Sleep Innovations Shiloh Review
The review of the Sleep Innovations Shiloh 12-inch memory foam mattress has been “in the pipe” for over 8 months now.
We took our time because we wanted to make sure that the analysis is the most complete it can possibly be.
We consulted experts (both of memory foam and sleep therapists), we gathered a large pool of information from owner feedback and we directly contacted people already sleeping on the Shiloh - as many of them as we could.
It took about 4000 work hours, but we believe that the detailed analysis you’ll see below is a one-stop shop on all the information you’ll ever meet about the Shiloh.
On the other hand, we made an effort to present the results in simple and concise way. The bottom line is that it should only take a few minutes of your time to get a good feel on whether the Shiloh might be the right mattress for you.
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Sleep Innovations Shiloh Review - all quality ratings
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It was clear from the get-go that the Sleep Innovations Shiloh is a top-tier mattress. We say that because for a product of this type (layered all-foam), there is one aspect that’s critically important and that’s the quality of the foam.
For an average buyer, a typical fact sheet can be confusing, misleading even. It’s easy to say that the foam is “high-quality.” But what does that mean to a person that’s not particularly savvy when it comes to the industry lingo?
Foam quality goes well beyond the density and firmness. That’s why the fact that we know the type of foam Sleep Innovation uses was an important factor.
Top to bottom US-made
Outsourcing is not a minus on its own but, based on what we’ve seen when it comes to memory foam, there is a pattern. The quality ratings of the foam with the same density and firmness start to vary with prolonged use.
We revisit and update the quality ratings at 1, 2 and 5-year marks. Based on what we’ve seen, the gap in ratings (shape retention and structural integrity) appears at these time milestones.
Statistically speaking, those ratings speak in favor of US-made foam. To be clear, we don’t want to make and blanket statements, and there are companies out there that import foam that stands its ground when compared to a US-made product.
To simplify - all we want to say here is that an average buyer can be more comfortable with spending money on US-made foam that passed all the rigorous testing and obtained the staple quality certificates.
That’s what the Shiloh is made of and, if you ask us, it’s a big plus.
What we expected to see
Having in mind that sleep innovations are making an effort in their advertising to stand out from the crowd by stressing that there is no one-size-fits-all mattress, we expected the Shiloh to be top-tier.
Why?
Because a company like this wouldn’t risk their reputation by putting a product on the market that’s sub-par compared to the manufacturers they’re trying to distinguish themselves from.
What do we mean by that?
The Shiloh is designed to be a good fit for most people. In a market where many companies simply make one mattress and advertise it as one-size-fits-all, Sleep Innovations is an exception.
They make a range of mattresses for different body frames. The Shiloh is their flagship product with the widest appeal - average to large person.
In other words - it’s designed to find the sweet spot between comfort and support.
Airflow and heat dissipation of the Sleep Innovations Shiloh 12-inch
The foam used to make the Shiloh is patented, with cell structure designed to improve airflow and heat dissipation.
We wouldn’t go as far as describing it as “cooling”, but the heat dissipation numbers we’ve seen do justify the claims the company makes. In that quality aspect, it belongs to the top 5% of mattresses we ever analyzed.
Firmness vs. support
If you prefer an extra soft feel, this mattress might not be right for you. In terms of firmness, we would describe it as medium.
That doesn’t mean much in its own
When you’re looking to buy a mattress, the proper analysis should include “firmness versus support” rather than each of these separately.
Based on the pool of numbers we have, we’d say that 8 out of 10 people will find this mattress to be “just right.”
Here’s why
Shiloh is not just a lump of foam. The layers work together to balance between firmness and support.
This means that the top layer (2.5 inches thick SureTemp foam) is there to allow your shoulders and hips to sink just enough for proper spinal alignment. The SureTemp foam is trademarked by Sleep Innovations and 3rd-party tested to do what the company claims in the advertising.
The base layer is denser and thicker (9.5 inches). It’s the base that’s “responsible” for the structural integrity, shape retention and support.
To be more precise
Putting it simply - for body frames ranging from medium to large, the Shiloh is at the sweet spot. The base is just firm enough so that your spine doesn’t arch downwards, while the top has enough “give” to prevent the spine arching upwards.
That especially goes for side and back sleepers.
Hot versus cold sleepers
In terms of heat dissipation, the only scenario where Shiloh might not feel right is if you’re an especially cold sleeper and the temperature of your bedroom is also low.
In all other scenarios, the mattress does a solid job of both dissipating heat and not trapping the cold. The user satisfaction numbers we’ve seen were slightly higher with people more concerned about heat retention.
Sagging and edge support
Before we get into this, let us this mention that we have separate statistical model when we rate this quality aspect in all-foam models (different formulas from those we use for innerspring and hybrids).
Why?
It’s because you can’t reasonably expect the same level of edge support from foam and mattresses that have a thick wire encircling the edges.
To put it simply - it only makes sense to compare apples to apples.
With that said, this mattress belongs in the top 10% in its category.
What this means for you
It means that the edge support is nothing to write home about, but we also don’t see it as a red flag. It’s solid enough to sit on the edges as you preparing for sleep, but you might find it too soft to read a book or watch TV show while seated on the very edge.
Motion isolation of the – only a secondary factor
This is where Shiloh truly shines. With the layered structure in mind, this doesn’t come as a surprise.
To be honest, the motion isolation properties contribute less towards our final ratings than other quality factors. We all remember those commercials with a bowling ball dropping on a mattress without spilling a glass of wine.
It is impressive when you see it, but how many times did you actually wake up because your sleep partner was moving too much. Our guess is – not many.
The bottom line here is that Shiloh has excellent motion isolation properties, but we wanted to be clear that we find other quality aspects more important.
Durability and longevity of the Sleep Innovations Shiloh 12-inch
There’s confusion with the terminology here and we want to address that first. You might see a Sleep Innovations Shiloh review on other sites lumping these two aspects together, which is not the way to go about it.
Here’s difference
Durability describes how much pressure and weight a mattress can take without compromising the structural integrity.
Longevity describes, as the word itself indicates, how long the mattress is expected to live.
As we mentioned, our ratings reflect 1, 2 and 5-year milestones.
Rating a mattress in these two categories is tricky because we don’t have enough clear-cut data and it comes down to the warranty terms.
Let’s try to be as precise as we can
Typically, this type of mattress from other brands is covered by a 10 year warranty (even the ones that cost much more).
We’re stressing that because Shiloh comes with a 20-year warranty. Sleep Innovations estimates the serviceability the last as long as 15 years (given that you sleep on it every night).
Off-gassing, smell and safety certification
This is an important one because it’s not only about the smell. It’s more about long-term safety.
This is where the fact that the foam is US-made following strict safety standards is a big plus for the Shiloh.
The crucial part here is that it carries the Centripur label, which means that it’s tested to be free of:
Even the manufacturing process is environment-friendly. For the finished product that will arrive at your doorstep, this is not a big deal. But if you like the idea of sleeping on a mattress that was made with minimal footprint on the environment, this does deserve a mention.
Mandatory factory air out
With most foam products, there will be an initial smell that lingers around your bedroom. It can take anywhere from a few days to a few months to dissipate.
None of that here
This is one of the few mattresses we’ve seen with a mandatory factory airing out.
For you, this means that there is no initial smell and no need to wait or air out the mattress on your own. That part is taken care of in the factory and the product is shipped with zero smell.
No need for add-ons
We see this one way to often - you get the mattress and your enthusiasm about it is quickly curbed because you feel you need an extra topper or pad for it (most often because it feels too hot).
Here, the top layer is designed to eliminate the need for a topper. In fact, the company advises against using any add-ons because they can interfere with the breathability.
Maintenance
Since the structure is not symmetrical, the mattress should not be flipped.
Many of us are still trapped and the perception that flipping a mattress will prolong the lifespan. With modern mattress technologies and materials, it’s not so simple.
Here’s why
With mattresses that shouldn’t be flipped, the manufacturer has to be extra careful, especially when they offer a 20-year warranty.
This means that they have to make sure that the structure can take the prolonged use and maintain shape. Otherwise, they would be faced with people claiming their warranties too often, which would affect their bottom line.
The important part here is that the numbers we’ve seen when it comes to foam breaking or develop indentations with prolonged every-night use are low.
Rotation
The mattress is symmetrical (top to bottom) which means that you can rotate it but, based on what we’ve seen, the number of people who feel the need to do it is very low with the Shiloh.
This ties into the analysis above and means that the number of people who saw structural issues is also low.
To put it simply - there are no indentations or the uneven surfaces forming over time that would call for the mattress to be rotated.
What does the warranty cover?
When you see a long warranty like this, you should be careful and make sure that you read the fine print. In some cases, a company can “dilute” the warranty terms and you might end up with additional cost when making the claim.
We looked closely and saw no red lights here, the company does what it promises - covering the full cost related to any warranty claim (replacing or repairing the bed).
These terms cover any issues with the fabric, stitching and, most importantly, potential structural defects.
Bounce-back - secondary
What we mean by “bounce-back” is the time it takes for the surface to get back to its original shape when you get up.
There are two ways to look at this:
The first one is absolute (comparing it to every mattress out there) and the second one is comparing it to mattresses in its price range.
If you do the former, it’s fair to say that there are products out there with higher bounce-back ratings. They do, however, cost much more.
If you do the latter, this puts the Shiloh in the top five products in its price range.
Similar to the motion isolation, we don’t see the bounce back is a crucial factor simply because nobody ever said, “I got up to go to the bathroom and when I got back my mattress wasn’t completely flat.”
That’s why our statistical model includes the bounce-back only as a secondary factor.
The “history”
The mattress hit the market back in 2010 (May 15, to be more precise) and was initially known as the Sleep Innovations SureTemp. So if you see it under that name, don’t get confused, it’s the same mattress.
The name SureTemp was a way for Sleep Innovations to stress the trademarked foam used for the top layer.
Cover quality
Wear and tear at the seams - testing the stitches
The number of garment issues reported by the owners we talked to was lower than those we’ve seen in 93% of other mattresses.
To be subjective for a moment, we prefer the quilted cover over the smooth one. It feels more rugged and durable and looks more luxurious. But when it comes to the numbers, we’ve seen no substantial difference in abrasion %s or stitching.
We rate the quilted cover at 92/100 and the smooth one at 90/100. These numbers are based more on our experience than the actual testing (the data pool we had here wasn’t big enough to do that). Apart from the aesthetic appeal, we find that the rugged covers are typically superior in terms of stain release.
Value for money
When all said and done, this is the category that probably does the best job of reflecting overall quality.
If you didn’t take the time to read the full analysis, let’s reiterate.
In most quality aspects, the Shiloh 12-inch performed superiorly compared to mattresses in its price range and, most of the time, it tested just as well as mattresses that cost anywhere from the 200 to 400% more.
Our rating of “value for money” is 95/100, which puts it in the top 6%.
We have five descriptive categories that we use to rank mattresses in terms of value and the Shiloh belongs to the top one “Worth every penny and then some.”
Updates to our Sleep Innovations Shiloh review
As per our regular schedule, we update the ratings quarterly, unless we see an indication of a significant quality change or learn about a change in the manufacturing practices.
We do it to make sure that our ratings always reflect the actual situation on the market. This means that you can be confident that the information you're seeing is fresh and relevant.
If you have questions or an experience you'd like to share (if you already own this mattress or if you get it after reading this), do get in touch, we have a $1000 yearly giveaway of sleep product for all interviewees who contribute to making our ratings more accurate.
To join it, all you have to do is contact us and we'll take it from there.
Stay smart,
The Sleep Studies team
Sleep Innovations Shiloh Review was first published to https://thesleepstudies.com
via The Sleep Studies - Feed https://thesleepstudies.com/sleep-innovations-shiloh-review/
