My ten-year-old Stearns & Foster mattress had begun to sag, and because I have arthritis in my lower back, I started looking for the best pressure-relieving mattress I could find.  Which led me to Tempur-Pedic as the market leader in this segment.  I began researching their product offerings and quickly came to two conclusions 1)Tempur-Pedic products are hideously expensive and 2)They’re price controlled by the manufacturer – whether you purchase them from your local authorized dealer or from the Tempur-Pedic website, you’re not going to find a tremendous variation in price.

For my situation, I determined I need a mattress in the Adapt line (Adapt, Pro Adapt, Luxe Adapt).  And because I’ve slept on traditional mattresses for all of my 56 years, I wanted to get the medium hybrid.  The Pro Adapt Medium Hybrid really did seem to be the value “sweet spot” in the lineup, checking all the boxes at a retail price of $4199.00 for a king size.  It also happens to be Tempu-Pedic’s most popular product offering.   My in-store testing led me to the conclusion that 1)there was a slight comfort benefit to the Adapt Pro over the Adapt, and 2)I wanted an adjustable bed base that provided lumbar support.  The cheapest base that provides lumbar support from Tempur-Pedic is the Tempur-Ergo.  It also has USB/USB-C ports, underbed lighting, and some massage features – the latter of which was only minimally of interest to me. That base in king size  adds $2399.00 dollars to the cost of the bed, for a total cost of $6598.00.  This realization caused considerable sticker shock for me – my ten year old Stearns & Foster ran me about 3k if memory serves.

Where does the Costco Tempur-Pedic Supreme 11.5″ Hybrid fit in the Tempur-Pedic lineup?

My next step was to check out Costco to see if any savings were to be had.  I discovered that Tempur-Pedic makes a Costco exclusive Supreme 11.5” Hybrid mattress.  My next question was, “where does the Costco Tempur-Pedic fit in their product line up?”  It’s a surprisingly difficult question to answer. Costco doesn’t explain it. Tempur-Pedic doesn’t mention it on its website. Reddit and YouTube are filled with conflicting opinions, ranging from “it’s a ProAdapt in disguise” to “it’s just an Adapt with a different cover.”  I decided to find the answer:

• Adapt Medium Hybrid in King:  $2999
• Supreme Medium Hybrid in King:  $2199
• Pro Adapt Medium Hybrid in King:  $4199

After considerable research (multiple calls to both Costco and Tempur-Pedic), I’ve been able to determine that the Costco/Tempur-Pedic Supreme 11.5” Medium Hybrid is actually an Adapt Medium Hybrid with an additional 1/2 inch worth of “Tempur Material” – aka foam.  There are three key areas where the Costco/Tempur-Pedic Supreme 11.5” Medium Hybrid differs from the Adapt Pro:

• 1)1/2 inch less thick at 11.5 inch vs. 12 inches on the Adapt Pro
• 2)The cool to the touch cover is NOT removeable – just like the Adapt.  In actuality, it is possible to remove the cover on the Adapt and the Supreme – it’s just not designed to be done easily.  The zipper on the Adapt Pro is on the sides of the mattress, making it easy to zip off and remove.  On the Adapt and Supreme, the zipper is on the bottom of the mattress making it much more difficult to remove and put back on.
• 3)The Costco/Tempur-Pedic Supreme 11.5” Medium Hybrid uses “Tempur Material” and not the “Advanced Relief Material” which provides 20% more pressure relief according to Tempur-Pedic – again, just like the Adapt.

Even Tempur-Pedic Couldn’t Give Me a Consistent Answer

Ironically, the source of some of the contradictory information comes from Tempur-Pedic themselves.  On the Costco website, if you click on the product details for the Supreme 11.5” Medium Hybrid, you’ll get a special toll free number (866.660.7800) to speak with a “Sleep Expert” – that number connects you with Tempur-Pedic and a Tempur-Pedic employee who has product knowledge specific to the Costco/Tempur-Pedic Supreme 11.5” Medium Hybrid. I actually spoke the same representative twice at this number.  Both times that person gave me inaccurate information.  She specifically told me that the exact same material was in the Adapt, Adapt Pro, and the Supreme – that there was no difference in the “Tempur Material” and the “Advanced Relief Material.”  However, when I called the regular toll free number on the Tempur-Pedic website to speak with a Sleep Expert (888.811.5053) I was twice told by two different representatives that there definitely was a difference between the “Tempur Material” and the “Advanced Relief Material” which accounts for the “up to 20% more pressure relief.”

Therefore, I conclude that the Costco/Tempur-Pedic Supreme 11.5” Medium Hybrid is simply a Tempur-Pedic Adapt Hybrid, with an additional ½ inch worth of Tempur Material, at a price that’s about $800 less than the Adapt Hybrid.  It’s also important to note that The Costco/Tempur-Pedic Supreme 11.5” Medium Hybrid  is warrantied by Costco and not Tempur-Pedic according to what I was told by a Tempur-Pedic Sleep Expert.

WHAT ABOUT THE BASE?

Previously I mentioned that Costco sold the Supreme 11.5” Medium Hybrid with Ergo Adjustable Base for a total cost of $3199.  But it’s not entirely clear which of Tempur-Pedic’s adjustable bases is included in this combination offering from Costco.  Tempur-Pedic offers four different adjustable bases – the Ease Power Base, the Tempur-Ergo Power Base, the Tempur-Ergo Smart Base, and the Tempur-Ergo ProSmart Base.  These range in starting price from $899 to $2599, so it’s important to understand what you’re getting in the Costco package.  Because Costco calls their adjustable base an “Ergo Adjustable Base” it’s easy to think it might come with the Tempur Ergo Power base – it doesn’t.  The Costco offering (which can’t be purchased separately) ease the Ease Power Base, but adds USB ports.  So you don’t get some of the important features I wanted  like Lumbar Support, Underbed Lighting.  So if I was going to go the Costco route, I’d have to order the Supreme 11.5” Medium Hybrid from Costco (king $2199), and the Tempur-Ergo (king $2399) from Tempur-Pedic, for a total cost of $4598.  That’s still considerably cheaper than the $6598.00.  I’d be paying for the Pro-Adapt with the Tempur-Ergo base.  I’d be losing the 20% pressure relief and the easily removeable cover by purchasing the Supreme 11.5” Medium Hybrid, but saving $2000.00.

THE FINAL DECISION

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I was just a couple of weeks away from the Labor Day sales starting to be advertised – historically Costco adds a $300 Costco gift card promotion when purchasing a Tempur-Pedic mattress from them during Labor Day.  So my plan was to wait until the Labor Day promotion started advertising to place my order.  I simply could not ignore the $2000.00 cost savings.  I then became aware that Tempur-Pedic was running a deal on their outlet site (www.tpurpedicoutlet.com) on the Previous Generation Tempur-Adapt Closeout Collection – 30% off the price of the mattress (bringing the King mattress price down to $2869.00) and $300.00 instant credit on the adjustable base when purchased with a mattress.  That brought the price of the Tempur-Ergo base down to $2099, for a total cost of $4968.00.  That means I was only paying about $400.00 more for the Pro-Adapt (which I tried in store and preferred over the Adapt/Supreme) than the Costco Supreme 11.5 hybrid.  The close out version of the Pro Adapt didn’t have the 4cm Ventilated Advanced Relief Material layer found on the most current version – a very modest difference that made no difference to me.  The only other thing I lost out on with the close out purchase from Tempur-Pedic was the 90 day sleep trial, but I was reasonably convinced in my testing that I’d be well satisfied by the Adapt Pro over any other mattress option available for my bad back.  The factory warranties on both the mattress and the base are intact.  I also picked up a couple of Tempur-Clod Dual Cooling  pillows that were also on sale (paid $259 vs. $308).  I’m told in about a week I’ll get a call to schedule the white glove delivery.

In the end, this wasn’t really about saving money. It was about understanding exactly what I was buying.  After two weeks of research, multiple store visits, several phone calls with Costco and Tempur-Pedic, and countless hours comparing specifications, I concluded that spending roughly $400 more for the ProAdapt was worth it for me.

Whether it proves to be the right decision is something only time can answer – but at least I’ll sleep well knowing I made an informed decision.  Look for a review coming soon.