Help with narrowing down hybrid latex mattresses in San Diego

[phoenix]

Hi mawile,

I looked at the descriptions of the two mattresses you linked from Davisworld but unfortunately neither of them included details of all the layers or the quality specs of each layer. While both of them are promising (latex/innerspring hybrids can make a very good choice) … it would be important to me to know the details of all the layers and components so that you can make meaningful comparisons to other mattresses. This means you would need to know the type and details of the innersprings, the thickness and density of any polyfoam and memory foam in the mattresses, and the thickness, type, and blend of any latex in the mattress. Since a cover is also a significant part of the cost and performance of a mattress … it would also be helpful to know the cover material and the details of any quilting materials or fiber in the mattress. Once you have this information then you can make much better and more informed buying decisions and meaningful comparisons with other mattresses. It’s the job of all good retailers to provide you with this information.

The Spinal Care at A Bedder Buy is also promising but as you mentioned it is also missing the thickness and type of latex in the pillowtop and the thickness of the 1.8 lb polyfoam (which is not HR polyfoam but HD polyfoam).

I personally like the feel of the Sweda Juniper Latex/Spring (that’s what they call it in-store) but since the coils are connected, the bed has a lot of transfer movement, so my partner does not like it. If it had pocketed coils, I would get this in a heartbeat.

If motion transfer is an important part of your personal value equation … then pocket springs would certainly be a better choice. I would keep in mind that things that bother you now when you are testing can become even more important over time. This is one of those things that could easily be a “deal breaker”.

My partner prefers the Ethos Refresh medium, but when I tried it in-store, it was too firm for me. They make it in a soft “waterfall” top version, but they do not have one for me to test out. They say the soft version has more talalay and is only $100 more than the model we saw. I would choose this one, but since we can’t try it, I don’t know how me and my partner will like it.

You are probably wise to want to test this in person to make sure it provides you with good PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences). If they can’t bring it in for you in time … you may be able to call Diamond to see if there is another retailer close to you that carries it.

Lastly, there’s the Lavender Latex Hybrid which I like the least and my partner likes the most, but I am apprehensive to purchase it because I could not find any information as to the specifics of the inside materials (whether it’s dunlop or talalay latex, what types of foam, etc).

Again … this is an important part of any buying decision because without the “quality specs” you won’t be able to identify any potential weak links in the mattress or make any meaningful comparisons with other mattresses.

All of these have too many “missing pieces” of information and I would ask the retailers to find out the details that are missing. Again … this is their job and they should have the spec sheets for all their mattresses and be willing to call the factory for any information they don’t have.

There are also some other very good options in the San Diego area and if a quick call to each of these retailers indicates that the information you need isn’t readily available then I would strongly consider another mattress at the same retailers where they do have all the information you need or I would consider some of the other manufacturers or retailers listed in post #2 here.

Since it appears that you are attracted to latex/innerspring hybrids … I would talk to some of the other stores on the phone first to make sure that they carried what you were looking for on their floor and had the specs you needed as well so that you don’t end up spending time at a store where the information you need isn’t available. The more you do on the phone the less time consuming (and frustrating) your search will be.

It seems to me you have done some good testing to make sure that each mattress is suitable for your needs and preferences but as you can see in post #2 here and in post #5 here … the details of the layering are just as important so you have a good idea of the relative durability of each mattress and how they compare to each other in terms of value.

Phoenix

PS … if there is any way you can delay the removal of your old mattress I would do so or you may be under pressure to make a hurried decision without having all the information you really need.