Hate my Tempur Rhapsody, replacing with Aireloom or Prana

Hi FAUguy,

This is less likely to be an issue when the mattress is on top of your foundation and frame but the knickerbocker foundation is certainly a very strong bedframe that is longer and has a support leg closer to the end of the mattress which would reduce the chance ot tipping when you sit on the end. Post #10 here also has more information about choosing a steel bedframe and some of them would also be similar as well with a support leg closer to the end of the mattress.

Phoenix

Ok.
My friend showed up a little but ago and we were able to assemble the latex mattress on top of the foundation.
It took about 30 min, including getting all the packing staples out of the boxes.
I have one side as S/M/F and the other side as S/M/M. With the latex on there, it does not tip.
Trying both sides for 10 min, the SMM feels a bit better to me, but I’ll be trying both sides out over the next few weeks.
Either way, it’s still more comfortable than the Tempur Rhapsody that was returned.

Hi FAUguy,

[quote]With the latex on there, it does not tip.

Either way, it’s still more comfortable than the Tempur Rhapsody that was returned. [/quote]

That sounds promising … and so far so good :slight_smile:

Phoenix

I tried to sleep on it last night, and again today some, and just can’t get comfortable on it…
When laying on my back, I feel like I’m laying “on top” of the mattress, there’s no “comfort cushion”.
When on my side, my hip and legs push the farthest into the mattress, but I can feel the latex pushing back, and after about 5 mins my hip and legs are hurting.
This is on the SMM side.

So at this point I’m not sure what to do. Do a comfort exchange and try a SSM, get a memory foam topper, or send it back and go with a " traditional " spring mattress (like an Aireloom).
This is really frustrating, but I’m not liking this “pressure” the latex is pushing back on me, almost feels like an air-mattress.

Hi FAUguy,

All new mattresses will go through an initial break in period and you will also need some time to adjust to a new sleeping surface as well so the “best” suggestion in the first few weeks would be to “do nothing” with the mattress and then assess how you are sleeping on a new mattress after that and decide on whether you need to rearrange or exchange any layers. There are also some suggestions in post #2 here that may also be helpful as well.

Phoenix

I thought latex didn’t really “break in” like foam does?
I’m thinking that next week I may call them and do a layer exchange, so I can go from SMM to SSM or SSS by having them send two soft layers out.

Hi FAUguy,

All new mattresses will go through an initial break in period where the materials lose any of their “false firmness”, the cover stretches and loses some of its initial stiffness, and any fibers compress to some degree as well although latex will break in less than other materials. You will also go through an adjustment period with any new sleeping surface as well so in a few weeks your mattress will feel different to you to some degree (for both reasons) than it does when it’s new.

I would wait a minimum of two weeks before considering any changes (other than the non mattress suggestions that I linked to) and a little longer (in the range of 30 days) would be much better yet.

When the time comes to make some changes I would make smaller and more incremental changes rather than a more random approach (and I would make sure that you discuss each new combination and your results on each one with SleepEZ) so you don’t “jump over” the layering that is the most suitable combination and I would avoid SSS completely. If you have a split top layer you can also test two soft layers on top with the layers you already have on one side of your mattress so you can confirm that it will work well for you before doing a layer exchange because their layer exchange policy only allows for exchanging a single layer (or two split layers) so if you do an exchange I would make sure you are confident that you are making the best choice.

Phoenix

A friend of mine said that last year he tried one called Magniflex (made in Italy) and another called Essential and liked them both.
They both have dealers just north of me. Have you tried either one?

Hi FAUguy,

[quote]A friend of mine said that last year he tried one called Magniflex (made in Italy) and another called Essential and liked them both.
They both have dealers just north of me. Have you tried either one?
www.myessentia.com/locations/boca-raton/[/quote]

You can read some of my thoughts about Essentia and some of the misleading claims they make and some forum discussions with them in this thread and this thread and posts #3 and #4 here). Needless to say I would be very cautious here.

You can read a little more about Magniflex in post #6 here and post #2 here and post #3 here and a forum search on Magniflex (you can just click the link) will bring up more information and feedback about them as well. I would make sure that you confirm the quality/density of all the layers (see this article) in the specific model you are considering so you can confirm that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the model you are looking at.

Phoenix

I called the two dealers in my area that sells the Magniflex line, each one only has 1 model (out of a dozen) on display, but all sales are final…so that rules that out.
Since I was out this evening, I stopped back at the newer City Mattress in Boynton Beach and tried out the S&F Hybrid MacClesfield and the Aireloom Meribel. To me, even though both of those have only been on display there a week since the new store opened (and probably haven’t had many people on them) they both felt more comfortable than what I’m getting thus far with the SleepEZ latex.
I went back abs forth between the two. The thing I like about the S&F is that it is a true Hybrid with 8" coils and two 3" memory foam on top, making it soft but supportive, without the latex “push back” that I’m not liking. The Aireloom feels more like a traditional coil mattress with the euro top foam layers on top.
Both felt good while I was on my back, but then when I got on my side, the SF felt a bit softer, and the Aireloom felt a tad bit more firmer/supportive. But if I decide to return the SleepEZ and go with one of those, I’d still want to go back to the store when I have more time to try them out before making a decision.

http://www.citymattress.com/stearns-foster-macclesfield-cal-king-hybrid-plush-mattress-set.html

Hi FAUguy,

I would be very cautious about considering any major brand mattress that likely uses low quality/density materials in the comfort layers (regardless of how it “feels” in a showroom) or any mattress where you don’t know the quality of the materials inside it unless the durability and useful life of a mattress and how quickly you will need to replace it isn’t an important issue for you (see the guidelines here).

A blind purchase like this is one of the most common reasons for buyers remorse much too quickly after a purchase.

There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more informed choices and make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses.

Phoenix

More power to those of you who can get a good night’s sleep on memory foam. I tried the entire Tempurpedic line for two hours in a store, and felt like I was either in quicksand or on a slab of concrete depending on firmness. Pressure points on every mattress - the only difference being WHERE the pressure points were. I walked out of the store feeling like I had a broken rib or two by the time I gave up. :slight_smile:

In comparison, Latex just feels like it was made in Heaven. But hey, live and let live… To each their own! And all that.

[quote=“LJGMDAD” post=50175]More power to those of you who can get a good night’s sleep on memory foam. I tried the entire Tempurpedic line for two hours in a store, and felt like I was either in quicksand or on a slab of concrete depending on firmness. Pressure points on every mattress - the only difference being WHERE the pressure points were. I walked out of the store feeling like I had a broken rib or two by the time I gave up. :slight_smile:

In comparison, Latex just feels like it was made in Heaven. But hey, live and let live… To each their own! And all that.[/quote]
I too initially tried all the Tempur Pedic models and ended up buying the Rhapsody (as I mentioned in the start of this thread).
It turned out to be way to hard/firm for me. After being told by the salesman the first two months it will soften up, it did not. I went back and tried them all out again. Even though I could have done an even exchange for a Cloud Luxe, I decided to return it and look for something else.

After a few weeks of mattress hunting, I did like the Aireloom Meribel and the S&F MacClesfield. The memory foam on those do not have the “quicksand” feel of Tempur Pedic or Optimum. But I decided to try the SleepEZ latex after trying out a Savvy Rest latex in a store. Now after havingit for 5 days, again my back and sides are in pain when trying to get to sleep. The last two nights I’ve woken up in pain and had to transfer to the couch for relief.

At this point, I’m wondering if latex just isn’t for me.

Well I think that’s the advantage of layered latex like the Sleep EZ… now you can start to tune it to your liking. I’m not an expert but if you’ve got pressure points, maybe you went too firm and need to soften it up. The ability to swap out a layer or rearrange existing layers and essentially create a brand new bed is the appeal to me. I’d be surprised if I could never find some combination of layers that worked! I’m curious how much you weigh, and what type and firmness each layer of your SleepEZ is.

BTW, I tried the Airelooms too. I really like the one with the latex comfort layers which is what steered me towards all Latex. While I liked the Aireloom, I felt it was time to get rid of springs and as I’ve been sampling all latex mattresses, I’ve been very happy with what I’ve found.

I have the layer as soft/medium/medium. I’m 6’3" 160lbs and am getting pressure on my back, and even worse when on my side.
In order to try a SSM or SSS, I’d need to have two soft layers sent out.

Dunlop or Talalay?

Hi FAUguy,

In the same way that your experience on the Rhapsody wouldn’t be an indication of how you will feel on every memory foam mattress … it’s unlikely that your experience on a single latex mattress would exclude a whole category of material. It’s more likely that the specific combinations you’ve tried aren’t suitable for you rather than the latex itself.

There is some information in post #2 here about the different types of “symptoms” that people may experience on a mattress and some of the most likely reasons for them.

I’m not sure of the specific symptoms you are feeling or where you are feeling them or which sleeping positions they tend to happen but the most common (although not the only) cause of back pain on a mattress is that the mattress is too soft. Pressure points also aren’t nearly as likely for back sleepers with a soft layer on top and the odds are higher (although not certain) that they are coming from alignment issues. Your couch would also almost certainly be firmer than your mattress.

Phoenix

All three layers are Talalay. When I spoke to Sleep EZ before ordering it, I was told they recommend the talalay since it is more uniform ILD than the dunlop, as its ILD is only tested in a few places.

So it’s on the soft side overall. When I talked to SleepEZ yesterday, they recommended SOFT-MEDIUM-FIRM in Talalay for my wife based on her weight of 130 and her sleep style of being a side sleeper. You weigh more and have a softer mattress than that. Based on our in-store trials thus far and what I know about the ILD of SleepEZ Talalay - I tend to think this was the right recommendation for my wife.

So my guess, and it’s just a guess, that your mattress isn’t providing enough support and you are sleeping with improper alignment. So I tend to think you need more support, not less. What you should do next, is call SleepEZ. But my first idea would be to upgrade your bottom layer from medium to firm. Can you have someone take a picture of you laying on the current mattress on your side? It might help you determine if your spine is aligned properly if you can visualize your body position.

Sorry I didn’t give enough detail. Its a Cal King, one side has a firm on the bottom, the other side is medium on the bottom, both sides have medium in the center, and soft on the top, which gives it SMF and SMM on each side. The top soft layer is glued together so there wouldn’t be the split seem in the middle. I’ve gone between both sides (SMF and SMM) and the only side I can bare to lay on is the SMM. My only option for a layer exchange would be to have a soft sent out to try SSM.