Hello! I’m buying my first mattress & after looking at & reading about mattress over the last week I’ve hit info overload a bit. I would love to hear if anyone has any comments or critiques on the mattresses I’m considering so far.
I’m a back sleeper (with some side sleeping), 120lbs, 5’6- with a bad knee. In Surrey, Canada. I like a firm mattress but also need it a bit on the poofy side on top for my knee.
Of mattresses I’ve tried I’m liking/considering these so far. All tried at smaller specialty shops. Prices were lower then their orig list price. After reading about the degradation of polyfoams I’d love to know where these mattresses fit in there and if it’s possible to tell from the specs? The names of foams sort of blur together:)
#1- Oriana (‘Spring Air’ mattress made by Restwell in Surrey BC)
-600 continuous coil
-ecotex conforma touch foam
-soy based foam
-firm
— Is basically comfortable, seems ‘good’ and it’s only $475 for a twin. 5 year warrantee. Honestly, I like the price as much as the mattress…
#2- Peyton- ‘Spring Air’ mattress made by Restwell in Surrey BC.
-952 bi-level pocket coil
-zoned orthopedic latex
-ecotex soy based foam
-firm (felt like a ‘medium/firm’)
— This one was like sleeping on a cloud and was my favourite, at $850 for a twin it is a bit past the high end of my current budget. With taxes it’s $950. 10 year warrantee.
#3- Bisque – Made by Restwell in Surrey & under their own brand name
-1020 bi-level pocket coil
-zoned orthopedic latex
-ecotex foam
-firm
-Only $699. the specs are similar to #3, it felt fairly similar (though at a different store on a diff day so it’s hard to really say). The price is lower then the #3 Spring Air, and so, I find myself wondering if it’s a lesser quality one despite the specs or if it’s just because the company is selling directly under their own name?
#4- Platinum
-600 continuous coil
-ecotex extended life foam
-soy based foam
-firm
— Also $475 for a twin. It is super similar to #1 but felt a bit more comfortable. Though it was also at a different store so it’s hard to say.
thanks for your time!
Hi shadesofgrey,
Unfortunately … the most important specs are missing which is the density of the polyfoam in the mattress. There are really only three types of foams which are latex, memory foam, and polyfoam. Conforma foam is a zoned convoluted polyfoam, soy based foam is a polyfoam, and ecotex is also a polyfoam. It’s always pretty safe to assume that if it doesn’t say memory foam or latex then it’s polyfoam and then it’s important to know the density which determines the quality and the durability.
The specs are also missing the layer thicknesses so it’s not possible to tell how similar the the Peyton and the Bisque may be. For example one could have several inches of latex and one could only have 1/2 an inch although they very well could be similar because house brands are often less than the National brand made by the same manufacturer.
The most important part of shopping for a mattress is to make sure that the outlet is able to give you all the information about the layers in their mattress or it becomes impossible to know what the weak link (the part that softens and degrades first) may be or how it compares in value to other mattresses.
Restwell is a spring Air licensee in Vancouver and while they make some nice mattresses, they are not always transparent about their materials and they can be somewhat overpriced.
Some options that may be worth considering …
renelle.com They are a Surrey based wholesale manufacturer that has a very nice line of memory foam mattresses and in the next couple of weeks a new line of latex mattresses will also be in the stores (UPDATE: These are now available). If you call them they will give you the name of any local outlets that carry them.
http://foamandhomedecor.com/foam.php Surrey. They are a foam distributor but will make a mattress to your specs. Unfortunately they don’t have finished mattresses available for testing.
http://www.manta.com/ic/mtqdg82/ca/jordan-mattress-ltd They are a Restonic licensee and make a full range of mattresses including latex which may have some better value (depending on the retail outlet). A phone call would likely give you the names of any local retail outlets that carried them.
NOTE: there is a more complete list of Vancouver area options in post #2 here.
If you can get the foam specs (density of the polyfoam and type of latex) and the details of the layer thicknesses for the Restwells it would be easier to make more meaningful comparisons between them and also other mattresses.
Phoenix
thanks for your help!
I’ll see if they can tell me the density & thickness of the layers if the polyfoam. Do different knids of latex also break down quicker or is it just comfort?
I’m not big on fully memory foam mattresses- the deep sinking in doesn’t work for me- feels a bit inert.
Did love some latex I’ve tried. I tried ‘Latex Gold’ made of 100% natural latex and it was my absolute dream- but it was $1300. Ideally I’d go for ‘more natural’ & would be interested in latex- but so far I’ve found it way out of my current price range.
& Ah, What timing! I don’t think I could wait a couple weeks for Renelle’s to come out, I’m sleeping on a temp foam mattress & getting sorer everyday.
Hi shadesofgray,
Different types of latex or different ILD’s of latex can certainly be more or less comfortable for people. Out of the different types though … 100% natural Dunlop, and Talalay (either blended or 100% natural) are the highest quality and longest lasting with the exception that the lower ILD’s of 100% natural Talalay will likely be less durable than the blended versions. The least durable latex is blended Dunlop and this is especially true if it includes “fillers” (which most of the reputable suppliers mentioned on this forum don’t use). More about this is here.
My personal preference in terms of quality and overall value would be to choose between 100% natural Dunlop and blended Talalay as they are the most cost effective and durable versions of latex unless someone likes the feel of Talalay and also wants the more subjective or “green” benefits of having 100% natural and is willing to pay a premium for it. Bear in mind too that these are just comparisons between different types of latex and that in most cases any type of latex is a higher quality material than most of the polyfoam that you will see in mattresses.
Latex gold is a high quality New Zealand made Dunlop latex and is a very nice material but it tends to be more expensive than other alternative suppliers of Dunlop which IMO are equally high quality. SnugSleep is the main supplier in the lower mainland and their prices (and most other “all latex” mattresses) are typically a fair bit higher than the $1300 you are suggesting (although some outlets may charge less and I’m guessing your quote is for the 8" version in twin?). To give you a reference point … one of the lowest prices in BC for an " latex mattress (in this case Talalay) is in Nanaimo here but it would be rare to see prices this low.
If your budget is significantly less than this … then it may be worth considering a latex comfort layer of 2-3" and using a polyfoam support core to retain many of the benefits of sleeping on latex but lower the cost … although this too may be over your budget.
A lot of people feel the same way (including me) but it may be worth considering a combination of memory foam and latex in the comfort layers which feels much less “dead” or motion restricting but may also be on the expensive side for your budget if it uses quality memory foam.
If you are considering Restwell/Spring Air mattresses, it may also be worth calling http://mrmattress.ca/default.aspx . They have better than average prices compared to other spring Air dealers and also carry a latex/polyfam hybrid that may be within your budget (under $1000?). They also have 2 sided mattresses made by Restwell specially for them although once again the density of the polyfoam used is important to know (and sometimes Restwell and/or Spring Air doesn’t even tell their dealers).
Ikea also sells a 6" mostly natural blended Dunlop latex mattress called the Sultan Edsele that is low cost but may need a topper to be comfortable enough for you.
Hope this helps … and feel free to post if you get the specs or have questions about other mattresses that you come across in your search.
Phoenix
Hi shadesofgray,
Just thought I’d let you know that majesticfuton.com is carrying the first of the Renelle latex mattresses. I don’t know if they’re in your budget range but they told me that they are currently selling them at 20% off as an introductory offer so since we’ve been talking about them I thought I’d add this to the thread.
They apparently have some interesting layering combinations that create the different feels but they are “all latex”.
Phoenix
Hi shadesofgrey,
I’ve added a few more options in the Vancouver thread here (based on recent conversations) besides the ones I listed earlier in this thread.
Phoenix
thanks so much!
lots of great info to reply to- but first a quick one to this:)
[quote=“Phoenix” post=3830]Hi shadesofgray,
Just thought I’d let you know that majesticfuton.com is carrying the first of the Renelle latex mattresses. I don’t know if they’re in your budget range but they told me that they are currently selling them at 20% off as an introductory offer so since we’ve been talking about them I thought I’d add this to the thread.
They apparently have some interesting layering combinations that create the different feels but they are “all latex”.
Phoenix[/quote]
Super interesting! Do you know when they’ll be in stock?
Hi shadesofgray,
Majestic has them in stock now.
I would also suggest checking out several of the additions and my additional comments in the Vancouver thread which you may not have seen yet (I made several additions over the course of a few days) including …
http://www.rcb.ca/main.asp
http://www.discountfoam.ca/index.htm
http://www.bedcetera.com/ No latex yet (they are working on possibilities) but good value memory foam.
Vancouver is looking a lot more promising for selection, quality, and value 
Phoenix