Firm Latex Mattress comparison

Hi there,

Short: Can anyone compare the firmness of the PureBliss Brilliant to a firm Nest Love or Brooklyn Bedding?

Long: Some friends told us they got a latex mattress; choosing Spindle because it was all natural. I had thought about getting a new mattress, so this really got me investigating.

We live in Tampa, so we don’t have a lot of places that carry all latex beds. We did find a place that carried PureBliss. My wife thought the the “medium” was too soft. We tried the Brilliant. It was pretty firm. My liked it. Me, eh…

Then we went to Sleep Number and found our numbers. I’m a 45 and she is a 65. Not that I’d buy a SN mattress, just demonstrating the difference in or preferences.

Hi HerbM,

I would keep in mind that there are no “standard” definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer. Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that is firm for one can feel like “medium” for someone else or even “soft” for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. Different people can also have very different opinions on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness as well. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they “rate” a mattress as well (see post #15 here). In other words you will always need to test a mattress or sleep on it in person for you to assess how firm or soft it feels to you or how it compares to another mattress regardless of whether it feels firm or soft to someone else or how anyone else may “rate” it.

I would also be very cautious about using other people’s experiences or reviews on a mattress (either positive or negative) as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you and in many cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (see post #13 here).

There is also more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) in post #2 here that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for once you actually sleep on your mattress but when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.

The numbers are the firmness of the air bladders which provide the primary support for the mattress and not the firmness of the comfort layers above them which wouldn’t change.

There is more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers and components in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel”.

Phoenix

I can tell you that the Brilliant from PLB is one of the firmest mattresses I have ever laid on. Had one on the floor in our SF store and it is VERY firm. Compared to the Love Bed, the Love Bed firm is softer.

Hi HerbM and nestbedding,

Just for reference, the specs for the Brilliant are …

2" of 24 ILD blended Talalay
6" 1.8 lb polyfoam 50 ILD

As you can see the base layer is VERY firm and with only 2" of latex on top of it and a cover that doesn’t have any softer quilting materials you would feel much more of the firmness of the base layer than you would with a mattress that had thicker comfort layer(s) or a quilted cover.

Phoenix