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Hi dinsley,

Thanks for the kind words ā€¦ and congratulations on your new mattress!

As you know I think SleepEz is a great choice and Iā€™m looking forward to your feedback once youā€™ve received it :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Thanks for all the great information on the site. It has been really helpful in learning about things I should look for when buying a new mattress. I have checked out a couple of DFW stores that you have mentioned on the site and am going out again today. Hopefully I will be able to find a great quality/value mattress that works for me!

Hi kmj,

Thanks for the kind words.

Donā€™t forget ā€œrule #1ā€ which is to always make sure that any retailer (whether they are on a list here or not) can provide you with the quality details of every layer of any mattress you are considering or testing (thickness and foam density for memory foam and polyfoam and the thickness, type and blend of any latex in the mattress). If they can and will cheerfully provide you with this information and understand what it means then this is one of the more reliable indicators that you are dealing with a more knowledgeable person.

Phoenix

Thanks for the informative site. Been reading a lot over the last couple of weeks as we thought we probably needed a new mattress, today I finally actually looked at ours and noticed some major sagging. No wonder we hurt so much So, am about ready to pull the trigger. Just got off the phone with Sean at Sleep EZ who helped me decide on the layers, he was so helpful and makes me feel much better about ordering. Will do an update once we get it try it out!

Hi melen,

As you know I think very highly of Shawn and SleepEz ā€¦ and Iā€™m always amazed at his patience and calmness on the phone.

Congratulations on your new mattress ā€¦ and Iā€™m looking forward to your update when you receive it :slight_smile:

Phoenix

I appreciate all the information on the site- a discount would is the icing on the cake.
Although I am probably reaching paralysis by analysis, I think my wife and I are leaning towards ordering from SelectFoam. We are probably going to take a trip to one or two of the Southern California mattress places listed in the Los Angeles Thread (here, for those interested)

Thanks again!

Hi doggu4747,

I can understand how ā€œparalysis by analysisā€ can be a danger on a site like this. Sometimes the more you learn the more you want to learn and the more it can feel like itā€™s not enough. I face that challenge every day :slight_smile:

There comes a point of diminishing returns though where any more information probably wonā€™t make any real difference in the quality or value of your choice and where you have to trust your instinct and choices ā€¦ and of course what your body tells you in your own testing.

Iā€™m looking forward to finding out what you end up choosing.

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix.
Iā€™m going out to Flexus this afternoon. Hopefully I will like what I see there.

Phoenix,

Thanks for such an informative website! Iā€™m busy trying to digest all the articles you have written, in anticipation of ordering a quality latex mattress. Iā€™ve used latex pillows for years with great results, and Iā€™m overdue for a new mattress, as my Serta innerspring is 10 years old!

At this point, Iā€™m leaning towards either the Brooklyn Bedding Aloe Alexis or the SleepEZ Select Sleep 13,000. In your opinion, is the all-latex 13,000 worth the large price difference? (I know that you speak favorably about both companiesā€¦)

Thanks again,
Mike

Hi mikkel,

I think there may be two separate issues involved here. One is the amount of latex vs polyfoam in a mattress and the second is when it may be either a good idea or a preference to use more than about 8" or 9ā€™ of latex in a mattress.

Speaking generically you can see my thoughts about an all latex mattress vs a latex hybrid in post #2 here. Brooklyn Bedding also has an all latex mattress on amazon which is not yet on their main site. I think though that the SleepEz 10000 would be closer to an ā€œapples to applesā€ comparison with both of them (although of course the Alexis would be lower cost than both because it only has 6" of latex and the other two have 9")

On the other hand you can see some of my thoughts about a latex mattress that uses more than about 8" - 9" of latex and when this may be useful or a preference in post #14 here.

The Alexis is ā€œin betweenā€ an all latex mattress and a typical latex/polyfoam hybrid which only has a latex comfort layer and I would certainly choose a mattress with a latex middle transition layer over one that had only latex on top (particularly for heavier people that may compress the layers below the top latex layer more) but I would also choose all latex over either if I could comfortably afford it. Itā€™s really a matter of the tradeoff between budget and performance and the deeper the polyfoam layer is the less effect it will have overall on both performance and durability.

For most people though (unless they were very heavy) ā€¦ 12" of latex would be more than they really ā€œneededā€ although it may still be a good choice either as a preference or because a mattress they were buying needed more thickness to accomplish its design or performance goals.

Phoenix

Thanks for the info!

Iā€™m soooo tornā€¦

The Ultimate Dreams 13" Gel Memory Foam Mattress (on Amazon) from Dreamfoam bedding looks greatā€¦ and at $699 for the Queen size seems like a great deal Amazon.comā€¦ (13" Gel Memory Foam Mattress - Three Layer construction: 3" of 4lb gel memory foam, 2" of 5lb memory foam, 8" base of premium base foam)

Yet, the Novaform 14" Gel Memory Foam Queen Mattress they have at my local warehouse for $499, and then starting March 7th, they are offering another $100 off that taking it to $399ā€¦ http://www.costco.com/NovaformĀ®-14"-Gel-Memory-Foam-Queen-Mattress.product.100026997.html (Mattress thickness: 14" - Top layer: 3 inches of 3.5 lb. density gel memory foam; Middle layer: 3 inches of 2 lb. density air channel foam; Bottom layer: 8 inches of 2 lb. density base foam for long lasting support)

I want to get the most for my money of courseā€¦but I would also like this bed to last at least the next 5-6 yearsā€¦ Will both of these beds hold up at least that long based upon listed components on each site?

Based upon construction would you expect to be a difference in feel with one being firmer?

Lastly, I really dont want the edges of my bed to just crumble under meā€¦but allow me to sit on the edge and put my socks on and not just slide off due to no supportā€¦How do these gel/memory foam beds hold up on the edges?

thanks!!!

Thank you for providing such great information to aid in purchasing a mattress. After I read up on it I decided to purchase the DreamFoam Mattress Ultimate Dreams 13-Inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress on amazon. I will let you know how it turns out!

Hi dfade,

I donā€™t recommend any mattress with memory foam under 4 lbs ā€¦ especially when there is 3" of it ā€¦ so for me that would exclude the Novaform. Not only is the foam lower density but there is more of it to soften which means that foam softening would have an even greater effect on durability. The Dreamfoam has all good quality materials so it would be reasonable to think that it would last longer than your target for most people. It has higher density 5 lb memory foam under the 2" of 4 lb gel memory foam. As you can see in post #2 here though ā€¦ how long a mattress lasts is relative to the person and on how well they choose their mattress in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences). If someone chooses a mattress that is close to being too soft for example and at the very bottom of the range for what they need in terms of support, then even a little bit of softening would put them over the line and they may need to replace the mattress even though the materials themselves havenā€™t broken down (just softened) and the mattress would still be fine for someone else that still had good comfort and support on the same mattress.

Foam density has nothing to do with how a mattress ā€œfeelsā€ and the only way to know how a mattress may feel for you would be to either lie on the mattress in person or lie on a mattress where the manufacturer knows of a mattress that is similar that you could test locally. If you are dealing with what I call ā€œmattress peopleā€ (such as Dreamfoam) ā€¦ then a conversation with them can be very helpful in deciding if the mattress may be suitable for you. If you are dealing with people that know very little about mattresses (such as Costco) ā€¦ then you are really rolling the dice and depending on the refund policy and the luck of the draw. In the case of Dreamfoam they have said that the 13" gel memory foam is similar to the Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe except a bit firmer so you could test this to get a sense of how it felt and how well it may perform for you. In the case of the Novaform you would just be rolling the dice and hoping for the best.

In my opinion ā€¦ who you buy from is just as important as what you buy. If a mattress you buy isnā€™t suitable for your needs and preferences then no matter what the price of the mattress it would have little value to you and you would be starting all over again at square 1.

Phoenix

Hi newportblue,

Congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

Iā€™m looking forward to your feedback when you receive it.

Phoenix

Phoenix,
Thank you so much for providing an incredible amount of helpful information for all of us who have been suffering with poorly-made mattresses for years. I have vowed to never again purchase a bed from one of the ā€œSā€ manufacturersā€”donā€™t even get me started on sinking PU pillowtopsā€¦

Iā€™ve been researching the last couple of weeks on what type of mattress Iā€™d like to purchase next, and itā€™s quite overwhelming when you realize the choices you have.

Iā€™m in the Orlando area and saw the mattress companies you have suggested for central Florida and plan to check them out, starting with OMF, since their showroom is only 5 minutes away! Fox Mattresses intrigues me as well. I really like the idea of an all latex bed, but not sure of the expense. Our front-running option for now is a medium-firm innerspring mattress with a 2- or 3-inch latex topper.

Taking my time because I want to make the right choiceā€¦ wish me luck and thanks again!

Hi emmygreen,

I think youā€™ve probably seen this but just to make sure ā€¦ the better options in and around the Orlando area Iā€™m aware of are in post #2 here.

I would particularly suggest a visit to Fox Mattress as you are already considering. They are truly ā€œmattress peopleā€ but you also have some other good choices in the area.

Taking your time is always the best way to go ā€¦ and you wonā€™t need quite as much ā€œluckā€ as so many other people who donā€™t have the kind of knowledge, options and choices you have available to help you (or donā€™t know about it if they do and end up in chain stores or other mass market retailers) ā€¦ but good luck anyway :slight_smile:

Iā€™m looking forward to your feedback as your search and mattress testing continues.

Phoenix

Hello Phoenix,

I plan on buying a Dreamfoam gel-foam mattress, and they are still doing the free pillow promotion. I want to thank you for saving me a bit of money!

Hi ThatOneGuy,

Youā€™re very welcome ā€¦ and Iā€™m glad the forum could help you :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Thanks for your site and forum. We found a lot of useful info and have decided to go with a dreamfoam latex/foam. Stumbled across this bonus also. Thanks again!