Adjustable Tension Slats, Zoned Latex, or something else?

Hi jd,

The post I linked in the last paragraph in my last reply was the wrong post so I’ve corrected it.

I don’t have any specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or materials because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress. There are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

There are many thousands of innerspring mattresses in the industry and there is no way for me to know which of them would be a good match for you in terms of PPP but there is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists (based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).

I believe you’ve seen this already but the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the San Francisco/Berkeley/Oakland areas (subject to the quality/value guidelines that I linked) are listed in post #2 here. I don’t keep a record of what each of the retailers or manufacturers in the hundreds of lists throughout the forum have on their floor (it would be impossible for any single person to keep up with in a constantly changing market) so you will need to check their websites or call them to find out which of them carry mattresses that fit your criteria that you would be interested in testing.

There is also more general information about innersprings in this article and in post #10 here that may be helpful.

There is more about an all latex mattress vs a latex innerspring hybrid in post #13 here that can give you some sense about how an innerspring compares to a latex support core but there are so many versions of each category of mattress that the most reliable way to know which type of mattress or combination of materials and components you tend to prefer would be based on your own testing and personal experience.

There are also some sources for innerspring/latex hybrids in post #2 here and the post it links to. Some of these may have some dealers in your area and some of them are also available online as well.

Phoenix