My wife and I are considering two different mattresses from Brooklyn Bedding, the 12" Bamboo Bliss (latex over polyfoam) and the 10" Total Latex. We are wondering whether it is worth the extra money ($700) to go all latex, either for the feel (subjective, I know), or for durability.
I am 6’ 2" and 185 lbs. My wife is 5’ 8" and maybe 150 lbs. We are both side sleepers in our early 40’s, with some hip (her) and shoulder (me) pain on our current way-too-firm mattress. We have tried several latex or latex-topped beds locally and love the feel, especially of the softest ones (no one at the stores seemed to know the ILD/IFD so it is hard to compare).
We are far more comfortable with the price of the Bamboo Bliss, but are concerned that the polyfoam base (2.17 lb density) may not hold up well over time. I have read that 1.5 lb foam tends to break down quickly, while 3+ lb foams tend to last well. This falls right in the middle. Considering our size/weight and that the latex layer on top is 3" thick, how many years (wild guesses OK) might we expect to get out of the support layer of each type of mattress? The euro-style top unzips, so we could replace the latex comfort layer if it failed first (as would be expected with a latex support layer, but maybe not with polyfoam). Are there other reasons we should consider one over the other? Thanks for any suggestions.
Steve
P.S. It seems that many latex-topped beds have three layers of different ILDs, with the softest on top. Both of the BB mattresses we are looking at have only two layers. Is that a significant issue, especially considering we like the top layer to be quite soft?
P.P.S. Several manufacturers of latex mattresses state that there is no need to glue the layers together because the latex is sticky enough that the layers don’t slide around. But on the Bamboo Bliss the base layer is polyfoam. I have read that shifting layers makes it more likely to take on body impressions. Is that likely to be a problem?
The “weak link” of a mattress is almost always in the comfort layers not the support layers and a mattress will soften, break down, or compress from the top down. Even 1.5 lb polyfoam in a base layer with high quality comfort layers will be relatively durable for most people of average weight because they won’t sink into the base layers as much and 2.2 lb polyfoam is a high quality and durable material that would be suitable for higher weights. Most 3 lb polyfoam would be High Resilience polyfoam which is a different polyfoam formulation and it’s biggest advantage would be more performance related than durability related once you are past about 2.2 lb density or so. There is more about the many variables that can affect durability and the useful life of a mattress relative to different people in post #4 here.
There is no way to predict how long a mattress will last for any specific person because there are too many variables involved. Having said that, and while warranties aren’t an indication of how long a mattress will last in most cases (especially with mainstream manufacturers), I think in this case it would be reasonable to expect it to maintain it’s comfort and support for at least as long as the non prorated part of the warranty (which is 10 years) or longer. If the comfort layers have softened by then or if your needs and preferences have changed then one of the advantages of this type of mattress is that you can replace the comfort layer without having to replace the entire mattress.
You can read more about some of the differences between an all latex mattress vs a latex/polyfoam hybrid in post #2 here.
No … one isn’t inherently any “better” than another. Different combinations of layers are just there to create different designs, performance, and “feels”, that are one of many parts of the “art and science” of mattress theory and design and how different mattresses can be designed or be suitable for different people and sleeping styles. In some cases a mattress that has a single layer can work well for some people and a mattress that has multiple layers may not be suitable at all depending on how well a specific design matches someone’s needs and preferences in terms of PPP.
The Bamboo Bliss has a separate compartments for the base and the latex comfort layer (which can be zipped open) so you couldn’t glue it to the base foam anyway because there is fabric in between them. The separate compartment will prevent any shifting of the comfort layer.
I have three mattresses from BB: Aloe Alexis both comfort layers latex, Aloe Alexis one Memory foam over the latex and one of their economy memory foam models.
My favorite is the AA with two layers of Latex.
It doesn’t appear that the Aloe Alexis will have durability issues – My opinion after 9 months.
What about the “assemble yourself” mattresses where the latex foam (comfort and base layers) are all shipped independently in separate boxes from the factory and then you layer them all in a zippered cover? Is shifting of these unglued layers an issue that could reduce the life of the mattress? Thanks for your input.
My wife and I recently got one of these mattress about a month now. I will say that we have not noticed the layers shifting around on us with this mattress, the latex appears to stick to its self very well. When you move the layers if you pull on them we have notice you could tear them due to the friction. We wave them into place which seems to be the recommendation with latex. Even if the latex would tear some I do not see it reducing the life of the latex as some people will cut latex layers into thirds to create zoning schemes.
Also even though we did some careful testing of a similar mattress at a local store, I found that once I ordered the mattress and slept on it a few nights the layers that I thought would work did not. So with some trial and error and slight adjustments I have been tuning this bed to fit my PPP. While my wife has a different setup on her side that suites her PPP better.
Thanks everyone for your help choosing a new mattress!
We decided to get a 9" all-latex mattress from Spindle. We just put it together today, so I can’t report on comfort yet, but I can say that I am quite impressed with how it went together. It took a bit of time to get the layers aligned, but the latex was easy enough to “wave” into place without tearing, and the cover seems really nice and well made.
We put it on top of a “E King KD Wood Foundation” from Arizona Premium Mattress Company. The pieces fit together nicely and the materials (except for the six missing bolts and nuts) seem to be of fine quality, but it had quite a bit of “give” if I laid down on it with no mattress. I think the narrower foundations would probably be fine, but with only the edge and a single center support for the slats on a king size, it seemed to me that they could use more support. I ran an extra rail from head to foot in the center of each half, and screwed every slat down in five places (both ends, center, and to the added rails. I think that probably would have been more than sufficient, but I added some other bracing too - we engineers just can’t stop trying to make things better I am happy enough with the result, although it weighs a bit more now. Pics here.
It seems that the foundation is somewhat larger in both directions and that the corners stick out a bit more than on the mattress. I suppose getting a foundation from the mattress maker might have solved that problem. That doesn’t bother me much, but I thought I should mention it in case someone else reading this thread later cares about that kind of thing.
Thanks again, Phoenix and others, for helping us out.
I am happy enough with the result, although it weighs a bit more now. Pics