Combining firm + latex?

[phoenix]

Hi crash68,

My question for you is this: before I write a check, what are your thoughts here? I’m pretty confident in the King Koil- he had all the specs presented, and even sent me to a couple sites online for more, and encouraged me to do more research and get a second opinion after some thought. Overall, the supportive nature of the firm mattress was very well matched with the topper, and i felt both comfortable and supported. We checked our alignment too - spot on! Concerning the topper- it has a good reputation and is extremely comfortable. So individually, we are confident in the components and feel that the price is worth it. However, there is not much research on “building” a mattress this way - yet so many of the complaints these days are about comfort layers dying and making their owners miserable. This seems to be a great, cost effective way to avoid that trap. But is this too good to be true?

Their site doesn’t indicate that they carry King Koil (only Sealy, Stearns & Foster, Therapedic, and Pure Latex Bliss) but I’m certainly a fan of mattress/topper combinations for a sleeping system where the topper is a high quality and durable material (which yours is), when you can test the combination in person for PPP, and when the mattress uses either higher quality materials in the comfort layers or has minimal amounts of lower quality materials (see post #6 here). This combination has some of the advantages of a component mattress where you can just replace the comfort layer without replacing the whole mattress when and if that becomes necessary and the topper can extend the useful life of the mattress underneath it. If you can test the combination in person then it doesn’t carry the additional risk of having to guess about a topper that would be the best match for the combination of both your body type and sleeping positions and the mattress you are using it on so it can certainly be a great way to customize a good quality sleeping system that works well for you and has no “weak links” in terms of durability.

Now again, I understand from your website that this is simply a method of pseudo-building a mattress tailored to both our comfort level and our price range. The very firm King Koil provides the support layer, with the topper providing the comfort layer that can be replaced as it wears out or our comfort needs change. This seems almost too simple, and it makes me hesitant. Nothing in my research notes indicates that this is a poor decision- your website as well as Sleep Like the Dead continuously emphasize that the weak points of most mattresses is in the comfort layer, and that it tends to kill mattresses for people far earlier than they would like. The weak point that I can find is in the Bonnell continuous coils, and yet they are at 12.5 gauge, which is the best. The polyfoam is 2.5 lb, as you indicate to be high quality, so that is not much of a concern either (beyond that, there isn’t much of it). I’m pretty sure the box spring could hold up a house, and in general solidity and durability are pretty good in firm mattresses, as well as in the King Koil line, as i understand it.

All of the components you have listed (12.5 gauge innerspring, 2.5 lb polyfoam, and a Talalay latex topper) are high quality and durable materials and there would be no weak links in the sleeping system you chose so I would agree with you that it would make a good quality/value choice for a sleeping system. If you also have the KK heavy duty foundation underneath this then I would also agree that it would hold up a house.

I suppose I’m looking for reassurance? Have I interpreted and applied your methods correctly here, in order to maximize quality in the face of cost limitations? So much of what I have read implies “if it seems too good, it is”. Yet I can’t find a problem. Any advice you can offer would be incredibly appreciated.

Yes … you have "interpreted everything very well and I’m impressed with your research and the approach you took with finding a “sleeping system” that matches all the parts of your personal value equation that are important to you and I’m also impressed with the knowledge and service that you received at Mattress Mart (and I’ve added a link to this thread to their listing in the Portage list here). Your experience goes to show that along with some basic research … who you deal with and their knowledge, experience, and integrity can be one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase.

Most important of all … and assuming you decide to pull the trigger … congratulations on your new mattress/sleeping system. I think you did very well

I’m looking forward to any feedback you have the chance to share when you’ve had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.

Phoenix