Original Post: https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/is-bed-sag-really-this-common
I purchased a Berkeley Ergonomics Amsterdam Talalay Latex Mattress back in 2015 and unfortunately the bed only lasted barely 5 years before it developed significant sagging to the point that it was severely affecting my sleep. I probably dealt with the sag for close to a year before trying to do something about it. So overall I’d say the best lasted about 4 years, which is pretty disappointing considering the amount of times I’ve read that latex beds are supposed to have superior durability. In Sep 2020 I ended up replacing the top layer of the mattress, hoping that it would fix the sag issue. Unfortunately it barley masked the issue.
With the covers removed, you can’t see much sag. But when laying on the bed it feels like there is a literal mountain in the middle of the bed between where my partner and I sleep. Of course it’s not covered under warranty since there’s no visible sag. In my own experience, all mattress warranties are basically scams unless you genuinely get a defective mattress. All mattresses I’ve owned have have significant sagging within a few years, whether I paid $1000 for it or $4000 for it.
I’m now in the market for a new mattress. I purchased a Silk & Snow Organic mattress, which is also latex but after sleeping on it for a couple months I am not satisfied. The bed feels as if it will fall apart fast and I do not trust their warranty.
I am looking into a Purple mattress. It’s quite expensive but their grid layer is intriguing and I wonder if it will increase durability. Anyone have any comments on that?
Hi needsleep_
Welcome back and thank you for your report.
It is somewhat alarming to hear that your Berkeley mattress is sagging in such a short amount of time, and that the sagging continued with a layer replacement. This suggests that other issues may be at play and I’d recommend working to determine what’s causing this sagging in these mattresses in a short amount of time prior to making a new purchase.
When you discovered the sagging, did you troubleshoot with or investigate the bed frame at all? Would you mind sharing what kind of frame you use and if it is slatted, solid and/or has a center support beam?
Do you happen to still have the Berkeley or any of the other mattresses that have sagged in a short period of time? If so, there is some testing you can do by placing the mattress on the floor.
If you’re willing to share yours and your husband’s BMIs, this could also be a useful data point for figuring out what may be occurring with the latex.
As for the Purple, the comfort layer is made of buckling column gel which stays firm until a threshold is reached, as which point the columns collapse. You can learn more in this article.
I look forward to your reply.
NikkiTMU
Hi Nikki,
Thank you for your reply.
I contacted my local store where I bought the mattress and sent them a few pictures. They said it was pretty normal for the bed to wear how it did since it’s a king mattress and they recommended I flip/rotate if I haven’t already (I had) and then recommended I replace the top layers, which I did, and it didn’t help much.
Here’s a couple pictures of the bed sitting on the bed frame. You can see a bit of the sag.
Yeah I still have the Berkeley mattress, we are going to use it until we find a replacement for the Silk & Snow mattress we’re returning this week.
I’m 6’1" / 195 lbs and my spouse is 5’6" / 120 lbs
Hi needsleep_
Thank you for the additional information! Because you are both of average weight, it seems even more odd to me that the latex would sag after only 4 years. 10 - 20 years is closer to the average life span for latex.
The sag is certainly visible in those images. The base seems to be adequately supportive as well.
If you place the Berkley configuration on the floor is any of this sagging remedied?
NikkiTMU
Not sure what’s up but every time I try to post my reply the forum give me an error message.
Here is my reply:
https://pastebin.com/xLA0ZaVq
I’m considering getting the silk and snow organic - why do you think it will fall apart fast? I have heard that the springs may poke through the thin material on the bottom of the mattress i s this the concern?
how wide are the slats on that frame?
To be honest, just my past (poor) experience with many different mattress brands. The springs on the bottom half did indeed feel very flimsy and I could see there being issues with them. However I am nowhere near an expert. It just felt cheap when moving it compared to my Berkley mattress.I wouldn’t put too much stock into my opinion there. I’m sure all of the bed in a box companies have similar levels of quality.
The slats are 3.5" wide and spaced by 1".
