My wife and I have been shopping around for a new king mattress for some time. We are pretty set on wanting a latex mattress and we’ve narrowed it down to either the Aspen from Denver Mattress or a Pure Latex Bliss mattress. Is there a major reason to spend more on the Pure Latex Bliss mattress vs. the Aspen? Will the PLB last longer or have other reasons to justify the increased cost, or is it just marketing fluff. Thanks for the help!
Hi t-man,
The Aspen has 6" of Talalay latex with an inch of supersoft polyfoam in the comfort layer (within the amount that I consider OK) and then 4" of 1.8 lb polyfoam in the base layer. The Pure Latex Bliss mattresses use all Talalay latex with no polyfoam. In other words … the PLB line uses higher quality materials from top to bottom while the Aspen uses mostly the same material (Talalay latex) in the most important upper layers.
The “value” of the PLB would depend on the price that it’s selling at (the advertised prices are controlled but the actual selling prices can vary). The Aspen is good value at its regular price. Of course the PLB uses more latex and no polyfoam so it would reasonably be expected to cost more. There may also be a difference in the covers.
The other advantage of the PLB lineup is that they have several models which lets people choose which one best fits their needs and preferences while Denver Mattress only has two “mostly latex” mattresses so if one of these doesn’t work for you then that’s the end of the line as far as latex there.
If you have carefully tested both (the Aspen and the PLB model that works best for you) for PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) … then I would make the choice based on whether you believe any differences in performance, “feel”, and more costly materials throughout justifies the extra cost of the PLB model you are comparing it to. Both are good quality, and have no obvious “weak links”. In other words … between the two I would make my choice on which one best fits your “value equation”.
Phoenix
Thanks for the quick response, this forum has been a great help.
We did a full test of the PLB tonight and picked the Nutrition as the best fit. Tomorrow we plan on checking the Aspen (and the Snowmass) again. My wife can basically sleep on anything, so she is easy to please (at least on picking a mattress). Being larger, 6’6", 290# and a side sleeper, I’m a little harder to please on this one. That was my main concern if one would be more durable then the other.
Hi t-man,
While latex is more durable than other types of foam … with your heavier weight all mattress materials will soften and wear more quickly. In addition to this … you will also likely need a firmer support core than average and I would probably suggest the PLB over the Denver Mattress models because the support core of the PLB is 36 ILD (firmer) while the Aspen is 32 (a little less firm). The greater latex content and thicker mattress will also make the mattress more adaptable to your larger body type.
Both have some fairly soft comfort layers on top (and softer latex will wear faster than firmer with your weight) and I would be very careful to test for good alignment on both of them to make sure you aren’t sinking in too far with your pelvis area which could lead to misalignment (some suggestions for testing alignment are in post #11 here).
It may also be worth considering working with one of the online members of the site listed in post #21 here who can help you choose a mattress which is most suitable for your higher weight. Some of them them also offer a side to side split where each side of the mattress is customized for each person.
If you let me know the city or zip where you live I may also know of some local manufacturers close to you who may be able to customize a mattress for your specific needs.
Phoenix
We are in the Appleton, WI area, 54956 zip code.
Based on what you are saying, would latex be the best option?
Hi t-man,
In terms of durability yes … latex is among the most durable mattress materials. It is just as important though to choose a mattress that is suitable for your needs and preferences because if it is “on the edge” of being too soft for you at the beginning, especially with support/alignment, then any softening will put you “over the edge” even if the material is still in good condition and would last someone else many more years. This loss of comfort and support is the main reason that people need to replace a mattress (or end up barely tolerating it for much longer than they would prefer). Some of the many factors involved in mattress durability are in post #2 here and as you can see … durability is more about how long a mattress will provide you with your needs and preferences as much as it is about how long the materials actually last.
If you do use other materials in your mattress because of preference … it would be especially important to use the highest quality and most durable materials possible and again to make sure that you are not “on the edge” of the mattresses being too soft for your weight.
You have some good choices available in the Appleton area and they are listed in post #2 here.
Phoenix