Another new latex mattress shopper with questions

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Have been surfing and searching this excellent forum for days now. What an excellent valuable resource you’ve provided!

My story is much like others. Have been mattress shopping on and off for about a year or so now. Found out some this latex thing and thought I’d give it a whirl with more whim than serious consideration. Stopped by a local shop (naturalmattressstore) and was surprised to find latex mattresses were pretty comfortable.

After some research, I was even more pleasantly surprised about the other properties or benefits of latex (organic, sustainable, pest resistance, durability, breathability, etc). Th eother addeded benefit seems that the purveyors of latex mattresses seem to be less like the mattress salesfolk of old -always felt like I was going into a used car negotiation.

Now I find I’m actually looking at only latex mattresses exclusively.

I think I’ve narrowed down to the following and am looking for any augmenting info or any considerations I may have missed. I also have some questions :slight_smile:

CozyPure
Nest bedding (Swan)
Flobed (maybe, it’s a little on the pricier side)

Questions
I still have to talk to the CozyPure folks but upon initial impression, their overall product (coverings etc) seem like a better quality product than Nest’s. I’m not sure about the quality of the latex itself. Both seem to be 100% Dunlop and from reading here, there are only a few US manufacturers/sources of this anyway so unlikely to have too much quality variance (?). Is that correct assumption?

Nest only has a 10yr warranty vs Cozy’s and Flo’s 20 yr warranty. Should this concern me? If latex overall has a typical lifespan, if you will, of approx 10-20 years anyway… is that extra 10 years kinda of a marketing tease?

Is there a durability concern with Dunlop? Reading on the flobed site, they seem to believe this.

The Swan is really too soft and the Starling feels a little too firm. Oddly the gentleman, had me try the Bed In Box Silk Elegance and it felt perfect. However, reading here and other research the Bed In a Box overall quality is questionable. Other mattresses I’ve liked are the OMI Lago and the PLB Nature or Beautiful How do I dial in the feel of the latex mattress to best approximate Silk Elegance when talking to sales folks who may not know about these specific competitive products?

How does 1-sided vs dual sided make any difference? Is it just the flexibility to flip it over for a different feel?

How does convoluted layer make a difference?

I have been sleeping on a SpringAir pillowtop bed and I really love that cushy feel yet supportive feel of what my current mattress used to feel like. I think it has some layer of memory foam on top of the springs.

Other info: 5’2, female, 140ish (prob more after tday :smiley: ) Primarily back sleeper, though some side and a very occasional stomach (mainly when I can’t sleep)

Prob more questions to come…

Thanks and happy tday!

2

Hi roguedog,

Just in case you haven’t read it yet … the tutorial post here is the best place to start and has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices. It also includes a link to a list of the members here that sell a wide range of latex mattresses online that have many different features and options.

There are many Dunlop latex manufacturers around the world and most of them make molded Dunlop (Dunlop latex that is poured in a mold). they can be either natural latex or synthetic latex or a mix of both. None of them make their Dunlop cores in the US (they are often made closer to the source of the natural latex itself). There are also two Dunlop latex manufacturers that make Dunlop latex using a continuous pour system (the latex is poured on a belt instead of in a mold). One of these is Latexco and the other is Mountaintop Foam. Latexco makes a blend of synthetic and natural Dunlop and can be poured in layers up to 4" thick and doesn’t use pincores to cure the latex (the layers are thin enough that they don’t need pincores to cure the latex but they can be punched in afterwards). These are usually used as softer comfort layers. Mountaintop has a range of different blends from 100% synthetic to 100% natural and several in between and can be poured in thicknesses up to 7" and uses pincores on the belt to cure the latex. They have a wider firmness range and because they come in a wider range of thicknesses they are more often used as either comfort layers or support layers.

You can read more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here. Different types of latex have a different “feel” and performance. As a general rule … natural latex is more elastic and less “stiff” than synthetic latex and Talalay is more “springy” and resilient than Dunlop (see post #7 here).

Cozy Pure uses very high quality 100% natural Dunlop that is made in a mold. you can see some of my thoughts about them in post #11 here. In addition to the 100% natural latex they use very high quality fabrics in all their mattresses.

Nest Bedding uses continuous pour Dunlop made by Mountaintop foam and offers either 100% synthetic or 100% natural. One of the members here Spindle Mattress also uses either synthetic or 100% natural latex made by Mountaintop (Note: Spindle is now only using 100% natural continuous pour Dunlop in their mattresses).

Flobeds uses either blended or 100% natural Talalay latex. They are also a member here and their vZone has a very unique zoning system that can be customized for each person (see post #4 here).

All of these manufacturers use different designs and materials and each have different benefits but they are all high quality options.

All forms of latex are high quality materials and warranties have little to do with the useful life of a mattress (see post #174 here) which has more to do with the materials and design of the mattress. There is more about the factors that can affect durability and the useful life of a mattress and how it is relative to each person (the same mattresses will last longer for some people than others) in post #4 here. The construction of a mattress and the quality and durability of the materials inside it are a much more important and a more reliable indicator of durability than a warranty.

In normal use 100% natural Dunlop is a very durable material that would be equivalent to Talalay in terms of durability (see the video here about a Dunlop latex mattress that was in use for almost 50 years as just one of many similar examples).

Dunlop and Talalay have different cell structures (Talalay has rounder cells with thicker cell walls and more air in the material while Dunlop has a more irregular cell structure and more rubber and less air) so under the specific conditions of continuous compression over a period of years with higher heat and humidity (called heat aging) it would be more susceptible to impressions but this doesn’t reflect real life use. I would have no durability concerns with either material.

You can read more about the pros and cons of one sided vs two sided in post #3 here. if there is a different “feel” on each side of a two sided mattress then it’s more likely that someone would only use the side that is the best match for them and the durability benefits of flipping a two sided mattress would be lost.

A convoluted layer is softer than the same material in the same ILD in a non convoluted layer. It also has a different “feel” than a softer layer because it’s softer when you compress the part that is convoluted and then gets firmer more rapidly as you sink into the solid part of the layer. There is more about convoluted layers in post #2 here.

Hope this helps :slight_smile:

Phoenix

3

Thanks, Phoenix.

Yep, have been reading the tutorial posts and also found Cozy Pure and Flo beds off of the member site :slight_smile: I think I’v ebeen re-reading as I search through posts and learn more and thus, they begin to actually mean more have more context .

How do the different methods of Dunlop manufacturing make a different product and/or how might the end result impact a purchase decision?

Regarding warranties, agreed. That’s what I was thinking as well but wanted to confirm I wasn’t missing anything.

4

Hi roguedog,

If you mean a continuous pour method vs a molded Dunlop method then the continuous pour can make a little bit more consistent product where the Dunlop doesn’t settle quite as much and the ILD range across the surface is a little less.

I would treat them as rough equals (and the cost of 100% natural continuous pour is roughly the same as 100% natural molded Dunlop or perhaps slightly higher) and for me the choice would be more about the natural latex content of the layer (natural latex is more elastic and resilient than synthetic latex) and on the overall design of the mattress. The continuous pour method is also being used to make softer Dunlop latex than you would usually find with molded Dunlop so this may also make a difference for those who ling the “feel” of Dunlop but like the “softness” of Talalay.

Phoenix

5

Phoenix,

Well, I’ve taken the leap and ordered the Swan from Nest Bedding. Bryan was quite nice and helpful and customized the layer for me to firm up this model for me based upon my past shopping experience and feedback.

I’m sooo looking forward to restful, uninterrupted sleep and hope this will be the ticket. Even ordered a frame from there. Hope to be all set up and snoozing in about a week and a half.

Thanks so much for keeping this site up and all your insight not just in this thread but in all the forum so I could research and learn.

Any last bit of advice would of course be welcome,

Happy Holidays.

6

Hi rogudog,

Congratulations on your new mattress. It sounds to me like you made a good quality and value choice :slight_smile:

I think you did well and there’s not any advice left to give now that you’ve made a good choice but I hope you have the chance to share your feedback when you’ve received the mattress and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.

Phoenix