Help in selecting a new mattress

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

First of all, thank you for your mattress forum which has taught me a lot before I buy my next mattress. I do not want to make the same mistake as 3 yrs ago & buy another lemon. I have had back pain ever since I bought it. I am a side/stomach sleeper and realize I prefer a firmer mattress over a plush one.

I know you frown on the “S” mattresses but I have a question about 1 in particular that I have found at a small local mattress shop. It is a Serta Noteworthy-Cool Elegance iSeries tight top. Here are the specs that I was given for the firm model.
1320 Zoned IWC (not sure what that stands for) Pocket Coil - 13 gauge with foam encasement. The comfort layer is 1" cool action 5.25 gel memory foam and 1" of 1.8lb polymer base foam. Quilt top is 2 layers of comfort fibre and 1 1/2" comfort foam. It has a 25 yr warranty and 120 day trial period for $1299. I should find out what the comfort foam is in the quilt layer but I was wondering if the 1" of 1.8lb foam in the comfort layer is going to be a weak link in this mattress. Is this probably the layer between the coils & the memory foam?

I like the idea of the natural latex mattresses but the only one I have been able to find in my hometown of Woodstock, ON is the Stearns & Foster Zenbody. I don’t even know if this is a pure latex or what kind - Dunlop or Talalay - but I did really like the feel of it. I’m very leary about ordering online when you cannot first test the mattress out. Is there any retailers of natural latex mattresses in my area - say London, Kitchener, Cambridge - where I can test drive a mattress first before I buy or custom make a mattress on site?

Another factor is price. The $1299 I can handle if the mattress is a good one & will last me a few years. The natural latex I understand is much more expensive & then I would also have to buy a support base for it as well. The Zenbody was a good price at 1K, I think, because the store told me it was regularly 3K. But is it a good mattress for the money?

I am not rushing into this purchase because I want to make a good choice. So could you please give me your honest opinion of the mattresses I have mentioned above and any suggestions as to where to go next. I await your wisdom.

2

Hi Janny,

I don’t know what IWC stands for either (except the last “C” probably stand for “coil” and the first “I” may stand for independent but these are just guesses)

If the specs are correct then 5.25 lb memory foam is a high quality material and the 1.8 lb polyfoam (which as you mentioned would likely be between the coils and the memory foam) is also a good quality material. My biggest concern would be the 1.5" of comfort foam (which will soften) in combination with the fibers (which will compress). Together these top layers are more than 2" and would be more than I would be completely comfortable with but they are also thinner than the lower quality materials in most mainstream mattresses made by the major brands. The pocket coils are good quality but the coils in a mattress are not normally the weak link of a mattress.

The warranty of course means little and is about marketing more than anything else because it doesn’t cover foam softening or the loss of comfort and support and has nothing to do with the useful life of a mattress (see post #174 here about warranties).

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The Zenbody is mostly synthetic Dunlop latex which is a lower cost version of latex but is still a high quality material. You can read more about it in this thread.

Some of the better options I’m aware of in your area are listed in post #8 here.

If it’s new and not a floor model and if it matches the criteria of your personal value equation and is suitable for your body type and sleeping positions then from a materials point of view I think would be good value yes (assuming it’s queen size or larger) but I would make sure that you know the specifics of the layering (or at least check the law tag to make sure there isn’t anything else except latex) to make sure it’s the same mattress as the earlier thread was referring to.

Hope this helps.

Phoenix

PS: I just figured out what IWC means with some google searching … it’s “individually wrapped coils” :slight_smile:

3

I just wanted to let you know that I went to London yesterday and after I decided that I really liked the Natura mattresses and picked the Arbol, I was told by the salesman that Natura was going out of business. I could probably get a good deal on one but what happens if I have trouble with it and need service? Also the “For Sleep’s Sake” store is closing down. All their mattresses are 25 % off and they carry Tempurpedic. They can still order Natura but again…no company, no service.

Tomorrow I will go to Sleep Ezz in Cambridge to try the Dreameasy Eco Pur. You had some good things to say about it and right now they are on sale with pay no tax. Waterloo Mattress is also close by and they have Zed Bed in latex and some of thier own brands.
I think I am getting close. I didn’t realize how difficult it was to find a good mattress store that also sells latex.

Thanks again for your help.

4

Hi Janny,

Natura went bankrupt some time ago and was purchased by Spring Air / Sommex. They originally planned to keep the Cambridge plant running but this has now been shut down as well so maybe this is what they’re referring to because as far as I know they are still producing Natura mattresses although the brand has lost a lot of business because of the bankruptcy and delivery issues. I have also heard of issues regarding warranty coverage for Natura mattresses that were purchased prior to the bankruptcy and Spring Air / Sommex purchase where warranties were no longer being honored.

If a mattress manufacturer goes out of business or goes bankrupt then there would normally be no warranty coverage unless there are arrangements made as part of an agreement with a company that purchases them. If the Natura you are looking at was made after the bankruptcy then it would still be covered by warranty.

Thanks for the heads up. They were only on an older list and weren’t in the current SE Ontario list but I’ve removed them anyway because besides Natura (which they don’t list on their site any longer) there is nothing else I would consider there … and of course because they are going out of business anyway.

I’m looking forward to your feedback from Sleep Ezz and Windsor Mattress.

Phoenix

5

Hi Phoenix,

I know it has been a while but I wanted to update others about my experience with Sleep Ezzz stores in Kitchener, Waterloo & Cambridge, and Waterloo Mattress, in Waterloo, Ontario.

Waterloo Mattress is a nice little store (recently moved to a larger showroom on Dearborn Pl, in Waterloo) which carry a good variety of mattresses from memory foam to hybrid latex. This includes Zedbed, Tempur-pedic , Natura as well as some of their own brand of beds with springs, memory foam and latex. This is a great place to start just to determine what kind of bed you might like if you’re not sure yet what you prefer. The prices were average and the staff was very helpful, really knowing what was in their mattresses. They gave a feel of good quality and service.

Sleep Ezzz had only the one brand of latex mattress - the Eco-Pur by Dreameasy - which was what I was interested in. The Eco-Pur 4700, on the display floor, was a latex hybrid similar to the one that Waterloo Mattress had but on sale with no tax for about $300 less. We were told it was 9" of 3 zone Bio foam with 3" of Dunlop natural latex, bamboo cover quilted to wool. It felt good so this is what I bought as well as my aunt, who was also looking for a new mattress. When paying, we were told the model had been changed to a 4710 instead of a 4700 but would be the same. Then it was delivered and this is where the trouble started.

My aunt’s mattress was fine, just what we had ordered except for a change in the material around the sides of the mattress & foundation. Mine, however, came with one color foundation and a totally different color mattress. This did not make me happy so I called & complained but was told by one sales rep and the owner “what difference does that make - no one sees the mattress anyway.” I expressed my concern that maybe I wasn’t given the right mattress but the owner assured me that he put it on the truck himself and it was the right one. I conceded.

Two weeks into my new mattress, I threw a 3" memory foam topper on it because my shoulders were aching so much. The mattress just did not seem to give under my shoulders (side sleeper) like it did under my hips. The memory foam helped greatly to get me through a very busy December. Then in January, I decided to take off the memory foam and give the latex another try. Same thing. At this point, I called Dreameasy and talked to a sales rep. I found out that the 4710 model had some changes made other than just the material around the edges. The latex is in the middle section only and not from head to foot. That explained why I felted more comfortable sliding my pillow down about a foot from the headboard so my shoulders hit the latex part.

Very disappointed, I called Sleep Ezzz to see what would be done to give me the right mattress. No apology, no sympathy, just told that I’d had the mattress for 3 months already and since they don’t make the 4700 anymore and they had none in stock, I would have to either take the floor model or pay $200 more to upgrade to the next model which is all latex head to toe. I called the Dreameasy rep again, looking for another option but he said going up to the next model was a good move because it was a better mattress for the $200 I would have to pay and I was still getting a better deal than what other latex mattresses were going for.

Finally, I called Sleep Ezzz again and tried to get them to absorb all if not at least some of the difference - without success. They said they would lose money because they would have to discount my mattress blah, blah, blah, so I told them to use it as a display model on the floor since they didn’t have the right one there and were deceiving people. They agreed to give me another free mattress cover for my trouble. I wasn’t getting anywhere so I conceded - again - and paid the $200. Now, I am waiting for the owner to come back from his sunny south holiday to tell me whether they will at least give me a matching set this time. On this I am not conceding!!! If I wanted a mismatched mattress I would have gone to Sleep Country!

So my conclusion about Sleep Ezzz is that although they do sell one brand of latex mattress, they are no different than the big box stores in that they know little about the mattresses they sell and they are more concerned with making money than with customer satisfaction. :frowning:

6

Hi Janny,

Thanks for the update and for sharing your unfortunate experience.

While I do agree that having a matching foundation doesn’t affect the mattress (if the foundation is otherwise the same) and for most people wouldn’t be a significant issue … it’s also not what you ordered and it’s important for a retailer to deliver what they sell you and if this is what you purchased then it’s exactly what you should receive unless you agree otherwise.

While this won’t help in your case … it’s also a good idea to make sure that your original receipt specifies the model name or number you purchase and includes “no substitutions” and includes any other “assurances” you were given at the time of purchase such as “with exactly the same layers and components as the 4700 except the cover” and have them sign it. It sounds like you were given inaccurate information (intentionally or otherwise) and were told that the 4710 was the same as the 4700 and having this in writing would have given you a better basis for insisting on replacing the 4710 with a mattress that was the equivalent of the old 4700 or in the worst case receiving a refund because they can’t supply the mattress you ordered.

I hope your replacement has a matching foundation and I hope you have the chance to let us know how everything turns out.

I’ve added a link to your post and feedback beside their description in the Cambridge/Kitchener/Waterloo list so that others can benefit from your experience.

Thanks again.

Phoenix

7

Thanks Phoenix for your quick reply. I have the specs for the new $200-more, upgraded mattress, the 5010. I have a sneaky suspicion that this mattress also has been changed from the old 5000 which I tried out on the display floor. Could you give me your opinion please on whether or not this mattress is OK.

organic cotton fabric cover
wool blend quilting
2" Talalay latex - med firm - head to toe
2" 1.5 - 1.8 foam
8" 5 zone 1.8 - 2 soybased Bio foam

The 5000 model, I was told, had only wool quilting, not a blend and 2" of Dunlop latex which has been changed to Talalay. The 2" of 1.5 - 1.8 foam in the middle on this new model; I’m not sure about how supportive that would be. Should I be worried about any of these layers?

8

Hi Janny,

The 2" polyfoam layer lists two different densities so I don’t know which one it is.

You can see the guidelines I would suggest in post #4 here and as you can see 1.8 would be OK but 1.5 lb would be “on the edge” in terms of thickness/density although it’s underneath the 2" layer of latex which would improve its durability somewhat and it would also depend on your weight and body type. Having said all this … these would be higher quality materials than you would likely find in a mainstream mattress or major brand in the same or even higher price range.

Talalay would have a different “feel” from the Dunlop but they are both good materials. I don’t know what the wool is blended with or the percentage of wool so I really can’t make any comments about this. If it’s blended with polyester fiber then it would be a lower cost material but it probably wouldn’t affect durability.

The density of polyfoam isn’t connected to its support because any density of polyfoam can come in a wide range of firmness levels and your own experience on the mattress is the best way to tell you if the mattress provides good alignment (which needs to be less supportive and “allow” the lighter parts of your body to sink in enough and more supportive and “stop” the heavier parts from sinking in too much).

Phoenix