Analysis paralysis has set in!!! Help with latex mattress selection?

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
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Hi Phoenix, and anybody else out there who’s been struggling with a mattress-purchasing decision:

I believe I can safely say at the very least, after reading the tutorial and visiting a local mattress store, that I have narrowed my options down to latex. As for the ‘which’ and the ‘where’, though, that is where the paralysis is setting in.

Phoenix, I liked your 20% suggestion, where you suggested (and I am paraphrasing and simplifying) that this be the amount between what you’d pay online and what you’d pay in a brick-and-mortar store for a comparable mattress, and let your own psychological and monetary comfort level be the determining factor. My problem is that there are just too many options available, even online.

I am considering, like several others, the Sleep EZ Roma, which sounds like a good budget option for me. My main concern about this mattress, though, is not the two bonded layers but that it sounds as though, based on an earlier post I read here, they have reduced the thickness from 7" (4" + 3") to 6 (3" + 3"). Also, does anyone know what the top cushioning layer is made up of? Obviously I have not phoned the company yet.

Casper is also an attractive, affordable option, although I have longevity concerns due to the materials used and the youth of the company. Feedback is very positive, though, and they are now quoting a 1- to 3-day delay in shipping, due, I am inferring, to the popularity of their product. I also like their one size fits all approach. The prospect of having to build my own mattress is daunting, to say the least, especially since I’m getting stressed just checking out a few options!

I am also doing general research into Dreamfoam and Brooklyn Bedding’s offerings.

Just these above-listed options are enough to make me want to tear my hair out. My budget for a Q is anywhere from $750-$1500, although I would prefer to economize if possible. All that I can deduce is that Dunlop might be a better option for me than Talalay (because I’m usually a side sleeper), and that I probably need a decent ‘comfort layer’ (also because of the side sleeper thing and because I currently am sleeping on a ‘plush’ mattress. Pillowtops seem too ‘squishy’ for me). BUT… I do occasionally sleep on my stomach so do not want to feel like I am suffocating.

I’m a female, sleeping alone with a small dog and two cats (this, I believe, is actually the main cause of my insomnia, not my bed!), and I’m 5’8" and about 140#.

Can anybody help me decide?

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Hi cyclecat,

Following the steps in the tutorial post one at a time without missing any is the best way to avoid “paralysis by analysis”.

First I would set the midpoint of your budget range (the amount that you want to stay under but would consider going over if there was a compelling reason to do so).

Next I would narrow down your choices to one at each retailer or manufacturer you are considering. If they are local this would include your own careful and objective testing for PPP using the testing guidelines that are linked in the tutorial post. If they are online then a more detailed phone conversation would replace your own personal testing. Either way … you will have only one choice with each retailer/manufacturer you choose to deal with. Without a more detailed phone call to online retailers or manufacturers you are considering you really won’t have any way to “translate” the information you are reading into what may mean in your “real life” experience and your thoughts about each mattress will probably just keep going around in endless circles.

Once you have eliminated the options that don’t meet your criteria or that have any weak links in their design (see the guidelines here) … then you will be comparing “good vs good” and your final choice (see post #2 here) will come down to a matter of “best judgement” based on all the objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you including the relative cost of the mattress and the options you have after a purchase to make changes to your mattress (by rearranging or exchanging layers or with comfort adjustments for a local purchase) or to exchange or return the mattress itself if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for when you actually sleep on the mattress.

I would keep in mind that each person can be very different from someone else in terms of which mattress that is the best “match” for them in terms of PPP Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). A mattress that is “perfect” for one person or even a group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on depending on their body type, sleeping style, and personal preferences (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

I would also keep in mind that there is no such thing as a single mattress or comfort level that is the “best match” for a large percentage of the population so an “all or nothing” choice may be the “best” choice for a small percentage of the population, a “good” choice for a slightly larger percentage, an “OK” choice for a larger percentage yet, and an “unsuitable choice” for the rest so it’s “value” would depend on what would be “good enough” for you, where you are in the range between “princess and the pea” and “I can sleep on anything”, and whether your actual sleeping experience indicates that it’s “the best” or a “good” or an “OK” choice for you compared to the other mattresses you could have purchased and the options they have available to fine tune the mattress after a purchase without having to return it.

The choice between Talalay and Dunlop would be a personal preference and there is more about the differences between them in post #7 here. The best way to know which one you tend to prefer would be based on testing various firmness levels of each one in person but based on “averages” … Talalay latex would probably be a more popular choice for those that prefer softer comfort layers than Dunlop.

Phoenix

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Gonna take a chance and go with the Roma! I like that it’s reversible - it’s so hard to find that at all in any kind of mattress anymore. I figure worst case scenario is I’m out a hundred bucks. There aren’t tons of reviews on Amazon, but most of them are overwhelmingly positive. Excited to get the mattress; now on to my search for a bed frame or bunky board!

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Hi cyclecat,

As you know I think very highly of SleepEZ and I think that the Roma is a great quality/value choice as well.

Congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

I’m looking forward to your feedback when you receive it.

Phoenix