Costco’s Novaform and Recore are two well-regarded mattress brands in Canada, and both brands have built up a loyal Canadian customer base.

Novaform

Novaform has been making mattresses and other sleep-related products since 1997. Sold exclusively in Costco stores throughout North America, Novaform is a brand of Innocor Inc., a specialist foam manufacturer based in New Jersey, USA.  The most popular mattress in Novaform’s line-up, the Serafina Pearl, has been available since 2016 and has helped Costco enter the mattress retail space and provide sleep solutions to millions of shoppers every year.

Recore

Recore was introduced in late 2018 as the fifth brand from Canadian mattress maker, Novosbed. The three-layer bed is marketed towards active individuals and people who are concerned with performance and productivity – both from their mattress and themselves. In selecting materials, Recore deliberately chose modern materials scientifically tested to offer properties aligned with the latest insights from the growing field of sleep science.

At launch, Recore could lay claim to a number of unique innovations, including being the only latex bed-in-a-box made in Canada, and the only one in the country to use graphite latex foam.

Delivery, Trial, Returns	Costco Novaform	Recore
Shipping cost:	Free shipping	Free shipping
Shipping time:	14–20 business days	3–10 days
Sleep trial length:	90 nights	120 nights
Return ease:	Company picks up	Company picks up
Refund:	Yes, full refund	Yes, full refund
Additional fees:	None	None

Thanks to modern compression methods and the rising popularity of the bed-in-a-box, mattresses can now be shipped far more efficiently and conveniently than ever before. Customers no longer need to take a day off work to accept a delivery. Boxed beds are now delivered with the same convenience as most Amazon orders. Some bed-in-a-box companies even offer same-day delivery to certain areas.

Delivery

Costco uses the FedEx and UPS Ground shipping service to deliver the Novaform Serafina Pearl mattress directly to customers’ doors across Canada and the USA. Shipping is free and takes between 14–20 business days for delivery. Unfortunately, Costco will not deliver mattresses to all remote locations in Canada.

Recore uses FedEx to deliver their mattresses directly to customers’ doors, and shipping is free throughout Canada. Customers can expect their new mattress to arrive within 3 to 10 business days following order confirmation.

Trial Period

Like many mattress companies, Costco and Recore both heavily promote their sleep trials. With a 120-night sleep trial, Recore has one of the longest sleep trials of all mattress brands. Costco offers a 90-night sleep trial for the Novaform, around one month less than Recore.

Out of the Box	Costco Novaform	Recore
Delivered in a box:	Yes	Yes
Box dimensions:	20" x 23" x 40"	17" x 17" x 44"
Box opening:	Scissors required	Scissors required
Box/mattress fitting:	Loose	Tight
Protection layers:	5	3
Expansion time:	24 hours	1 minute

Delivery Times & Opening the Box

Both the Costco Novaform and Recore mattresses arrived within the expected delivery times. Each product was well-protected with heavy-duty plastic to keep the mattress in good condition during shipping.

Both boxes were sealed with heavy-duty tape. Customers will definitely need scissors or a knife to open either box. To prevent potential harm to your new mattress, remember to be extra careful when using sharp objects to remove any packaging.

Setting up the Mattress

Once opened, each mattress is easy to remove from the box. We recommend a ‘tip-and-pull’ motion to slowly slide the mattress out from its cardboard container. Simply tip the box from a vertical position down onto its side, and then pull the lightweight box away from the bundled mattress. It’s most efficient to do this process in the room where you intend to use the mattress.

Both mattresses are protected with multiple layers of heavy-duty plastic – an inner layer to compress it in a vacuum seal, and outer layers to keep them rolled tightly in a cylinder shape.

Customers will need to unwrap the first layer in order to unroll the mattress, which will still be in its compressed form. Some helpful advice at this stage is to place the rolled up mattress onto the designated bed frame. Next, like the end of a roll of tape, find and peel back the outer layer of plastic. You can use the momentum of unrolling the compressed mattress along the bed frame to help remove the rest of this layer, which could be up to a few meters long. After completing this process, the mattress will be lying unrolled before you.

Expansion Time

Next, cut the final layer of plastic. The vacuum seal now broken, the mattress will quickly begin to decompress. Remove this final layer of plastic as the mattress expands to its full height. Recore reached full expansion in under five minutes, but the Novaform mattress took around a full 24 hours to decompress.

The Novaform Serafina Pearl and Recore are both combination foam mattresses (Novaform: memory foam; Recore: graphite latex). Multiple layers of foam work together to offer comfort and support.

Some of the other major differences between the Novaform and Recore mattresses are the different types of foams used for comfort, contouring, and pressure-point relief, not to mention the support layers for motion isolation and edge support. Each mattress contains comfort, transition, and support layers, and these layers vary slightly in height and density.

Also, each mattress also has a unique top cover which showcases the brand’s personality and design aesthetic. Top covers are sometimes removable. In this comparison, only Recore has a removable and machine-washable top cover.

Costco Novaform vs Recore Mattress Layers

Novaform Mattress Layers

The Novaform Serafina Pearl mattress contains three layers of foam. Like many of the memory foam mattresses on the market today, each layer of foam in the Novaform mattress works with the others to provide an overall level of comfort and support.

• First layer: 3 inches of ComfortLuxe® gel memory foam. This top layer is designed to stay cool enough to help regulate body temperature overnight. Foam density: Unspecified.
• Second layer: 3 inches of convoluted CustomWave™ foam. This “egg carton” transition foam provides an overall balance between the top and bottom layers, allowing hot air a passageway out through the sidewalls of the mattresses.
• Third layer: 8 inches of support foam. This thick bottom layer helps give the mattress its structure.

Of note: Unfortunately, the density information for the layers is not available on either the Costco or Novaform website.

Recore Mattress Layers

The Recore mattress contains three layers. Like many of the multi-layer boxed mattresses on the market today, each layer of the Recore mattress works with the others to provide an overall level of comfort and support.

• First layer: 1.5 inches of graphite-infused latex with vertical air channels. This synthetic, allergen-free latex comfort layer transports heat rapidly away from the body through the high thermal conductivity of graphite infused throughout the material. Though latex is known for its durability, it’s primarily favoured for its spring-like resilience, allowing for a bouncier surface than foam or memory foam mattresses. Layer density: 3.4 lbs/ft³.

• Second layer: 2 inches of Vortex™ gel foam. This transition layer helps the mattress properly contour to your body. It also makes up a large part of the shock-absorbing, cushioning feel of the bed. The open-cell gel foam reduces the likelihood that heat will be trapped within the mattress, adding a further cooling element. Foam density: 2.5 lbs/ft³.

• Third layer: 7 inches of motion isolating support foam. This thick bottom layer serves three important functions:
  • Reducing motion ripples between different areas of the mattress;
  • Promoting spinal alignment by limiting the depth sleepers sink into the surface;
  • Enhancing structural integrity and edge support throughout the mattress. Foam density: 1.8 lbs/ft³.

Costco Novaform vs Recore Mattress Cover

Novaform Mattress Cover

The Novaform Serafina Pearl mattress has a 100% polyester top cover smartly decorated with quatrefoil patterns and button tufting. A rope border separates the quilted top cover from the grey, diamond-stitched sidewalls. Due likely to the compression process, the sidewall may bunch in certain sections, leaving creases. These creases should mostly disappear after the first few days, though a few may remain, as evidenced by the photos in this review article.

According to the product tag, the mattress cover is a blend of fabrics originating from Canada, but assembled in the United States:

Top cover: 100% polyester.
Side wall: 60% polyester; 40% polypropylene.
Bottom: 39% polyester; 29% rayon; 29% polyester; 3% aramid.

Mattress covers often include zippers for easy removable of the outer fabric. The cover of the Novaform Serafina Pearl is neither removable or machine washable. Therefore, the only option for cleaning this mattress is spot cleaning.

Recore Mattress Cover

The Recore mattress has a distinct and sporty cover with three key features:

• Breathability: The multi-tone charcoal cover is divided into a top and bottom section by the neon orange zipper that runs the full perimeter of the mattress. The top cover is breathable and extremely soft of the touch, further aiding in the cooling properties of the mattress.

• Antimicrobial: Though the top cover is primarily composed of polyester, poly-viscose, and spandex, this blend is protected with silver-coated thread. Silver is incorporated into bedding for its antimicrobial properties; it naturally inhibits the growth of bacteria, maintaining a cleaner and fresher feeling where you sleep. In preliminary testing, the same compound used with Recore’s SilverCharged™ thread met NASA’s standards for antimicrobial performance in use as a disinfectant. It was the only commercially available product that met the full range of antimicrobial performance requirements necessary for long-term space exploration missions.

• Machine washable: The top portion of the Recore cover is removable and machine washable. Due to its zipper placement, the cover is easy to remove, even when used on a slightly sunken bed frame or platform.

Consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious when making purchases. Retailers both in and out of the mattress industry have been incorporating more eco-friendly and ethical policies when selling products and choosing suppliers. Novosbed Inc. carried out a survey in February 2017, discovering that almost 50% of Canadians are willing to spend more money for more environmentally friendly products. Therefore, in every review on Mattress-Reviews.com, we will highlight each mattress company’s green philosophy, as well as how prominent their policies are on their websites.

Feel & Firmness	Costco Novaform	Recore
Feel:	Medium-soft	Medium
Firmness:	3.4 / 10	4.7 / 10
Edge Support:	2.8 / 10	7.4 / 10
Motion Isolation:	8.2 / 10	7.1 / 10
Bounce:	1.4 / 10	3.6 / 10

Feel & Firmness

According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), the firmness and feel of the Novaform and Recore mattresses are as follows:

• The 14″ Novaform Serafina Pearl Medium we tested has a medium feel, bordering on medium-soft. It is rated at 3.4 / 10 on the firmness scale and has a bit of ‘hug.’
• The Recore is a medium mattress, rated at 4.7 / 10 on the firmness scale. The Recore mattress does not have excessive ‘hug.’

Edge Support

Foam mattresses are not known for their edge support; in fact, it is often one of the main issues customers have when moving from innerspring mattresses to foam. According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), the Novaform and Recore mattresses have very different edge support scores:

• The 14″ Novaform Serafina Pearl Medium mattress has below-average edge support. It is rated at 2.8 / 10 on the edge support scale.
• The Recore mattress has above-average edge support. It is rated at 7.4 / 10 on the edge support scale.

Motion Isolation

Motion isolation in foam mattresses is usually very good and one of the main reasons couples make the switch from innerspring to memory foam. According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), the Novaform and Recore mattresses are both above average for motion isolation:

• The 14″ Novaform Serafina Pearl Medium mattress has above-average motion isolation. It is rated at 8.2 / 10 on the motion isolation scale.
• The Recore mattress has above-average motion isolation. It is rated at 7.4 / 10 on the motion isolation scale.

Bounce

Due to the fact that motion isolation for foam mattresses is generally very good, bounce is generally very low. According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), the Novaform and Recore mattress bounce ratings vary as follows:

• The 14″ Novaform Serafina Pearl Medium mattress has below-average bounce. It is rated at 1.4 / 10 on the bounce scale.
• The Recore mattress has below-average bounce. It is rated at 3.6 / 10 on the bounce scale.

Overview	Costco Novaform	Recore
Price (Queen):	$800 USD $1,180 CAD	$949 CAD
Available in:	USA, Canada	Canada
Made in:	USA	Canada
Trial length:	90 nights	120 nights
Warranty:	20 years	15 years
Mattress height:	14"	10.5"
Number of layers:	3	3
Cover materials:	Polyester, polypropylene, rayon, aramid	Polyester, spandex, poly-viscose, SilverCharged™ thread
Machine washable:	No	Yes
Green policies:	No mention on the website	Zero-waste manufacturing; Manufactured using renewable energy; Optimized shipping
Feel:	Medium-soft	Medium
Firmness	3.4 / 10	4.7 / 10
Edge support:	2.8 / 10	7.4 / 10
Motion isolation:	8.2 / 10	7.1 / 10
Bounce:	1.4 / 10	3.6 / 10
Discount:	No discount	SAVE $100

Remember, Mattress-Reviews.com is owned, operated, and paid for by Novosbed Inc. and advertises the Novosbed, Douglas, Recore, Brunswick, and Logan & Cove mattress brands. The following is strictly our competitive opinion:

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There are a few factors that immediately stand out after comparing the Novaform and Recore mattresses, two brands that each have a few innovative features to offer. Each product has a few similar features, especially with regards to overall comfort and support. Yet the Novaform and Recore have a distinctive firmness and feel, level of edge support, level of motion isolation, and bounce.

What really pushes one brand ahead of the other are the lower price, longer sleep trial, cooling technology, and performance nature of the Recore mattress. This mattress is also easier to lift and keep clean; the antimicrobial, machine-washable cover inhibits the growth of bacteria and other odour-causing microbes. For these reasons and more, Recore is Mattress-Reviews.com’s Top Pick for Latex Mattress, and customers who choose to purchase a Recore over a Novaform will enjoy a firmer mattress that was specially engineered for overnight recovery.