We have been using memory foam toppers on our king-size pillow-top high-end mattress for 12 years and just got tired of the hassle. The pillow-top simply was not comfortable without the memory foam and with the topper, it was nearly impossible to get sheets to fit properly.
I looked at all the many options for the newer gel-layer mattresses and decided on the Slumber Solutions firm in the 14" style. They offer several levels of firmness as well as different thicknesses. We have learned the hard way that the less stuff permanently attached to a mattress the better. It is much easier to add a layer of down in a bed pad if desired then to try and remove a lumpy pillow top that turns out to be an integral part of the mattress! Slumber Solutions does not have anything sewed on that you might want to try to remove at a later time.
The mattress arrived as a solid cylinder inside a tough fabric bag. I would love to see how they get these things squashed down so small and tight! We cut off the bag and laid the now rapidly expanding plastic-encased mattress atop our existing foundation. As we removed the plastic the mattress continued to expand and by the time we had all the wrapping removed, it was nearly full size. Despite the bulkiness of the king-size mattress, it was easy to shift on the foundation until we had it perfectly positioned.
There was no unpleasant chemical odor as some people have reported and it took only about an hour for the mattress to return to its normal proportions. We could actually hear the sound of air rushing back into the foam, sort of an interesting accompaniment to our project. My two nieces helped me, young teens, and it was very easy. When my husband got home from work, the bed was all set up.
Our first night on the new mattress was amazing, so much more comfortable than our previous one, which really was not all that terrible, just problematic with bedding. There is no motion transfer when someone rolls over or one of our cats jumps on or off the bed. The firm version is not too firm, just about perfect for us and, with the addition of a plushy mattress pad, is the ideal combination of solid support and cushy softness for summer. In winter we will add a down-filled pad for a bit of extra warmth as we like to sleep in a very cool room.
I can recommend the Slumber Solutions mattresses with no reservations. The quality is very fine, the comfort is amazing, and it comes at a fraction of what we paid for our costly inner-spring pillow-top!