a little help

Hi there.

Been reading up here before buying a new mattress and am enjoying all the straightforward information. By instinct, I’ve been avoiding Sleepys and major brand name mattresses, and I was glad to see that this site is dedicated to transparency.

Perhaps you can offer me a little advice in my search…

I know I have more reading to do here and elsewhere, but to start me off, I’m wondering if you can point me in the right direction.

I currently own a Spaldin Innovation Eco-Firm which looks like it’s been re-branded as Tobia:

I like that it uses safer materials, which is of highest importance to me. It’s a little too firm and I have a Wool topper on it which helps. It’s also way too HOT for me.

Considering that safe/natural materials, and sleeping cool to be the most important aspects for me, I’m wondering if you can point me in the right direction in terms of either a specific product or a company. I’m looking for something firm and my price range is $500 to max $800. I live in Brooklyn, 11226 and have had a hard time finding a good place nearby.

I’m also a little unsure of the difference between latex and foam and i’m pretty sure I don’t want a spring mattress.

I was looking at Brooklyn Bedding (recommended here) and Dreamfoam…

I was also considering another Spaldin here:

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Tobia-Memory-Plus-Eco-Superior-11-inch-Full-size-Memory-Foam-Mattress/5971666/product.html?refccid=EI5PLOYHSH32GJCD2DHDKQTTNI&searchidx=10

the BB:

http://www.brooklynbedding.com/mattresses/10-inch-cotton-latex-mattress

and Dreamfoam:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008E0M09W/ref=twister_B0091J57FE

any advice or direction steering would be greatly appreciated.

many thanks!

dov.

Hi Sheba,

The first place I would start is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the most important information, steps, and guidelines that can help you find the best possible choices for you all in one place.

I would normally suggest focusing on the materials in a mattress rather than the name of the manufacturer on the label which says little about what is inside the mattress. Outside of how well a mattress matches your specific needs and preferences … a mattress is only as good as the quality/durability of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer. Post #13 here has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase.

There are also too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to predict how any mattress will feel and perform in terms of PPP for someone else based on either specs (yours or a mattress) or on “theory at a distance” or to recommend a specific product. A mattress that feels too firm for one person may be too soft for the next so the only way to really know whether a mattress is a good “match” for you is your own personal testing or in the case of a mattress that you can’t test in person a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

There is also more about the factors that can affect sleeping temperature in post #2 here that can help you assess whether a mattress may be “cool enough” for you.

In terms of “safety” … I would go by the certifications of any foam materials (and to their credit Spaldin is Oeko-Tex certified which is a more stringent certification than CertiPur which is the most common certification for harmful substances and VOC’s that is used or memory foam and polyfoam). Industrias Tobias is the parent company for Spaldin (see post #2 here). If natural materials are most important to you (which is a different issue from the safety of the materials) then I would probably be focusing on natural latex (Talalay or Dunlop) or natural fibers along with innersprings (which aren’t “natural” since they are made from steel but would be acceptable for most people that were looking for a natural mattress). There is more about natural and “green” materials in post #2 here and the link it includes to post #2 here has much more information that can help each person answer the question of “how safe is safe enough for me?” for those that are more motivated to do more detailed research into a very complex and frustrating subject. There is also more about “plant based” foams or “biofoams” in post #2 here.

The better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Brooklyn/New York City area are listed in post #2 here.

Hopefully this will be “more than enough” to get you started (and “finished” as well) but if you follow the steps in the tutorial post one by one you will have the best possible chance of making the choice that is the best match for the criteria that are most important to you.

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix!

I am grateful for your response and information contained within.

After more understanding of how beds are made (through reading here on this site) i am most attracted by an ‘all natural’ approach such is the case in a all latex bed with cotton and wool casing…

I am consdidering raising my budget as I can’t seem ANY such mattress under $1000… Obviously there are things to consider (PPP) when buying a latex mattress as far as dunlop vs talalay cores etc. which i feel like I’ll have to visit some showrooms in my nearby area to see what the different combinations feel like.

what seems interesting to me and seems to be the best price/quality out there is this combination I’ve found on the manufactures section of your site:

Do you have any further ideas or concerns I should consider?

Do you know of any other ‘natural’ options I should consider that might be less expensive?

Many thanks!

Sheba

Hi Sheba,

That really depends on a several things.

The first of these is how you define “natural” and on where you are most comfortable inside the natural/synthetic range or materials that are available and on whether you are looking at “natural” materials for their own sake or whether you are using “natural” to mean “safe”. For example the mattress you linked uses blended Talalay latex which is certainly a very high quality and durable material but the latex it uses is about 70% synthetic and 30% natural. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here.

The second is that the price of a mattress is only one of many factors that are part of the “value” of a mattress purchase (see post #13 here). To take a more extreme example just to make the point, you could purchase 3" of latex with an inexpensive cover (more like a topper than a mattress) that would be considerably less costly but it’s unlikely that it would be a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and if you buy a less costly mattress that you don’t sleep well on then it would have little value to you regardless of the price.

Your best chance of success would be to follow the steps in the tutorial post one by one so you can better “define” the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you including but not only limited to the price.

The tutorial post also includes a link to a list of the online manufacturers that are members here that sell a wide range of latex or latex hybrid mattresses with different options, price ranges, designs, and return or exchange policies.

Post #3 and #4 here also includes some of the lower budget latex or latex hybrid options that may be worth considering.

I think very highly of Arizona Premium / mattresses.net and they are certainly among the lowest cost options for an 8" all Talalay latex component mattress and would certainly make a great choice but you have other good and “safe” options available as well if “all latex” or “100% natural latex” isn’t the most important consideration.

Phoenix

Again,

Thanks Phoenix for all your help and dedication here.

I was very curious about Spindle beds and sent them an email inquiring about the kind of latex they use. Here is what i was told:
[b]
“…All of our latex is produced in Pennsylvania using the continuous pour method which is similar to Dunlop, but doesn’t have the dense feeling associated with the traditional Dunlop method when it is produced in a mold. It has a more consistent feel than the traditional Dunlop, but it is not exactly like Talalay. It is an “inbetweener.”…”

[/b]

In all my reading about latex I haven’t come across this “inbetween” method. Does anyone know anything more about this?

Many thanks again,

Sheba

Hi Sheba,

There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and there are some videos of the different production processes in post #3 here.

A forum search on continuous pour Mountaintop (you can just click the link) will also bring up more information about it.

The continuous pour Dunlop process results in a little less settling of the latex and a little more even firmness across the surface and top to bottom vs the molded Dunlop process and it’s also available in softer versions than you would usually find with molded Dunlop all of which is why it’s somewhat “in between”. It would “feel” more like molded Dunlop than Talalay.

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix.

wow!

after further research and testing out lots of options locally we’ve narrowed it down to this:

  1. 8 inch EZ https://www.sleepez.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/1_4_22/products_id/113 (which doesn’t seem to exist from their main site. only from a link you posted. does this still exist i wonder?)

  2. Sleep EZ Roma https://www.sleepez.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/289/osCsid/c1s1h5827r51ih2dla3m9aqsk1 though there isn’t a lot of info about it and i’m not sure what the cover is made from or if there is wool batting…

  3. Spindle either the 7 or 10 inch bed. I’d love to consider the 7 inch but i fear it will be too firm.

  4. and a few from airizona: Full Naturalux Mattress , All Natural Dunlop / Talalay Combination Latex Mattress, Latex Mattresses-Talalay and Dunlop, All Products or Full Adjustable Ultra Plush Latex Sleep System (Blended), #1 Selling Latex Mattress- Adjustable Ultra Plush, Latex Mattresses-Talalay and Dunlop, All Products

Any thoughts about these options I might be overlooking?

We were also considering putting together our own.

We found this http://www.ebay.com/itm/380585810112 for a bamboo cover.

Not sure about the differences/pros/cons between organic cotton with wool batting and this bamboo cover, do you have any ideas?

Also wondering where I could find a cotton cover with wool batting…

Are their any concerns I should take into consideration in putting together my own components?

Thanks for all the help.

Sheba

And just to add, we obviously haven’t TRIED any of these options above. We’ve narrowed it down to these based on the configurations we like and the materials we’re comfortable buying and from what feel we like from what we’ve tried at local stores. It seems that buying online from these manufactures allows us to actually buy a bed like this. These same kinds of configurations in the stores we were trying we at least $2200.

Hi Sheba,

They are all good options that use high quality and durable materials and there are no weak links in any of them in terms of durability and of course all of the manufacturers are members here which means that I think highly of all of them.

There is more in post #13 here about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase but the most important part of your choice will be which one you believe will be the best match for you in terms of PPP. When you can’t test a mattress in person, then your more detailed conversations with each of them along with your own personal testing and experience on any mattresses you have tried that are similar will be the most part of your “confidence” that a mattress is a good match for you and if you are uncertain then the options you have after a purchase to “fine tune” the mattress and any return or exchange policies would also become a more important part of the “value” of your purchase.

In other words … your answer to the question of “how well will I sleep on this mattress” and the confidence that your answer is likely to be accurate (either before or after any fine tuning or exchanges that are available) is the most important (but not the only) part of its “value”.

There is more about the pros and cons of quilted covers vs a stretch knit cotton or viscose cover in general in post #12 here and more about wool quilting specifically in post #6 here.

You can see some thoughts about happy2ez (and some of the other names they have used) in post #6 here. I would be aware that if you look further in the listing you will see that the fiber is a wool polyester blend and it’s very likely that there are only very small amounts of wool for “label copy”.

The better sources I’m aware of for mattress covers are in the component post here.

I would read option #3 here and the posts it links to so that you have realistic expectations of the success of your initial choices and the trial and error process that may be involved. The most effective approach is a “spirit of adventure” where your experiences and the satisfaction that comes from the process itself is more important than any cost savings you may realize (which may or may not happen).

Phoenix