China has been in the news a lot lately. Not because they cured a terminal disease or built the worlds biggest bathroom (even though they did), no, it was because they manufactured and exported tainted toothpaste, wheat gluten (in pet foods), and fish. Although many new measures have been taken to deal with the cost saving procedures that put many consumers at health risk, there are some facets of Chinese manufacturing sneaking under the radar of the state's FDA. As consumers, however, we are seeing an influx of manufacturing come back to the United States due to these quality issues associated with cost cutting measures. An area of manufacturing that has not found a home back in the United States is the home bedding industry.
In the world of foam used in beds, furniture, and automobiles, you must pay a premium to get products that are manufactured here in the U.S. This is why cheap alternatives found at cookie cutter retailers throughout the country are such an appealing buy. However, before you go out and pick up that 1.5 inch "memory foam" topper from Wal-Mart for bucks, think about this: The consistency of Chinese foam is so vast most manufacturers out of China experience a 40% spoilage rate on their foam, particularly in visco-elastic memory foam.
What does that mean for the consumer? Low grade foam that lasts much less than half as long as a quality U.S. made product, a cheap feeling foam that will smell of chemicals for weeks on end, and basically the idea that the consumer just sent that overseas when it could be helping our economy right here in the U.S. On top of that, some of the manufacturers overseas are using the same crude foaming techniques used when memory foam was first introduced to the market. These processes used very harmful chemicals as foaming catalysts and given the loose and easily exempted quality control procedures of Chinese manufacturing, consumers have no way of telling what chemicals were used in their memory foam topper.
Are you going to pay more for a memory foam product manufactured in the U.S.? Simply, the answer is yes, you probably are. But think of it this way, you can still find great deals online at wholesaling sites on memory foam and latex manufactured right here in the U.S. Also, you are helping the country's economy and keeping money inside the borders. Best of all, you are getting a quality product that lasts 5, 10, 15 years or more with a warranty! The math is easy. Buy a Chinese topper which lasts 2 years.
So over the course of 10 years you must purchase 5 toppers. With inflation and normal average wage increase, you end up paying about 0 over the course of 10 years for that Chinese foam. Buying a comparable domestic made topper for about 0 that carries no less than a 5 year warranty would still have you paying less money even if you had to purchase a second topper. After thoroughly confusing you, I will just leave you, the consumer, to decide the best option.
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