My wife and I owned a Jamison latex mattress for about 10 years and loved it. When we replaced it a couple of years back, we knew we wanted another latex mattress. We researched and got some suggestions here. After much research, we ended up going with a 100% latex mattress from Arizona Premium Mattress. After trying several exchanges, we never could get the right comfort level. We have tried different firmness levels and nothing helps - we wake up every morning with back pain. We have owned it now for about 2.5 years.
We were in Florida this last week and slept on a cheap plush Corsicana coil mattress and neither one of us had any back pain. So it’s time for a new mattress again. I am honestly just going to go with my gut this time. I did all the research last time and the mattress from Arizona is the worst one we have ever bought despite the mostly positive reviews. Even the coil Stearns one we hated was better than this one! Not sure what to believe now…My wife wants to go back to Jamison and that’s probably what we will do. We are in the Memphis area and there are not too many custom dealers around here but there are several that sell Jamison.
I’m sorry to hear that your mattress isn’t working out for you.
There are so many combinations of layers and and firmness levels possible with latex mattresses (or any type of mattress) that finding the right combination in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal prefernces) can sometimes be tricky regardless of the type or quality of the materials inside it. Even if two mattresses use the same type of material there are an almost infinite number of designs and firmness levels possible and a mattress that works well for one person can be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on. There is more about some of the more common “symptoms” that people may experience on a mattress in post #2 here but finding the underlying cause of specific symptoms can involve some detective work and can be almost as difficult as a health professional trying to “diagnose” the cause of back pain when there are many possibilities that could be a contributing factor.
Even something as simple as a different cover or quilting material can make a significant difference and some of the Jamison mattresses used to use fairly thick quilting materials. You can see one of their latex mattresses from 10 years ago here for example which had 2.8" of 19 ILD blended Talalay latex over a 5.6" support core of 36 ILD blended Talalay and a quilted cotton/viscose cover that was quilted with a “silk blend” (which can mean silk with polyester fibers). They also had an active box spring which can change the feel and performance of the mattress as well. If you put together these same materials and components today you would have the same mattress regardless of the name of the manufacturer. Sometimes it can also be a matter of our bodies changing over time and a mattress that worked well 10 years previously may no longer be a suitable match for someone.
As you probably know from your research here even the lowest quality of materials such as what you may find in some Corsicana mattresses can be a good match in terms of PPP … the problem is that they don’t stay that way for nearly as long and lower quality and less durable materials will soften and break down much more rapidly than higher quality and more durable materials.
Post #13 here has more about the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase and by far the most important part is that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP regardless of which type of materials or components it uses. Online reviews can only tell you how suitable a mattress may be for someone else that may have very different needs and preferences than you do and they have little bearing on how suitable a choice a mattress may be for you (see post #13 here).
After the suitability of a mattress then the quality and durability of the materials is the next most important part of the purchase.
The key is always to remember that suitability and durability are not mutually exclusive so that regardless of which mattress you purchase that you are confident that it is both a suitable and a durable choice.
Jamison certainly makes some good quality mattresses and their latex mattresses use the same type of latex that they did 10 years ago and that are in your mattress as well but the designs may be different from the designs they made years ago). I would keep in mind that the name of the manufacturer on a label has little to nothing to do with whether a specific mattress is suitable for you in terms of PPP. There is no “magic” in the name of the manufacturer because all manufacturers have access to the same or very similar materials and finding the specific mattress that is a good choice for you will always be the most important part of a mattress purchase regardless of who makes it.
The better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Memphis area are listed in post #2 here.
Thanks for the response. We totally understand that a cheap brand like Corsicana is not the right mattress for the long term.
As an update, we went looking today and are leaning towards getting this Jamison mattress. It is a hybrid mattress with micro coils, the Marriott core and 2" of latex. It is this one:
Even though it says it’s plush, it’s more supportive than really plush. You do not sink down into it like some of the more plush ones. Also, it’s not bouncy like a lot of coil mattresses are.
The latex and the microcoil are certainly good quality and durable materials but I would be a little cautious about the 2" of supersoft and hypersoft foam and the quilting fibers on top which are a little thicker than I would be completely comfortable with for long term durability and could be a weak link in the mattress unless the polyfoam is in a higher density range than is usually used for quilting (see the guidelines here).
We ended up with the Jamison La Jolla. Hopefully the comfort layers will hold up. My wife said that she wanted to pick this one since I picked the last one from Arizona Premium. Only time will tell but we are optimistic that this will be a good one.
One other thing - we did not set out to buy any particular type of bed. We tried all kinds from pure innerspring, all foam ones, all latex ones and hybrids. We chose the one we liked the best.
It sounds like your mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP so if you are OK with the slightly higher risk involved with some of the materials in your mattress in terms of durability … then I would say you’ve made an “informed choice”.
After sleeping on the Jamison for almost a month, I thought I would send an update. My wife and I are thrilled with it! Our back pains are gone and we are sleeping so much better. First impressions are great. We really did not even have an adjustment period either. My wife likes soft and I like firmer and this bed is a perfect compromise. She thinks it’s a little firm and I think it’s a little soft. Hopefully it lasts well but only time will tell. I know I am twisting it every 2 weeks like Jamison recommends for the first 3 months.
