Douglas Bed Failed, Cancelled Simmons at Last Second, Where to Go?

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
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Hello Underground.

California King Canada Purchase

Both under 200lb, I’m 170 6’1, wife 120 5’7.

I wish I found this place sooner but I think I found you in the nick of time. I was 1 day from delivery of a Simmons BR Darnold Silver Soft mattress from Sleepcountry (Canada) and I cancelled it. The price was $1776 after tax and the sales person was saying I was getting a great deal because it was the end of the year, told me it would last 7 years as my biggest concern is durability. Regular sales stuff but I thought the price was fair until I discovered the comfort layer being 1.2lb foam @ 30(IFD)

I currently am sleeping on douglas bed, I’ve had it for 3 years and it no longer supports my wife and I. It started out solid, though it has always been too firm for my liking but now we wake up stiff and in pain. Because of this I trust bed in a box manufacturerers a lot less. 3 years is not enough.

I am a side sleeper, I love cozy, soft mattress’, even though I sometimes rotate to my back. To be completely honest I loved the mattress in sleep country, I am sad about cancelling it but I don’t want to buy another mattress in 3 years again especially at double the price. My wife is not picky at all, she sleeps on anything but is definitely willing to try a softer bed.

I’ve read through the guide to buying a mattress, it took me 2 hours but I feel like I have a lot of information to start my journey, that being said I’m still pretty overwhelmed.

Goals:
Cozy softer mattress around 30.
7 year durability, more if possible.
$2000 CAD maximum.
Springs, Foam, Latex, not picky I need to go try out more options at a sleep country but they only carry brands they sell.
California King is a must (custom bed frame)

Ideas:
Flipping the douglas hard side up and using that foam as a base, then buying toppers to place on top.

Am I asking for too much? Does anyone have opinions about good retailers in Canada? I thought the swiss bed in the ‘trusted’ companies list looked interesting but I have no way of testing it.

I live in the Lower Mainland (Vancouverish) so any local support would be 'rad.

Thanks for existing TMU

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Hi jimlaheytpb.

Welcome to our Mattress Forum. :slight_smile:

I’m glad to hear you found us just in time! It’s lucky you were able to discover the 1.2lb weak link foam prior to delivery. 3 years out of your current mattress definitely is not a long time. While there definitely are some great beds-in-boxes out there, it’s not uncommon for most of them to have less durable components. I looked up the Douglas but couldn’t find any of the IFD information. My wager is they likely use lower quality foams, which is the main contributing factor to foam breakdown after such little time.

Here is a listing of Canadian and US manufacturers/retailers who are Trusted Members of our site that ship across Canada that you may wish to consider. They are very seasoned in providing good guidance over the phone and fitting their customers with a suitable product in terms of comfort/support needs without the ability to test.

SnugSleepHas a factory and showroom in North Vancouver, Canada carrying natural latex mattress products.

MFCCanadian online retailer with a very good selection of mattresses and hybrids.
Restmore Bedding Canadian Manufacturer with a large array of mattress choices latex/ pocket coil, hybrid, springs. They are based in Winnipeg, but you can place an order over the phone.
CBH Wood Furniture
DormioCanadian Manufacturer specializing in organic/natural latex mattresses with options that fit all budget ranges.

You can also peruse Our Trusted Mattress Membersas there are some US-based companies that provide products to Canadian market but you’d need to call and ask with the current Covid closures and the issues that may present.

If you’d definitely prefer to search locally, then I’d recommend reading this article on how to choose a quality outlet/retailer.

Is the Douglas meant to be flippable? If so, this could be a reasonable solution. It’s much easier to solve the problem of “too firm” and adding softening layers than it is to try and add firmness to a mattress. This is something we commonly face here in the forum, so if you ultimately choose the topper route, I’m happy to help assist you in that should you need it!

I hope this helps provide a starting point for you!
NikkiTMU

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[quote=“NikkiTMU” post=87791]Hi jimlaheytpb.

Welcome to our Mattress Forum. :slight_smile:

I’m glad to hear you found us just in time! It’s lucky you were able to discover the 1.2lb weak link foam prior to delivery. 3 years out of your current mattress definitely is not a long time. While there definitely are some great beds-in-boxes out there, it’s not uncommon for most of them to have less durable components. I looked up the Douglas but couldn’t find any of the IFD information. My wager is they likely use lower quality foams, which is the main contributing factor to foam breakdown after such little time.

Here is a listing of Canadian and US manufacturers/retailers who are Trusted Members of our site that ship across Canada that you may wish to consider. They are very seasoned in providing good guidance over the phone and fitting their customers with a suitable product in terms of comfort/support needs without the ability to test.

SnugSleepHas a factory and showroom in North Vancouver, Canada carrying natural latex mattress products.

MFCCanadian online retailer with a very good selection of mattresses and hybrids.
Restmore Bedding Canadian Manufacturer with a large array of mattress choices latex/ pocket coil, hybrid, springs. They are based in Winnipeg, but you can place an order over the phone.
CBH Wood Furniture
DormioCanadian Manufacturer specializing in organic/natural latex mattresses with options that fit all budget ranges.

You can also peruse Our Trusted Mattress Membersas there are some US-based companies that provide products to Canadian market but you’d need to call and ask with the current Covid closures and the issues that may present.

If you’d definitely prefer to search locally, then I’d recommend reading this article on how to choose a quality outlet/retailer.

[quote]Ideas:
Flipping the douglas hard side up and using that foam as a base, then buying toppers to place on top.[/quote]

Is the Douglas meant to be flippable? If so, this could be a reasonable solution. It’s much easier to solve the problem of “too firm” and adding softening layers than it is to try and add firmness to a mattress. This is something we commonly face here in the forum, so if you ultimately choose the topper route, I’m happy to help assist you in that should you need it!

I hope this helps provide a starting point for you!
NikkiTMU[/quote]

Thank your for the informative response, I’ll be able to take a trip to Vancouver this weekend to hopefully test out a few more options. I’m also going to spend some time going through the trusted list and go from there.

One thing I forgot to mention is the salesperson at sleepcountry stated “these bed in a box guys spend so much on marketing but there is no way to compress high quality foam like tempurpedic that much to ship it in such a small box” is there any truth to that at all?

As for the flippable Douglas, no it is not, I figured the underside would be the foundation for new foam but in further reading this likely isn’t a good plan and for now I’m simply going to scrap that idea. I’ll use the old foam for an outdoor couch or something a long those lines as I try to reuse anything before junking it.

One thing I noticed in some of the retailers you suggested is a complete lack of California king options, only one of the above and ghost bed (from my searches so far) have a California king option and I’m worried about limiting myself too much but this is unfortunately something I will not buckle on.

Thank you again, I will update this thread when I’ve done some ‘laying’

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Hi jimlaheytpb.

Sorry for that oversight! I was on a bit of roll and spaced that “California” aspect to your king mattress. I know some of the above listed will make custom mattresses, but I understand that it’s probably preferable to seek out a mattress already existing in that size.

I look forward to your after-testing updates!
NikkTMU

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My Wife and I spent a lot of time searching today and I think we have it fairly narrowed down here. We went to every bloody mattress or furniture store we could find and saw very few mattress’ without the ‘S’ or the ‘BR’. That’s ok.

We managed to test 3 important things:

Classic pillow top, springs and wool tops (no foam) - Did not come in California King but truly love these companies as my Moms (20yr) flippable is still in perfect condition so shoutout to SpringAir

Various ‘latex’ based mattress’ - I thought I would hate the bounciness more than I did, I did not mind it, I wish I was able to get more of a sinking feeling from the latex but that is ok and I believe that if it really comes down to it I can achieve the feeling with some sort of topper.

‘The Swiss Dream Bed’ - Listed in TMU’s trusted list my wife absolutely went head over heels for this one, she loved it, I’m less sold I’m not sure I see the value in the $3,000ish mattress over the standard latex. I do appreciate the master workmanship that is this bed and I really really like the idea. I’m still wary of the price tag even though I believe it is a fair price (over budget for us)

Where does this leave us?

Well since coming here I’ve been leaning towards 2 places, SleepEZ & ‘The Swiss Dream Bed’. After our day I’m heavily leaning towards a SleepEZ mattress as I’m struggling to justify the price jump to the swiss bed (which was also quite firm for my taste). No matter how my Wife tries to justify it she agrees about the price jump versus ‘the reward’.

Now that I’ve narrowed it down so heavily I am struggling a bit whether to go with something like SleepEZ’s ‘360 Hybrid Pillowtop’ or something like ‘Natural Latex Mattress’ as I don’t fear springs that much even though I am not a fan of motion transfer lets remember my #1 concern is durability. I also appreciate the ability to customize the firmness of the 360 pillowtop via the friendly zipper.

I’ll likely give SleepEZ a call for some more information but in the meantime if something in my post jumps out at you guys I’m all ears and I apologize for the grammatical ranting mess it has become :wink:

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I should also mention I have eye’d up both Nest and Ghostbed a bit I just appreciate the “family values” vibe SleepEZ has going for no matter how goofy that might be.

Couldn’t find an edit button on this forum :frowning:

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Hey @jimlaheytpb, we’re sorry to hear that your Douglas doesn’t suit you and you find it to be too firm. If you’re interested, we offer softer mattress brands like Juno and Novosbed that are come with a 120-night sleep trial and a 15-year warranty.

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Hi jimlaheytpb.

That’s all very exciting! It sounds like you had quite the mattress testing adventure and have narrowed it down to some wonderful options. I look forward to hearing how your call with SleepEZ goes. :slight_smile:

NikkiTMU

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While it was quite the adventure it still feels like we have more on our plate than when we were blissfully ignorant and one day away from a bed :huh:

In talking we really are struggling to narrow it down from “The list of 4”

SleepEZ Hybrid 360 (pillowtop + coils + flippable)
At ~2000 CAD shipped this is the one I’m leaning towards, the coils worry me a bit in terms of motion transfer but the sleep country bed we were going to buy didn’t bother us too too much in this regard, the difference here being latex vs memory foam in terms of topper. This bed offers a zippable pillow top which would provide us the ability to swap out comfort layers while maintaining the integrity of the mattress as a whole. I like the ability to open the cover and swap stuff out if it isn’t working.

SleepEZ Roma (latex + pillowtop + customizable + filippable)
At ~1500 CAD shipped this is the biggest ‘budget’ mattress of the list, it is latex and provides the ability to flip for a more firm or less firm option. It can’t be opened, it doesn’t offer much other than a solid base for us. It has 1.5" of wool pillowtop on both sides which concerns me should it be too firm and we want to put a topper on, would this affect the feeling? I’m unsure, but I think likely. The biggest plus of this mattress is the price. It has 6" of latex.

SleepEZ Latex (latex + customizable + flippable)
At 9"~2150 - 13"~2700 CAD + Shipping this mattress is quite expensive, the biggest plus here are the customization in terms of comfort, the ability to swap out layers to try and suit the mattress to our needs in our own home really speaks to me in terms of value, but it is almost $1000 above my budget. While budgets are meant to be broken I just don’t know if I see the value in having a piece of Latex holding the bulk of me up vs a set of Springs. Perhaps someone here has some more input on the support it would provide. the 13" option would likely be the way to go as the 9" almost brings us to the Roma territory which would likely be the better buy if I started removing inches of latex. My wife asked “why do we need more latex? is there really that big of a difference between 13” and 7"?" honestly, I’m not sure either.

Swiss Dream Bed (latex + wood + wool + customizable)
At ~3000 CAD this is the most expensive mattress with likely the longest wait to sleep in it (1+mo). As I said earlier my wife loves this bed, but I find it quite firm, probably too firm, which would mean another cost in terms of adding more to the comfort layer. I am vary wary of this price point, I see it as “I get 4” of latex, a wool topper and some wood tied together for $3000"; I know there is more to it than that and I know the craftsmanship that goes in to the bed as I am a carpenter myself. I just feel like it isn’t enough. I think the idea is fantastic, I think the message is good, but aside from the “no metal bed, all natural, GMO free, etc, etc, etc,” (this stuff isn’t important to me like it is to others) I just struggle with the price tag. I will say that if this bed was $2000 we would have already purchased it.

I’m really struggling to narrow it down from here and would love to hear more information on Latex in terms of how thick it is. I did real the mattress guide but perhaps I’ve missed a section or skimmed something too hard.

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL

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I just contacted SnugSleep from your first post and they said they no longer make mattress’ or toppers.

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Hi jimlaheytpb.

Thanks for the update!

It looks like you’ve got quite the list and are in a battle between great, great, great, and great!

From what I gather, you:

  • like the option to be able to swap out layers if needed (eliminating the Roma)
  • have questions about an all foam vs hybrid/innerspring option
  • want to know if there is ultimately a difference between a 7" and 13" mattress

You will get less motion transfer out of an all foam build, but you will lose the “traditional mattress feel” and “springiness” that many people like and prefer. A hybrid will also have a bit better breathability, meaning less concerns about mold and offering a slightly cooler sleeping experience.

With regards to thickness…generally, a 9" to 12" mattress would be more than enough for most people. There are benefits to a thicker mattress but this tends to be most relevant to people with a higher BMI.

The Swiss Dream Beds really are a beautiful product, but if you’re not absolutely thrilled/sold on the feel then I would say…it’s probably not the option to go, especially as you will then face the issue of “how do I find comfort on this bed” and then comes the searching-for-toppers-for-adequate-comfort saga. Best to buy a bed that gives you the support and comfort you need off the bat. As you’ve pointed out, it’s a large investment. And, to quote my dad, “if you don’t love it, don’t buy it.” They do offer a 5% discount to TMU members, for what that is worth.

NikkiTMU

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Nikki your post really helped us out, but by asking I found some ‘secret’ information on the Roma, the king size and cal king size have a zippable cover. This has narrowed our search down considerably to the SleepEZ Roma and the Swiss Bed we simply cannot get out of our heads.

Concerns with SleepEZ, shipping. They offer no Canadian shipping options other than “we ship it to a company that will take it over the border”

Concerns with Swiss, the price, it’s too much and we will likely cut it due to this, maybe in 10 years we will be more comfortable buying it, hopefully they are around.

Side note, I have contacted 8 local latex places to inquire about prices just incase there is something comparable to the SleepEZ locally.

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Hi again!

It’s great you were able to un"cover" that information on the Roma (okay, maybe that’s not as funny a pun as I thought it would be). That definitely makes a difference and allows you a little more flexibility in terms of adjusting layers.

It’s great you’ve been able to reach out to so many latex places in your area. I am curious to hear more about what you find out and if you find anything comparable already in the area!

NikkiTMU

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If the border was open I would simply ship the SleepEZ mattress to a mailbox and save the $485 + Duty & Taxes quote I was just given on shipping it over the border.

Not good, and neither are the prices or California King options locally.

Predicament,

The only other comparable latex mattress seller is “Naturelle Organic Beds”. In forum searches there were questions raised but nothing more than “seems suspect” and “BBB rating is bad”

I’m wondering if the company is trustworthy as 3 extra inches of foam is the same price after shipping of the SleepEZ Roma.

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Hi jimlaheytpb.

You’re not the first to question Naturelle, as seen on this page.

They clearly state that their latex is organic and that certifications are shown on their site. If they are using GOLS latex as stated the latex itself will have a sticker that says it’s GOLS Certified. Hope this helps!
NikkiTMU

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Hello again TMU.

I visited North Shore Linens in Vancouver today met a fellow who sells a Sri Lankin Dunlop Latex mattress (6") at a reasonable $1300 CAD.

He also sells a 3" topper for $750

Medium and Soft respectively.

I still am a little wary of this price but it is one of the better I have found. There is no other mattress other than the Naturelle Lavender bed which offers 8" of latex for 1799 CAD. Which puts it about $500 cheaper.

While I’m not after the cheapest mattress I am after the best deal, I feel like if all latex is coming from 2 places there really won’t be a glaring difference in the feel of the mattress’

I’m going to sleep on this tonight but we may be going with the 6" medium latex mattress they sell at northshorelinens and then sourcing our own topper.

Still not sure, still want to find something better but getting warn out at this point.

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We have ordered the 6" Medium Latex mattress from NorthShoreLinens who was recommended to us by SnugSleep, it is from Arpico latex and is some of the last of his stock from this source (I believe he is switching to LatexGreen)

Everything I read about Naturelle seemed questionable, I found the owner on Facebook seems like an oddball, his interaction with the late Phoenix on here seemed questionable, their reviews were questionable, they constantly change the name of their business, it is just something I’m not interested in right now. I will say they legitimately seem like the Latex Green USA’s primary Canada sales company.

We are now sourcing a topper, I found something almost $300 cheaper on Amazon from SleepOnLatex but there are some complaints about off gassing which have worried me a bit. I’m going to think about this one some more as saving $300 would actually put us right around our budget for the bed ($2000)

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I’ve had no issue with the SOL dunlop latex myself so as long as you aren’t after talalay I wouldn’t worry about ordering that at all.

Also with shipping and the border closed I have been using a broker to bring stuff across still way cheaper than shipping it via Fedex/UPS/DHL. I just wait until I have a bunch of packages ready on the US side and then bring them across all at once with the broker. You just meet them on the other side and pay the bill by phone. Pretty simple process all things considered.

19

Again sorry for the double post (triple now), I wish this forum had an edit function.

I have now ordered 6" Arpico Latex Foam Mattress through NorthShoreLinens and a 3" soft topper w/ cover from Amazon.ca (through SleepOnLatex), the reason for this is the price difference of $350 from NorthShoreLinens, I just couldn’t eat that much of a difference unfortunately.

My biggest worry now are the reviews for SleepOnLatex’s topper off gassing terribly, I feel it shouldn’t as it is supposed to be 100% natural GOLS latex, but I have no experience with latex gassing. Canadians have also reported paying over $100 to return the topper to SleepOnLatex, though Amazon in the past has been very good to me with returns.

Should the above happen I will immediately buy the topper from NorthShoreLinens and somehow manage the added costs.

All in all I’m happy, we have 9" of latex on the way, though they will not be housed in the same cotton cover that isn’t a huge issue we reached our goal of a 100% latex mattress at under $2000 CAD. I will update this thread as time goes on.

One thing I will say is buying a mattress, especially a Cal King, especially in Canada and especially Latex is an absolute %&(!$&@!ing nightmare. I have spent close to 20 hours on this purchase which is less than time I’ve spent renting my houses in the past. It is absolutely crazy how cutthroat the market is and it makes me want to start making mattress’ myself (I know I won’t do this but the feeling I get is that I can do this better)

If anyone wants to comment on the off gassing of SleepOnLatex or other Latex I’d be very interested in hearing it as we are pretty worried about that. Hell if SleepOnLatex is on here I’d love to hear from them.

Shoutout to @NikkiTMU for the help throughout this.

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Thank you for your response MattreBuild I did not see this until now (that edit button strikes again)

I would be interested in knowing the cost of the broker? The best price I could find was insanely high but perhaps I was searching for the wrong thing. This is the only reason we didn’t go with SleepEZ and it would be very unfortunate to hear that we have just placed an order for something we easily could have gotten from the US for cheaper.