After countless hours of research, then buying a sleep number bed, and a 3" sealy 4 lb topper, I know I definitely need something completely different. From what I’ve gathered, a hybrid mattress may be a great solution. They’re very expensive, but there’s a new one called the “Eco Sleep Hybrid Latex” HERE from Arizona Premium Mattress (mattresses.net), and it’s only $900 for a King. There’s also a YouTube video of it. I’m going to check out some mattress stores here in the Detroit area before I make my final decision, but I’m looking for any comments or suggestions the pros (you guys) have about this product.
Unfortunately, I don’t think that research was done here, as we could have helped you with some advice about that purchase. I’m sorry your air mattress isn’t working out well for you , but hopefully the information here and on the rest of site can assist you in making a better-informed decision this go-around.
While many people do prefer a pocketed spring mattress using latex or memory foam on top, only your own personal testing would determine whether such a product might agree with your particular needs and sleeping style.
Like anything, a hybrid mattress can be expensive, but there are some more affordable options available, some from the site members listed in post #21 here.
The Eco Sleep is a new model (thanks for bringing it up) using the 6" Bolsa pocketed spring unit from Leggett and Platt. The mattresses.net web site shows the Caliber Edge version of this spring unit, but they don’t mention it in the video or on their web site as using the version with the actual Caliber Edge (I couldn’t tell from the video either). Just that it is 13.75 gauge steel and the 6" version. I’ve recently seen this new spring unit from Leggett and it is a firm support unit and an improvement upon their older version. This spring unit would be a more basic version of the Combi-Zone Quantum Edge spring unit Arizona Premium uses in their Ultimate Hybrid mattress. The latex is 3" of blended Talalay, which is a high quality and durable material, available in four firmnesses. The zippered cover is quilted to natural wool, like in the Ultimate Hybrid.
Overall the mattress uses good quality and durable materials, and this mattress would be considered a more affordable latex hybrid mattress as compared to their Ultimate Hybrid product. Arizona Premium (mattresses.net) is a member of this site which means that I think very highly of them and that I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency.
If you’re attempting to decipher how this mattress might feel by testing out other products locally, unless you are able to find a product that used the same spring unit with the same latex in the same softness and thickness, and the same covering, it would be mostly wasted time, as every component within a mattress influences the overall feel, support and comfort.
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc.) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs, options, and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
As for recommendations, there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved in choosing a mattress for someone else to make specific suggestions based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or theory at a distance that can possible be more accurate than your own careful and objective testing (using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post) which is always the most reliable way to predict which mattress will be the best match for you in terms of PPP (see post #2 here). Instead, the commentary here focuses more on the “how” to choose versus the “what”, along with assistance in assessing the quality of materials used in a mattress, which in this case would be higher quality and durable materials.
You may wish to place a phone call to mattresses.net with any specific questions you have if you are considering ordering this item, as they will be best able to give you specifics about this mattress along with their opinion of which plushness might best suit your needs.
I went to Mattress-To-Go, which you recommended HERE. The owner, Jeff, was very knowledgeable, just as you said. He had me try several mattresses, and I was surprised that the softest bed in my price range (he rated it as a 7/10) was the best fit for me at $900 for a king. It was the Therapedic BackSense Elite Potomac Plush. Just for fun, I tried one of the $3000 all-latex beds. They were definitely the best, but way out of my price-range. However, he had one latex bed he rated at a 6/10 for softness, which should have been more firm than the 7/10 inner-spring I liked, but I definitely felt like I sunk into it more. I’m still tempted by the Eco Sleep Hybrid, but since it doesn’t come with a box spring, I’ll probably end up going with this local one. Thank you very much for your help, and your very informative website. If it weren’t for this site, I’d never have found that guy.
I’m glad you enjoyed your visit with Jeff at Mattress To Go. I think very highly of him and the advice he provides.
I know Jeff is conservative with what he offers on his floor regarding offerings in the lower price ranges and doesn’t carry some of the “very plush” beds that are common in the industry using lower density foams.
The subjective softness ratings commonly used in brick and mortar stores are useful for comparing items within like lines, but when going from items using different components (innerspring/polyfoam to all-latex) they won’t be as accurate for ranking beds, and your own personal testing will be the best guide. The all-latex bed will certainly have more point elasticity than the innerspring/polyfoam model you tested.
The Eco Sleep Hybrid does use good quality componentry as well.
I’m glad the information presented here has been helpful to you, and I’ll be interested in learning what you decide to do, if anything.
I’m still curious about the Eco Sleep. I can’t test it, but since I now know I need a medium-soft mattress, maybe that would help select the right firmness for the talalay? They have 4 firmness levels to pick from: 19, 28, 32, and 36. I’d guess I’d need a 28 or 32. They do offer a one time exchange of the latex for around $100 too. Also, instead of the box spring, I could get a platform bed like THIS or THIS and it would give me the same height as a frame with box spring, correct?
Terms like “medium-soft” are relative only to your own manner of comparing one item to another, and they are something that can not be made definitive or standardized, as these ratings are personal and subjective. The best advice I could offer would be a detailed phone conversation with mattresses.net explain to them your needs and sleeping style and other items that you’ve tested and liked, and they’ll do their best to provide you with the appropriate ILD of latex that they honestly think will work best for your situation.
The frame offered at mattresses.net would be about 1" shorter than a “standard” foundation and frame, and the zinus item would be about 3" taller. So, you’d “be in the ballpark” with either item.
Thanks again for all your help Phoenix! I’ve been emailing back and forth with Ken at mattresses.net. I told him about my concern with sinking through the topper, like I did with the memory foam I tried. He assured me that would not happen with the talalay, and he suggested his medium #28 firmness. I just sent back my sleep number bed yesterday, so I have some time before I get my refund. I ended up having to buy the biggest cardboard box Home Depot carried, and stuffing all the components in it. Select Comfort took $30 off my refund for the shipping label, and I’m sure it cost way more than that for the 50+ lb box I brought into UPS. I hope nobody ever buys an air mattress with a pad on top and thinks it’s worth $1000-$3000. It’s just insane. I got duped, and I’m determined to find the proper bed this time around.
I’m glad you took the time to phone directly, and I would trust the advice that Ken provides. He is correct that the latex will be more resilient than your memory foam, and you’d tend to “feel through” less in comparison.
It’s always important to be aware of any company’s potential return/exchange policies before placing an order, just in case things don’t turn out as well as you had hoped they would. While I’m certainly not necessarily a “fan” of most airbeds (see this article), I’d avoid making blanket statements about the value of something for someone else based upon your own experience. While the air mattress unfortunately wasn’t “a fit” for you, I wouldn’t call that being “duped”, unless you were deceived by a salesperson when making your purchase. I would instead simply chalk this up to experience and that you now know that a system using an air bladder isn’t something that you personally prefer.
I did some more shopping, at Gardner White, since you specifically mentioned their Restonic Tempagel. I tried it out, but the top layer was too soft, and I bottomed out to the hard coil layer pretty quickly. The sales woman had me try at least a dozen other mattresses. I really liked the feel of the Beautyrest Hybrid ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: beautyrest.com/Platinum/Maddie-Luxury-Firm
But even better, was the Tempur-Flex Supreme Breeze and the Tempur-Cloud Supreme Breeze. I’m really glad I’ve actually laid on the best mattresses so far. But at $4000, that’s way out of my price range. I know there’s no way to make a DIY bed because the “Tempur” foam they use is patented, so I’ll have to keep searching stores until I find something similar. There’s an Ikea near me, and they have a King MORGONGÅVA latex for $1100, so I’ll go check that out. In the meantime, I emailed Ken at mattresses.net to see what he thinks would compare to a medium tempurpedic.
So metal foundation frames like this, as well as the traditional wooden slat foundation that mattresses.net sells, are OK for pocket coil mattresses? That is, there’s no danger of any individual coils sinking through the gaps?
The major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that 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 aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).
Tempurpedic mattresses use good quality materials but as you know they are in much higher (and mostly unjustifiable) budget ranges and for most people they certainly wouldn’t be in the best “value” range compared to many other smaller manufacturers that use similar (or in some cases better) quality materials that are in much lower budget ranges. You can read more about Tempurpedic in general in posts #1 and #2 here.
Don’t equate “best” with most expensive. What is “best” is not only based upon the quality of materials, but also the subjective part of your own personal value equation.
While the memory foam used by many manufacturers is proprietary, you certainly can opt to build your own DIY memory foam mattress. You can take a look at the different vendors in the component post here for foam sources if you desire such a project.
Memory foam and latex are very different materials, so I’m not sure what comparisons he’ll be able to make for you there.
Well, now I’m completely discombobulated. Since I sent my sleep number back, and my couch is terrible to sleep on, I went to walmart and picked up an $8 air mattress. Best night of sleep I’ve got in weeks, and didn’t wake up with any back pain. I don’t even know what to think right now. The only thing that I can think of, is that it was firm enough that I could lay on my stomach and my body stayed straight… Plus, there weren’t any pressure points because it’s air. I feel like I’m back at square one again.
While sleeping on a blow-up air mattress might be an improvement over what you’ve been using, it’s unlikely to be a reliable long-term solution. Remember, you sent back an air mattress because you didn’t like it. This article about air mattresses might be worth reading.
I totally agree with you, and I still need to find a real good bed. I forgot how much better I sleep on my stomach, and for the last few years I’ve been sleeping on my side because I couldn’t sleep comfortably on my stomach on my old bed. The last few beds I tested, I did try laying on my stomach, and I noticed that medium-firm mattresses were the best for me. But getting the combo of firmness, with comfort, is the real trick. The main thing I liked about the tempurpedic was that the top wasn’t thick and fluffy. It was just flat. I wish more local stores carried all foam or all latex mattresses. The Mattress-to-Go store you recommended did have all latex, but they were $3K-$4K. I’m excited to check out Ikea, and see how their latex bed feels. I’ll try the foam while I’m there, but I’m pretty sold on the fact that latex is supposed to sleep cooler. BTW, Ikea is having a sale on their bedframes. What do you think of their quality? Like THIS?[/color]
I’m not familiar with the Trysil, but maybe there are more knowledgeable site members who have personal experience with this unit and could share their experiences. I didn’t see any weight ratings for the product, which could be a concern with the particleboard used.
I finally bought a mattress. I took what you said about quality of materials and personal preference, and my budget, and ended up going with the Myrbacka synthetic latex mattress from Ikea. The king was only $600. I went there with the sole intention of checking out the $1100 MORGONGÅVA but found that it wasn’t firm enough for me. The Myrbacka was almost 2 inches thicker, firmer, and I could sit on the edge of the bed without fully compressing the bed to the base, like I could with the MORGONGÅVA. I would have paid $200 more for the Myrbacka if that’s what they charged. I thought for sure the MORGONGÅVA would be firmer from what I read, but that wasn’t the case at all. What I bought may not have the longevity of an all natural latex bed, but for $600, it’s a great deal for me even if I only get a few years out of it. One thing I found odd at the store, was that the MORGONGÅVA had a $300 latex topper on it (I removed for testing the bed), but the Myrbacka didn’t have any topper. I still need to get a mattress pad, sheets (you mentioned these in another post) ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: costco.com/400TC-Charisma-6-piece-Cotton-King-Sheet-Set-.product.100007064.html
, and a foundation for it… maybe something like THIS. I haven’t done much research on those things, but I was really tempted to pick up one of the cheap “mattress protectors” that Ikea sold HERE. From what I’ve read so far, I want to look more towards a wool mattress pad for the best cooling, or some sort of gel foam… I really don’t know much about it yet. Thanks again for all your detailed replies, and stressing the part about testing beds myself, and not relying on internet reviews. You’re absolutely right! I’m REALLY happy that I saved so much money. Now, I can use that savings on everything to go with it. Time for more forum research!
Congratulations on your new mattress! :cheer: I hope you enjoy it. The Myrbacka uses poly foam with some synthetic Dunlop latex, while the Mongongava uses all blended Dunlop latex, and that would be your major price point difference. I’m glad you had the chance to try them out personally.
There’s more information about foundations here, sheets here, and mattress protectors here and here.
, but hopefully the information