Hello everyone.
Have been lurking around for several years and have finally decided to upgrade Ikea latex mattress to something more substantial. The former had claimed to be firm, but feels too soggy under my meager 170 lb , 6’ frame.
Anyway, both companies I’ve narrowed the search to, have a good reputation here, warranty terms seems to be very similar and looks like recently Flexus have upgraded they top layer. - the site claims “100% Natural Talalay Latex” (how end user can ever verify if it’s 100% un-blended or something else? :huh: )
If above is true the Natural Latex 10" from Flexus and default Organic Select 10" from SleepEZ seems to have exactly the same insides and similar organic cotton/wool covers. (It’s not clear what wool Flexus uses)
Price gap however is quite significant. I’m looking at the king size and it’s $2.2K for SLeepEZ and $1.8K for Flexus, both on sale (to deflect the discounts? ).
$400 is quite a lot, so what’s I’m missing? 
Hi asverlov,
As you know both SleepEZ and Flexus Comfort are members of this site which means that I think very highly of both of them and that I believe that they both compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and experience. They would both make great choices.
While they both make component latex mattresses that have very similar designs … there are a few differences between them in terms of the specific materials and components that they each have available.
The SleepEZ Natural Select line allows you to choose between 100% natural Dunlop or blended Talalay latex in each of the layers and has a natural cotton cover quilted with natural wool.
Their Organic Select line allows you to choose between 100% natural Dunlop (the same as their Natural Select line) or 100% natural Talalay in each of the layers. It also has an organic cotton cover quilted to organic wool. Since the 100% natural Dunlop option is the same in both mattresses … this line would generally be more attractive to those who are looking for 100% natural Talalay in all of the layers and/or that prefer organic cotton and wool. Since using 100% natural Talalay in all the layers would be more costly than a mattress that only uses a single layer of 100% natural Talalay and because organic fabrics are generally more costly than natural fabrics … the higher pricing for their Organic Select line reflects this.
The Flexus Natural Comfort 7" mattress uses two layers of 100% natural Dunlop but their thicker mattresses use 100% natural Dunlop in the bottom layers and 100% natural Talalay latex in the top layer so there is one layer of 100% natural Talalay rather than multiple layers. Their covers also use organic cotton quilted to natural wool. In other words … the Natural Comfort line includes some of the options of the SleepEZ Natural Select line (100% natural Dunlop and natural wool) and some of the options of the SleepEZ Organic Select line (100% natural Talalay and organic cotton).
Both manufacturers have several firmness options for each of the layers and have the option for different firmness options on each side of the mattress for their larger sizes (queen and king).
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 properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) 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 or other mattresses you are considering 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 and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
Unless there are any identifying stickers or markings on the layers that would identify the materials (which may or may not be the case) you would be dependent on trusting the reputation, integrity, and knowledge of the manufacturer or retailer you purchased it from. The same would be true about any type of mattress and the materials inside it because if a manufacturer or retailer really wanted to deceive their customers about what is inside their mattresses they certainly could since most consumers wouldn’t have the knowledge or experience to be able to identify the specifics of the materials inside any mattress they purchase.
While knowingly deceiving their customers would end up working against the self interest of any reputable manufacturer as soon as consumers became aware that they weren’t providing the same materials that were in their descriptions and it certainly wouldn’t be worth the risk to their business and reputation … in the end there is no way to avoid trusting someone when you are purchasing a mattress. This is why I have often mentioned that the knowledge, experience, and integrity of the retailer or manufacturer you are purchasing from can be one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase.
Once you have narrowed down your options to a list of finalists that are all choices between “good and good” (which you have) and none of them have any lower quality materials or “weak links” in their design (which they don’t) and if at this point there are no clear winners between them (which is usually a good indication that you have done some good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a suitable choice and post #2 herepersonal value equation can help you make a final choice based on your own local testing and/or your more detailed phone conversations about each of them, the firmness and suitability of each one, their prices, your preferences for different types of materials and components, designs, or types and blends of latex, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress or individual layers and any costs involved, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your that are most important to you.
Phoenix
Thanks, Phoenix
I understand that options are there, but if I configure the 10" mattress on both sites to be 2x 100% natural Dunlop + 1x 100% natural Talalay for the top, + organic cotton I get more or less the same mattress and the price difference of $400. Which makes me to scratch my head - is it just an extra margin or there is some unlisted quality improvement . I don’t mind to pay for the later, and much less so for the former.
Hi asverlov,
There is more about some of the factors that can affect the price of a mattress relative to different manufacturers or retailers in post #14 here but the biggest factor is generally the type, amount, quality, and cost of the materials and components inside it. Some types of latex are just more costly than others and this (along with the other variables involved in the price) would be reflected in the cost of the mattress.
The price of a component latex mattress would generally need to include the foam layers that consumers are most likely to choose and for the sake of simplicity they usually don’t have separate prices for all the different combinations that are possible. In the case of the SleepEZ Organic Select this would usually be 3 layers of 100% natural Talalay (most of their customers that prefer two layers of 100% natural Dunlop would be more likely to choose the Natural Select rather than the Organic Select) which may mean that the price may be less than another manufacturer that also includes 3 layers of 100% natural Talalay but more than another manufacturer that only uses one layer of 100% natural Talalay. Different cover materials and designs can also have an effect on the price of a mattress as well. Another similar example would be layer firmnesses because in some cases firmer versions of Dunlop are more costly than softer versions of Dunlop but most manufacturers will average out the prices so that there is a single price that would apply to all the combinations that different customers are likely to choose even though they may make more on some variations than they do on others.
This along with all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you is just part of the research that can help you decide which specific mattress would be the “best value” for you regardless of whether someone else would have the same criteria or make the same choice.
Phoenix
The Natural Select from SleepEZ choice for Talalay is “blended”. I looked at these two companies in the 10" configuration and noticed the same price difference after realizing I need to move up to the Organic Line for SleepEZ to get 100% Natural (If I wanted to include Talalay). The only difference I could find was SleeEZ listing their wool and cotton as “organic”. Neither were in my final 2 for what I wanted so that’s where I stopped.
What have you ended up with?
Hi asverlov,
MikeinVA ordered from Spindle which is also a member of the site but they just received it yesterday and haven’t slept on it yet (or perhaps they slept on it for the first time last night).
Phoenix
Phoenix is correct. Spindle in King size. Two nights now. So far so good. I’m going to wait a bit before I opine too much.
My final 2 were Spindle and Arizona Mattress.
any update on your spindle experience?
Also trying to decide on Sleepez 10 or 13 inch.
Hi Jake,
While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful (and hopefully MikeinVA will see your post and share their comments) … I would keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general 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. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).
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 (which would certainly include both Spindle and SleepEZ) and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) 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 or other mattresses you are considering 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 and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
Phoenix