Hi Phoenix,
I have been reading your site and the forums for several weeks trying to educate myself. Today I finally went shopping. I went to The Original Mattress Factory on your recommendation.
My husband and I are 5’11", 185lbs and 5’8" 150lbs, respectively. We have slept on a Temperpedic for over ten years. We used to like it, except for it is miserably hot. Anyway it’s worn out. We liked how we couldn’t feel each other moving around.
I ended up liking two beds at OMF. And they’re very different from one another .
My first choice is their Serenity Latex. $2099 for a king. I liked how solid it felt. And I could appreciate the even pressure in the support layer. No coils!
BUT my second choice , the Orthopedic Super Premier Pillow Top, $1229 - King, had a better comfort layer. I said to the salesmen, Ed, “it’s too bad I can’t get this soft top feel with the Serenity Latex” and he brought out a polyurethane topper to put on the Serenity Latex. It was great!
I know the latex comfort layer and the HR poly foam support core in the Serenity will last longer, but it is $1000 more than the Pocket coil Orthopedic Premiere. Plus I am adding a topper to the bed for another $115.
Is it wise to use a topper to make the comfort level where I’d like it to be?
Do you think the price difference is worth it?
I appreciate your age advice. And welcome any feedback from fellow members.
Thanks!
[quote]BUT my second choice , the Orthopedic Super Premier Pillow Top, $1229 - King, had a better comfort layer. I said to the salesmen, Ed, “it’s too bad I can’t get this soft top feel with the Serenity Latex” and he brought out a polyurethane topper to put on the Serenity Latex. It was great!
Is it wise to use a topper to make the comfort level where I’d like it to be?[/quote]
This can be a good idea if you have a chance to test the combination together. It can be a risky choice if you have to guess about the topper that works best but in this case that wouldn’t be the case. A topper also has the advantage or being replaceable so if it softens or breaks down faster than the comfort layers of the mattress (which it will) they are easy to replace and they can add to the durability of the layers underneath the topper. A topper is similar to a pillowtop except it’s removable and replaceable.
This would really depend on what you considered to be the most important part of a mattress purchase and your own personal value equation.
From a raw materials point of view … you will generally find that the margin of all the mattresses made by the same manufacturer will be very similar except higher budget mattresses tend to have a little higher margin so from a “raw materials” point of view it would probably be worth it yes although the lower budget mattress may have a little bit better “material value”.
This is only one part of the “value” of a mattress purchase however and the suitability of a mattress in terms of PPP is just as important if not more so. No matter what the material quality or value of a mattress if it’s not the best “match” for you then the “value” over the years that comes from a higher or lower quality of sleep is a significant part of the “value” of the purchase. I would also consider that the motion separation of the Serenity latex would probably be better than the Orthopedic Premier super pillow top which has an innerspring with helicals which will probably be less motion separating.
More than this you would need to find out the specific details of the layers in the Orthopedic Premier super pillow top to make a meaningful comparison between the two. You would especially need to know the density and thickness of all the polyfoam layers from top to bottom that were above the innerspring. It will likely be a combination of 1.5 lb polyfoam along with higher density polyfoam (probably 2.5 lb plus) which would be less durable than the latex in the Serenity (even though it would be higher quality than most pillowtop mattresses you will find in the larger brands). With any soft polyfoam comfort layers that thick you can expect to see some impressions and softening over time even though it would be less than the norm with most mainstream mattresses and would most likely be less than the warranty exclusions (you can see a few more comments about this in post #4 here). If the Super Pillowtop is “on the edge” of being too soft for you then even a relatively small amount of foam softening can put you “over the edge” of the range of comfort and support that is inside your ideal range. The latex will stay closer to its comfort and support level over the years in other words which can also help with the quality of your sleep.
Overall I would generally suggest buying the best quality materials you can comfortably afford because when you look back on a mattress purchase a decade or more from now you will remember much more about how well you slept and how long the mattress lasted than you will how much you paid for it although of course the purchase price will always be an important part of any purchase decision.
Phoenix,
Your are an excellent resource.
Thank you for your response. And so fast! I was leaning toward the Latex, and that’s the one!
BTW, my salesman was Ed at the Roswell location. Very knowledgeable. Not pushy. Really helped me find the “right fit” for me. And my PPP. He said when he retires he may write a book about picking out the right mattress. I didn’t want to burst his bubble - but you’ve already written the ultimate guide.
I’ll post a review after we’ve slept on it a while.
Thanks again.
Congratulations on your new mattress I think you made a high quality and good value choice.
I’m looking forward to your feedback when you’ve had the chance to sleep on it because it’s very new and there hasn’t been any feedback about it yet on the forum.
It’s also great to hear that you were dealing with a knowledgeable salesperson … there certainly aren’t enough of them in the industry although the level of knowledge at the OMF stores tends to be much higher than the norm.
We’ve been on the new bed for a week now and I love it. The pillow top extra that we purchased is so comfortable. I feel so cradled, but I know that the latex bed is doing its job to support us. My only complaint is the bed feels hot. The was my biggest complaint with our old Temperpedic as well.
Is it the latex? Or the pillow top? Or - hopefully- the mattress pad? The mattress pad is waterproof, so maybe that’s it?
I think I will have to strip the matress pad and see how that goes. And then onto the pillow top. But I’m curious if you have any advice?
Thanks,
Seeker
Latex is the most breathable foam type but there are many factors that can be involved in sleeping temperature. You can read a little more about them in post #2 here but a waterproof mattress protector / mattress pad is certainly one factor that can make a difference because it’s much less breathable than other types of mattress protectors. If you have an actual mattress pad (vs a thinner protector) that uses synthetic fibers in the padding then this can also make a difference. Thicker layers of softer foam is another factor that can contribute to higher sleeping temperatures even with a foam as breathable as latex.
Generally sleeping temperature is the result of a combination of factors (including all the layers of the sleeping system and bedding, the person themselves, and the sleeping environment) but the first step I would take is removing the mattress pad / mattress protector to see what difference it makes.
Sooo much better without the mattress pad/protector. We are both sleeping great and not waking up all night like we used to.
I’m really loving this mattress. I’ll update in 6 months. But wow! So far so great. I love getting into my bed every night.
Seeker, if you are still around, could you tell me more about the topper you bought? How thick is it? Do you know what kind of foam it is (density or ILD)? How well is it holding up for you? I tried both the same mattresses you did, and had similar opinions. I ended up purchasing a 3 layer latex mattress online rather than the serenity, because I wanted a latex core. I’m pretty close, but want just a bit more softness on top, and am investigating polyfoam toppers. I was happy to come across your experience - it would be great to be able to buy my topper locally!
I think you made a high quality and good value choice.