Stearns & Foster Lux Estate Medium Tight Top Mattress Review

Michael Magnuson

Founder of GoodBed, Leading Mattress Expert

Is the Lux Estate Medium Tight Top a Good Mattress?

The Stearns & Foster Lux Estate Medium Tight Top is a quilted pocket spring mattress with a balanced blend of features and comfort. It builds on Stearns & Foster’s extensive history of quality and hand-crafted design and updates this with new fabrics and a few unique details.

First and foremost, the Lux Estate Medium Tight Top is an independently-encased pocket spring mattress with a quilted cover. This is a style of construction that some brands call a “hybrid” mattress although we generally do not (we reserve the term “hybrid” for smooth-top mattresses with some amount of memory foam or other specialty foam). Despite this, the Lux Estate Medium Tight Top is very close to a hybrid design and uses both Tempur-Indulge memory foam and latex under the quilted cover. This construction creates a sense of surface softness at the quilt with pressure relief and resiliency at deeper levels of the mattress

The Lux Estate Medium Tight Top also uses a unique “coil-in-coil” pocket spring exclusive to Stearns & Foster. This nests a thin, narrow-diameter coil inside a much wider coil effectively creating two coils-in-one. This unique design allows for a soft initial contact followed by reassuring support. It also means that Stearns & Foster mattresses generally have very high coil counts - there are typically in the 1500 to 2000 count range.

We found the Lux Estate Medium Tight Top to be about a Medium firmness with a slightly deeper than average sense of overall Cushioning Depth. This makes it a great option for a wide range of sleepers and sleeping positions. We think that most average-sized sleepers will do very well on this mattress regardless of their sleeping position. It also had good overall pressure relief thanks to the layer of Tempur-Indulge Memory Foam.

We also found that it performed very well on an adjustable base, and performed slightly better than most other pocket spring models in terms of motion isolation. The quilted cover is also cool-to-the-touch and made from a blend of Tencel and high-density polyethylene fibers. If you're unfamiliar, polyethylene fibers are a kind of high-density yarn with an inherent coolness that are often found in luxury mattresses.

On the whole, the Stearns & Foster Lux Estate Medium Tight Top provides an excellent blend of features (including high-quality fabrics, Tempur-Indulge Memory Foam, and latex) and comes in at a crowd-pleasing Medium overall firmness. We think that it'd be an excellent fit for most average-sized sleepers looking for a Medium firmness. It could also be a good fit for heavier individuals that might prefer a slightly softer feel. The only people we'd steer away from the Lux Estate Medium Tight Top would be heavier individuals who are exclusively stomach sleepers, as they are likely to need a firmer sleep surface.

Bottom Line: Who is the Best Match for the Stearns & Foster Lux Estate Medium Tight Top?

BEST if you:

• Prefer a medium overall feel
• Are an average to slightly above average-sized person
• Are looking for a mattress made with luxury materials
• Are a side or combination sleeper

NOT IDEAL if you:

• Are a heavier stomach sleeper
• Are looking for a mattress with a lot of memory feel

Comfort and Feel

The “feel” characteristics of a mattress cannot be universally better or worse. They can only be more or less desirable to you, based on your personal preferences. For this reason, we call these “preference-based” attributes. Our ratings here are based on objective measurements that we apply to a consistent scale for products from all brands.

Softness ( what’s this )

Keep in mind that what mattress companies call “firm” or “soft” is relative and varies between manufacturers. Mattresses are designed to be supportive and promote healthy spinal alignment, however, different people tend to have different preferences for overall softness.

We found the Lux Estate Medium Tight Top to be a solid Medium. The combination of soft comfort materials and the coil-in-coil pocket spring balances pressure relief and underlying comfort.

Not sure what softness is best for you? Take our Mattress Match Quiz and find out.

Cushioning Depth ( what’s this )

Cushioning depth refers to how deeply you sink into the mattress. Some brands will talk about a feeling of "sleeping-on" a mattress vs a feeling of "sleeping-in" a mattress, and this typically refers to cushioning depth. More cushioning depth means more conformance and more of a cradled or "hugged" sensation.

We actually thought the Lux Estate offered slightly deeper than average Cushioning Depth.

Memory Feel

Memory feel refers to how quickly a mattress recovers its shape after being compressed. A mattress with a lot of memory feel will have a much slower recovery after compression. This is often noticed by sleepers in repositioning.

We'd describe the Lux Estate Medium Tight Top as having a Medium-High amount of Memory Feel. There is some memory foam in the upholstery layers of the mattress, however the feel of this is muted somewhat by the soft overlying quilt and the use of other resilient foams (like latex). 

Bounce

Responsiveness also translates into bounce, and with most innerspring mattresses, you'll get a good bit of it.

The Lux Estate Medium Tight Top has a pleasant, but not overwhelming, amount of bounce on account of its pocket spring design.

Back Support

The key to good back support is for the mattress to support your spine in a “neutral” position while you sleep, meaning that the shape of your spine is roughly the same as when you're standing. The ability of any given mattress to do this will vary by sleeper, depending on its “fit” for your weight, body shape, and preferred sleep position(s).

In our evaluations, the Lux Estate Medium Tight Top performed very well for our tester in most sleeping positions.

The key to good back support is maintaining proper spinal alignment while you sleep. This means that the mattress should hold your spine in roughly the same position it's in when you're standing. The ability of a given mattress to do this will generally depend on your weight, sleep position, and body shape.

Here is how we break down the spinal alignment of the Lux Estate Medium Tight Top

Back Sleepers:

Our tester really enjoyed the Lux Estate Medium Tight Top in this position. The soft quilt and underlying memory foam provided the right mix of pressure relief and support.

Side Sleepers:

We also thought the Lux Estate Medium Tight Top was very good for side sleeping. We wouldn't expect any issues in this position.

Stomach Sleepers:

Our tester also felt well-supported on his stomach, though we'd likely advise much heavier stomach sleepers to be cautious here.

Pressure Relief

Inadequate pressure relief from your mattress results in “pressure points,” which can be a source of pain, soreness, loss of circulation, restlessness, and other problems. Pressure relief requirements will vary be sleeper, with side sleepers needing the most. Likewise, the amount of pressure relief that a given mattress provides will also vary by sleeper, depending on its “fit” for your weight and body shape.

When a mattress pushes back against your body with too much force in a concentrated area, the result can be pain, soreness, loss of circulation, excessive tossing, and other problems. In general, such "pressure points" are of greatest concern for side sleepers, since that's the position in which your body's weight is distributed over the smallest surface area. To find the right mattress for your needs, keep in mind that the pressure-relieving capabilities of any given mattress will vary depending on the sleeper. Factors like your weight and body shape (e.g., broader shoulders and/or hips) will determine how far you sink into the mattress, and the pressure relief offered by that mattress will vary widely at different depths.

We thought that the Lux Estate Medium Tight Top had good overall pressure relief. Both the soft quilt foams and underlying memory foam do a lot to relieve pressure. It's not quite on the level of a "true" memory foam hybrid mattress, but we still thought it was quite good.

Performance Features

With the “features” of a mattress, performance will tend to be consistent across all sleepers – without regards to your body type or preferences. However, these attributes have differing levels of importance to each sleeper, which is why we consider them “priority-based” characteristics.

Motion Isolation ( what’s this )

If you are easily disturbed by a partner's movements in bed, or perhaps you and your partner go to bed and get up at different times, then motion isolation may be a priority for you. Generally speaking, pocket spring and all-foam mattresses tend to perform best here.

We thought the Lux Estate Medium Tight Top had excellent overall motion isolation.

Temperature ( what’s this )

The Lux Estate Medium Tight Top also worked well in terms of temperature regulation. The quilt fabric uses both Tencel and "cool-to-the-touch" polyethylene fibers, which means that the cover absorbs heat and is still quite breathable.

The air vents and ventilated fabric pockets also help to maximize airflow.

Edge Support ( what’s this )

Edge support is important if you like to sit on the side of the bed, or if you tend to sleep along the edge. We found the Lux Estate Medium Tight Top to be excellent in this respect. The edge coils are solid and reassuring in both sitting and sleeping positions.

Ease of Repositioning ( what’s this )

If you tend to move and change positions a lot over the course of a night, ease of repositioning will be a priority for you. The Lux Estate Medium Tight Top also performed well in this area. Our tester had no trouble at all moving around or rolling into another position.

Green Features ( what’s this )

For mattress shoppers concerned with the use of natural materials, sustainable manufacturing practices or the like, we offer our subjective evaluation of any efforts taken by the company to make the mattress more green, healthy, or safe.

The Lux Estate Medium Tight Top doesn't have many green features, though it does use natural Tencel and latex in its construction.

Adjustable Base Compatibility ( what’s this )

We look at three things when testing a mattress on an adjustable base.

First, will using an adjustable base harm the mattress? In the case of the Lux Estate Medium, the answer is no. Like most pocket spring designs, the Lux Estate works well with an adjustable base.

Next, we look at conformance. How closely did the bed hug the curves of the base as it is raised and lowered? The Lux Estate Medium did a good job in this aspect. There was a slight gap between the mattress and foundation on the opposite side of the mattress, but this is also normal for new mattresses.

Lastly we look at the cover and what happens when the bed is in an articulated position. We did notice some very minor wrinkling of the quilted cover when the head of the bed was raised, though again, this is normal for many mattresses and isn't typically noticed by sleepers.

Overall, we would say that the performance on our adjustable base was good.

Materials & Construction

What's in the Stearns & Foster Lux Estate Medium Tight Top Mattress?

The Lux Estate Medium Tight Top is a pocket spring mattress comprising roughly six overall layers.

• 2" quilted cover (w/ "Tencel and Cooling Fibers")
• 0.75” HD memory foam ("Tempur-Indulge Memory Foam")
• 2" poly foam ("Premium Soft Gel Foam")
• 1” latex ("Supportive Latex Comfort Layer")
• 8” pocket springs (1504 count "IntelliCoil" innersprings) w/ coil edge
• 1" base foam ("Premium Firm Foam Base")

The Lux Estate Medium Tight Top is a tight top, pocket spring mattress with some unique features.

At the top mattress we have a two inch quilted cover made from Tencel and high-density polyethylene fibers. This means that the quilt layer should be both breathable and cool-to-touch. Just beneath this, there's a 0.75" layer of Tempur-Indulge Memory Foam. This is what we'd call an "HD" or "high-density" memory foam. Because this is beneath the quilt, this isn't necessarily felt strongly by a sleeper, but it still contributes to the overall sense of pressure relief in the mattress. Just beneath this we have about two inches of soft poly foam and then an inch of latex. Much like with the memory foam above, this layer of latex isn't necessarily felt strongly by a sleeper (and the Lux Estate Medium doesn't feel anything like a pure latex mattress), but it adds a bit of resilience and long-term durability to the construction. We think it's a thoughtful addition.

Underneath the upholstery layers, we have Stearns & Foster's proprietary "IntelliCoil" pocket spring. This is a unique "coil-in-coil" design that effectively places a narrower coil inside a wider-barrelled coil. This allows for both surface softness and a deeper sense of strong support. As discussed above, it also means leads to very high overall coil counts (and a very heavy mattress). Finally, the fabric pockets that contain these coils are also perforated to allow for additional airflow. This works in combination with the air vents at the side of Lux Estate Medium to keep air moving through the mattress and create a cool night's sleep.

Durability, Warranty & Value

The “value” of any mattress is both subjective and personal – reflecting how well it meets that person’s unique sleep needs and preferences, relative to their budget. As a result, our ratings in this area are focused on more objective factors like quality and longevity.

Warranty

• Warranty Length: 10 Year Limited Warranty
• Indentation Coverage: 1.5” and above with some exclusions

One of the biggest, if not THE biggest complaints about any mattress from consumers regards body impressions — the inability of a mattress to spring back, eventually creating a low spot/sinkhole in the mattress. As such, mattress warranties all contain a term defining how big a sag or ‘body impression’ (measured when no one is on the mattress) is considered a defect, and thus covered under the warranty.

The industry standard for hybrid and innerspring mattresses is 1.5". This is exactly what Stearns & Foster has chosen to cover as well, although be aware that this warranty is contingent on using a proper foundation for your mattress.

You read the fine print on this here: Stearns & Foster's Warranty Policy.

Other Factors to Consider

Delivery

• Free in-home delivery and setup
• Free removal of old mattress

Stearns & Foster offers free white glove in-home delivery and setup with removal of your existing mattress.

Returns

• 90-Night Trial period

Stearns & Foster offers a 90-Night Trial period when purchased through their website. In the event of a return, a $175 shipping fee will apply.