Great list of DFW locations, Phoenix! So Thank you!
Starting our “more informed” mattress search today…
Thanks for all of the information. Do any of these places do “specials” around holidays such as Memorial Day? Or have you found that pricing for local spots tend to hold pretty steady despite holidays?
Hi jrr_brolkien.
Welcome to our Mattress Forum! 
Most retailers/manufacturers whether local, national or online brands offer flash sales on major holidays and memorial days. Most mattress sales are more about perception and creating a false sense of urgency and the illusion of saving money than they are about reality. From one perspective it does not make sense to overcharge customers for most of the year and only charge a reasonable price for a few days of the year.
There are very few manufacturers that stand their ground and sell their mattresses for their “best price” every day of the year (and if they do have a sale it will be for a smaller discount and for a more legitimate reason than a holiday or weekend) so usually you don’t need to wait for a sale to get their best possible price.
In other words … you may find that when you are dealing with a better retailer or manufacturer that sells better quality/value mattresses then one time of the year isn’t any better than another.
Phoenix
Excellent! I’m planning on going to Mattress Factory to talk over things and try some beds sometime around this weekend. Very excited to dig into more detail. I was planning on getting an OSO bed after doing some research, but now I’m thinking I might want to actually try laying in some beds at a store first to test out how my wife and I like the different materials - latex, memory foam, etc.
jrr_brolkien.
I very much agree with you… Some good local testing will also give you a much better sense of the many different types of materials and components that are used in mattresses and some reference points about the types of mattresses (see this article) and general firmness levels you tend to prefer which can help you narrow down your choices regardless of whether you end up purchasing locally or online.
The first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here(there is a condensed version of it at the end of that post) which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones. Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well he will sleep), durability (how long he will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the 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).
When assessing any product, also be sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the 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.
One step at a time is the most effective way to find “your perfect mattress” and has by far the highest chance of success … and of course once you’ve had the chance to read through the information provided and did some local testing I or any of the Expert members of the site would be happy to help.
Phoenix
Thanks for all of your help Phoenix. We ended up going with the Royal Jewel Latex/Gel mattress from City Mattress Factory in Ft. Worth. It’s a pocketed coil mattress with something like 1,100 or so coils and “quantum edge” coils that definitely help the bed edges feel more flat. PPP was amazing for both myself and my wife. Materials seemed solid - the one exception being that the 1" foam base was 3.5 ILD. However, with this being at the bottom of the mattress, I felt as though this was less of an issue than it would be at the top of the mattress, with myself being a BMI of 29. I also didn’t go in wanting a mattress that contained an element of “cool gel”, because I feel that there is a chance for more rapid wear, however it’s only 1" and my wife liked the feel significantly more than the “plush” model which didn’t have the gel, and I also agreed it felt great. My regret is that I wasn’t able to figure out what type of “cool gel” this was - are you knowledgeable about this model?
In addition there’s 1" of Talalay latex in the comfort layer (I think beneath the gel) which I know is durable so hopefully that helps keep the comfort layer in good shape.
We went to Mattress Factory which you also recommended, however they only had 1 model of each mattress on their floor, so it was tough to get a feel for how a softer variant would feel. They were super nice and friendly so it was a good suggestion though. After laying on the “Royal Jewel Latex/Gel” at City Mattress Factory, laying on the “Elegance” at Mattress Factory just didn’t feel as good.
Thanks again for your suggestions on these places. The mattress gets delivered Thursday and we’re beyond excited!
Hi jrr_brolkien.
Congratulations on your new mattress purchase!
Thank you for your kind words and appreciation. I am glad that both stores were so helpful and that the new mattress is on its way to you. Not long to wait now!
There is a very wide range of cool gel foams and widely different in their properties and I am sure that City Mattress can easily find the specs of this gel foam for you. Adding gel to a foam would in most cases make it slightly cooler than the base foam it was added to but this would depend on the particular version of gel foam that was used and where it was located. Gel that is added as larger particles that can migrate out of the foam is the least durable version of the gel foams IMO while the gel that is added as part of the foam matrix itself (such as the swirl type of gels) or that use smaller particles that are embedded in the foam struts are more effective and more durable based on all the discussions with “experts” and the feedback I have seen. There is much more about gel materials in post #2 here and the information and posts it links to. You can also read some of the previous discussions about the Royal Jewel series in Post #3 & 4 here.
In terms of foam quality, outside of density (which is the most important aspect of durability) and in your case an inch or so in the quilt would meet with the durability guidelines here . Besides this I would make sure that a foam was CertiPur certified which means that it has a higher chance of being safe. My second quality choice among CertiPur certified foams would be North American manufactured because I know that all of the major North American foam manufacturers are making good quality foams.
I hope this helps you set aside the “regret” and enjoy many good nights of sleep.
I’m looking forward to learning about your new mattress once you’ve had a chance to sleep upon it for a while.
Phoenix
I plan on going to The Mattress Factory this Saturday. I called and spoke with a rep (not Peter) and he said they are using dunlop cores with talalay top layers.
I see the thickets latex mattress they make is 10" thickness while some other companies like Flexuscomfort sell a 13" mattress. I’m assuming these thicker 13" mattress’s aren’t meant to be flipped when arranged in S / M / H configuration. I was wondering if there is a benefit to having a 13" latex mattress vs a 10" latex mattress. I understand the longevity of a 10" that can be flipped could possibly be longer. However, would the 13" be inherently better or are those 3" not noticeable when your laying on the bed.
What are the specs of the mattress you bought from The Mattress Factory Phoenix? Layer thickness and IDL of each layer? I’m just curious in what works best for you and I understand that a lot of mattress choices are subjective.
Hi Asus10.
Welcome to our Mattress Forum!
The main benefit of a thicker latex mattress is that it can be more adaptable for heavier weights and multiple sleeping positions. It will compress from softer to firmer more gradually which means that there is more “range” of compression without the mattress becoming too firm for heavier weights (or parts of the body). It can even just be a matter of preference rather than “need” In the large majority of cases … 8" - 9" of latex is easily enough to include the combination softer layers (or sometimes sections) for pressure relief and firmer layers for support that most people of average or even higher weights would need. In some cases … lighter weights or people that sleep in “flatter” sleeping positions, have slimmer less curvy body types, or who prefer a firmer mattress will do well with even 6" even though there is less “room” to design in different layers in the mattress. People that have much higher body weights or larger body types may choose more than the “average” thickness and may prefer the feel and extra adaptability of say 12" of latex. Thicker mattresses can also use firmer materials because thickness and softness are very related and work together. The Mattress Factory has two-sided mattress designs which are very different than the Flexus comfort’s component style system designs that have a zippered cover that allows for rearranging the layers inside for any changes in comfort/support overtime.
Our mattress (before the mattress surgery we performed a few years later) was a two-sided mattress with a support core in the middle (3" + 4" + 3"“) The core was Talalay Latex @ 28 ILD and then identical comfort layers 22 ILD with quilting, on each side with a 0 .4” quiltable latex and a down substitute fiber with an inherent viscose fiber fire retardant . This mattress would be probably too soft for most people and, generallym I wouldn’t recommend this construction unless thera are some specific needs. While it served us well for many years due to my TMG condition I had to change sleeping positions from side sleeping to back sleeping and we performed mattress surgery and removed one of the soft layers. After we tested the new configuration for comfort and support we got an organic mattress cover from SleepEZ to enclose the two layers and I couldn’t be more happy with it. At the time durablilty was one of our considerations and we chose a mattress that could be flipped for more even wear and greater durability because you are only using each side for half the time and it gives the unused layer time to recover somewhat, but as you can see life had different plans for us.
I am glad that you live close enough to The Mattress Factory and that you visit them and test try a few of their mattresses as this will reveal much more about your mattress needs and preferences. . As you are aware, both The Mattress Factory and Flexus Comfort are Trusted Members of our site which means that I think very highly of them and that I believe that they compete well with best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency.
I look forward to any updates after your visit on Saturday to The Mattress Factory. Don’t forget to use your TMU coupon to get a discount.
Phoenix
Thanks for the reply. I’ve been sleeping on a sleep number bed set to 100 for probably the last 4 years. The air mattress just offer no support under my hips when deflated so I’ve been forced to sleep with a higher number which is giving me pressure point problem in my upper back (back/side sleeper). I also have a BMI of 30.6 (5’9" and 207lb) but I plan to probably go down to around 180 in the future as this is heavy for me.
Their current configurations before doing anything custom are 2/6/2 for a full latex 10" mattress at the Mattress Factory. I know I want something a little softer so I’m thinking I will like a 28/36/28 but I will know for sure once I start laying on them. I may get a softer topper if I want something softer than that instead of making the mattress it’s self softer.
Also, have you written anywhere explaining the differences in the feeling and pros/cons of a mattress with changeable layers and a bed that is made static (can’t remember the term).
Thanks for sharing all of your knowledge.
I went to The Mattress Factory today and City Mattress Factory. The City Mattress Factory had a few latex models on the floor but all of the comfort layers had an ILD of 19 which felt very bouncy and unstable for my liking. After that I went to The Mattress Factory and they only had 34-36 ILD beds on the show room floor which seemed a little more stiff than what I was looking for. However, I was able to put a 2" layer of memory foam on top of the 36 ILD bed and it felt much better but I still want to see what the mid to upper 20 ILD’s feel like.
Peters son at The Mattress Facotry is going to find some mid range ILD’s in the factory for me and I will test them on top of the 36 ILD bed to see how it feels. I’m currently thinking right now of a 10" mattress (28 - 2", 36 - 6", 28 - 2") with a 2" topper of memory foam as I’m really liking the way the memory foam feels.
My first post! I am in the DFW metro area on the North Dallas side. I was hoping to avoid a trip over to Ft. Worth. My first venture out from behind my desktop was to Lewisville to Sleep Craft. I found a flippable pillowtop latex / coil hybrid I really liked. The latex on the up side was 24 ILD, which was awesome - but I could order it however I wanted with same or different on the other side. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get anything in writing regarding specs or warranty. Tod no longer owns the business. He sold it at some point. The mattresses are now manufactured in Carrollton, I was told by Steve Cloud (nice name) Sales Rep. Steve is nice enough but not very transparent. Just a lot of “we take care of our customers”.
I also ventured up to United & Holland in Denton. They too have outsourced the manufacturing of their mattresses - to City Mattress in Fort Worth. There was no flexibility here on customizing anything. They did have some models with latex, but only 1 and a half inches - which I determined was not enough for me. The one I did like was another pillowtop design with the pillowtop being 2 to 3 inches of latex.
I am in the market for a King size mattress. I am interested in a coil/ latex hybrid. I think I like the zip off cover design without glued layers so that it can be adjusted in the future. I am concerned that the latex inside the zip off cover even at 3 inches will feel firmer than the one I believe was 24 ILD in a pillowtop configuration. Perhaps this depends on the cover itself?
I will need a return policy - and who (Members) makes these zip off covers with handles? I really want handles on the sides.
Like most people in this thread I will also be checking out The Mattress Factory very soon. This entire process is insane. Buying a mattress is like buying a car except with buying a mattress you do the opposite when it comes to brands. Basically if I have heard of a brand then do not buy that brand. Learning about all the different types of materials that make up a quality mattress is way more complicated than I thought but I am glad I found this site and all of the knowledge that is shared with the community. I have begun to read a lot of the material provided and started taking notes.
I was sad to find out that www.bedroomshop.com/ Arlington, TX. went out of business at the end of 2018. I had driven past that place for years and had no idea they had such a good reputation.
I do have a couple of questions about latex mattresses. A latex mattress does not have coils, correct? What is the difference in weight between a latex mattress and a coil mattress? Is the latex mattress significantly heavier than a coil mattress?
Nest Bedding makes coil/latex hybrid mattresses as well as all latex ones. A google search for “hybrid latex mattress” will yield many others.
Weight depends on the coil mattress. Most I’ve seen are pillow top or hybrids and can be quite heavy depending on how much memory foam is used. My queen 14" Beautyrest Platinum Hybrid (do NOT recommend) was 140 lbs since it had 6 inches of memory foam layers over 7" coils.
The 10" queen all latex mattresses I’m familiar with run 125 - 140 lbs. A hybrid latex mattress might be lighter.
H neverender,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :)!
I appreciate your post and kind words about the TMU community. Many thanks! It looks like you’ve been doing quite a bit of reading and researching but I just want to make sure you’ve also read a couple of articles about the mattress cores and the differences between them in these articles: mattress support core overview and innerspring cores and latex support cores that will help with some of your questions. Good to hear that you’ll be visiting The Mattress Factory soon as you know they are a trusted member of the site with many quality/value choices and a great deal of knowledge in mattress manufacturing.
What a great line this is and so true, but it’s almost like the beginning of a joke you may tell….
And to make things more confusing, a “latex hybrid mattress” has both layers of latex and also a support core made of innerspring!! One of our trusted members, Luma Sleep has a great mattress comparison page and on the bottom of this page, you can download a pdf spec ( just click here) that shows all specs, heights, and weights. One Hybrid king 11.5" mattress weighs 148 lbs, vs the King size 11" All Latex mattress weighs 218lbs. which is a significant difference.
Generally speaking, a layer of latex would weigh much more than the same size coil layer. Also, the weight of the latex would depend on the type of latex it was and its firmness (Dunlop is heavier than Talalay and firmer latex is denser than softer latex) but if it’s Dunlop it would be somewhere in the range of 5 lbs / cu ft or so (depending on the firmness level) and at 6" thick it would weigh over 100 lbs. For foam mattresses to calculate the weight I use the thickness of each layer in inches multiplied by the width and length of the layer and divided by 1728 (the number of cubic inches in a cubic foot) and then multiply the total by the density to get the total weight of the layer (or at least what it should be).
I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding … and of course, any additional comments or questions you may have along the way that I or any of the expert members of the site can help with. Thank you again.
Phoenix
Thanks for the information Phoenix. I am still doing my homework and I am getting a better understanding latex mattresses, coil mattresses and hybrids. I have also been watching the vids by The Beducator™, Mattress To Go owner Jeff Scheuer. I see that he is also a member and contributor to the forum. I have not had a chance to visit any of the DFW locations yet but in the next few weeks my wife and I will be going to try some different mattresses out. Thanks again for all of the information.
Hi neverender,
Thanks again for the kind words. Yes, Mattress-To-Go / Beducator has some great videos worth watching while doing your “homework”. Jeff is certainly one of our valued trusted members of the site and we hope that with so much good information available you’ll be able to soon test and narrow down to a few good beds that fit your needs and preferences. Glad to hear that you are doing your due diligence and research and, of course, please don’t hesitate to post any questions you may have.
We are looking forward to hearing how testing works out for you.
Phoenix
We finally made it out to http://www.citymattressfactory.com/ on April 19th. Looking at the google maps view I could see this was a sketchy area surrounded by salvage yards and other manufacturing type buildings. I told my wife about this and a place like this isn’t going to be in a strip mall but more like a warehouse district. She seemed ok with this until we started driving down the unsafe looking 2 lane road. As we approached what looked like a haunted witch’s house she said “I may not be getting out of the car and I have every right” Luckily as we turned the corner and saw City Mattress Factory, she said that it looks fine and will get out of the car.
My wife thought I was being weird by bringing our pillows but I assured her the experts said that is the thing to do. I had my tablet with all of my notes so I was prepared to ask questions. We made our way into the building and back to the showroom. They had about 20 different mattresses to try out. Norm greeted us and he was very friendly. We started with the 2 sided mattresses and then started to play a game of Goldilocks. Norm pretty much left us alone while we hopped from bed to bed, and would check on us after a while. I told him about this website and all the info that was provided by all the great people here. As we started to narrow it down to two mattresses we ended up both agreeing that the Royal Jewel Latex/Firm felt the best. This was great because I know many others in this thread went with that mattresses and that was what we both liked.
Another great thing was no high pressure sales during out testing or when we were buying the mattress. Norm asked us if we needed a bed frame or a mattress cover, that’s it. We already had both so that was pretty much it. We had the bed delivered on April 23.
So far it has been a huge difference and we are both really liking it. The two biggest things that we are getting used to is when somebody gets in or out of the bed, the other person never feels a thing. The bed doesn’t move at all when the other person is moving. The other is this mattress has the quantum edge coils on the perimeter which are stiffer than the coils on the interior. This is also great because you can be laying on the very edge of the bed and it doesn’t feel like you are about to roll out of the bed.
I’ve told and bored many of my friends and coworkers about this site and my experience. I have sent them links to this site for their mattress purchases in the future. I will check back in in a few months to update about my mattress, but right now we are very happy with it.
Hi neverender,
Congratulations on the new mattress!!! and thanks for such a detailed report of your shopping experience.
That as such a nice post and thank you again for the kind appreciation you have for our site.
I love this … “bringing our pillows” and "tablet with all of my notes "… it is truly very very rewarding to see consumers in charge of their shopping process … It’s amazing to witness a growing feeling of confidence in one’s decision and the good results that comes with some good information, basic research, and some field testing … all in all assuming some responsibility in the purchase process.
Also, it’s great to hear that this is a good match so far:
I am glad that all is going so well and yes please send us updates once you have a chance to sleep upon it for a while longer.
Thank you so much for telling all your friends about us.
Sleep Well,
Phoenix