Australian dilemma - Heveya vs Natural Sleep latex mattress

[phoenix]

Hi jleb,

The bamboo/polyester/foam quilting is certainly more than an inch and as you state this could mean a weakness in the mattress. When I enquired with the salesperson that I was considering the 100% natural cotton quilting she actually advised me against getting the bamboo quilting as she has said she has had customers call back after 3 or 4 years asking why their mattress has now a body indentation! A sample of the Outlast quilting I was shown consists of the thin Outlast material with a further thin backing material of only a quarter of an inch or so of synthetic mesh. I think I will, though, take a punt with the 100% natural cotton quilting - the salesperson told me that this quite a common request. She showed me what the quilting will be made of by presenting a similar item from the supplier, a local company called Rosy Bedding. I think this is similar to what I was shown:
www.rosybedding.com.au/products_detail/&…15-3bc4c241b15f.html

It will be quite plain and thin and will of course provide a different “feel” to what I have been lying on in-store. However, as the salesperson suggested this will provide a more unmediated access to the properties of the latex (?).

The quilting material is most likely the polyester fiber and the “bamboo” is probably the fabric that they use for the mattress cover which would be rayon made from bamboo although it’s possible that bamboo fibers are also used in the quilting material. Either way though if a quilting layer is too thick it can certainly lead to premature impressions in a mattress.

A thinner quilting material that isn’t thick enough to lead to significant impressions (about an inch or so or less) wouldn’t be a weak link in a mattress and can provide a surface feel that many people like compared to to sleeping more directly on a resilient material like latex. This is always a personal preference and some people prefer quilted covers and some prefer thinner covers and being closer to the latex.

Also, FYI, the wool quilting you suggest as a good alternative is not on offer. Besides, wool aggravates eczema so I don’t believe it would be ideal having this near my skin.

While it would be a moot point if it’s not available … “rough wool” can aggravate eczema if it’s against the skin but softer wool that is less “prickly” and that isn’t directly against the skin (in a quilting layer with the mattress cover, a mattress protector, and your sheets on top of it) would be very unlikely to causes issues.

It appears that the 20cm Natural Sleep mattress might then be the mattress for me. This is despite the fact that Natural Sleep are having a “40% off sale”, which is the kind of thing that I have read you rail against, to which I concur. However, the salesperson at no time pressured me to buy immediately because of this “sale” - she in fact stated that the “sale” had only just begun so there was no issue with time.

I would guess that this sale is probably a “permanent” form of advertising that never really ends but only changes its name from time to time.

Natural Sleep is also very customisable regarding any changes to the mattress and base I would like to make as the factory is actually located behind the store!

I’m not sure if you are referring to the mattress being customizable before a purchase or after it as well but if they can make some “fine tuning” adjustments after a purchase by changing a layer in the mattress if your sleeping experience indicates that this is necessary then this can be just as effective as an exchange policy and because they are only replacing a single layer it would also add less to the cost of a mattress than exchanging a whole mattress.

Both Natural Sleep and the Latex Mattress Warehouse have been very knowledgeable and forthcoming with information on their mattresses, in stark contrast with many of the chain stores I had quickly dropped into for comparison. However, I must add that both have been largely silent when it comes to which mattress would be best for me (apart from, when prompted, the one comment stating that as firm a mattress as possible would be best) leaving it to myself when it comes to trying out the mattresses.

This means that they are being honest and most experienced manufacturers are well aware that you are also the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own personal testing or sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). A knowledgeable and experienced retailer/manufacturer can certainly provide good guidance but in the end you are the only one that can really know whether any mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of PPP.

Finally, it’s worth adding that Natural Sleep do not allow exchanges or returns after purchase but this has been the case with all the stores I have made enquiries with. I should note that I’m very uneasy about buying mattresses online without having tried them first.

A return or exchange policy is less important with a local manufacturer where you can test a mattress in person before you purchase it but an online purchase can be much more risky than a local purchase without having good options after a purchase just in case in spite of “best efforts” your mattress doesn’t turn out to be as suitable a “match” for you in terms of PPP as you hoped for. If your previous comments meant that they can exchange a layer if you need it then this would be similar to having an exchange policy and it would add much less to the cost of the mattress. If this isn’t a possibility then the only caution I would suggest is to err on the side of firmness because you can always make a mattress that is too firm softer by adding a topper but it’s much more difficult to make a mattress that is too soft any firmer without removing and replacing the layers that are too soft.

Thanks again for your great advice, Phoenix, it really is greatly appreciated. I look forward to any further comments you might have and I’ll let you know how I proceed.

I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding

Phoenix