Thank you! This is precisely the perspective I am trying to gain.
It is so hard to have a subjective comparison on this, as I dont have the benefit of âfeelingâ the SOL mattress.
Doing a search on this forum, I found this post: Nivrana Specs
Looks like the previous buyer confirmed the specs for the poly foam: 2.5 lb., 36 ILD base foam (see previous message HERE)
Youâre welcome! If it is a 2.5 lb. density base foam, then you should feel more comfortable in knowing it will last, especially under 6" of Talalay latex. I do suggest you still ask Shovlin about it (donât tell them about the info you found on TMU), as specifications do get changed over time, and going with a lower density foam would save them money.
Sweet dreams,
Team Luma
thanks again for the reply!
One other question: my existing 11 year old simmons beauty rest âluxury firmâ set has a foundation that appears to be heavy gauge wire grid with fabric over it. Would both the SOL and the Nirvana be ok on top of these?
Or would I need a new foundation? I saw this bunky board as an option. My preference would be to just buy the mattress, but if I do need a new foundation, then I may need to consider just buying a platform bed (saw this on the foundations thread: NewTown platform bed
Glad to be of assistance! The foundation you have from your Beautyrest set purchase, in terms used within the mattress industry, is called a semi-flex. It is indeed a heavy gauge wire grid with a fabric cover. The grid is stapled to a wooden base that is very similar to the bunkie board you describe. These foundations are very sturdy and should have a product life cycle longer than the mattress. As long as your foundation is level, stable/solid and does not make noise (e.g. squeak), you should be able to use it under your new mattress. We advise that you check with the company you select for your mattress (SOL, Shovlin, etc.) to make sure they agree and that there are no implications to your new mattress warranty.
Hello everyone I live in Pittsburgh, PA (south hills) and have recently started shopping for a king size mattress. My wife and I visited a nearby Mattress Firm. We felt most comfortable on the following:
I havent gotten to the point of researching quality of materials much yet but I would love to hear what people think about these mattresses. Any recommendations on mattress retailers in Pittsburgh would also be welcome. Thanks!
Hi Jdadburgh.
Welcome to our Mattress Forum! 
I agree that after some preliminary testing it is best to dig a little deeper and âget to the pointâ of finding out the specifics of the components within any mattress that you are consideringâŚI generally advise against the major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta, as they all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors. Lower quality materials will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay, which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (along with the major retailers that focus on them as well) regardless of how they may feel in a showroom along with any mattress where you arenât able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (You can see some reasons why I generally tend to avoid them in . the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here ).
Regarding each of the individual mattresses you are looking at you can perform a forum search here (just click on the link and type any key term or phrase ) to see comments or posts in discussion about them.
While I or any of the site experts are always happy to help the forum members here with âhowâ to choose, to act as a "fact check, or to help them find better manufacturers or retailers that have better quality and value but âwhatâ to choose in terms of either a mattress or the balance between comfort/pressure relief and support/alignment that may be suitable for a specific person is always up to the only person who can feel what you feel on a mattress and best left to personal testing and your own experiences or more detailed discussions with the more knowledgeable people at the retailers or manufacturers that sell a mattress you are considering.
The first suggestion Iâd have is to start with the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make the best possible choices ⌠and know how and why to avoid the worst ones which would include the major brands such as Serta or any mattress where you arenât able to find out the quality of the materials inside it and you have no way to identify any weak links in the mattress or make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses so you would be making a completely âblindâ purchase. If you change the shopping approach and follow the steps outlined in the tutorial linked above you will have much higher odds of success.
You can perform a Forum Search and you can type in the âkey termâ any city or area you would be closer to and consider driving such as Pittsburgh or any other area and see what other businesses have been discussed in that region which may be helpful to you. There is a Pittsburgh list here that you might wish to check upon. Other than this we have decided to discontinue the provision of listings of potential retailers in various geographic regions (unless they are already approved site members), because of the difficulty in maintaining such lists in a retail landscape that is constantly changing, and most importantly the confusion it was creating with the consumer members who incorrectly assumed that these businesses had indeed gone through the strict qualification process and were approved as members of The Mattress Underground. Such an assumption is unfair to both the consumers seeking assistance, as well as the very businesses and manufacturers who meet the criteria to become Trusted Members of The Mattress Underground.
Whatever business youâre considering, I would always confirm that any retailer or manufacturer that you wish to visit is completely transparent (see this article) and also make sure that any mattress that you are considering meets the Post #13 quality/value guidelines here. One way to recognize the better retailers or manufacturers who are âmattress peopleâ rather than âmarketing peopleâ is that once you start asking questions they will not only provide better answers but will also ask you better questions focused on finding out what you really need and prefer and offer their recommendations based on your answers rather than on âmarketing storiesâ.
Good luck! and once youâve had the chance to narrow things down a little further, feel free to post back with any specific questions and I or any of our Expert Members will be happy to assist you.
Phoenix
UPDATE:
In the end, I ordered a custom mattress from Ken at Arizona Premium Mattresses. It finally arrived todayâLooking forward to opening the boxes and breaking it in
Thanks again for all the advice
Good for you! Glad Luma Sleep could be of assistance. Arizona Premium is a good company. Weâre sure Ken will take care of you!
Sweet Dreams!
@sirk98 - Congrats on your new custom mattress! You definitely ordered from a top quality vendor whose customer service is exceptional. I have no affiliation with Ken or APM but have been very impressed with his level of knowledge and customer focus from his very helpful posts on this forum.
Thanks for replies!
Well, first night on the mattress was⌠interesting.
The mattress itself seems to be of extremely high quality (not entirely sure I would know if it wasnt, but everything seemed really well made)
Overall, the mattress felt really comfortable. Also, I did not wake up sweating 3 or more times at night (this was an issue with my old mattress). Additionally, its a bit early to know for certain, but my chronic lower back stiffness was a bit better today. I am a stomach sleeper, so I am sure this is a contributing factor on my old mattress.
All that being said, the mattress was a bit firmer than I recalled. I am assuming this is an adjustment / mattress break in thing. My plan is to give it a month and see if I still feel this way.
Hi sirk98,
Thanks for the update. Itâs great to read that you are no longer being awoken for sweating at night on your new custom AZP mattress. We look forward to hearing back from you after you have had some time to acclimate to your new mattress and vice versa. 
Sweet dreams,
Team Luma
UPDATE 1 MONTH(ish) AFTER BED ARRIVAL:
So, I spoke with Ken, and I realized that the bed, though built to spec, was not working for meâperhaps the specs I worked off were flawed.
So, I opted to buy a 3" Talalay Latex topper vs a comfort exchange. I am SO happy I did
The bed is now SUPER comfortable. I also needed to replace my 11+ year old foundation so we bought a Zinuz Deluxe 12" platform bed. We also needed to replace our ancient pillowsâthe bed had so much more support that our pillows quickly proved to be basically useless.
All is well now. I am back to sleeping in my bed (I couldnt before the topper and bed frame arrivedâvery light sleeper)!
Couldnt be happier.
In the end, I saved approximately $1,400 by working with AZPâand by being patient (delivery of the bed did take a long time, but Ken was very responsive).
Hi sirk98.
Thank you for taking the time to share your comments and feedback and for letting us know what worked for you in the end ⌠and some of the reasoning behind it ⌠I am glad that you hit the sweet spot with adding the topper to your Arizona Premium mattress⌠and also that you were able to get some good savings!. It is great that you also reevaluated your pillows which are a very important part of a sleeping system and the spinal alignment in the neck and upper body area. You are correct that the type of mattress you sleep on and how deeply you sink into the comfort layers also play a role in the type of pillow that is best for any particular sleeper Generally the deeper you sink into a mattress ⌠the âthinnerâ a pillow you will typically need.
âAll is wellâ when it ends well ⌠in a deep and sound sleep.
Iâm hoping that youâll be able to provide more updates as time goes on regarding your mattress/toper combo.
Phoenix
Sorry for threadjacking, but since I cannot post a new topic in the general questions section, I have no choice.
Looking through the trusted members list, I see that Brooklyn Bedding is no longer a member, but Nest is. Given that Brooklyn does the manufacturing, and they fell off the trusted member list (why is that exactly?) then does that mean that Nest is no longer a trusted member as well?
Thanks!
P.S. This is the best, most objective, mattress site out there. Much appreciated. Iâve learned a lot.
Hi batesman.
Welcome to our Mattress Forum!
Thanks for your appreciation. I am glad that the site is assistive in your research!
Nest Bedding is one of our Trusted Members of this site and like all the members here I think very highly of and consider them to be among the âbest of the bestâ in the industry.
While Nest Bedding is a partner of Brooklyn Bedding they are separate entities functioning independently. BBâs factory operations contract manufacturer for Nest Bedding. This partnership does not raise any conflicts as it relates to Nestâs membership in TMU. Brooklyn Bedding manufactures beds with different specifications and designs. As to why one is a member and the other notâŚBB was a member for several years with BBâs membership in TMU ending late last year.
FYI just in case you are considering one of Nestâs products ⌠we will be updating shortly the Coupon Codes for Nest Bedding for Labor Day period.
Good luck with your research!
Phoenix
Thank you! Iâll be looking for that coupon. Any idea when itâll drop?
Thanks again!
Hi batesman.
We just reached out to Nest Bedding for the updated discount codes. My guess is that theyâll send them first thing in the morning. Iâll drop you a line as soon as they arrive.
Phoenix
Hi batesman.
Just a quick note to let you know that Nest sent the updated codes. As usual, codes offered to TMU consumer members are higher or the same as codes offered on their own site or anywhere on the internet. Nest will also apply any free bonus items that sometimes they offer along with a specific product purchase.
You can see the updated codes on Nest Bedding business profile here.
Phoenix
Many thanks, Phoenix!
Hi batesman.
You are very welcome!!
Let us know if youâve had a chance to use the code and post any updates that you might have once youâve had the chance to sleep on your new mattress for a while.
Phoenix