BMI vs ILD

Talk To The Experts FloBeds
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Phoenix,

First, I would like to say that you have provided an invaluable service with the efforts you put forth on this website. For 25 years I have purchased “S” mattresses to only be dissatisfied every time. Finding this site has armed me with the necessary knowledge to confidentially purchase a quality mattress. My hat is off to you and you have my sincerest gratitude.

I started this quest earlier in the year and was ready to pull the trigger and purchase locally from Jamestown Mattress, as I stated in an earlier posting, but life happens and our mattress purchasing was put on hold. Needless to say, I’ve picked it back up, and have begun the investigative process again. Jamestown mattress is still on our short list, but I’ve added a few more options…Flexus Comfort, Cozy Pure, Flo Beds and Luma Sleep. All quality operations with quality products. So, as you probably can already figure out, with more time and more options comes more questions.

I am 6’ tall and 135/140 lbs so that puts me in the “obese” category of the BMI scale. I have a 36" waste, broad shoulders and relatively flat stomach (no 6 pick here, but definitely not a kegger either) and when I see myself I don’t think of myself as obese. I hate using BMI as the standard for which all body definitions are defined, but I’ll use it for this demonstration and obviously mattress foams only see the load in certain areas of any given body and perhaps this is accurately represented by BMI. Who knows?!?!?

Anyway, I visited FloBeds website and based on their formula (BMI) and the fact that I am a side sleeper they recommend in their support layers from top down, Xfirm (36 ILD), Xfirm (36 ILD) and Super Firm (44 ILD) for their Vita-Talalay Deluxe king size bed. This bed has a 2" convoluted top layer then (3) 3" support layers. My gut tells me that using BMI is a general way of fitting the vast majority of people into a good bed; and bedding, as we all know, is a personal experience. So, my long-winded question to you is, is using FloBeds recommendation for support layers a good place for me to start? If it is not, then what is?

When I first started looking into this at the beginning of the year I never even thought of myself as an Xfirm/Super firm kind of person. I understand this is a difficult question to answer, and I have not talked to any of the above companies (which I will at some point), but I’m looking for a starting point. I’ve visited all the websites of the companies on my short list and the only ones that offer these firmness levels are Flexus Comfort, FloBeds and Jamestown Mattress.

Also, If I’m going to go with one of the aforementioned companies with a latex mattress, then quality should not be an issue. So, the weak link, as I see it would be the peripherals (warranty, exchange layer, return policy etc.), correct? And I am assuming all of these companies would work with my wife and I to achieve ultimate satisfaction.

Thank you,
Gman

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Hi Gman52,

Thanks, Gman52.

I think you meant 235/240 for your weight? You’re correct that BMIs aren’t necessarily accurate at classifying as “obese”, especially in athletic populations, but it’s more a useful tool as a weight concentration of kg/m2, regardless of “labels”.

You’re correct. BMI is a good general place to start, and “configuration calculators” used by different manufacturers are basic recommendations based upon their experiences of people with similar somatotypes and BMIs, and it’s a good starting point for a more detailed phone conversation with any manufacturer you’re considering, but I wouldn’t consider these initial recommendations as being “carved in stone”.

You’re considering products using better quality materials, so as you stated, you’d want to become completely familiar with any other aspects of a company’s offerings (exchange/return policy, comfort trial period, etc.) to make sure that they meet with your expectations. Warranties in general are not nearly as important to me as knowing the materials because the reason most people need to replace a mattress is not a manufacturing defect but the loss of comfort and/or support which is not covered by a warranty. Knowing the materials in a mattress will tell you how long the original qualities of a mattress will last relative to other types of materials.

Phoenix

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Thanks for the quick response…and yes my weight is 235/240 lbs. :slight_smile:

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Hi Gman52,

That makes more sense. :wink:

Phoenix

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Gman,
Dave here from FloBeds. You are correct, BMI is not the “be all, end all”… just a starting place. We love it when folks give us call and tell us what they have liked in the past and what has not worked for them. A lot of my big and tall customers are the most likely to be the exception to the formula, in that 2 inches of soft at the top is often not enough. In our Deluxe you may want to substitute the first XFirm 36 ILD with a Firm 32 ILD or a Medium 28 ILD. And remember, with our Goldilocks Guarantee you can purchase a new support layer (core) for just $75 for the next 5 years and for a discounted rate for another 15 years.
Dave
FloBeds Latex Mattresses

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Hi davet,

I visited Flobeds and I like your mattresses and guarantee. However, I was wondering why you don’t make flippable mattresses, as IMHO it makes the mattress last longer, as each side can “rest” for a while while the other one is used.

Thanks

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Hi John,
Glad you liked our mattresses. With a FloBed you can flip and layer in the mattress (or all of them). Latex does not need flipping like a mattress with polyurethane foam. A mattress with polyfoam components need flipping to even out the quick breakdown of the foam. Latex last over 5 times as long as polyfoam. That said, it never hurts to flip your latex every few years. In ten years of normal use latex will soften about 5%. With the FloBed design In ten to fifteen years you might even want to reorder the layers on your side from Medium-over-Firm to Firm-over-Medium to bring your bed back to its original feeling.
With our Goldilocks Guarantee, you can even go firmer or softer years later as your body changes and wants a different firmness. (I just got an email from a customer who is changing one of his wife’s vZones while she is in the last trimester of her pregnancy:) https://www.flobeds.com/guarantee/goldilocks-guarantee.htm
John, if you still think you would like a mattress you can flip without opening up… we can do that to. Since we use all Talalay (which is more pressure-relieving than other kinds of latex) you can flip your entire mattress and still have Talalay on top, contouring to your body. If you wanted a layer of our convoluted (egg-crate) Talalay latex on the bottom as well as the top, we could do that. We are a small 10 person company that has been making custom latex mattresses for our customers since 1997.
[email protected]
www.flobeds.com
The Origianal Personalized Latex Mattress

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Thanks… Do you ship to Canada and how much does it cost? I think there is no duty fees for mattress but not sure…

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John,
Yes we do ship to Canada. I will ask shipping to get a cost for you on Monday. What postal code in Canada? Are you thinking vZone mattress only, or mattress and foundation? What size?
Dave
[email protected]

The Original Personalized Latex Mattress

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Just trying to get an idea of appr. price, try Montreal e.g. h2x 2t7

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Good Morning John,

While we offer free shipping in the continental United States, shipping one of our beds to Canada we would charge approximately $199. The shipment would go out via USPS, and you would incur duties at the border. Feel free to give us a call for a complete quote on the sleep system your thinking about.

Remember, your dreams may vary. . .

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Thanks a lot. Any idea what kind of duties fee would occur? Some US companies say there is no duties and others say there are, so I am a bit unsure…

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It really depends on your area. I would ask the post office on your side. We would be shipping via USPS, which would have duties, it would however be less expensive than UPS or FED EX.

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Thanks

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Hi John667.

You may wish to read this Post here by MFC with the latest news on duties for mattresses coming across from the US to Canada.

Phoenix

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Thanks! That’s relevant information.

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Hi John667.

You are welcome! This may change, but a few people stopped in midair with their US mattress purchase and decided to wait or switch to Canadian manufactures …others chose to go ahead anyway.

I’d be interested to find out what you decide and if you go ahead with it I’d appreciate if you could return here and let us know about the border experience.

Phoenix

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Thanks. I have to admit that a 10% fee + shipping fees and maybe provincial taxes, etc. got me thinking. Trade wars aren’t funny. I’m not in a hurry so maybe things will get better soon. I’ll keep you updated. Thanks for your great website.

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Related questions to FloBeds. (I love the lifelong layer replacement program and that they have been doing all Talalay for so long):

  1. I am Considering the 12" Deluxe Mattress, but my concern is the 2" convoluded comfort layer at a effective ild14 seems almost not functional. Is it possible to replace the convoluded layer with a 3" Talalay around ILD 19 on the initial order? We are trying to “replicate” a Pure Talalay Bliss “Beautiful” that I was told by the local store owner is 3" ILD 19, 3" ILD 30, 6" ILD 40. All blended Talalay.
  2. With the above layer specs for the Pure Talalay Bliss, what is the recommended layer configuration to approximate it?
    (240#, 6’1", side sleeper)
    We originally liked the Posh+Lavish Refine Ultra Plush (3" Talalay ILD19, 3" Dunlop ILD 30, 6" Dunlop ILD 40). All blended latex. The basic difference to the Pure Talalay Bliss we like above, is that same ILD specs but the Pure Talaly Bliss was all Talalay. We liked it considerable more and now looking for an all Talalay solution.
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FWiW the correct specs on the Posh+Lavish is 4" Talalay ILD 19, 4" Dunlop ILD 30 and 5" Dunlop ILA 40.