BluTek Mattress

I did a search, and didn’t find anything about BluTek mattresses made by Kingdown. Do you have any info on them. Also do you have a list of local mattress company’s in Virginia near zip 22401. Thanks

Hi Gman,

Kingsdown avoids giving the specifics of what is in their mattresses (they will tell you it’s “proprietary” which is one of the reasons I would avoid them unless the manufacturer or the outlet you are buying from is willing or even able to give you the specifics). Of course they may make a mattress that works well in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Preferences) for a particular person but there is no way to make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses in terms of value or to know the likely durability of a mattress without the specs that they are usually not so willing to provide.

There is lots of “marketing hyperbole” in their descriptions (what I call stories) and they do use some good quality materials in their lineup but the “devil is in the details” which they don’t provide. This would particularly apply to the type of latex they are using and the density of any polyfoam (by whatever name they use) in their mattress. If you are are able to track down this information (which is unlikely) … then it would be possible to provide a reasonable analysis and make some meaningful value comparisons. Unfortunately that is not what they “encourage” and most of the larger manufacturers like Comfort solutions are more interested in making meaningful comparisons difficult if not impossible.

There are certainly better alternatives but most of them would involve somewhat of a drive. Most of the local outlets that are near you in Fredericksburg or close by would involve a much greater level of knowledge and “work and effort” to make good choices and this is a very difficult and time consuming way to find a high quality and value mattress.

Post #9 here has a list of the better choices in Fredericksburg and links to the better choices around Richmond and Washington, DC.

Hope this helps

Phoenix

PS: Just to give you a sense of some of the outlets I’ve looked at in your area other than the ones in the post I linked that are close to you and some of the alternative brands they carry that may be worth some further research (but would require phone calls and/or some research to find out how transparent they are about the layering and materials in their mattresses along the lines of this article) are listed here. This can be a more difficult way to go because most of the outlets likely wouldn’t know or be willing to help with this and you may end up doing the job of the salespeople in terms of researching the materials in their mattresses.

http://www.mattressdiscounters.com/ Englander E-Gel, Classic Brands Space Age, Technogel (unusual but very expensive)

http://www.virginiamattressdirect.com/Default.asp Park Place

http://www.rappahannockmattress.com/home.html Symbol

http://www.mattressoutletva.com/index.html Boyd, Symbol (their staff has little knowledge)

Shop Affordable Home Furnishings & Home Goods - IKEA Woodbridge. See post #3 here for the better possibilities here.

http://mattressforyouva.com/ Woodbridge. Therapedic, United sleep, Eclipse

http://www1.macys.com/ I wouldn’t include anything here in your research

http://www.sleepys.com/ I wouldn’t include anything here in your research

www.vcf.com/ I wouldn’t include anything here in your research

http://www.hhgregg.com/ I wouldn’t include anything here in your research

http://www.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com/ I wouldn’t include anything here in your research

http://www.havertys.com/ Woodbridge. I wouldn’t include anything here in your research

http://www.bettermattressforless.com/ Woodbridge. I wouldn’t include anything here in your research

http://www.roomstore.com/ I wouldn’t include anything here in your research

Thanks Phoenix,

We stopped at 6 different mattress stores yesterday and found 2 mattresses we liked. The best was at Layers Bed Company in Richmond. Their L-series Plus mattress contained the following:

1" Celsion
3" Talalay
2" Dunlop High Resistance
6" Dunlop

The drawbacks were 1. They only have 2 choices (plush or firm) 2. They have a no return policy.

Our last stop was at Sleepys. We liked the My Side Comfort Series 5Gel. Then I found out it was made by Kingsdown. After I got home and read the reviews here and elsewhere, I crossed that off my list.

Now I think we might order a mattress from Sleeyez. Atleast I can return it if needed.

Hi Gman,

Based on the specs … the L series plus sounds like a quality mattress and it would be one of the models they make that I would be most attracted to. If you have tested the mattress carefully and long enough for PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and your Preferences) and it “works” for you … then the other comfort options wouldn’t be as important because they wouldn’t be suitable for you anyway.

While I am not a fan of mattress refunds or exchanges with local purchases (as opposed to online purchases) because it adds to the cost of the mattresses in the stores that offer them (the people who return their mattresses for comfort reasons are subsidized by those who don’t), their higher prices do seem to leave room for a layer adjustment of the mattress at a reasonable or nominal charge which is one of the benefits that are often offered by many local manufacturers. This is a policy that I do like for those who offer it and it can certainly offset the risk for a larger purchase. In most cases … and with the help of some good guidance … a mattress can be chosen that is close enough to someones needs and preferences that fine tuning adjustments afterwards (with a protector, topper, or bedding) can make up for any small changes that may be needed, but there are always exceptions. The policies of each outlet is part of the pros and cons of dealing with them and part of each person’s “value equation”.

Of course with online purchases … exchanges or refunds can be far more important because a consumer doesn’t get a chance to test the mattress first.

Having said all that … I can certainly understand your concerns and a mattress that carries a premium price like this is well worth comparing with other options available to you that may have better value or have policies that you are more comfortable with (and of course SleepEz has great quality and value). It would make sense to me that a manufacturer uses their “strengths” (that they are the manufacturer) to offer the ability to make an adjustment at a nominal cost.

Phoenix