewed to deal with memory foam’s characteristic heat buildup by using open-cell foam. Serta has done something different here. Firstly, the memory foam layer contains tiny beads of gel, which act to conduct heat away from your body. This dissipates it evenly throughout the top layer instead of trapping it in pockets close to you. Secondly, the profiled shape of the support layer crates a maze of air channels running beneath the memory foam. These allow a constant air circulation that takes heat away from the upper layer. Overall it’s very effective; reviewers found that this mattress maintained a very comfortable temperature. We have no hesitation in saying that this was the best-ventilated mattress we reviewed.

Serta Features

Like the other mattresses, we reviewed the Serta 12 inch gel model ships vacuum packed for compactness. When unwrapped it quickly absorbs air and expands to its full size, so don’t be alarmed when the box doesn’t look anywhere near large enough to contain a full-size mattress. It does take several hours for it to reach its full size, and we’d recommend leaving it for a full day before using it. Unlike the other brands, we reviewed Serta mattresses that don’t seem to retain a chemical smell when first unpacked.

A key feature of this mattress is its three-layer construction. We felt that was worth mentioning again because it makes such a difference to ventilation. If you find memory foam mattresses on the hot side this could be a deciding factor.

Serta mattresses come with a 20-year limited warranty.

Conclusion

This is the most expensive of the mattresses we reviewed (except in the largest sizes), but when you consider its construction and performance we think it’s still excellent value for money. Comfort was rated very highly by most reviewers and ventilation was outstanding. The 20-year warranty also gives you confidence in the product. Any of the mattresses we’ve looked at will serve you well, but if you’re happy to pay a little more this one deserves a place at the top of your shortlist.

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