Looking for a Split King with adjustable base. Having a very difficult time deciding among my 3 finalists. Prices have been rounded off to the nearest $100 and include delivery and installation.
Flexus Comfort: Proposed two Twin XL mattresses on seperate S-Cape bases. Looking at 6" Dunlop core + 3" Talalay Comfort layer. Conventional (non organic) outer wrap with chemical fire retardant. Upgrade to organic wrap available for $300 more, but they still use a chemical fire retardant so I don’t see the point. Lowest Price.
Custom Comfort: Proposed two Twin XL mattresses on seperate Reverie 5D bases (equivalent to S-Cape) . Looking at 6" Talalay core + 1" Talalay comfort layer on top and 1" Talalay comfort layer on bottom (this is the only flipabble mattress of the 3, and also the thinnest). Upgraded to organic wrap with wool fire layer included. $200 more than Flexus.
Berkeley Ergonomics: Proposed two Twin XL mattresses on seperate S-Cape bases. Pocket Coil core + 2" Talalay comfort layer + seperate 1" Talalay king-size topper. It’s a bit confusing, I know…they proposed the two mattresses be seperate, but the topper is one contiguous king size. Claim this will eliminate the seam in the middle, but will still allow for both sides to move up and down independent of one another. However, the degree of movement is somewhat restricted because of the one-piece topper. Fully organic outer materials including wool fire layer. No chemicals. $1000 more than Flexus.
I just spoke to the retailer for BE again and he claims Custom Comfort latex options are not 100% natural latex - that they are mixed with petrochemicals.
You have certainly eliminated all the worst options, none of the mattresses you are considering have any weak links, and you are choosing between “good and good” in terms of quality and value. While I can’t help with what to choose when you reach this stage (this always depends on which of the many options and tradeoffs are most important to you), post #2 here may help you with how to choose when all your final options are good ones.
I’m not sure of the specifics of the fire barrier they use but if it’s an inherent viscose (rayon) / silica fabric then it wouldn’t be “chemical” (see post #2 here).
The easiest way to know would be to just ask Custom Comfort whether their Talalay is blended or 100% natural. You can read a little more about the pros and cons of the different types of latex in post #6 here. All Talalay latex has the same OekoTex standard 100 class 1 (safe for babies) certification for harmful substances and VOC’s.
I would also wonder about using a topper on a split twin adjustable bed if you planned to use each separately unless the limitations of the amount you could raise and lower the bed isn’t important because latex can tear easily. Of course if you plan to sync both sides and use them together then this wouldn’t be an issue and it would certainly reduce the feel of the split in between the two mattresses although you may still notice it to some degree.
You have certainly done some great research and narrowed down your final choices to some great options and I’m looking forward to hearing about your final choice
Thanks for the prompt reply and links to other posts. Initial (unverified) research has yielded that Custom Comfort’s latex is 70% synthetic SBR and 30% natural latex. That takes it out of the running for me.
I guess the remaining question is if a coil/latex/wool hybrid from Berkeley is worth $1,000 more than an all-latex from Flexus. I am unfortunatey not in a position to compare the all-latex berkeley as it is above my price limit. Plus, I tried the all-latex berkeley and found it to be less comfortable.
Theoretically, the all-latex from Flexus should be a longer lasting bed than any coil based bed, right? The only thing holding me back really is the lack of “organic-ness” in the Flexus.
Not necessarily no. A mattress will tend to soften and break down from the top down (the top layers are the ones that are under the stress of ongoing compression) and it’s unlikely that either a good innerspring or a latex support core will be the weakest link of either mattress. How the top layers compare (the top 4" or 5" or so of each mattress depending on a person’s weight and how much they tend to sink in to the mattress) will have much more to do with their relative durability than the support cores and a good innerspring or a latex core will both be very durable. If you were sleeping directly on the support core then latex would likely be inherently more durable but it’s the upper layers that are compressed the most that are the ones to compare. You can read more about the factors that affect the durability of a mattress in post #4 here.
Microcoils haven’t been out for long enough to really know their longer term durability in real life but I would say that latex would outlast these as well as long as the latex wasn’t too soft. 100% natural Talalay latex in softer ILD’s may also not last as long as blended latex if it’s made by Latex International but Radium in Holland has told me that they use a different curing paste with their 100% natural Talalay (which is what BE uses) which creates a denser cell structure and their testing indicates that their 100% natural latex in softer ILD’s will last as long as their blended Talalay (although I’m not completely convinced).
Thanks Phoenix. I searched on the site and had seen your post on deciding between two good choices. Thank you for the great site, all the information, advice and feedback.
I have a St. Dormeirs mattress protector on the way. Based on the reviews I decided to order a set of Bamboo Sheets which just arrived. The new bed is shipping (maybe delivered) this week. So it was time to make a decision on the mattress.
I spent time earlier today search the site for feedback and reviews on Select Foam. What I read was positive. I also spent some time on their sites Select Foam is more open and straightforward on the materials used in the mattress. With the sale Select Foam currently has we are looking at ~35% price difference (assuming they honor the 5% discount along with their sale price). That is a heck of a difference for a mattress that is at least comparable quality.
Now I have not spoken to Select Foam as they appeared to be closed today. Or at least they did not respond to my IM. I traded IM’s on several occasions with Brooklyn Bedding and they were very helpful and friendly. That being I have no reason to expect anything different from Select Foam.
I believe I have made my decision and Select Foam is the winner in my case. The plan is to speak with them on Monday, verify the price, and place an order.
I had forgotten on a trip the wife and I had slept on a Memory Foam Mattress at a Marriott for 1.5 weeks and we both slept better than normal. This and my experience with latex today lead me to believe that I the Gel Memory Foam mattress is going to be the right decision.
Now I just need to find Pillows we like. I have tried probably 10 different pillows over the years and keep going back to a thin, cheap, old poly fill pillow. We both liked the latex pillows we tried out today but it is a night of sleep (or a couple weeks of sleep) on the pillows that has always fallen short when I try for something new.
I switched your post to here as I suspect you may have posted it into the wrong thread
Select Foam has a series of “rotating sales” which really don’t change in terms of “value” except the specifics may be different so their “sale price” is really their “regular price”. Their main site is the one that has the most accurate information although there are still some site revisions that they are working on.
They have also put some care and thought into approximating the Tempurpedic line in terms of the feel, design, and quality of materials so you can test the local Tempurpedic mattresses for PPP to get a good idea of how they feel and perform and which one would be most suitable for you.
Pillows are one of the most subjective parts of a sleeping system and a big part of a pillow choice is based on personal preferences (although there are some basic “needs” as well based on sleeping position and body type) but the pillow thread here has some good information and links to resources about pillows and may be helpful.
I’m looking forward to hearing about what you decide on
