Can I mimic the Natura EcoRevive stitched wool and latex top feel in a Sleep EZ?

[phoenix]

Hi Crimsonbard,

Thank you for your time and expertise. Part of the reason we have not purchased a mattress in 20 years is because it is a pure shot in the dark. There are no clear reviews that compare power ratings, frequency response, brightness and contrast, megapixels etc.

You’re right because the biggest variable in mattresses is the person sleeping on them so much of choosing the “best possible” mattress is relative to the person. While the quality specs of a mattress that relate to durability are more objective … much of the rest of choosing a suitable mattress is much more subjective and relative so the key is to know “enough” basic information that you know “how” to choose. Choosing a mattress would be more closely related to buying shoes or clothes or food where individual needs and preferences play a much more important role than it would to buying a computer or a monitor or a sound system where there are more “objective” comparisons and specs available.

We had such a bad experience with our last purchase that it stays with you. We bought a Simmons beauty rest with pocketed coils from a local mattress place. Within a month it had heavy pitting where our butts rest. We wanted a refund since I did not recognize the other brands they sold. They sent out an expert who declared the bed defective but refused to give us a refund so I contacted our credit card and they issued a refund. I called them to tell the about that and told them they could come and pick up the mattress but the guy was all smug and said that this happens all the time and they get the charges reversed. (Really this happens all the time? So to me that meant that they clearly are not selling top notch items) So we went to Carson Pirie Scott to buy and ended up with a Sterns N Foster that was too hard and then returned that for the one we have (Serta or Sealy). Because we moved the Simmons into the spare bedroom that had no bed, it was set up on the floor to make sure it was not damaged while we waited for this to shake out.

At least with the information you have learned you will now be able to quickly eliminate over 90% of the mattresses that are sold in the industry including all the major brands or any mattress that uses lower quality materials or “unknown” materials where you aren’t able to easily find out the information you need to make an “informed” choice.

After a couple of months and no reversal of our credit or call from the mattress place, my wife wanted to throw it out but I was like why, it should be good enough if we have gests over and in case they call months later, we will still have the bed. I decided to put a cover on the mattress and a set of sheets and to my surprise, the pitting was gone. That’s when I realized that the king box springs needed cross support but no one told us it was needed. We were sold a bed and box springs with a basic frame that did not include cross bracing so I assumed it was not needed. We previously had an 8’X8’ octagon water bed that I made. After our move and subsequent several month delay while I renovated the upstairs, the folded up mattress had some water on the folded surface and it mildewed. We could not get the smell out so we tossed the mattress and I bought a replacement but my wife did not like the new vinyl smell and wanted a normal bed. So this is why I did not know that the box springs needed more support but the expert who came out to look at the bed, didn’t catch that either. Go figure.

I’m not sure you are clear between the difference between a box spring and a foundation. A box spring has springs inside it that flex under the mattress and there are very few one sided mattresses today that use them as a support system and in many cases they will invalidate a mattress warranty. Most mattresses in the industry today need a steel or wooden bedframe with a foundation that has minimal to no flex (vs a box spring that flexes) or a platform bed which also has little to no flex under the mattress. There are many in the industry that mix up the terminology between box springs and foundations even though they are very different products.

There is more information about the different types of support systems (bedframes and foundations or platform beds) that are generally suitable for different types of mattresses and some examples of each of them in post #1 here. I would also keep in mind that these are general guidelines and some manufacturers have requirements that may be different so I would always confirm with the retailer or manufacturer of your mattress that any support system you are planning to use under the specific mattress you purchase meets their warranty requirements and guidelines.

So given all that, plus the fact that our stairs to the second floor are so narrow that a king mattress has to be folded 90 degrees to get it up the stairs, I just did not want to deal with it. Latex will solve the stair issue but unfortunately our memories of the Simmons bed developing pits after a couple of months is a strong memory to erase.

While I can understand the hesitation … there is absolutely no comparison between the high quality materials used in the Natura and the very low quality and much less durable materials that are used in most Simmons mattresses. The only thing in the Natura that would be subject to any visible impressions would be the wool in the quilting because natural fibers will compress and pack down over time to some degree but slight impressions in wool … unlike the softening or deeper impressions that are more likely with lower quality foam materials … will even out to some degree over time as you sleep in different areas of the mattress and won’t have a meaningful effect on the comfort or support of the mattress.

We will probably just get the Natura and take our chances. I know that I will be able to come up with some kind of work around if need be but I should not have to when you spend almost $4000 on a mattress! Wish us luck.

Of course that’s a choice that only you can make based on your risk tolerance and on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you and each person may make very different choices even if they have similar options to choose from. In any case … Good Luck

In its simplest form choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …

1. Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.

2. Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.

3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

I’m looking forward to finding what you end up deciding once you pull the trigger and of course to any additional updates you have the chance to share once you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.

Phoenix