Help with Latex Mattress Please

Hi, first i wanna thank phoenix for such an amazing site and info. I was totally taken in by some (not all) of those fake review sites and was ready to pull the trigger on what probably would have been a seriously disappointing mattress in the long run until i stumbled across this page.

   Anyways, I could use a lil more help on my final decision if there's anyone out there with some first hand experience or knowledge I'd really appreciate it. Quick list of info about me. Used to have very plush tempurpedic, liked it but because of the stuck feeling you get, how hard it got in the cold/where your body heat wasn't and lack of bounce for night time activities ;) is leading me away from all mem foam mattresses and towards latex. I live in CT, I'm a side/back sleeper 5'10" solid 190lbs my SO is about 120 lbs and she's a belly sleeper mostly, we don't live together but she spends 1-2 nights a week. We definitely disagree on on desired  firmness of the bed but we'll get to that later.  I went and tried the very comfortable [b]Pure Bliss Latex Beautiful[/b] and it was fantastic (but they don't seem to share their ILD stats :( ), it was even better with their 2 and 3" latex toppers on top. So if i could i would love to recreate that feeling with a direct/online mattress company and i've been leaning towards Sleep EZ based on reviews here, price and status at the BBB (and also separate adjustable firmness for each side), which are also all the reasons I've been led away from my original inclination to get an Astrabeds Harmony.

  So, what i'm looking for is advice on whether Sleep EZ would have a mattress for my style, at the best price and what ILD layers would best suit my(and my girl's) needs. I'm thinking about the 10000 line and also about getting either a 1-2" latex or mem foam topper for that extra cushion, because i like the feel of a lil mem foam but not so much that you sink or get stuck in it. Does anyone have any experience with returns/warranty with Sleep EZ, i read thru their policy and it doesn't state the depth of impression to qualify for warranty and i'm a little confused by all the 1/20 value x year stuff.  Lastly does anyone have any experience with Flobeds (or anyone's) corrugated top, 14ILD top sounds right up my alley but i'm dubious about how corrugated will feel/hold up with time.

Thanks again to Phoenix and everyone here !!!

Hi DariusFoxx,

I’m glad you found us :slight_smile:

ILD isn’t a “quality spec” so it’s not really important for a local retailer to share the ILD information about their mattresses because careful and objective testing using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post will tell you whether a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP much more effectively than any theory or specs (either yours or the mattress). In addition to this … ILD by itself can be somewhat misleading because it isn’t the only specification that determines the feel and performance of a mattress (see post #2 here). There is also more about matching one mattress to another one in post #9 here.

Having said that … to the best of my knowledge the specs of the PLB mattresses are here and if a mattress you are looking at (or are putting together yourself) uses the same type of latex in the same ILD and layer thickness and has a functionally similar cover it would likely be a close approximation of the Beautiful.

You can see some of my comments about Astrabeds and some of their sister companies in post #2 here and in post #3 here and a forum search on Astrabeds (you can just click this) will bring up more information as well.

As you probably know … SleepEz is one of the members here which means I think highly of them and I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, service, and value.

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most effective way to choose a mattress is with a more detailed conversation with an online retailer or manufacturer who will know more about “matching” their specific mattresses to the needs and preferences of different people than anyone else and are in the best position to use the information you provide them to help you make the most suitable choice out of the options they have available (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

While warranties aren’t one of the most important parts of a mattress purchase and defects in the materials in a mattress will tend to show up early in the life of a mattress (see post #174 here), their warranty exclusion is 1" (see here). Their warranty is non prorated during the first 10 years which means there would be no cost to repair or replace a defective mattress. The second 10 years of the warranty is pro-rated which means that the cost involved to repair or replace the mattress would be 1/20 of the current cost of the mattress times the number of years you have owned it.

You can see my thoughts about the Flobeds convoluted top layer in post #2 here (in reply to point #4) and in post #12 here. It certainly wouldn’t be a weak link in the mattress. They also provide an option to use a non convoluted layer. As you probably know … they are also a member of the site and would be well worth considering.

Post #2 here may also be helpful once you are down to final choices between “good and good”.

I’m not sure where you are in Connecticut but post #2 here includes the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the general Connecticut area and may be helpful :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Thanks for the speedy reply Phoenix and lots of good info! Since my first post I also found Abraxas’s posts about his journey to reproduce the same bed. I don’t know if you remember but his creation was 3 slabs of 3" latex from KTT at 32, 28 and 19. I couldn’t find a post confirming his success. I’m curious now what pitfalls I might run into trying to do something similar although maybe more in keeping with the numbers you posted your PLB mattress figures. (i was thinking 4-6" of base to fit in a 10-12" cover) Do you buy a mattress cover in exactly the sum of the heights of your creation? Could there be issues if they cut the slabs in half to provide split side adjustments like Sleep EZ beds have? It seems like a gamble that the mattress cover will fit perfectly with your DIY bed which i can only imagine would greatly impact the feel of the bed. Looking at KTT’s website (they’re in CT maybe i can just drive over an pick up my latex :slight_smile: ) it lists natural latex in N1,2,etc and gives pretty wide ranges for the ILD’s is that cuz each batch is just a ballpark and the blends are more accurately made or am i not reading that correctly? Does anyone have any victory stories about building their own. I’m a bit of a tinkerer so this intrigues me but i’m not much of a gambler…

thanks again

Hi DariusFoxx,

Mark in Texas’s latest posts and updates hereYou can see (formerly Abraxas). He chose different layers and firmness levels than the Beautiful but seems to be happy with his design and I think is currently working on his cover. Hopefully he will see your post (he posted in another topic today) and will share his thoughts as well.

You can see my thoughts about a DIY mattress in post #15 here. It can certainly be a rewarding project if you have a “spirit of adventure”, your expectations are realistic, and you are comfortable with the learning curve, time, trial and error, and any additional costs that may be involved if you end up needing to change any of your layers.

Yes. There are some sources for mattress covers in the component post here.

If you use a suitable tight fitting cover (which would probably need to be quilted if you split the top layer) then generally no, there would be no issues with a split construction (see post #2 here).

ILD is not exact in any foam material but 100% natural latex has a wider range of variance in each firmness rating than the blended Talalay. There is more about ILD’s in post #2 here and more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here.

I would be aware that the PLB Beautiful uses blended Talalay (not 100% natural) in all the layers except the top layer which uses Talalay GL fast response.

Phoenix

Thanks again for the speedy reply Phoenix,

LOL, those bums, i just spoke with a rep on the phone who told me they only use 100% natural latex in their layers (apart from the GL)
but I suppose I’m not surprised anymore that she either doesn’t actually know or is misrepresenting the product, but I will take your word for it. Is 60/40 synth/natural the industry standard these days? Also i’m kind of glad to hear that since blended is more in my price point and the physical qualities of blended will be just right for me (ie: less springy)

So, i’m feeling fairly confident about the split, i really like the idea of allowing my partner to customize her own half and I’m pretty sure I’m going to use a 1-3" of topper when it’s all said and done so hopefully with that and a tight cover from Sleep EZ I won’t even notice the the separation.

Now i think the only thing to decide is how much to get: 3 x 3" layers or a 6" core with 2 x 3" comfort layers and which ILD’s to get for em but i think i have a pretty good idea, i’m just hoping to hear back from Abraxas on his experience comparing to the PBL Beaut.

Hi DariusFoxx,

It can be confusing because Latex International calls their blended Talalay “natural” and calls their 100% natural Talalay “all natural” so many retailers confuse the two. The “all natural” generally has a 10 year warranty and the “natural” generally has a 20 year warranty.

Both of the main manufacturers of Talalay latex (Latex International and Radium) use a blend that is about 70% synthetic rubber and 30% natural rubber. Radium used to use a 60/40 blend a number of years ago before Dunlopillo (another Talalay manufacturer in England) went bankrupt because that’s what they used in their blend.

Phoenix

Good to know. I thought i read somewhere that you (and i’ve read elsewhere as well) weren’t sure about the effectiveness of the GL to actually provide any real coolness to the latex after it was warmed to body temp. I guess what one can expect is an initial cooler feeling and some texture difference? Is it a Denser feeling like 100% Pure Latex Talalay? Since Latex, especially talalay is supposed to be a fairly breathable and cool material i’m wondering if it’s worth it to pay for this new material type… how does it price? More than regular blended but less or more than pure? Wondering what your personal opinion on it is.

  • Ah i found it * [quote=“Phoenix”]

well i was leaning towards that handsome stretch cover from Sleep EZ but after rereading that section and taking into account what you said about a quilted cover helping to cover the feel of split halves can you weigh in or show me a post(s) where you’ve talked about other covers that you like, pros and cons, quilted or otherwise.

Hi DariusFoxx,

I think this would be accurate and I would characterize it as a “slight” difference in terms of temperature (see post #2 here).

No … it would be more like the blended Talalay in the same ILD which is what it is except for the addition of some gel. Perhaps a little “stiffer”.

For someone that slept very hot and needed every advantage possible it may be worth it but in most cases some of the other factors involved in temperature regulation would have a bigger effect (see post #2 here about temperature regulation). It’s more costly than blended Talalay and closer in price to 100% natural Talalay.

Phoenix

That’s exactly what i needed to know. I noticed a stiffer feeling when i tried the tempurpedic cloud luxe breeze (or w/e the order of those are) over the regular cloud luxe. So i’ll save a few bucks and get a less stiff mattress. What would we all do without you. Definitely going to stop by the Donation page after i get my mattress delivered… i have a feeling i’ll be feeling extra generous after i go from this wal-mart air mattress i’ve been roughing it on to my home made latex dream :wink:

Hi DariusFoxx,

I’m looking forward to your feedback when everything comes together :slight_smile:

Phoenix