Help Choosing Latex Mattress

I’m in the UK so my choice of 100% layex mattresses is a little limited.

At the moment I’m trying to choose between John Ryan and Latex sense. They both appear to offer good quality but wondered if anyone could give me any info on what would be the better choice.

I’m looking at a super deluxe with latexsense or the medium mattress with topper at John Ryan. The main difference seems to be JR uses a layer of graphite layex as a fire retardant and Latex Sense uses wool, both are Dunlop.

Also with Latexsense I could have the choice of going all Talalay, is there any real world difference with this?

I also tried Dunlopillo but they all felt a bit too firm and were expensive.

Just thought I’d add, I’ll be putting this on an old Dunlopillo adjustable slatted base if this makes any difference.

Hi sarahnya,

While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress. There are just too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).

I don’t see mattress called “medium” on the John Ryan site but if you can provide the information here about both mattresses and post the information on the forum I’d be happy to make some comments about them. There is also more information about the pros and cons of a wool quilted cover vs a more stretchy knit cover in post #6 here.

The choice between Talalay and Dunlop would be a preference and budget choice rather than a “better/worse” choice. There is more about some of the general differences between Talalay and Dunlop in post #7 here but the best way to know which type of latex you tend to prefer would be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience.

If your slatted base is still in like new condition then if it’s suitable for one of them it would be suitable for both of them. The effect of adjustable slats will be less noticeable with a thicker latex mattress than it will for a thinner latex mattress.

Phoenix

Sorry, I was in a bit of a rush when I made my original post.

The Latexsense Mattresses I like

Latex Sense Latex Bliss Mattress This one was actually my favorite comfort wise when I tried it, However I was a bit concerned it was only one sided and may wear quicker.

Latex Sense Bellagio Latex Mattress This is an all Talalay Mattress, I wasn’t able to try this out in anything else but soft as it was waaay too soft, like a marshmallow but it was quite plush and comfy so I’m sure it would be fine in medium/firm

Latex Sense Superdeluxe Latex Mattress This is an all Dunlop Mattress, I got to try this in medium and it was pretty good, I’m actually leaning towards this one.

This is the one on John Ryans site I thought sounded okay, however they don’t have a show room but I could do a trial.
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TBH I didn’t find the talalay massively more comfortable, but Ive read a lot of things that say talalay breathes better and may even hold up longer than dunlop but I’m not sure if this is marketing blurb etc as I’ve read totally opposite things.

I’m a bit concerned the wool does have an effect on the comfort of the mattress, what is generally perceived as the best cover?

Oh yeah my base is over 7 years old and is a hand me down but in very good condition, the slats still have their spring and have no damage so hopefully its okay.

Oh yeah one other thing, is it better to go for the thinner mattress so I get more from the slats or will I get a more luxurious feel if I go for the thicker one?

Hi sarahnya,

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While I can’t speak to how any mattress will feel for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP because you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … in terms of durability all the mattresses you listed are “all latex” mattresses so none of them use any lower quality materials or have any weak links in their design that would compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.

While there is no way to quantify how long any mattress will last for a specific person or predict exactly when you will decide to replace it because it is no longer suitable or comfortable for you (because this is the only real measure of durability or the useful life of a mattress that really matters) because there are too many unknowns and variables involved that are unique to each person … if a mattress is well inside a suitable comfort/support range and isn’t close to the edge of being too soft when it is new (see post #2 here) and you have confirmed that it meets the minimum quality/durability specs that are suggested in the guidelines here (which they all do) then it would be reasonable to expect a useful lifetime in the range of 7 - 10 years and with higher quality and more durable materials like latex or higher density memory foam or polyfoam (in the comfort layers especially) it would likely be in the higher end of the range or even longer and the chances that you would have additional “bonus time” would be higher as well.

In other words … if they are all in a suitable firmness range and aren’t on the edge of being too soft for you it would be reasonable to expect that all the mattresses you are considering would have some “bonus time” and maintain their comfort and support for over 10 years . While it may not be relevant because all of the mattresses you are considering would be very durable choices and your needs and preferences may change before the mattresses soften and break down to the extent that they lose their comfort and support … it would also be reasonable to expect that a two sided mattress will maintain its comfort and support for longer than a similar mattress that has the same comfort layers on only one side of the support core … assuming that you turn and flip it on a regular basis (see post #2 here). There is also more about the pros and cons of a two sided mattress in post #3 here.

One additional advantage of a mattress/topper combination (and component mattresses where you can replace individual layers) … is that if one of the components softens or breaks down before the others (usually the top layer in a mattress or the topper) or if your needs and preferences change over time then you can replace an individual layer instead of replacing the complete mattress.

Latex in general is the most durable of all the foam materials (latex foam, memory foam, and polyfoam) regardless of the type or blend of latex and in practical terms I would treat the different types and blends of latex as being closely comparable in terms of durability (see the post I linked in my previous reply). There is also more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here.

In very general terms … Talalay latex tends to be more breathable than Dunlop.

All of the latexsense mattresses use wool in the quilting but it’s not clear from the description of the John Ryan mattress you linked what they are using in the quilting material. If it’s cotton then it would be less resilient and would pack down more and become firmer over time than wool and would be less breathable and temperature regulating than a similar wool quilted cover.

Every layer and component in a mattress (including the cover and quilting material) will have some effect on every other layer and component in a mattress and on the mattress “as a whole” but there is no such thing as the “best cover” because it would depend on the specifics of the whole mattress and on your specific needs and preferences which can be unique to each person.

Wool quilting (or any type of quilting material) will have some effect on the overall feel and performance of a mattress vs a non quilted stretch cover but whether the effect is detrimental or beneficial in terms of PPP would depend on the specific needs and preferences of the person and on the overall design of the mattress. Outside of the overall “feel” of the mattress … wool is certainly a great material in terms of humidity control and temperature regulation so it would have an advantage in terms of maintaining a more neutral sleeping temperature over the course of the night.

A “luxurious feel” is completely subjective and would be like asking someone what type of food “tastes great” so different people would have very different opinions and definitions of what “luxurious” feels like. The only way to know whether a mattress will have a “luxurious feel” for you will be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience. I would also keep in mind that you can’t “feel” a mattress when you are sleeping and the two most important parts of PPP that have the biggest effect on how well you will sleep on a mattress and on how you feel when you wake up in the morning will be how well the mattress keeps your spine and joints in neutral alignment and on how well it relieves pressure in all your sleeping positions over the course of the night. The more subjective “feel” of a mattress is much less important.

Adjustable slats will have a bigger effect on a thinner mattress than on a thicker mattress but again the only way to know whether any specific mattress on any specific tension setting of your slats will be a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP will be based on your own personal sleeping experience on the combination.

How much you notice the effect of the adjustable slats or whether the effect is beneficial or detrimental to your sleeping experience will depend on the specifics of the person and of the mattress. Heavier people or those that are more sensitive would likely feel the effect of different slat settings more than those who are lighter or are less sensitive. You can see more of my thoughts about tension adjustable flexible slat systems in post #13 here and post #2 here and post #2 here.

I or some of the more knowledgeable members of the site can help you to narrow down your options, help you focus on better quality/value choices that are available to you either locally or online, help you identify any lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress, act as a fact check, answer many of the specific questions you may have along the way that don’t involve what you will “feel” on a mattress, and help with “how” to choose but only you can decide which specific mattress, manufacturer, or combination of materials is “best for you” regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or whether anyone else (including me) would have the same criteria or circumstances or would make the same choice.

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 here 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 personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix