Choosing all Latex without much opportunity to try it..

[dM087]

Good morning!

My wife and I are looking for a King-sized mattress, mostly for the size increase from our current Queen. We’ve done a decent amount of research on this site and others, and have tried various mattresses at a combination of a few major retailers, local stores, and department stores.

While the high majority of the mattresses available for us to try in person were either hybrids, innersprings, or memory foam, we were able to test out two organic latex-based mattresses at a local store - both of which had talalay comfort layers and “plant-based support” systems. From this, we agreed that Talalay latex as a comfort layer is definitely our preference – however I (as a 6’1, 230lbs male) much preferred a 2" medium talalay comfort layer, versus what she (a 5’2 125lbs female) preferred as a 4" plus talalay comfort layer. To me, the 4" talalay comfort layer made me “sink down”, making it hard for me to move around in. Unfortunately, I don’t have any specific information about the ILDs for either mattress, and could only find information about one brand (Natura, the 2" talalay mattress) online. The other brand (Nature’s Bed) I couldn’t locate.

That said, we both seemed to prefer the “plant-based support” in those two mattresses in comparison to the hybrids, and felt that the one Dunlop latex support mattress we tried was very firm (no ILD available). One nice thing that we did notice about hybrids which we didn’t with the latex mattresses is that they seem to provide more support at the edges of the mattress (which I tend to sleep near). As a result, we’re pretty unsure on the support layer and could use some advice - she sleeps primarily on her side, and I sleep mostly on my stomach or my side.

Given this information, is a more progressive mattress (top talalay “medium” comfort layer, middle “soft” Dunlop support layer, bottom “firm” Dunlop support ) the way to go? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated – as you can imagine, making this type of financial and health related investment without being able to properly test the product can be stressful!

PS – if we were to go with either an all latex or latex hybrid mattress, does it matter what foundation we end up purchasing? I also see that there are latex mattresses which can be adjustable, or custom to each half of the bed. My wife’s concern is that they will act as two separate/split beds, which will be very noticeable for us. Is that not the case?

Thanks in advance for all your help, and sorry for the essay!

[Arizona_Premium]

Thank you for the questions. Let me explain a few things so you have a better understanding of how things are in the mattress industry. First of all, when you refer to “plant based support” it has nothing to do with latex even though latex is plant based. If it was latex they would simply say it was latex. What it actually means is that it is polyfoam mixed with about 2% soy bean or castor oil. Not enough to do anything but it’s great marketing. You also mentioned the edge support of a spring base being firmer than the others. Yes, that is true but merely because steel weakens with use and has to be reinforced on the edges where your weight is concentrated when getting in and out of bed. Latex on the other hand does not need the reinforcement and therefore has a less firm edge which in my opinion is much more comfortable to sit on when I put my shoes on and off each day. I find I can still sleep right on the edge whenever I want to and not feel like I’m falling off.

I do believe in your case a dual firmness comfort layer is very appropriate and yet won’t make you feel like it’s 2 different beds, at least the way we make them. A lighter person who is also a side sleeper needs it to be softer than someone your size. I think a 3" would be best in like a #28 Talalay for you and a #19 for her over a good firm support. We offer all three support systems, pocket coils, poly foam and full latex. Any of which will do the job. If you are looking for the firmer edge support then the pocket coil would be the way to go. Dunlop latex does feel firmer than Talalay so if going all latex I would stick with Talalay for the support core since you thought the dunlop was too firm. There is much more info about all three on our website.