2 year latex mattress update and question about coil spring manufacturers

[phoenix]

Hi SleepDeprived,

I’m concerned the lanoodle, being latex, would have the same sort of problems I have with latex. I tried an Aerus memory foam topper but I found that it actually accentuated the jiggly feeling, I felt like I was sleeping on quivering jello. I’m concerned anything I add will just carry the jiggling up through it.

The “quivering jello” feeling that some people connect with latex is often related to the specific design of a mattress and the softness and/or thickness of the latex layers in their mattress and would also be more related to Talalay than to Dunlop (which is a denser and less resilient material). Shredded latex or the lanoodles topper has a different “feel” compared to solid layers and you can get some sense of how it “feels” in post #2 here and the posts it links to.

If you add a firmer layer on top of softer latex then the softer layers underneath it can certainly “come through” and as you mentioned it can sometimes accentuate the feeling as well since the top layer can “feel” like it is unstable with the soft latex underneath it so you have a firmer sleeping surface with a more “jiggly” layer underneath it.

I would need something dense to dampen the jiggling and something soft to cushion my poor bones. Maybe what I need is a pillowtop for this mattress. Does anyone make an aftermarket pillowtop?

A pillowtop is just a mattress that has a topper that is attached to a mattress rather than a topper that is lying loosely on top of the mattress without being attached. There are hundreds of different types of “pillowtops” that use different combinations of materials and there are also hundreds of toppers that are available that can be used on top of a mattress.

If you decide to try a topper then post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to can help you use your sleeping experience as a reference point and guideline to help you choose the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least possible risk and the best chance for success and also includes a link to a list of some of the better online sources for toppers I’m aware of as well.

Many people call the down alternative toppers I linked a “pillow top” because they can have a “feel” that is similar to some of the softer pillowtops that use thicker layers of fiber in the quliting layers of the mattress. Many hotel mattresses use similar mattress pads or toppers to help create the “feel” of their mattresses. All of this or anything related to how a mattress “feels” is very subjective.

I just did a quick search and came up with this company- has anyone had experience with Sterling Sleep Systems: This looks interesting! Apparently their mattresses are made so the inside is accessible- the top zips off and you can replace parts when they wear out. Now this is an idea whose time has come!

Sterling Sleep Systems makes component mattresses which certainly have some advantages over “finished” mattresses because some or all of the layers and components in the mattress can be exchanged to fine tune the “feel”, comfort, and support of the mattress both before and after a purchase. They also have the advantage of being able to replace any individual layers that have softened or broken down before the others (usually the upper layers) or if your needs or preferences change over time without having to replace the entire mattress. Many of the members of this site (and others that aren’t members) make component mattresses but most of them are latex or latex hybrids of various types rather than more traditional mattresses that use polyfoam comfort layers. Many airbeds are also component mattresses as well. As with any mattress purchase it still important to make sure that a component mattress uses good quality and durable materials in the design so you can confirm that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress.

Do any of the members of this site make a non-latex, pocket coil mattress?

Many mattresses manufacturers (probably the majority) include some pocket coil mattresses in their lineup that use a wide range of different types of pocket coils with different types and combinations of comfort layers as well (such as memory foam, polyfoam, microcoils, natural or synthetic fibers, and latex of course). There would be a range of pocket coil mattresses available locally in almost every area of the country including some that are made by the members here if they happen to be local to you. There are fewer “non latex” pocket coil mattresses available online because of the cost that can be involved in shipping them. Some of the major online retailers (such as Costco, Amazon, US Mattress) also sell pocket coil mattresses but many if not most of these use lower quality and less durable materials in their comfort layers and/or don’t disclose the quality/durability of the materials they use which means that I would avoid them. One of the “simplified choice” mattresses listed here (Winkbeds) also has a “coil on coil” mattress that uses a pocket coil support core and a microcoil comfort layer but it also includes 2" of 1.5 lb polyfoam which is “on the edge” of being a weak link in the mattress (I would normally suggest looking for mattresses that don’t contain more than “about an inch or so” of lower quality/density materials in the comfort layers … see the quality/durability guidelines here).

Trying to chase down what is inside of every mattress that feels comfortable is time consuming, frustrating and there is no way to know if you are even being told the truth. If memory foam toppers are misrepresented as to their density, when you can easily weigh and measure to check them, how can you know the foams inside of a mattress are not misrepresented as well.

This is one of the reasons that the knowledge, transparency, and integrity of the retailer or manufacturer you are dealing with can be one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase … I certainly agree that good manufacturers or retailers that are transparent about the materials and components in their mattresses can certainly also save consumers a great deal of time and frustration.

When you think of the fact that it’s pretty much only those top few inches that wear out, why do they use subpar foams there?

I think that the two words or phrases that would answer this most accurately would be “cost” and “built in obsolescence”. This is one of the hallmarks of most of the major manufacturers in the industry.

By the way, wouldn’t it be nice if you could go to a site and quickly sort the offerings by what is inside the mattress? And if each mattress had a diagram showing what’s inside? Sheesh, so many sites are full of useless, distracting information. When they sort by “collection” it is especially mind-boggling. “Collections” mean nothing to a new visitor.

While “too much” information can be just as misleading as too little information because consumers can often tend to buy a mattress based on specs that they don’t fully understand and buy a mattress for all the wrong reasons … I certainly agree that if more manufacturers or retailers made it simple to find out the information that is important to know to make an informed choice (see this article) at least “on request” it would certainly make the process of finding a good quality/value mattress and making meaningful comparisons between mattresses much simpler and easier.

In my nearby mattress stores these are the brands that are available: Tempur-Pedic, Sealy, Serta, Beautyrest, Stearns & Foster, Comfor-Pedic, Pure Latex Bliss, Icomfort, Englander, Easy-Rest, Restonic, Legget & Platt, Corsicana, Lady Americana, Emerald Sleep Systems. I don’t think a single one of these is transparent about what is inside of their mattresses. Conversations with salespeople has not tended to add any useful information. Beyond that, I could try some kind of mail order but then I cannot test the mattress myself first.

I would avoid the brands you listed that either aren’t likely to disclose the quality/density of the materials in their mattresses or that you know ahead of time are generally poor value compared to other manufacturers that use similar quality materials in much lower budget ranges (see this article). I would also talk with any local retailer or manufacturer you plan to visit in person on the phone before visiting them to confirm they are both willing and able to provide all the information you need.

Pure Latex Bliss, Easy Rest, and “some” Restonic, Englander, and Lady Americana licensees and/or the retailers that carry them are be transparent about their materials. Tempurpedic is no longer transparent about their materials on their website but the specs of most of their mattresses are fairly widely known. You would have a much more difficult time with the rest and if you are able to find out the specs of their foam layers you would only be finding out that they are using materials that would be wise to avoid in almost every case anyway.

Phoenix