We are looking for a California King all-latex mattress.
I’m in Indianapolis, and I can’t find any retailers that have all-latex mattresses on the showroom to try, so I’m kind of flying blind on this, and therefore these “sleep trials” are an important aspect of the shopping.
The chart below will help you see what criteria are important to me, but the main things are price, adjustability, using all Talalay layers, and ease of return. Flobeds and Astra rise to the top based on these criteria. Flobeds has a nice “Goldilocks Guarantee” in case I want to adjust layers down the road, and Astra sells for less.
I’m interested to hear if my criteria are on track or if there are other factors I should be considering, or vendors I missed. For example, I’m kind of discounting the Talalay over Dunlop arrangement, assuming that takes away adjustability.
Just for reference … the list of better possibilities in and around Indianapolis are in post #2 here. While most of them offer latex mattresses… they may not fit the criteria you are looking for but a few calls will find out for certain.
There is a list of online manufacturers in post #21 here who offer a wide range of Talalay and Dunlop latex mattresses and may have better “value” based on various criteria (including yours) than the outlets you have looked at (and of course your post here also qualifies you for an additional 5% discount or bonus from them as well).
A search on Flobeds and on Astra (you can just click on both of these) will bring up lots more information about both of them and some comparisons with other options as well.
This should give you a few more options (and I believe better ones). I’m not sure what you mean by “discounting” the Talalay over Dunlop arrangement because the 'adjustability" of both types would depend more on the number and thickness of the layers than on the type of latex. If you mean having a 6" layer of Dunlop (or Talalay) with a Talalay layer over it … then a 6" support layer would have fewer options for re-arranging or exchanging the layers yes. A 6" core is also more difficult to pack up and ship if you need to. For most people this wouldn’t be a major issue if they chose the layers well and having less layers may lead to a lower cost in some cases but for an online purchase or for someone that has a narrower “range” that will meet their pressure relief and alignment needs … then this may be more important.
I like your spreadsheet The only thing that is “missing” is the knowledge and service and the “approach” of the people on the phone that you talk with at each outlet and their ability to educate you and help you make your best choices. For me this would be a big part of my “value equation”. Out of the two you mentioned … Flobeds is very good here and Astrabeds not so much.
Thanks for the information. Regarding my statement of “discounting Talalay over Dunlop”, what I meant was that the beds that offered one thick layer of Dunlop with one layer of Talalay over that would seem to restrict adjustability, as you stated. My concern there is not because there is only a narrow range of what will work for me (firmness wise) but because I have NO IDEA how firm our current mattress is or what that means in terms of ILD, so I have no idea how to purchase based on a firmness rating. “Medium” is about all I could guess. Coming from that perspective, a bed that would allow reconfiguration of layers to adjust firmness would seem to give a better chance of getting it right on the first try.
That’s what I “thought” you meant and yes you are correct. Like all things … this is generally part of the “tradeoffs” between price and other factors. The comfort layer and the upper part of the support layer (in a single 6" core + comfort layer construction) or the upper layer and middle layer (in a 3 + 3 + comfort layer construction) will be the most important part of how a mattress “feels” and performs along with the type of latex you choose (There are differences in the feel and performance of Dunlop and Talalay). In a 3 + 3 + 3 construction that used Soft/Medium/Firm for example (which is the most common option) then you could increase the firmness of the support and to a degree the comfort layers by exchanging the middle and bottom layer. You still wouldn’t have the option though of making it softer without a layer exchange. In a 6 + 3 construction … any firmness change would require a layer exchange. In both cases … making it softer would require a layer exchange (either choosing a softer 6" core or a softer upper or middle layer (usually not the deepest layer) depending on the goal of the exchange).
Most manufacturers are used to customers that have no idea what they want or need and are happy to share their advice and guidance and the reasons why they are suggesting what they are. This would likely be the “norm” for them. Their experience and knowledge about how every layer and component of a mattress affects every other part can be a bigger factor in success than the “specs” that their customers may think they need. Their advice can also take into account the effects of the ticking/quilting of their mattress and any minor differences in the specific types of latex that they carry. In most cases their advice is based on “averages” which for most people works well. If you have done some local testing on mattresses with known constructions … then this can also be taken into account in your choice and the guidance they will give you.
The Pure Latex Bliss website has a retail outlet finder that will show you which retailers carry them in your area. There are 3 that are reasonably close (although I would call first to find out which models they carry and some may only carry the toppers)
Jamison also makes a range of all talalay latex mattresses and their retail outlet finder also lists a number of retailers in the general area. I would also call these first though because Jamison also makes many other types of mattresses and some of these retailers may not carry their all latex models.
One of the 3 separate Holder’s in the post I linked to earlier in this thread (in post #2) is also close by (about 16 miles from Indianapolis) and also makes all latex mattresses. Some of the other Holders do as well but they are further away.
The only thing that is “missing” is the knowledge and service and the “approach” of the people on the phone that you talk with at each outlet and their ability to educate you and help you make your best choices. For me this would be a big part of my “value equation”. Out of the two you mentioned … Flobeds is very good here and Astrabeds not so much.