Is it possible to spend less than $800 for a lovely pure latex mattress (QUEEN size)?
Long Story short I gave away my most favorite mattress six years ago when living on the east coast and after a couple disappointing mattress purchases since then I want to try bring back what I am sorely missing in my life: pure comforting/supportive latex. Iād like to recreate the mattress I had in college if possible, which was a very simple 6" latex core mattress. I somehow acquired it for a bargain of $150 from a local Sacramento mattress factory - I was told it was a āmismatchā but who knows.
I donāt know whether it was dunlop or talalay, and what ILD it was, but Iām guessing it was in the medium range as I donāt remember it being too heavy of a mattress overall, and it was quite flexible. On top of the latex there was a thin layer of soft foam (maybe 1-2") and the thin mattress cover, neither of these thin layers took away from the feel of the latex.
With my graduate student loan debt I canāt justify spending over $1000 but I really want to come up on a great latex mattress again, and Iām willing to assemble the components if I can save $$$ and produce a good end result.
Iāve read through the forums here, as well as my own independent internet research, and Iāve visited all of the local San Diego latex mattress retailers and manufactures. Leaning towards a 6 inch medium core, which I could soften up if need be with an appropriate topper or mattress pad. Iāve narrowed my choices down to the following:
My Organic Sleep 6 inch Dunlop āTopper.ā Medium 24-28 ILD. $560 with a cotton velvet zip-up cover, or organic cotton cover for a little more. Iāve read your notes on the forum wrt to questioning the density and ILD #, and of particular concern are reviews on Amazon that suggest it is way more soft than the ILD# would indicate. Is it possible that if someone was using this as a topper, rather than a core, it could result in a āsofterā feel because its on top of a more giving mattress as oppose to a base? I want to feel the latex but I also want some good support.
Sleep On Latex 6 inch Dunlop āCore.ā Medium 30 ILD. $529. My concern here is that the company doesnāt offer a cover, and Iād have to order a cover separately from another vendor and hope it results in a good fit.
Foam Factory 6 inch āTalalayā Foam Mattress. Medium (29 ILD) or Extra Firm (36 ILD). $597 with 2 cover options. The price is right but Iāve seen the many comments on this forum about the disappointing results from Foam Factory/foambymail. After reading those comments Iām guessing its not worth the risk but its still in the running.
Sleep EZ āROMAā 9 incher. $795 on special. I sort of feel this would be a ācop outā of sorts, like I would be giving in to a āpre-fabā mentality and I fear the soy foam layers might take away from the feel of latex. In talking to Sleep EZ directly they did say that the soy foam layers gives the effect of a āpillow top,ā which Iād like to avoid. Then again, my old mattress in college had a bit of foam on top, not enough to detract from the latex feel, but I just donāt know. I also donāt like how they use 2 separate 3" latex layers, as oppose to a 6 inch core. But I guess thatās why its reversible, with 2 options in firmness. Is this a safe bet or a cop out?
If I had to stretch my budget I would consider the Bio Sleep Concept Chambord 7" Latex Mattress selling for $968 on Wayfair.com, the Georgetown Plush Latex Mattress for $999 from Bedrooms and More up in Washington State, have you heard anything about these two models? Also on a stretch budget I could try to work a custom bed from the local mattressmakers.com, I did like their latex.
Phoenix and/or anyone else, do you have any advice for me or maybe you can nudge me one way over the other?
Thanks,
Daniel
6ā3" 205 lbs
As you probably know your budget is very low for an all latex mattress and for the most part you will be limited to thinner mattresses with less latex or latex hybrids but posts #3 and #4 here include some of the better latex and latex hybrid options Iām aware of in lower budget ranges. Of course some of the DIY configurations you are considering can also lower the cost of a mattress but the risk is also higher if the layers and components you choose arenāt the best āmatchā for you in terms of PPP unless you can return them for a refund.
Post #13 here has more about the most important parts of the āvalueā of a mattress purchase that can help you make more meaningful comparisons. If you canāt test a mattress in person for PPP then the options you have after a purchase to return or exchange the mattress or individual layers would likely become a more important part of the āvalueā of your purchase.
I donāt know what you mean by āa cop outā since itās a high quality and great value mattress. You can read more about the Roma in post #2 here.
All of the options you are considering use high quality materials and the only one that I would personally exclude would be Foam Factory (see this post and this post and this topic (about their polyfoam and sources) and this post (presumably from a past employee) before buying anything from FBM (The Foam Factory)).
I would also make sure you include the cost of any cover you will need for the options you are considering that use bare latex because a good quality cover can certainly add to the cost of the mattress and can also make a significant difference in the feel and performance of the mattress as well.
The Chambord has 6" of 100% natural Dunlop and a cotton cover quilted with wool so all the materials are good quality and there are no weak links in the mattress. You can see my thoughts about Christiane and Bio Sleep Concepts in post #34 here.
The Georgetown Plush is a two sided latex mattress that uses 6" of 100% natural latex and has a polyfoam quilted cover. It is similar to the Roma except it has the same firmness on both sides and has an inch less latex inside it. There are no weak links in this mattress either.
Once you are down to finalists that are all choices between āgood and goodā and there are no clear winners between them then your final choice will come down to a matter of ābest judgementā based on all the objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
As to the Roma, I guess Iām hesitant because it lacks a true 6 inch core. Is there any tangible difference between a 6 inch core and a core made up of two separate 3 inches of latex? (assuming the same/similar latex method and ILD)
Also, is there any truth to my question wrt to the My Organic Sleep latex ātopperā:
Is it possible that if someone was using this as a topper, rather than a core, it could result in a āsofterā feel because its on top of a more forgiving mattress as oppose to a base?
You can see my comments here about how a single 6" core would compare to two 3" cores that are the same type and blend of latex and are the same ILD but in this case the SleepEZ Roma uses two 3" layers of latex with different ILDās so there wouldnāt be a single 6" core with the same ILD that would compare to it in terms of PPP.
[quote]1. My Organic Sleep 6 inch Dunlop āTopper.ā Medium 24-28 ILD. $560 with a cotton velvet zip-up cover, or organic cotton cover for a little more. Iāve read your notes on the forum wrt to questioning the density and ILD #, and of particular concern are reviews on Amazon that suggest it is way more soft than the ILD# would indicate. Is it possible that if someone was using this as a topper, rather than a core, it could result in a āsofterā feel because its on top of a more giving mattress as oppose to a base? I want to feel the latex but I also want some good support.
Also, is there any truth to my question wrt to the My Organic Sleep latex ātopperā:
Is it possible that if someone was using this as a topper, rather than a core, it could result in a āsofterā feel because its on top of a more forgiving mattress as oppose to a base? [/quote]
All the layers of a mattress or sleeping system will have an effect on the feel and response of every other layer in the sleeping system that is above and below it so a topper would feel different on different mattresses yes. The same layer would also feel different if it was used as the support core of a mattress with other layers above it than it would if it was used as a top layer and had other layers below it. I would also keep in mind that the perception of softness and firmness is subjective and relative to each person and will depend on their body type, sleeping positions, and individual sensitivity and perceptions (just like some foods taste sweeter for some people than others) so a layer that feels softer for one person can feel firmer to another and vice versa.
Just to update the forum: I went with the Roma from SleepEZ (Queen on special through the end of the month for $795). When I said ācop outā I meant giving up the pursuit of customized perfection in favor of a safe bet. Based on the information here and other research, it was a good bet. It does appear to be fairly good quality.
Received it yesterday, slept quite well last night on the softer side. I initially felt as though the softer side was too soft, as I come close to bottoming out when sitting up on the bed. However I enjoyed the soft cushion feel sleeping on my back and side - while still feeling the support and resiliency of the underlying latex.
When it arrived compressed I was closer to 7 inches, but by the end of the day it was closer to 9 inches as advertised. While I wonāt open the mattress seams any time soon, my guess is that its comprised of two layers of 3 inch latex as oppose to 4+3 inches as previously described by Phoenix on this forum.
On the softer side (the only side Iāve tried thus far), there is quite a bit of bounce and roll and I feel like the mattress would benefit from a sturdier base. Iām currently using it on a boxspring, but may consider ordering a 1 or 2 inch firm high density foam to place between the boxspring and mattressā¦or between the boxspring and bedskirt.
Hi Metasequoia,
SleepEZ has a number of models and many do not include any foam or quilted layers. They are a bit pricier than the Roma however. You can find all the info on their website sleepez.com
Thanks for the update and for taking the time to share your comments and feedback ā¦ I appreciate it.
Youāre right about the layering. It used to be 4" + 3" but they lowered the price and reduced the thickness of the 4" layer. Shawn also told me that he thinks it feels better than it used to although of course this is also subjective. Iāve added a updated comment in the previous forum posts that mentioned it was 4" to reflect the changes as well.
This isnāt unusual with materials like latex or memory foam that are more āpoint elasticā and contour more effectively to the shape of the body because they can compress more under the more concentrated weight of sitting on the edge than stiffer materials like polyfoam because they are designed to contour and evenly support the body in a lying position where weight is distributed more evenly than a sitting position.
A box spring (that has springs) can certainly add to the ābounceā of a mattress and a foam or latex mattress will usually do best on a strong, firm, and evenly supportive foundation that has little to no flex. Having said that ā¦ it looks like you have a foundation (not a box spring) which would have very little flex (correct me if thatās not correct) so the ābounceā may be coming from the resilience of the latex in the mattress not the foundation in which case adding a polyfoam layer under the mattress may not make much difference. If you do try a polyfoam layer then the firmness of the foam may make more of a difference than the density of the foam (density and firmness are not related to each other).
Thanks again for your feedback ā¦ and Iām looking forward to any other updates you have the chance to share.
I tried out the āfirmerā side last night and didnāt find it quite as comfortable. I also noticed more profound ābounce and rollā effect mentioned previously. Could this be caused by the softer latex underneath? Going to stick with the medium side which is very comfy.
I picked up my frame and (what Iām calling) a boxspring from a garage sale. Its not a foundation box comprised of wood beams. Its supported by metal inners which have a bit of flex to the rods. Iām guessing there are no actual springs inside, but the metal rods have a spring effect. Would this be considered a foundation or boxspring? Its manufactured by SpringAir if that helps at all. Given this info, do you think a firm layer of polyfoam would help the bounce effect? Iām assuming that a āfirmā polyfoam base layer would at a minimum help with the bottoming out effect, even if it doesnāt remediate the bounce effect? Thanks for clarifying the difference between density and firmness in polyfoam. If you have any recommended budget suppliers or particular products thatād be appreciated. Iām thinking 1 or 2 inches would suffice.
Let me try to describe the ābounce and rollā effect I feel a bit more so that Iām understood. In addition to general bounciness, if I were to turn on my side, from one side to my back, or one side to another, there is momentum generated from my body weight, which sort of pushes me towards the direction Iām moving my body. This momentum is a stronger force than my own body movement. So if I simply wanted to turn from my side to my back, there would be a slight roll to the opposite side before leveling off on my back. Sort of hard to explain but there it is, I tried.
Iām sharing all this not to say that Iām dissatisfied at all with my mattress, I love it and Iām sleeping wonderfully! But if you think a polyfoam base layer would help with any of the above, or some other idea Iām not thinking of, based on my bed setup, then Iām all ears.
Yes ā¦ the softer layer on the bottom could be a contributing factor.
I donāt know the specifics of your foundation but if it has any flex or 'bounce" then it could be part of the overall effect you are experiencing. It could either be a box spring that used coil springs (like this) or torsion springs (like this), or it could be a semi flex or limited deflection foundation (like this) that only has minimal flex. Whether itās called a foundation or box spring is less important than the amount of flex it has and more flex will affect the āfeelā and performance of the mattress more than less flex.
A firm layer of polyfoam and any other āactiveā layers would become part of your āsleeping systemā and thicker mattresses or sleeping systems would be less likely to feel like they are bottoming out yes (see post #14 here for more about the effects of thickness).
This sounds like you are describing the āfeelā of latex itself. Any other active layers that are also highly resilient (such as springs) could also be part of the overall effect you are describing as well.
I donāt have any specific recommendtions other than the list of suppliers that are in the component post here. I would choose based on the type of material each of them have available and on how they compare in terms of price for similar materials.
The opposite of resilience is hysteresis which is how much energy a material absorbs (vs stores and returns). The material that has the highest hysteresis is memory foam so you could also experiment with using a thinner layer of memory foam either under or over your mattress which my have a greater damping effect than polyfoam. It will also depend on the type of movement and the weight of the person and on where you use the memory foam because with larger movements or with deeper compression you will still be compressing deeper layers under the memory foam which would then ābounce backā but with smaller movements or lighter body types the damping effect would be more noticeable. The memory foam would dampen the materials or components underneath them more than the materials above them.
