I have a 10 year old Berkeley Ergonomics bed from European sleepworks with an adjustable flexible slat base (also made by Berkeley Ergonomics).
We we’re looking to replace our mattress soon and was wondering if the slat base we have has an anticipated lifespan. I couldn’t see any reference to average life of the slat system (just found that for the bed, around 10 years).
Does anyone happen to know if the slat system should be replaced when we get a new mattress? I know we’ll have to get one if the mattress we use requires a different type of base but if we can re-use this one it would be nice to save some money.
Unfortunately mz, there is no industry standard for “anticipated lifespan” of a mattress base/ foundation, or even for a mattress, each having a separate useful lifecycle based on not only the quality of the materials/ construction used but also based on the consumer’s use of the combined mattress and foundation base. According to Berkeley Ergonomics site’s product warranty statement, both mattresses and foundations are covered for a 10 year period, likely a good indication of how long they anticipate optimal performance of their products based on normal use (they state on their site: “Mattresses do wear with use-and they should. If the weight of your body doesn’t cause the mattress to yield, your body will experience increased pressure in the shoulders and hips. This yielding leads to the mattress’ gradual breakdown. Put another way, either the mattress wears out-or you do. A well -built mattress with durable, flexible components will generally last about ten years. Wear will occur gradually without dramatically affecting comfort or function”).
Are you having any issues with your current Berkeley Ergonomics mattress or simply ready for something new? Have you inspected the slatted base recently to see what kind of shape the slats, shocks and adjustors are in? Is the base still supporting your current mattress correctly without sag? Your final decision truly depends on what new mattress you choose as to your point, some are not recommended for use on an adjustable flexible slatted base. If it works out that your mattress choice is suitable for this type base and the base has no problems in functionality, its perfectly fine to use this one until a replacement is needed. Otherwise, given its age and the fact that you’re replacing the mattress anyway, if there is room in your budget to replace both, now would be a good time for that. Looking forward to hearing more of your next steps, mz and hope all goes well with your upcoming mattress shopping journey .
Thanks for replying. The mattress seems to be in pretty good shape still. For side sleeping I always felt it could be a little softer (even when we first bought it). I was figuring since it’s 10 years old it might be a good time to start looking for something new. I ended up getting a Berkeley Ergonomics topper for it yesterday figuring this mattress is probably good for a few more years still and we could always use the topper on a new bed. Topper was PRICEY but really nice. mini-coils layer, talalay latex layer, covered in wool and encased in cotton.
They did have my exact same mattess in stock at the store and I really couldn’t notice a difference in the new one vs. our 10 year old one. Maybe if I was on it a long time I’d notice a difference?
mz, what size topper did you order? How many microcoils are there? Are all the layers individually removable or is the the latex glued to the microcoils? Thanks
It has 2200 micro-coils removable, then on top of that there’s a separate (removable layer) of talalay latex. The who thing is zipped inside an organic cotton cover that is stuffed with wool. Basically it looks like it’s the top added layers of the Berkeley Ergonomics Sonata mattress vs. the berkeley Ergonomics BE 3000 mattress but done as a topper. I guess the Sonata cover also has camel hair mixed with wool and the topper only has wool in the cover.
My mattress is 10 years old and it’s a European Sleepworks which is actually the Berkeley Ergonomics BE 3000. By adding this topper I pretty much turned it into the Berkeley Ergonomics Sonata.
I’m liking it a lot although it’s one of the most expensive toppers I’ve seen. Feels plush but still has plenty of support. I was having a little bit of shoulder pain (side sleeper). This really seems to help with that.
Definitely digging it but it’s about half the price of a quality mattress.
Thanks mz, I’ve seen that page before but I don’t see where to order? Did you order by phone? Was it free shipping? Bc I remember a few months ago when I was going to order it in the twin xl they were going to charge something like $350 just for the shipping!
I don’t see an option to edit but I was going to add that they do make a similar version with only talalay latex inside the topper. We actually had that when we first bought the mattress. It was nice as well but didn’t feel as plush.
I know what you mean mz, I feel like the nano or microcoils underneath the latex gives it a plusher feel depending on the gauge of the coil and also adds some better airflow, just in my experience testing latex only toppers vs latex over microcoils.
Agreed but I’ll add I’m only comparing the Berkeley Egonimic latex one vs. latex with microcoils. I know there’s different densities of latex, different gauges of coils etc… so could be different with other brands.
Also might be different for different body types. I’m 5’6 and around 158 pounds. I think they also make a version with 2 inches of latex vs 1 so I imagine there’d be a noticeable difference there. Pretty sure the previous one we had had 1 inch of latex.
Thanks for all the info mz! I’m also really impressed your mattress has lasted that long, since I’ve stopped using innerspring mattresses years ago i cant get a mattress to last more than a year! But I’m also 6’ 225lbs and I use an adjustable base. I would go back to innerspring but its hard(but not impossible like saatva) to find innersprings that are adjustable base compatible. I can’t go back to not using an adjustable base!! I’m also a combo sleeper and I found innerspring also worked better for stomach sleeping(bc the connected coils don’t allow for to much sag in any one area).
! Thanks for your question.
.