Going to visit The Mattress Factory and City Mattress in Ft. Worth, and Sleep City in Lewisville today. Thoughts to come…
I want to thank Phoenix for making me aware of these local companies. Buying a mattress from a local company is a win/win - I get a great mattress, and support local companies at the same time. My hat’s off to you, Phoenix, for doing so many consumers and providers a genuine service!
Hi Cool Hand Lou,
Welcome … and I’m glad you found us 
I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback after your visits.
Phoenix
So I had the opportunity to visit the Mattress Factory and City Mattress in Ft. Worth this past weekend, and I was very impressed with each of their offerings. Unfortunately time dictates did not allow me to visit Sleep Craft in Lewisville. I plan to visit them this weekend.
My first stop was City Mattress. From viewing their website, the mattress line that I was most interested in was their Royal Jewel series and all-Latex mattresses. Unfortunately they did not have any Royal Jewel Latex Plush mattresses on the showroom, or in the back to let me lay on. It is a 932 coil density Queen mattress with small 16 gauge marshall coils and a 2" Talalay comfort layer. They did, however, have the Royal Jewel Gel on the showroom that I tried out. I loved it! Like the Latex Plush model, this mattress has 932 coil density 16 gauge marshall coils, with 15 gauge coils on the edge for additional stiffness on the perimeter… It had 1" of Talalay Latex and 1" of Gel memory foam comfort layer. It felt wonderful! The memory foam and latex complimented each other very nicely. The memory foam gives you the softness and feel of sinking in just a little bit, while the latex gives you the buoyancy that keeps you on top of the mattress. The latex mattresses were nothing to write home about. They were Dunlop latex, so they were too firm for me.
This brings to mind a concern of mine: the small 16 gauge coils. My concern is that they might be too weak to last a meaningful amount of time. I did read on this forum elsewhere by Phoenix that thin wire coils can still hold up for years in a mattress with small coils and with a high coil density. The coils did feel soft. My concern is that the coils might give out in a couple of years. Another concern is the gel memory foam. I know Latex is supposed to last for a very long time, but I hear that memory foam can give out in a few years. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
My next stop was the Mattress Factory. I was excited to test out the Elegance mattress, as well as Jerry’s Latex mattresses. The Elegance is a high, high quality innerspring mattress with a HR polyfoam comfort layer. on top of 13 gauge offset coils. Unfortunately it was too firm for me (I like a soft mattress). Next, I tried each of the three latex models on the floor: a firm (36 ILD), medium-firm (32 ILD), and medium (28 ILD)… The core was a Dunlop, with the top and bottom a softer Talalay. The firm and medium-firm were too hard for me. The medium (his softest latex mattress) presented me with an interesting conundrum: the Talalay top felt great, but my hips sank down into the Dunlop core which felt hard and gave push back to my hips, making it too firm for my hip pressure point. So, I doubt I’ll buy from him.
Which brings me to Sleep Craft. I am planning to go there this weekend and try their all-Latex N3 mattress, as well as Latex-innerspring hybrid mattresses. I called and spoke with Zak, the co-owner, and he said their N3 mattress is all-Talalay in a 25-30 ILD. I’m excited!!! I mentioned the latex mattress at Mattress Factory being Dunlop and Talalay mix, and he made a pretty interesting statement, he recommended against buying a Dunlop/Talalay combination because the different latexes will wear out unevenly, requiring me to replace it sooner. This struck me as interesting because I have seen a video of a compressed Talalay latex mattress unfold after four years of being rolled up, and it sprang back to life, whereas the Dunlop latex that was also compressed for four years just flopped down and maintained the indentations from the folds while compressed. His words resonated with me thinking of that video. Anyway, I look forward to trying the all-Talalay mattress. I think it will be softer than the Dunlop, and I like a soft, supportive feel.
I will post my observations after my trip to Sleep Craft this weekend.
Hi Cool Hand Lou,
Thanks for the comments and feedback … I appreciate it.
All types and blends of latex come in a wide range of firmness levels from very soft to very firm so Dunlop layers can be either softer or firmer than Talalay layers. If a Dunlop layer is the same ILD as a Talalay layer (and the ILD’s are correct which isn’t always the case) and the same thickness (and disregarding the effect of all the other layers and components in the mattress) then for many people the Dunlop will feel firmer than the Talalay because it has a higher compression modulus than Talalay (the rate that a foam material becomes firmer as you compress it more deeply) which can affect the perception of firmness. A Dunlop layer that is a few ILD softer than a Talalay layer will often feel similar in terms of firmness for many people although the Talalay will generally have a more resilient or lively feel than Dunlop which can also affect how some people perceive firmness. There is more about Talalay vs Dunlop in post #7 here.
The amount of steel in a coil would probably be the most reasonable measure of its overall “quality” and durability but you can’t tell the amount of steel in an innerspring based on just the gauge of the coil because the number of coils (or the coil density), the height of the coil, the diameter of the coil, the shape of the coil, and the number of turns in each coil, and some of the other coil specs that can differentiate one coil from another can also make a significant difference in the amount of steel in an innerspring and along with the type of coil and how the individual coils are connected together can also make a significant difference in the firmness and response of the innerspring as well. If a tempered innerspring provides suitable support and alignment when you lie on the mattress and it isn’t too soft for your weight and body type then it’s very unlikely that it would be the weakest link in a mattress which is likely to be in the comfort layers above the innerspring. A mattress will generally soften and break down from the top layers down because they are the layers that are subject to the most compression and deflection which is what causes a material or component to break down and lose height or firmness over time.
Memory foam (like polyfoam) comes in a range of different densities and higher density memory foam is more durable than lower density memory foam. There is more about the foam density and durability guidelines I would suggest in post #4 here and if you are in an average weight range (lower 200’s or so or less) and the memory foam is 4 lbs or higher then it would be “durable enough” and wouldn’t be a weak link in the mattress. Memory foam layers that are deeper in a mattress will also be more durable than the same layers that are closer to the surface of the mattress because they compress less when you sleep on them than the same layers that are closer to the surface.
I’m not sure I would agree with this and neither would many latex manufacturers that have been making latex mattresses for decades. The reality is that all layers and components in a mattress will soften and break down at different rates depending on the type and firmness of the layer and component and on their position in the mattress. There are many people that prefer the more “supportive” and less resilient feel of Dunlop in the support core and this is strictly a preference issue. Both Talalay and Dunlop are among the most durable foam materials in the industry and both of them are suitable as both support and comfort layers. The reality is that the softer top layers will tend to soften and break down faster than deeper and firmer support layers no matter what type of latex it may be. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #7 here.
The video you are referring to has been brought up on a number of occasions on the forum and I have commented on it in posts such as post #4 here and in post #4 here. It certainly doesn’t reflect how Dunlop responds or breaks down in real life use or the reality that many people have slept on a Dunlop latex mattress for decades (you can see an example here of one that is almost 50 years old).
I would completely avoid the temptation to call one type of latex better or worse or more or less durable than the other and just treat them as being different with each one having different properties that some people would prefer over the other. I would treat the choice between them as strictly a matter of preference and not as a “better/worse” choice at all which IMO completely misses the point.
I’m looking forward to your comments after your visit to Sleep Craft.
Phoenix
I haven’t been able to post and update my last post. So I visited Sleep Craft in Lewisville the next weekend after my visits to Mattress Factory and City Mattress in Fort Worth. Honestly (and this is not a knock against Mattress Factory or City Mattress), Sleep Craft’s mattress quality was head and shoulders above the competition! Like Mattress Factory, they make two-sided mattresses (old school, which lengthens mattress life), but they (Sleep Craft) primarily use latex as the comfort layer along with their innerspring mattresses. That gave the mattresses a nice feeling! Speaking of innersprings, theirs felt slightly softer and more comfortable than the others. If I were going to purchase an innerspring mattress, I would purchase it from Sleep Craft! Todd (the owner) even offered to custom-make an individually pocketed coil mattress with latex comfort layer for me.
The reason I declined an innerspring-latex mattress is because I went with the all-latex mattress, an N4 Talalay mattress. It was love at first touch! I thought I would prefer the N3 latex mattress, but the N4 was soft enough with good support. It had a wonderfully consistent feel throughout the mattress. My butt didn’t sink through the soft Talalay layer and hit the hard Dunlop core like the other mattress. I’m having my mattress delivered Thursday and I can’t wait!
I love that I found three great local mattress companies! Phoenix, thanks again for the valuable service you provide to the heart and soul of our economy by promoting the local providers.
By the by, my wife is expecting our first child due on Christmas day, and Todd agreed to custom-make a mattress for my baby when he/she graduates from the crib. I’m a customer for life, and I highly urge all DFW residents looking for a new mattress to check them out at Sleep Craft in Lewisville! They’re great folks, and they make a top notch mattress!
Hi Cool Hand Lou,
I think you may be confusing how a mattress “feels” and your own personal preferences with the quality or durability of the materials but it certainly seems clear to me that you liked the mattresses at Sleep Craft much better than the other manufacturers you tried which means that for you it would certainly be better “value” (PPP is always the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase).
You are fortunate to live in the Dallas area where there are some great choices available and as you know I think highly of Todd and Sleep Craft. You certainly made a great quality/value choice and most importantly … congratulations on your new mattress
I’m also looking forward to your comments and feedback once you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.
Congratulations on your soon to be new addition to your family as well
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
First I want to thank you for everything you and The Mattress Underground does to educate and guide all of us carrying out the long and often frustrating search for the "right" mattress. I have learned more with the guides on this site and your [url=https://forum.mattressunderground.com/categories]mattress forums [/url]posts than with everything else I have learned in the last 20 years put together X 10. As a matter of fact a good portion of what I have learned on this site was that I first needed to unlearn what I thought I knew ( coil count, gauge, etc, firm, soft, etc ). You are definitely the Mattress Whisperer!
I am currently searching in the Dallas area and I was fortunate enough to come across The Mattress Underground and found a post with a list of recommended local mattress companies. I am planning on going to check out Sleep Craft this week/weekend. I did have a question in regards to Sleep Craft though. I know that before in this post and others that you have recommended them. However I do not see them listed on the member page. I am not sure if they were previously members and are not now or if they simply were never actual members ( Just recommended ). So I wanted to make sure that it is still a company that you would recommend.
Thanks again Phoenix!
Hi DeadTiredDallas,
Thanks for the kind words … I appreciate them.
While I do recommend the members here “as a group” because I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency … there are also many other sources of good quality/value mattresses as well that aren’t members of this site (at least yet).
I don’t make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because 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 or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress 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 your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
There is also more about the 3 most important parts of “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
While I can’t speak to how any mattress will “feel” for someone else because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances … outside of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the quality/durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new) so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
I know you’ve seen this but just for the sake of others that may read your post … the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Dallas/Ft Worth areas are listed in post #4 here but this is always subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply.
Sleep Craft has never been a member of this site and it’s not something we have talked about although I do think highly of them so they would be well worth considering as a “possibility”.
Phoenix