choosing Ultimate Dreams; Dreamfoam mattress firmness level?

Nice! That’s the same one we chose. Congrats on your upgrade from the camping mattress!

Hi LissaNY,

Congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Thanks everyone for the info on firmness… I’m just getting ready to purchase this mattress (thanks to all the good info on this site:) ), but was really unsure about firmness to order. I’ll check back in after i talk to Chuck and get the mattress!

We too are trying to decide on the firmness level. We went to the Original Mattress Factory and liked the Latex Supreme which had a 32 ILD 6" core and a layer of 16 ILD glued to the core.
Given the mattress we like, what firmness level should we choose?

Data point, I am 6’6" and 240# , my wife is 5’11" and 135#.
We are both side sleepers.

Hi Hiflya,

The best and most accurate suggestions will always come from the manufacturer themselves. Every layer of a sleeping system interacts and affects every other layer and they know the specifics of every layer of their mattress and their customer database also gives them much more accurate reference points about how their mattress interacts with different body types and sleeping positions than any general guidelines I could provide.

They would also be in a better position to “translate” the many differences between the OMF latex supreme and their mattress. As you mentioned, the OMF Supreme uses a 6" layer of 32 ILD Talalay latex for the base (and different base layers will affect the performance and feel of the comfort layers). It also has a comfort layer of 1.5" of latex in the range of 19 ILD (perhaps very slightly firmer) and since layer thickness and layer firmness work together to create softness, there is a big difference here between the thickness of the latex comfort layer in the OMF and the Ultimate Dreams (which uses 3" of latex). The thickness of the quilting layers are also different (the OMF has 1" of quilting foam over the latex and the Ultimate Dreams has 1.5") and the OMF is also on an active boxspring which will make it feel softer than if it was supported by a firm foundation … especially for heavier weights.

All of these many differences would affect the comparative feel and performance of each mattress. Having said all that though … the OMF is fairly soft (the combination of the “medium” support core and the ILD of the comfort layer and the polyfoam quilting and the active innerspring) and while this may work well for your wife who is tall and slim and much lighter weight … it could easily be too soft for best alignment for you and Chuck would probably suggest a comfort layer much firmer than the OMF to accommodate your higher weight and also to “translate” the differences between the mattresses.

If you are ordering a King Size … then you could also choose a different firmness level on each side of the mattress which may be a good option (if possible) instead of a “compromise” between two weights and body shapes that are so different.

So I would “report” your experiences and preferences with OMF (and any other mattresses) to Chuck when you talk with him and use your experience and the guidelines that Chuck suggests that would also take your higher weight and weight differential into account as the basis for your choice.

Phoenix

Fantastic answer - thanks.
I sent Chuck an e-mail and will report back.

Hi Hiflya,

Just a word of caution that an email is not a very effective way of exchanging the more complex type of information you may need to both receive and provide to make your best decision or for them to help you most effectively.

Unless you know for certain that what you are asking has no “variables” and has a “black and white” one sentence answer that covers all possible variations of an answer … dealing with a manufacturer through emails will usually result in long and complex exchanges (each question you ask may lead to more clarifying questions that need to be asked first than you may suspect) and it can end up taking weeks to cover what a conversation can do in half an hour or even much less.

I would strongly recommend that except for the most basic and simplest of questions, that you always deal with a manufacturer on the phone.

Phoenix

Hello all,
I just ordered my Ultimate Dreams Eurotop latex mattress in a 7 comfort level. My fingers are crossed that it’s just the right combination of softness and support. I was totally stuck between ordering a 6 or a 7. The only reason I went with the Europtop version of this mattress is because it affords one the opportunity to exchange the 3" latex layer if need be. I’ll post an update after I actually receive the mattress.

After a lot of debating and going back and forth with myself, I went with the firmness level 3. We wanted a firm mattress since our current “W” mattress has been sagging a lot and giving me backaches. We figure we can always add a topper to make it more comfortable if its too hard. went with my wife to sears just to see if there is something comparable. they had the icomfort mattresses and we preferred the firmest they had on display. crazy how their pricing is for mattresses, saw one for $4800 on sale for $1600! what a bargain :slight_smile:

Ultimate Dreams for $600, looking forward to getting it.

Thank you everyone for the great info.

Hi cardkid and Tyson,

Congratulations to both of you on your new mattresses :slight_smile:

I hope you both have the chance to “report back” on your experiences when you’ve had the chance to sleep on them.

Phoenix

Hi all.
I just ordered a king size Ultimate Dreams mattess but I am still debating on the firmness level.
I am 5’8’’ 130# and my wife is 5’3’’ 175#. We sleep on an old sagged spring mattress with a pillowtop.
We hate it. We liked better the American Signature very basic mattress. We never tried a memory foam mattress,
but we definately do not like our too soft and sagged mattress. I can say that we like more firm than soft mattress.
We are side sleepers. My concern is getting too firm mattress (or too soft; being side sleepers). I think firmness 4-6 will be best (32-28). Chuck recomended level 4 because we like more firm than soft.
So please help me decide on the firmness :unsure:
Did any of you get level 4 or level 6? How does it feel?
I know that there is also level 5 that is the same firmness like 4 but with a softer top, which feels (I was told) closer to 4 than 6.
Please help!

Hi iren_b,

I think the best suggestions on any mattress firmness/softness level will come from the manufacturer themselves who not only knows every detail of their mattress but have a customer base that they can use as a reference point. They will also take your own experiences and feedback into account so they can use a combination of their detailed knowledge of their own mattresses, “averages” based on body type and sleeping position, the feedback from their customer base, and your own preferences and how much you think you are either inside or outside the “averages” of other people. These will give you the best possible guidelines to follow and the best possible odds of making your best choice.

If you start to go down the road of “other people’s suggestions” (including any I may make) … you will find that the suggestions will be all over the map and you will likely end up even more uncertain than ever as different people who may seem very similar to you may suggest so many different and conflicting choices that are “just right” for them (but may not work so well for you) that you won’t have any idea which direction to go and will start to second guess any choice you may make. Because you are ordering a king size … you can also order a different firmness on each side of the mattress.

An online order will always have some risk attached to it because you haven’t tested it and there is no way to eliminate this risk (that’s the tradeoff for the great value) but your odds of success will be much greater “on average” if you work with the manufacturer themselves and put more weight on their guidelines than on any other source or recommendation.

If you are “stuck” on two different choices that are close together … I would always go with the firmer of the two because it’s much easier to soften a mattress that is too firm than it is to firm up a mattress that is too soft.

Hope this helps.

Phoenix

Thank you Phoenix for your quick reply.
BTW ordering 2 different firmnesses for a king mattress is possible only on eurotop (if I am not mistaken) and I am buying the standard ($250 cheaper) one. :frowning:

Hi iren_b,

I think you may be correct … sorry for getting your hopes up.

The only other thing I would mention is that coming from a softened pillowtop you would be used to quite a soft mattress and your “reference point” may be softer than average (meaning that what you call firm may still be soft for others). When you are saying you prefer firmer … is this your own rating (firmer than you are used to) or have you found that you prefer mattresses that several stores have “rated” as being “firm”.

Both the 4 and the 6 would likely be firmer than the pillowtop you are used to.

Phoenix

Hello,

This forum has been extremely useful. It has helped calm my nerves about buying a mattress online without laying on it first. I’ve gone ahead and bought the Ultimate Dreams mattress. Chuck gave me his number and I’ll probably call him to better gauge the firmness level. I’ll report back once I get the mattress!

Hi Baylock,

I think many others will confirm that a conversation with Chuck will be very helpful in helping you make the best possible choice.

Congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

I’m looking forward to your feedback when you’ve had the chance to sleep on it.

Phoenix

Thanks for all the information, I finally decided to go for the Dreamfoam latex mattress. I am hoping that I’ll get the softness right.

Hi aslam,

Congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

I hope you have the chance to share your feedback when you’ve received it.

Phoenix

Just ordered a full size Dreamfoam Ultimate Dreams Latex Mattress and looking forward to a call regarding firmness. Does anyone have any recommendations for me? I’m 5’8" and weigh 145 lbs. I usually change positions many times throughout the night - from back, to side, to stomach - but I spend most of the time on my back. My spine is also slightly more curved than most people so I need my tailbone to sink in far enough so that my spine is actually being supported by the mattress. Any help is greatly appreciated :slight_smile:

Hi marchbold,

You’ve certainly made a great quality/value choice … and congratulations on your new mattress :).

Unless someone is a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has a great deal of experience with helping to “match” their specific mattresses to different people … it’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for someone else either for which mattress, which particular combination of materials or firmness levels, or which type of mattress would work best for someone else. The first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or if you can’t test a mattress in person then your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept well on and liked that they are familiar with, any special considerations you may have, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about helping you to “match” their specific mattress designs or firmness options to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences or even to other mattresses that they are familiar with than anyone else so that in combination with your own personal testing you can make the “best possible” choice with the highest chance of success.

Phoenix