The Bear Original Mattress Review

The Bear Original is an all-foam mattress covered by Celliant textile. This combination of materials is designed to contour the body and speed up muscle recovery while delivering ample support. The mattress is sold at an relatively affordable price point, helping to upgrade one's sleep experience without putting a heavy burden on one's budget.

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Pros & Cons

Mattress Construction

The Bear Original is 10'' thick. It consists of a cover fabric on top of four layers of different types of foam which fulfill different functions ranging from pressure relieving contouring to orthopedic support.

Cover: Soft and breathable Celliant textile designed to sooth the muscles and rejuvenate the body.

Comfort layer: 2'' of gel-infused memory foam which molds to the body mitigating pressure. The gel draws away excess body heat.

Transition layer: 2'' of medium density poly foam, which combines contouring and support.

Support layer: 6'' of high density poly foam curbing sinkage, increasing sleepers stability and adding durability to the mattress.

Feel

The Celliant texile in the Bear Original's cover applies sleep recovery technology, which converts excess body heat into infrared energy. This energy enhances circulation and oxygen levels in the blood and, so, expedites muscle recovery and alleviates pain making sleepers feel highly rejuvenated after a long night's sleep.

The malleable memory foam in the comfort layers wraps the body enhancing comfort. The medium density poly foam in the transition layer gives a combined feel of contouring and support by slowly responding to sleepers' weight while at the same countering the sinkage caused by the soft memory foam above. 

The thick support layer of high density foam reduces sagging preventing sleepers from being trapped in bed. It gives the mattress its medium-firm feel.

Pressure Relief

The thick 6'' high density poly foam in the support layer and the medium density poly foam in the transition layer make to Bear Original too firm for side sleepers weighing less than 250 pounds. They won't get sufficient contouring to prevent the accumulation of pressure in their hips and shoulders. Sooner than later, they'll most probably start experiencing discomfort and suffer from pain.

In contrast, side sleepers heavier than 250 pounds will get along well with the Bear Original. The soft comfort layer will cushion their hips and shoulders mitigating pressure. The hardened foam in the support layer will cope well with their massive body curbing sinking enabling them to maintain a healthy sleeping position.

The Bear Original is overly stiff for lightweight back sleepers. They'll feel pressure rising in their lower back after prolonged sleep. On the other hand, their average and heavyweight counterparts will benefit from the balance of contouring and support the mattress offers. The conforming memory foam in the comfort layer and the medium density poly foam in the transition layer will wrap their lumbar and thoracic back reducing pressure. The support layer will make sure their spine will not be thrown out of its natural alignment.

Stomach sleepers require a mattress that is solid enough to avert excess sagging in the area under their rib cage. The Bear Original will deliver sufficient support for sleepers who weigh up to 250 pounds while the cushy memory foam in its comfort layer will target these sleepers' abdomen alleviating pressure in their lumbar spine.

Most heavyweight stomach sleepers will feel stable enough on the Bear Original. The mattress medium-firm firmness level will be able to carry their body well enough preventing curvature disorders. However, some sleepers, especially those whose weight is close to or more than 300 pounds, may require a mattress initially designed for plus-size people.

Motion Isolation

The Bear Original's capacity for isolating motion is average. The contouring memory foam in the comfort layer and the medium density poly foam in the transition layer can absorb quite a lot of the energy generated by sleepers' movements. However, the thick supporting layer is highly responsive and doesn't block motion well, so sleeping next to a restless sleeper can turn out to be a problem especially if you're also a light sleeper.

Repositioning

Moving on the Bear Original's surface is quite easy compared to most other foam mattresses. The malleable memory foam in the first layer causes some sinkage, which may hamper mobility. Yet the medium dense poly foam in the transition layer and the 6'' dense poly foam below effectively counter this sinkage preventing sleepers, even the heavier ones, from being trapped in the mattress and enable repositioning without too much effort.

Edge Support

The Bear Original is characterized by mediocre edge support. Two layers of soft and medium density foam one on top the other weaken the mattress' perimeter. What is more, the lack of coils which could otherwise generate lift is a disadvantage.

Light and average weight sleepers won't have much of a problem, but XL sleepers may sink too much lying close to the perimeter and may experience instability. They'll need to remain in the center of the mattress and may, therefore, have to settle for a smaller sleep surface.

Heat Retention

The Bear Original is engineered to remain cool even after prolonged sleep. The Celliant textile in its cover is highly breathable effectively wicking away moisture from the body. By turning excess heat into infrared energy, the Celliant also actively cools the surface of the mattress. The gel in the comfort layer's memory foam disperses heat resulting from sinkage. Lastly, the highly dense poly foam in the support layer has low capacity for heat retention and so helps regulate the mattress' temperature. 

In short, the Bear Original is a good fit for people who sleep hot or who live in hot and humid areas.

Frame & Foundation

The Bear Original is compatible with almost all the foundations, frames and adjustable bases you can buy on the market. It's highly recommended avoiding a traditional coil box spring since it doesn't provide an evenly distributed surface area for foam-based mattresses. Bear offers its customers its own sleep platforms.

The Bear Frame is a solid construct made of fiberglass-infused resins. It can support up to 2,500 pounds of evenly distributed weight. The frame is easy to assemble and clean. It comes with a 10-year limited warranty and is shipped at zero cost. The frame is sold at $98 for a Twin mattress. Maximum price is $147 for a California King mattress.

The Bear Foundation is an easy to assemble slatted platform made of solid wood with sides upholstered in gray fabric. It's shipped for free and is backed up by a 1-year limited warranty. Its prices range from $300 for a Twin mattress to $500 for a California King mattress.

The Platform Bed is made of 100% pine wood, fastened by water-based glue and finished with formaldehyde-free stain. Its slats are placed 3'' apart. It can be assembled in less than 10 minutes and can carry a maximum weight of 900 pounds. The Platform Bed comes with free shipping and a 1-year limited warranty. It fits Queen, King and California King mattresses only. For a Queen mattress, you'll pay $795. The latter two sizes are priced at $995.

The Adjustable Flex Bed offers head and foot tilt, one touch flat preset, zero-G preset, 2 customizable presets and remote flashlight. It's equipped with silent drive motors. The base can carry up to 750 pounds. If you use a split mattress, each side can move independently. Similar to all of Bear's platforms, the Adjustable Flex Bed is shipped for free. It's backed by a-10 year limited warranty. It's prices range from $1,225 for a Twin XL mattress (it's not designed for a Twin mattress) and $2,250 for a Split King mattress.

Additional Details

Bear has been operating in the U.S. market for more than 25 years. Its main offices are located in Hoboken, NJ. The company manufactures and sells a variety of mattresses and bed room products, all of which are manufactured in the United States.

The foam used in all of Bear's mattresses, the Original is included, is CertiPUR-US certified. That is, it doesn't contain ozone depleters, PBDEs, TDCPP or TCEP (“Tris”) flame retardants, formaldehyde, phthalates, heavy metals and any other materials which may be dangerous to sleeper's health or harmful to the environment. 

In addition, Bear is GREENGUARD-certified indicating it meets stringent guidelines for reducing emissions of volatile organic compounds.

Shipping & Delivery

The Bear Original's estimated shipping time is 2-7 business days. The mattress will arrive at your doorstep wrapped in plastic, compressed and packed in a box. You'll have to unpack it and set it up by yourself as Bear doesn't offer its customers white glove delivery.

The Bear Original is shipped to any destination within the lower 48 states free of charge. Shipping to Hawaii and Alaska will cost you around $300. Bear doesn't ship its mattresses to Canada.

Returns & Warranty

The Bear Original comes with a 120-night trial and a break-in period of 30 nights. In other words, you can return the mattress and get a full refund after you were sleeping on it for no less than 30 nights and no more than 120 nights. Returned mattresses are donated to charity.

The mattress is backed by a limited lifetime warranty. The warranty applies to the original buyer only. It covers indentations on the surface deeper than 1.5'' and manufacturing defects resulting in the degradation of the foam, including splits or cracks in spite of normal use and proper handling of the mattress.

The warranty doesn't cover the following cases:

• normal wear and tear
• a normal increase in softness due to normal usage
• changing comfort preferences
• mold, odors, and/or discoloration which are the result of abnormal care, such as liquid spills, improper ventilation and exposure to excessive water or humidity
• minor imperfections and slight cosmetic flaws
• naturally occurring aromas
• accidental damage (e.g. tears, stains and burning marks)

The warranty may be annulled if the mattress is ill-treated or placed on a foundation that is inappropriate. To be considered appropriate, a foundation has to be solid enough and capable of carrying the mattress' weight. It must have a firm and non-flexible surface as well as ample center support.

Buyers have the option to extend the warranty adding to it accident protection against cuts, punctures and stains from food, drink and bodily fluids. The cost of this extension is $39.99, $49.99 and $74.99 for three, five and ten years respectively.

The Bottom Line

The Bear Original is characterized by innovative construction and a smart use of materials, which rejuvenate the body and create a sound balance of pressure relieving contouring and strong support. The mattress' medium-firm firmness level serves average and heavyweight sleepers better than their lightweight counterparts. Its affordable price makes it a good choice for cost-conscious buyers looking for a high quality mattress with the aim of saving money.

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