After lurking about TMU since February/March and doing a lot of reading here and elsewhere, I’ve finally purchased a new King sized mattress. Through Amazon I’ve purchased the Ultimate Dreams Eurotop Latex mattress by Dreamfoam Bedding. We’ll start with the #5 firmness and see how it goes from there. I will post to share the experience.
I need a mattress pad, but after the sticker shock from mattresses, I’m still unsure about the pad. I’ve narrowed my choices to the Luna Waterproof Mattress Protector (~$50 on Amazon) and the St. Dormeir Wool Mattress Protector (~$189). I like the St. Dormeir but can’t justify spending 19% of the cost of the mattress for a pad :^ O I mean, I certainly wouldn’t spend over $47,000 to paint a $200,000 home; even if they included blown-in insulation.
Anyway, any comments or good rationalizations regarding a mattress pad (or the bed)?
You’ve certainly made a good quality/value choice and kept your options open for a comfort exchange which can be a valuable option to have with an online purchase.
There is more about the tradeoffs involved with different types of mattress protectors in post #89 here.
Both of these would make a good choice for most people but I’m not so sure I would measure the cost of a mattress protector (or any bedding such as sheets, blankets, or even a pillow) as a percentage of the mattress and more against the quality of sleep you will have with each part of your complete sleeping system you decide on.
For most people the Luna (or other similar membrane type protectors) would work well especially for those that are looking for a waterproof protector but for some people that tend to sleep hot these types of protectors can sleep warmer because they are less breathable than the other types.
The St Dormeir would be more breathable and temperature regulating and would be under $200 in king size which if you used it for 5 years would be a little over $3 a month. For me the comparison would be about whether the benefits of the St Dormeir (better temperature regulation along with the water resistance of wool) is worth it based on the quality of your sleep and its benefits rather than the percentage of the mattress purchase it represented.
Hoo ya! The mattress arrived today. I was anxiously tracking it’s movement via the shipper’s website. Good thing I did and got to slip home to be here when it was delivered. That thing is long and heavy. Not sure what I was thinking. It has a stated shipping weight of 120 lbs. I just never gave much thought to how that weight was distributed. Anyway… the delivery guy helped me carry it to the bedroom hallway.
It’s now unpacked and airing out. I ordered one side to be a 5 level firmness and the other a 6 level firmness. I can’t readily tell which is which and didn’t notice a stenciled number on the one pad I examined.
I am so looking forward to tonight’s rest.
Oh, Phoenix, I had previously read that thread that you linked to above. It’s one of the ways that I narrowed my mattress pad choices. Last week I ordered the St. Dormeir mattress pad
That’s good news … and now you actually get to sleep on your new mattress
I think that the difference in firmness on each side will be evident once you are able to stretch out and relax on the mattress or compare each side in actual use (although it’s not a major difference).
I’m looking forward to your feedback when you’ve had the chance to sleep on it.
Well, we’ve had 12 nights of rest on the Ultimate Dreams Eurotop Latex mattress by Dreamfoam Bedding and 11 nights on the St. Dormeir Wool Mattress Protector. The first few nights had so many different variables (e.g., microfleece bedding, unseasonably warm nights and with/without the mattress cover) that it was tough to make clear subjective decisions about the mattress.
One thing that thankfully has ended is that I awoke with a mild headache and nausea after the first 5 nights. I really don’t know what to attribute those headaches. I didn’t perceive any odor or vapors from the mattress (either by smell, watery eyes or skin irritation). My gf also had headaches, but she typically has those whenever a high pressure system rolls in (such as we had during the first week of December in SE Michigan). Anyway, our night sweating is gone (probably not due to the mattress “sleeping hot”) and we’ve decided we each prefer the level 5 latex so we’ll soon switch the level 6 half. My gf is pleased that my getting in and out of the bed as well as movements in the bed aren’t transmitted to her. Maybe this is due the the mattress’ firm material or maybe because it’s a much bigger bed than we had before (king vs. queen). Bottom line is that we are thrilled with our new mattress.
As an aside, I will note that I don’t care for the shredded latex pillow that came with the mattress in lieu of a discount. It’s okay when I’m on my back, but I just can’t get it flat enough to be comfortable when I’m on my side or stomach.
