I am wondering about European Sleep Works in Berkeley, CA. They have been around for a long time, but have not been reviewed on this site. They have a strong fan base in the San Francisco Bay Area. Do you have any information about them and the quality of construction/materials? www.sleepworks.com
The other big manufacturer near me is The Natural Mattress Store. Their product seems to be a but lower quality that Eurpoean Sleep works but that was just a first glance. They definitely have more options. www.thenaturalmattressstore.com
Berkeley Ergonomics mattresses have been mentioned many times on the site and a forum search on Berkeley Ergonomics (you can just click this) will bring up much more information about them. They make some very good quality mattresses with good value.
A forum search on Sleepworks will also bring up more information about them (you will need to scan past posts about other retailers with the same name). I have talked with them on several occasions and think highly of their knowledge and experience and the service they provide to their customers.
A mattress is only as good as the quality of the materials that are in it and most of their mattresses use latex which is among the highest quality materials available so I don’t know if I would say they are lower quality. I don’t know the details of their innersprings or how they compare to BE (which use some very high quality European pocket coils) but they are certainly better quality/value than mattresses made by the larger manufacturers. A forum search on naturalmattress will also bring up more feedback about them as well.
Both of these are among the better options and possibilities in the San Francisco area which are listed in post #2 here but to make meaningful quality/value comparisons between specific mattresses you would need to know the specifics of each mattress you are comparing both in terms of the design and materials in each as well as how well each of them matched your needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and personal preferences).
You are certainly looking at some good options IMO
Thank you sooo much! I had been searching the main site and not the forums which is why I did not find the information. It is exceedingly helpful.
I am making the drive down to Santa Cruz tomorrow to check out Bay Bed. And also to Union City to check out Select Sleep. It seems that they Sleepworks uses better coils than most other manufacturers though. I did notice that the coils were wrapped in actual fabric instead of cheap poly-cloth, which should make them last longer.
I was curious how a company becomes a member on the site?
Again, thank you so very much. This site has been infinitely helpful.
I have been sleepworks and natural mattress store as well as nest bedding in albany. I am also interested in latex over coil options and live in the bay area. Those were the next 2 places on my list.
Thank you again. Based on what you have said here, out of curiosity, why is Eu Sleepworks not on the list? Is there something I should be cautious about? What about Select Sleep?
Also, Is there room for negotiation with these sellers?
This site is absolutely amazing and I am so very grateful for it.
They are both on the list I linked earlier (in post #2 of the thread).
Smaller manufacturers work on a completely different way than the chain stores and don’t mark up their prices to double the selling price so they have room for “fake sales” that are constantly rotating (see post #5 here and post #5 here). They usually have their best prices available every day of the year that are much better value than the best “sale prices” at mainstream stores and chain stores … but it never hurts to ask.
Sorry Phoenix - I meant the Membership List. Thank you Again.
We did end up buying a mattress this weekend. We decided to go with European Sleepworks (Berkeley Ergonomic). The reasons for this are (1) The company has been around for 42 years - to us this means they are doing quality work, treating their customers right, and they are retaining long term employees (our sales person had been there several years). (2) 10 Year absolutely full warranty - others seem to be limited or pro-rated. (3) Higher quality materials - we have young children and should they happend to jump on the mattress, despite instructions, we would like to have the most durable materials in there.
We bought the Nordic III because it seemed the most supportive to us. However, it is on the firmer side because the micro-coils are firmer. For us, right now this is good - we have been sleeping on an air mattress for almost a year due to home construction. We may end-up adding the latex pillow top later if we decide we need a softer surface.
I saw many posts saying that European Sleepworks does not offer split firmness mattresses, but this is not the case. The Nordic III is the only model they sell that cannot (at present) be customized to 2 different comfort levels. It may be in the future, if the microcoil manufacturer adds more options, but not at this time. However, they have 2 other models - the Alpine and the Alpine ES that can absolutely be split. In fact, all the models on the showroom floor are split. On those models you can have both the springs and the latex layers customized to the 2 sides for the comfort of the different sleepers.
Last, they also offer something I had not seen before. Bed frames with the slat system built directly into the frame, This is fantastic because it allows for substantially better circulation around and through the mattress. We wanted to buy one but they were out of stock in the color/model we wanted and had a 4-6 week lead time.
So my question is -is there anybody else who sells the bedframs (head board, etc) with the slats built directly in?
Thank you again! And I hope I helped some other people who are looking.
The “official” membership list is a side effect of me getting to know people and them getting to know me. There are many manufacturers who will be added over time (there are a number who will be added over the next few weeks) and many others who certainly fit the profile that would qualify them to be members and these will be added over the course of time as our conversations go in that direction and they express an interest in the goals and values of the site.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights and the reasons you chose to buy from them. You certainly made a good choice IMO and as you know I think highly of European Sleepworks and the Berkeley Ergonomics mattresses. (NOTE: European Sleepworks are now making their own mattress in a range of similar designs)
The reasons you outlined will hopefully be helpful to other members of the site who are considering them although I wasn’t aware that there were posts on the forum that indicated that split layers weren’t available on many of their mattresses because of course they are. I must have missed them.
If you mean a platform bed with slats (that don’t require a foundation) there are many of these and a few of them that are listed in the foundation thread here may be of interest (although bedframes and furniture aren’t something that I spend a lot of time researching since mattresses take up most of my available time :))
It may also be worth talking with another of the Berkeley Ergonomics retailers Scott Jordan who make and sell bedframes (although I don’t know if they ship them out of the area). NOTE ADDED: They are now a member of this site as well
Thanks again for a very informative post and most of all … congratulations on your new mattress
