EDIT: This is valid only for product manufactured before 2010. All post products are OK!
I know I was supposed to list you the best memory foam toppers on the market, but this time I‘ll give you the worst one that I‘ve ever seen. Yes, we are talking about 2.5 inch Costco distributed Novaform Memory Foam Topper. Don‘t get me wrong, most of the Novaform Products are great and extremely high quality (I‘ll write later on in the mattress reviews for the Novaform Elite Memory Mattress which is one of the best I‘ve ever seen), but specifically for the 2.5 inch foam topper currently promoted by Costco is very very bad.
The Novaform Topper is made of extremely high quality Visco Elastic Memory Foam (which is very good), but the 2.5 inc version is very buggy and in about 30% of all packages shows fabric/manufacturing problems mostly related to deflation problems. Most memory foam mattresses are shipped in vacuumed condition (they shrink extremely much when vacuumed) and when you open them they inflate and expand to their normal size. The thing about this particular topper is that in many cases it does not deflate properly on the edges and somehow looks weird. If you don‘t care about the looks (because when you put it in the velour cover you don‘t actually see that problems, its not that bad and it‘s actually quite nice for $90-$150 USD price…..
Also note that a lot of people are complaining about the intensive gas/paint type of smell which is actually from the visco memory foam chemical that converts regular foam to memory foam, but this smell will fade away in few days without problem. All memory foam mattresses have that smell when fabricated but in most cases the manufacturer aerate them to loose the smell and then package them for shipping. In this case I suppose Costco didn‘t bother to wait that few days and they packaged them immediately after fabrication and that‘s why they have that smell.
The overall quality of the novaform memory foam topper is quite good, and I‘d say that for the price of $90 for a full size mattress is not that bad and actually quite cheap. If you will be able to keep it aside and live with the little defects on the edges it is a very good quality topper as being made of high quality Visco Elastic Memory Foam which makes it good, but if you are able to spend a bit more then you should go with some other topper like the TempSoma memory foam topper.
Visitor Comments
Comment by: PJS
Message: we bought the full size costco novoform 2-1/2 inch memory foam topper. It is supposed to inflate to 54 inches wide. After 24 hours, it is 38″ wide. It is 2-1/2 inches in depth. Will it ever reach 54 inches?
Comment by: Kevin
Message: Actually you are dead wrong, the Novaform mattress sold at Costco and the Tempsoma sold at Sam’s Club are the exact same topper made by the same company. They are both made by Sleep Innovations.
Comment by: Virginia
Message: I bought the twin size 2 weeks ago and it is working out beautifully. Yesterday we bought the KING, brought it home, opened it and got instead a QUEEN foam pad and KING mattress cover. Today we brought it back (no small task after it reached full size)and bought another KING. This time it WAS a KING.
I don’t understand you yelling “DO NOT BUY” this product. Who cares if the sides are slightly imperfect? It’s zippered inside the case and you don’t sleep on the edges!
Note to PJS: You probably mistakenly got a TWIN size pad instead of a FULL in the box like we did! Bring it back!!
P.S. The smell is gone after a couple of days…
Comment by: Debbie
Message: I recently purchase the king topper from Costco after sleeping on one during our family vacation. Also, I have a friend who recommended the same topper. I think it’s wonderful. I haven’t slept so good in a long time. My son is getting ready to leave for college and is requesting one for his dorm room. The price is right and it’s comfortable.
Comment by: Anonymous
Message: I will say that it seems this topper has changed over the years. I bought one 3 years ago from Costco and love it but have upgraded to a larger bed. So, I bought a new topper but it’s now a 3-inch instead of a 2-inch and seems to be less than 4lb/sq. inch in density.
No problems with expansion (that would be “inflate”), but I’m concerned about its apparent lower density. I will be taking it back to Costco post haste if I’m not happy.
Comment by:
Message: I bought one 5 years ago and it is the best thing ever–still good as new. I swear by it and still have at least another 5+ years of life on it. Not bad considering i picked it up for $120.
Comment by: Sunny
Message: This memory foam give off a distinct chemical odor which many people will find unpleasant. It’s been 3 days and the off gassing is still very significant. Some friends tell me they can smell residuals after a year! After doing some research, I found the foam may decompose and emit toxic gases and respiratory irritants like toluene di-isocyanate and fire retardant PBDE’s. I would not recommend any memory foam product for this reason.
Comment by: Rick
Message: I don’t understand your comments either. I have purchased four of these toppers so far and love them. I have never slept better – I even put one on top of a very very expensive mattress and I now know I could have gotten away with a cheap mattress and put the topper on for all of $189 more. It’s a great deal.
{ 122 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
The manufacturer must have changed their process. I just purchased this king size topper today from Costco, took it home, unpackaged it and there is absolutely zero odor and it expaned to full size in 5 minutes. Can’t wait to sleep on it tonight. Be sure and stretch the sheet casing that comes with it over your mattress first before zipping it over the pad. This holds it in place. Easy!
I bought a twin size mattress topper from Costco this summer and it is my happy place!! I use it to be able to sleep on the couch and it is a dream – the best sleep of my life. I love the gooeyness and coolness of the materials used.
Just purchased this mattress topper on Saturday and have not had a good nights sleep since. Mattress pad is cold when entering the bed, then gets so hot I can’t sleep. Tossing and turning all night. I will be returning this tomorrow.
I prefer to buy products from Costco because of their excellent return policy.
On rare occasions when I am not satisfied with a product, Costco takes it back … no questions asked … and refunds my money, including taxes.
The Costco Novaform® Memory Foam Gel Toppers are just GREAT! All the way that is. They are very smart packaged, no problems with retaining their full size, easy to put into their casing. You just put the casing around your mattress first, put the Topper on top and zip closed all around. Piece of cake! It sleeps well and is in our opinion a very wise investment for a super price. Are those people complaining and whining maybe obese or having some problem themselves?
Of course this Topper can not upgrade an inferior quality mattress! So don’t blame it all on the Topper but be fair and balanced.
Costco in general knows what to put in their stores as they have a very knowledgeable staff for searching the market.
Only can highly recommend this topper!
I own 6 of these and we have never slept better than I do at home. Your DO NOT BUY is followed by comments of how good the product IS ….somewhat misleading??? Bottom line DO BUY THIS PRODUCT you will not be disappointed and if you are, Costco’s return policy is so liberal you can return it but I can say without a doubt you won’t have to.
I bought a king-sized Novaform topper from Costco. I put it in the velour casing and let it “shape out”. It was fully shaped in about an hour. I have never slept better. I had some lower back and hip discomfort from my existing mattress. Topping it with the Novaform has transformed it into a sleeping paradise. I have had no problems with distortion, wear, welts. The claimed “intensive gas/paint” smell lasted just an hour or so, no worse than opening something new, a new car smell, or something plastic. It is all gone and there is absolutely no trace of a smell. The foam characteristic does not transmit or transfer motion so the movement of someone sleeping next to you is nearly non-existant. I love this mattress topper.
the matress is not inflating. even after 80+ hours. can we take it back or is this just a matter of hours before it turns perfect. Doubt it
I just purchased this product last week and saw this site and read the posts. I must say, I think the product has advanced considerably since whenever the posts started. I have had no issues with expansion out of the box (took about an hour and no issues) and no issues with smell (I let it air out a day but really didnt notice too much). My husband like a firm bed and I like a soft one and have been struggling to find a happy medium. This mattress topper, so far, has proven to be a miracle. A great night sleep for me and my husband as well. I have chronic back and shoulder issues and I have been waking up pain free for almost a week. For around $150, I would HIGHLY suggest topper this before you go out and purchase some expensive mattress.
Purchased the topper about 4 months ago and already the cover (fitted sheet) is shredding at all four corners. Does anyone know how/where I can get a new cover??
Just bought the king size novaform gel topper about an hour ago. Removed it from the package, no odor, and it is now on the bed and feels wonderful. I had purchased a 12- inch memory foam mattress about a week ago, but my back condition is so severe, the mattress is a bit too firm, but with the Costco topper, it is perfect. This topper is the best I’ve read about and it certainly lives up to it’s name. Besides made in the US, what more can we ask for ….
What a poor review, who cares if it looks bad, it’s under your sheets. roll eyes. And if the smell fades why even bring that up? You admit it’s a good mattress topper and it works well, which is what counts, so why bring up things that don’t really matter? roll eyes. Dumb review. I love mine, bought it yesterday and put it on my old knock off temperedic memory foam bed as it was sagging, and slept better than I have in years last night. Love it. It does what it says it does, who cares about what it looks like and how it smells if it fades after a few days?
Just bought this weekend the gel foam topper/ love it after only 3 nights, every night prior I was waking up to my back and hip aching me in the morning/ now the last three nights I wake up no ache/ hope this continues/ also do not toss and turn during the night might move twice/ my husband is going out and getting one for his bed also/ maybe after years and years and many mattress designs this will do the trick/ DO YOURSELF A GOOD THING FOR 2012 go buy one NOW!!!!!
I just purchased this novaform topper from Costco in Folsom a few days ago. I am following the directions and letting it expand for 72 hours. So far it is going like said. After reading the comment section I am a little bit concerned and now can not wait to sleep on it after the 72 hours. Some of the comments are good and some bad. I will see for myself.
I bought it in Folsom, Ca at costco and have never purshaded a bad item and have only had to return a few things over many years.
Sincerely, Diane Lingle
Bought the queen topper w/ the fiberfill mattress pad. The fiberfill is matted down and even after fluffing has not come near the 2 inches they mention. The foam expanded quickly and fully but the odor make me so dizzy I could not walk or drive for 2 days. They assured me via email that the odor will subside then immediately followed that sentence with ” please reutrn it” if it does not go away.
Waste of money, time and energy-especially trying to return it to Costco.
I just bought the Queen size novaform gel topper about 2 days ago. It still smells, so I pulled all the sheets off to air it out. I am concerned as to why some people have no smell on their new topper and mine is still smelling. There was one person that said that the chemicals are not safe is that true?
Im on night 3 of my queen topper, and my whole room has been taken over with the intense odor that is not decreasing at all yet. I’ll try letting it air outside this weekend. Makes my pillows, pjs and everything smell really bad and it’s quite strong! I’m still undecided if I like it or not, but one thing is for sure, I will not be keeping it if this smell doesn’t go away. Way too strong! :/
I am looking to buy this in queen size and just have a question about sizing. I have previously bought toppers that seem to be 1-2 inches less wide than they should be. When fully inflated the topper was noticibly smaller than the actual size of my mattress under it. What have the people who have this topper noticed with regard to sizing?
Bought the novaform el memory foam topper at Christmas as my Granddaughter was visiting and was having back problems. She loved it and slept well. Now I use it and love it also.
The odor went away after a few hours, and it inflated as directed. I would recommend it to anyone who has hip or back problems.
We have had the full size Novaform gel topper for more than a year now, and love it. Comfort to the max! Our old innerspring mattress underneath it sags in the middle, and we are trying to decide between buying a 12″ Novaform gel memory foam mattress as a replacement, or just buying a replacement mattress to go underneath the topper. I recommend the topper!
Thanks for the comments. Shopping for a few memory foam mattresses for my boat. Costco has a reputation for choosing the best products for the best price for their members. They’re return policy supports their commitment to their members. I know that if I’m not happy with my purchase I can return with no questions asked. From what I am reading, I am willing to try it out for myself. BTW, if there is a chemical odor issue my husband will never notice…his sense of smell is not as strong as mine…just a side comment for those who wonder why some dont notice the smell.
To answer the sizing question mentioned here, one thing I always look for when buying a topper is that the size of the topper matches up with the size of the bed. This one does. I hate those toppers that fall a few inches too small (the manufacture’s way of skimming).
Have not slept on this gel foam topper yet, but it does have a lot of “memory” to it. And it also has a lot of stench. I will need to drag out my inflatable mattress to use, at least for tonight, because I won’t be able to take the smell of the topper (which I already spread out on top of my mattress).
To give you an idea about the smell (which smells like paint), I took the topper out of the box and laid it out. Left the house for a few hours to run errands, came home and the small permeated the house. I had to open up windows and run ceiling fans.
I have arthritis and fibromalgia so hoping this topper will do the trick.
I too have to say that the review on this was very odd and misleading. I’ve never seen a review titled Don’t Buy, then proceed to praise the product. What was the purpose of doing that?
← Previous Comments