Best bang for my buck (latex mattresses)

[phoenix]

Hi wisew,

4. Best bang for my buck - this is key. As much as I would love to get the best mattress out there, I’m already in enough post-college debt as it is - I can’t get anything too expensive. I don’t want to set a hard maximum, just in case I’d have to spend more than that to get the quality I want, but I really don’t want to spend more than $1000. Less is better, even if that means that this one won’t last me for life.

Just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place I would start is the tutorial post here which has all the basic information you will need to know how make the best possible choices and decide on which mattress that is the best “bang for the buck” for you based on the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you regardless of whether anyone else would make the same choices.

What is “best” by any definition for one person may be very different for what is “best” for someone else. There is no single mattress that is the “best bang for the buck” outside of each person’s personal criteria.

3. Soft but supportive - my girlfriend has a memory foam bed, which at first I thought I loved, but then I realized it was eating me alive! I sunk in so deeply that my posture / alignment was all screwed up - woke up every morning with back pain. So it should be softer than my current mattress, but firm enough to support my posture.

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the best way to decide which mattress is likely to be the best match for you would be based on a more detailed conversation with each online manufacturer/retailer you are considering … see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here.

My problem with the Aloe Alexis is that it’s pretty expensive, pretty heavy (135lbs! which might be typical, I don’t know), and seems like it would be difficult to move.

Latex is much heavier than polyfoam and the Alexis has 6" of latex which means it would be heavier than a mattress that only used 3" of latex. The good news is that you can remove the latex layers which are the heaviest part of the mattress so you can transport them separately. There is more about an all latex mattress vs a latex/polyfoam hybrid and the Alexis which is more in the middle in post #2 here and the post it links to.

Dreamfoam’s EuroTop seems to not be as good as the 12" Bamboo Bliss from what I’ve read on here, especially because of the less dense polyfoam base and that the exchangeable top cover isn’t washable.

The latex in both mattresses is the same (blended Talalay latex) but there is more about how they compare in post #16 here.

5. Online retailer - going local isn’t an option for me.

If you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know of any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area. Even if you choose not to buy locally it can still be helpful to do some local testing so you can have more familiarity with different types of latex options.

6. Exchangeable top - this is a tough one. I’d really like this in case I don’t choose the right firmness the first time, especially since I’m ordering online and can’t compare them for myself. But maybe I don’t need it? If I could be confident that either I chose the right firmness for myself or that the company had a good enough return policy that I could return it if it wasn’t a good fit, then I could go without this.

The ability to customize one of more layers of a mattress can be a significant part of some people’s personal value equation. Not everyone will make an ideal comfort choice the first time. A return or exchange policy can add to the cost of a mattress (the people who exchange or return a mattress are effectively paying for the ones who don’t) but if you aren’t completely confident that you are making the choice that is best for you (based on your local testing and more detailed conversations on the phone) then having some good options after a purchase can be a very worthwhile “safety net”.

So far I’ve been looking mostly at Brooklyn Bedding, Dreamfoam, and Spindle. I got in touch with Brooklyn Bedding and they gave me their recommendation based on my height / weight / preferences - the 14" Aloe Alexis. My problem with the Aloe Alexis is that it’s pretty expensive, pretty heavy (135lbs! which might be typical, I don’t know), and seems like it would be difficult to move. The Bamboo Bliss is still expensive. I’m not sure if the Cotton Camilla is significantly worse than the Bamboo Bliss.

You are certainly looking at some very good options and as you know they are all members of this site which means that I think very highly of them and they all compete well with the best in the industry. Dealing with high quality/value manufacturers like these will mean that you will have some great finalists to choose between when you are making a final choice between “good and good”.

Spindle requires assembly - not sure what people’s experience with this has been.

Assembly of a component mattress with a zip cover is simple although it helps to have two people when you are “waving” the latex layers into position because latex is heavy and very “jiggly” and it’s easy to tear if you tug or pull on it.

Phoenix