Final Advice before buying - Please

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hi Phoenix,
My wife and I have begun looking for a new mattress to replace our 15-20 year old one for a number of reasons including it not helping our aches and pains (partly from age and partly from still being very active athletically) and need for better temperature regulation.

I have read a good deal of information on your website and want to express my sincere thanks for all the excellent, thoughtful information and extensive details you offer. Yours is by far the best website for specific mattress and manufacturer information I have seen.

After having done a lot of research, I have a pretty clear idea of the features I think we want in a mattress so wanted to check with you as to your recommendations for manufacturers/dealers who can provide these at the most competitive prices.

Just a little about us as background for our needs/preferences-
I’m 57- 5’9" - 170 lbs. fairly active athletically with no major physical/medical issues
My wife is 56 - 5’4’ - 130lbs also fairly active
She has been experiencing significant temperature regulation issues at night for years now and so finding the “coolest” sleeping bed is essential. I had looked at options like the ChiliBed which has built in cooling and heating via tubing run through the mattress but have some reservations about the bed construction, a new company, how safe the technology is, maintenance etc.
My wife also has shoulder pain from a persisting rotator cuff ligament tear which makes it hard to lay on that side at times and so needs a good amount of joint pressure relief there and with other joints.

We are both predominantly side sleepers and have preferred the mattresses with “plush” or soft tops we have tried so far.

Based on all this, my sense at this point as to what may best serve us includes the following criteria:

  • As natural/organic a bed as possible with the highest OKEO-Tex rating (or similar Green safety rating)
    This leads me to wanting -All Talalay Latex (I understand Talalay is the best quality latex- versus Dunlop and also the coolest- esp. the Cension or GL version of Talalay.)

-3 layers of latex at least with a soft top layer (or a 4th layer) of 1-2 softer talalay with firmer layers underneath

-Each of the layers wrapped in a cotton/fabric sleeve to isolate motion and prolong wear of the layers

  • The ability to re-arrange the layers on both side of a King size bed

  • All organic casing with wool for insulation/fireproofing. I understand a Bamboo fabric cover may absorb moisture/sweat better than organic cotton and thus be cooler- Is this correct in your opinion?

So far- from checking manufacturers- on your list and others- the following may have these types of matresses-
My Green Mattress
FloBeds
GreenSleep (but very expensive - and only Dunlop latex possibly?)

I would greatly appreciate your input re: the criteria listed above in terms of getting a bed with the best cooling properties and be as natural/environmentally safe as possible. I would also greatly appreciate also your thoughts on which manufactures you think might be best (in terms of quality of construction and service), as well as reasonable prices.

Thanks very much for all your help!!

Have a great day!!

2

Hi Mige G,

You can read more about the factors that can affect and help you assess the temperature regulation of a mattress in post #2 here. While the Chilibed is certainly an option and provides a wide range of temperature options (and I would consider it to be “safe”) … I’m not so certain that the extra cost would be justified in most cases or for most people who may be fine without it on other types of mattress. The Chilibed is also one mattress and may not be the most suitable choice for a specific person in terms of PPP and you may be trading temperature regulation for pressure relief or alignment or other preferences you may have that may be just as important (which of course can only be confirmed by your own sleeping experience). I would be hesitant to choose a mattress based on a single criteria to the exclusion of the rest that may also be important unless you have tested the mattress in person or it has a good return policy.

Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is a safety rating not a “green” rating (they are very different). I don’t think there are any reliable “green” ratings that I’m aware of that are in widespread use so this would really be a matter of assessing the individual materials in a mattress and how it was constructed based on a “definition” of green that met your criteria. There is also more about organic certifications in post #2 here and the posts it links to and as you can see your choice would also depend on the level or “organicy” you consider to be acceptable.

The choice between Talalay and Dunlop would be a matter of preference and not a better/worse choice in terms of quality and I don’t consider one production method to be “better” or produce a higher quality latex than the other. They are just different and both produce a very high quality and durable type of latex that has different properties (see post #7 here). Both have a long history of being very durable. The only latex that has an organic certification is Dunlop. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here but all the latex you are likely to encounter (natural, synthetic, blended, or organic in either Talalay or Dunlop) has passed either Oeko-Tex standard 100 or Eco-Institute testing so I would consider all of them to be “safe”. Talalay does allow more airflow than Dunlop so it may be cooler in some applications (depending on the other variables that can affect sleeping temperature).

Yes … bamboo tends to wick moisture more effectively than cotton although it may not be as durable and it’s also “semi synthetic” while cotton can be a natural or organic fabric. There is more information about how they compare in post #7 here and in post #11 here.

I’m not so sure I would agree with your assumptions here. You can read more about individually wrapped latex in post #2 here.

While you are certainly looking at some high quality options, they are not the only ones available to you. Post #21 here includes a list of the members here that sell mattresses online and there are several others that seem to meet one or more (or all) of the criteria you listed that may also be worth considering. I’m mentioning “one or more” because not all of the choices you mentioned meet all of the criteria you outlined and not all of your criteria are based on what I would consider to be accurate information.

There may also be local options available to you that meet your criteria and if you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know of any that I’m aware of in your area.

Phoenix

3

Thanks very much Phoenix. I appreciate your insight on Dunlop vs Talalay as one store specializing in high end latex mattresses had given the the impression that Talalay was higher quality, more refined/better than Dunlop and so my preference for it.
I live near Albany, NY and would appreciate any information on good local dealers of high quality latex mattresses.
I have not had much luck in finding any so far - Mainly just the standards name brands with limited latex content.

4

Hi Mike G,

It isn’t unusual at all for a store to “overpromote” the quality or value of the materials they use and diminish the quality or value of materials they don’t offer. When you look at only a “piece” of a larger picture or the tradeoffs involved it can be somewhat misleading.

Questions such as “better for who” or “better in what specific way” are questions that can get to the heart of what they mean and whether they are providing a more “neutral” and complete picture or accurate information.

Post #4 here includes the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Albany area (and a link to the closest factory direct manufacturers which are some distance away).

I don’t know the specifics of what each one has on their floor (which can change over time) so I would call and find out specifically what they carry and have on their floor before you visit them.

Phoenix

5

Talalay GL ??-
Hi Phoenix- In looking at Latex International’s website they describe their different types of Talalay include TALALAY GL FAST RESPONSE/SLOW RESPONSE options which are supposed to be specifically designed for and better at regulating temperature extremes experienced by sleepers.

What is your opinion of GL Fast or Slow for temp. regulation vs. “Classic” Talalay from Latex Int’l?
Would you recommend the Slow response or the Fast response for both Temp. regulation and for PPP?
What manufacturers do you know who make mattresses with either GL Fast or Slow?

Thanks very much!!
Mike

6

Hi Mike G,

You can see some comments in post #2 here.

One material isn’t inherently better than another in terms of PPP. It depends on the specific design of a mattress and how well the design matches your specific needs and preferences.

The Talalay GL would probably make a “slight” difference in temperature regulation at the beginning of the night vs regular Talalay but how helpful or noticeable this would be would depend on the combined effect of the other parts of the mattress design and materials and your bedding that would also affect temperature regulation. For some people who tend to sleep hot it may be one additional temperature regulating factor that could make the difference between too hot and OK.

I don’t have a list of manufacturers organized by the materials they use in their mattress but off the top of my head I know that Pure Latex Bliss (which is owned by Latex International) uses Talalay GL fast response in all of their Natural line and they use both fast and slow response in their hybrid line. They have a retail store finder here.

Jamison Bedding also uses Talalay GL slow and fast response in some of their mattresses but I don’t believe they have any retailers around you.

Phoenix