We’re ready to purchase our first mattress as we’ve just gotten married. We really like the feel of all latex. We live in the Toronto Area and have been to a few manufactures.
We’ve been to Flexopedic mattresses in Bolton, Ontario. They seemed a little reluctant to build us an all foam mattress. They also said that the organic cotton/wool combination top was very uncommon in the industry and they don’t do that(We found that hard to believe as most places offer this).
It seems the operation ran by the 2 brothers was sold & new management has taken over. He said he was planning to retire and ease in the new owners to their operation.
Then we went to Ideal Mattress Ltd in Mississauga. We found the mattress combo we love but wonder if there is a better value to be had with the same amount of quality. It was the Ideal “Essence” for $3000 just for the mattress.
What do you think about this 7 sleep zone? It seems hard to believe how some areas could be softer or stiffer on the same 7" thickness to accommodate hips, neck, etc.
Also, we’re on the fence with the 100% natural latex & 100% natural organic latex. Is it worth it? Is it just a sales pitch & what are the actual benefits. Could the money be spent elsewhere?
Some of the better options I’m aware of in the Toronto area are listed in post #1 here.
A forum search on “Toronto” (you can just click this) will also bring up a lot of feedback from other forum members that have looked for mattresses in the area.
It is certainly less common than other quilting/ticking options and it can add to the cost (wool is a more costly material than polyfoam or synthetic fiber quilting) but even some more common wholesale manufacturers have this available (such as Natura although they are not the best value) and there are certainly manufacturers or retailers in the Toronto area that would make or carry them.
A seven zone core is more about marketing than reality IMO and while they would have different areas of firmness … I would question the value of having 7 zones which in most cases may have less difference between then than the natural variation of a Dunlop core itself. Having said that … there can be some value to having a firmer middle section in some circumstances and as long as the zoning wasn’t detrimental it wouldn’t be something I excluded. I just wouldn’t pay a premium over say a 3 zone mattress or even a non zoned latex mattress that had good PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences). You can see more of my thoughts about zoning in this article.
In many cases … what you are testing may be 100% natural latex and not organic at all. If a manufacturer claims that the latex is organic I would want to see the certification. There is more about this in post #6 here. The attachment you posted describes the latex as “all natural” not organic and they may be using “organic” as more of a marketing term rather than a specific description of the latex.
The qualitative difference between 100% natural Dunlop and Dunlop that is certified organic is questionable at best. For some … the certification may be an important part of their personal “value equation” even though there would be little or no difference in the material itself (outside of the actual certification) and they may be willing to pay a significant premium for the certification itself but for most who are more concerned with “safety” and knowing that a material is “natural” than they are with whether a material is certified as organic … the 100% natural latex would probably represent better value and would be just as “safe” as the organic version. Most good latex has been certified through testing organizations such as Oeko-Tex for harmful ingredients or offgassing.
Once you have a reference point of one (or more) mattresses that you like and that fits your needs and preferences (regardless of cost) … then I would do some research on the phone with some of the other choices on the list to see who made or sold a similar mattress (with similar layering, components, and amounts of latex) that may have better value.
In post #21 here … there is a list of the members here which make and/or sell latex mattresses online which I would use as a value reference point (including mattresses.net which RF mentioned … thanks :)). In general (and translating any approximate differences in currency and shipping across the border) … I generally use a guideline that if a local mattress is in the range of 20% more than a similar mattress online that the extra premium for a local purchase would be a reasonable tradeoff and represent good value for the lower risk of buying a mattress locally that you can test in person. Once the local “premium” was above 20 - 25% or so and there was nothing in the area that seemed to be “good value” then I would more strongly consider an online purchase. Of course each person may use a different number depending on what is most important to them.
There is more selection and probably better value in the Toronto area than what you’ve seen.