Best mattress choice for different weight/size partners from down under

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hi there - firstly, thank you Phoenix for such a detailed and helpful site. It’s great to be able to come here and get some unbiased facts and opinions prior to heading out into the slick sales arena.

I’m hoping someone can help me. I’m based in Melbourne, Australia and it’s time to replace our nine year old, pillow top Queen size mattress (we have a wooden, slat bed - the type with hard slats).

There is a considerable weight difference between my partner (258 pounds) and myself (140 pounds) and because of that (and based on research on this forum) I have come to the conclusion that it would be best to try and get a double sided mattress to allow for even wear (this didn’t work so well on our pillow top where we could only spin it).

I’ve gone to a few mattress manufacturers to look at options, there are VERY few double sided mattresses still being made/sold in Australia!

Based on previous recommendations, I went to a manufacturer (Regal Mattresses) and they suggested the best option for a double sided mattress to suit our needs would be from their ‘Indulgence’ pocket spring range. I’ve detailed the specifications below to understand from the experts on this forum if you think this sounds like a suitable option.

• Spring Unit: 9 Zoned Pocket Spring with featuring, 1.6mm/1.8mm wire
• Full spring Count of 256 Springs Per Square Meter
• 5mm Surround Wire for Greater Stability
• Zoned for Perfect Head, Shoulder, Lumbar and Hip alignment
• No Partner Disturbance
• 2 X Heavy Duty Needle Felt Pad
• Foam Box Surround Edge to Edge Security
• 2 X HD Comfort Layers
• 2 X Infinity™ Comfort Layers
• Luxury Damask Knit Ticking
• Quilted to 48mm 25/60 Super Soft
• Double Sided
• 15 Year Warranty

I can get this for around $1,500 (bear in mind that prices in Australia are much higher than the US!)

I’m taking my partner in to try it out in the next few days to see what he thinks of the feel.

I would really appreciate it if someone could please let me know if the mattress above sounds reasonable (based on the technical data) for our needs or should we be looking for something totally different?

Thanks so much in advance B)

2

Hi NatalieC,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! … you are a long ways away from most of the members here :slight_smile:

While I don’t have the depth of knowledge of the Australian market that I would for North America … I may be able to help in more generic ways.

Just in case you haven’t read it already … the information in post #1 here would be just as relevant in Australia as it is here and has some of the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will find most helpful.

Post #2 here has links to some of the pages on the site that can help give you some insights into different types of designs and layering as it applies to different body types and sleeping styles.

Post #2 here includes some links to some of the better Australian threads on the forum and a link to many local or independent manufacturers around the country with some comments about some of them. Some of these would likely make two sided mattresses (they are much more common with smaller manufacturers than they are with the mainstream manufacturers).

A double sided mattress would certainly help even out the wear for anyone that was higher weight (you could both flip and turn it) and would be a good idea to increase durability. It may not help as much though with your different needs and preferences and the first part of post #2 here may also be helpful with some ideas about how you can accommodate different needs and preferences on the same mattress. with all of these posts I wouldn’t “study” or “analyze” the information as much as use it to give you a sense of possibilities that need to be verified with your own testing.

The mattress you listed is missing some specs that are important in order to make any assessment of it in terms of the quality of the materials and the specs are also very different in Australia than they are in North America so once you have them I will need to translate them in order to make any sense out of them.

What you need is the materials and components from the top down with the thickness of each layer and the density of any polyfoam or memory foam and the type and blend of any latex.

If I am understanding the specs correctly so far we have (top to bottom on one side) …

  • Luxury damask knit cover This is a woven fabric and they don’t mention the type of fabric used.
    Quilted to 48mm 25/60 Super Soft: This is almost 2" of quilting polyfoam (1.9") and since it is a little on the thick side (more than @ an inch or so) then the density of the quilting polyfoam would be important which appears to be 1.56 lbs which is reasonable for a two sided mattress depending on the thickness of the layers below it.
    2 x infinity comfort layers (type or material, thickness, and density information is missing)
    2 x HD Comfort layers (this is polyfoam but the thickness and the density information is missing)
    Foam Box Surround Edge to Edge Security: This is the polyfoam edge support around the innerspring and the density information is missing
    2 X Heavy Duty Needle Felt Pad: This is the insulator pad to even out the support of the springs and protect the foam from compressing into them.
    Full spring Count of 256 Springs Per Square Meter: If I’ve done the conversion correctly then this would be 792 coil count (queen size) which would be good but 9 zone is a bit of overkill IMO and I wouldn’t pay any “extra” for it.

I will also need to find a conversion to wire gauge for the innerspring diameter in mm to make sense to me and while an innerspring is not normally the weak link of a mattress, with higher weights and a pocket coil that flexes independently I would want to make sure that the gauge was appropriate for higher weights.

So there are a lot of pieces of information missing that would be necessary to make a meaningful assessment of the mattress. Once you have this then it’s possible to assess the quality or relative durability of the mattress and you can also compare it to other similar mattresses that are available to you locally to make value comparisons.

Phoenix

3

Thanks for the quick and comprehensive response Phoenix. I’ve had a read through the links you provided, all very helpful.

I contacted the manufacturer to ask some further details on the specifics you mentioned, however due to industrial espionage they were unwilling to give out exact details in writing. They did invite me to a factory tour where they could explain in person, but its a little far to travel.

They seem to be a reputable company with a 30 day trial period (swap to another matress for a small fee) I you’re not happy with he mattress.

Thanks again for your help.

4

Hi NatalieC,

I think “industrial espionage” is a very poor reason to refuse to disclose the most basic quality information that consumers need to make informed decisions. Foam density is an important measure of quality and one of the most important criteria in making meaningful comparisons. Knowing the foam density has nothing to do with the feel or performance of the mattress or being able to duplicate it because regardless of the density there are other specs such as firmness or softness, their foam source, or other foam specs that have nothing to do with quality they still wouldn’t need to disclose. For that matter … if another company was intent on knowing foam density information for some reason then all they would have to do is buy one of their mattresses and then weigh and measure the layers or a measured sample of each layer for themselves. It’s not rocket science.

In most cases … the real reason that manufacturers don’t disclose the quality specs of their mattresses is because they don’t want consumers to have a meaningful way to make quality or value comparisons with other mattresses. Visiting the factory still wouldn’t tell you the quality of the materials in the mattress and a 30 day trial period also won’t provide any protection against the softening or breakdown of lower quality materials because it would normally take longer than that.

In most cases … warranties also don’t provide any protection against foam softening or the more rapid loss of comfort and support that comes with lower quality materials and is the main reason most people would need to replace a mattress (see post #174 here).

While the quality of the materials is not the only part of making a good purchase decision and the suitability of a mattress in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and other parts of a good purchase decision are just as important … it is certainly one of the most important parts because no matter how a mattress feels and performs in the showroom or the first few months after that … if you can’t sleep on it after a year or two because the materials have softened or broken down and the mattress is no longer inside the range of your needs and preferences (see post #2 here) then how it felt when it was new wouldn’t be important unless the price you paid justified replacing it in a very short period of time.

“Industrial espionage” just doesn’t cut it IMO as a reason not to disclose one of the most important parts of a good purchase decision.

Phoenix

5

Hi again Phoenix,
So after having the new innerspring mattress for 2 weeks I found it just too hard with not enough give for my shoulders and hips. My partner was mostly ok, but still felt it was a little firm.
To ease the firm feel I purchased a 2 inch latex topper, which made the feel so much better, but makes the already tall bed even taller!
The feel of the latex got me thinking more and more about a full latex mattress.
Our innerspring mattress does have a swap/refund policy (both with fees; $120 and $240 respectively) however the manufacturer does not sell latex.
So I found a specialist latex mattress manufacturer. They have a factory in Malaysia where the produce the latex slabs (they use 100% natural latex, no synthetics). They then import the slabs to Australia, cut the pieces to size and assemble the mattress.
We have gone for a 10 inch latex mattress (with 2 x 3 inch and 2 x 2 inch progressively softer/less dens slabs of latex).
I’m hoping this will be a good solution!
They glue each layer together, based on some of your previous posts I understands that you don’t think this is necessary as latex is quite ‘grippy’. Do you think it’s worthwhile as for no glue and seeing if they can put a zipped cover on?
Also, as latex mattresses are very heavy we will need to work out a way to reinforce our existing queen slat bed base (it has a centre brace bar running down the middle of the bed) do you have any suggestions?
Many thanks.

6

Hi NatalieC,

This would depend on the type of cover that was available. With a mattress that had no zipper I would probably choose to have it glued to reduce the odds of shifting over time or with moving the mattress but with a zip cover I would choose loose layers so I could exchange single layers if that was necessary to fine tune comfort or support either initially or down the road or if one of the top layers needed to be replaced in the long term if it had softened sooner than the rest so I didn’t have to replace the whole mattress.

You can add legs under the center beam such as the examples in post #12 here to prevent it from sagging in the middle over time (if it doesn’t already have support legs to the floor). I would also make sure that the gaps between the slats were no more than 3" apart (and preferably less) and if the gaps were wider than that I would add more slats to the bed base to provide more even support and prevent the latex from sinking into the gaps over time.

Phoenix

7

Thanks Phoenix,

Looks like glued is the way to go, and they use a non toxic glue which is even better.

Thanks also for the information on bed legs. I’ve sent a request off to one of the suppliers. I have a feeling that I may struggle though as it will need to be 17 inches tall (we have a high bed!). If you (or anyone else reading this) knows of an adjustable bed leg around 17 inches it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks again for all of your help :cheer:

8

Hi NatalieC,

17" is higher than the maximum height of the adjustable legs I looked at (the tallest was around 16") but you can also add a piece of wood under the center beam where the leg attaches or you could use a riser under the leg as well (see some examples here).

Phoenix

9

:slight_smile: great idea re. the block of wood between the brace and the support beam on the base. I just ordered the brace piece fom the US (believe it or not, I couldn’t find anything similar here in Australia - maybe there’s a business opportunity there!).

One other question I have is what to put on top of the slats to provide a little extra support and to stop the mattress squeezing through the last. The manufacturer has suggested a sheet o cardboard, but based on what I’ve read on this site I’m worried that this would impede air circulation. What are your thoughts about his Phoenix?

Many thanks.

10

Hi NatalieC,

You can see my thoughts about a non breathable surface between the mattress and foundation in post #10 here and I personally would avoid it unless there was a compelling reason not to and the other risk factors were low.

Besides just adding more slats … a thin (1" - 2") layer of very firm polyfoam or something like the bed rug here or one of the slat conversions here (which has no flex at all) or even one of the Ikea slatted bed bases here (which has some flex which may change how the mattress feels and performs) would work well to even out the support and prevent the latex from sinking through wider gaps and would have more airflow and ventilation.

Phoenix