First of all, thank you so much for all the information on this web site. It has really helped my boyfriend and I make sense of everything out there as we search for our new bed. After trying many different types of mattresses we have narrowed it down to a few different choices, all of which turn out to be latex mattresses. I am 5’3" and 120lbs and my boyfriend is 6’0" and 180 lbs and are both side sleepers. Can anyone give their opinions of the following beds?
Pure Latex Bliss - Pamper
The mattress store quoted us $1900 for this model. This is absolutely at the top of our price range, so we would prefer to get one of the more affordable models if this one is not worth the extra cost.
Pure Latex Bliss - Balance
We have been unable to try this one, but it is apparently the hybrid version similar to the Pamper. Can someone tell from the specifications how similar they will feel? Our wallet likes this one better.
Jordan’s Latex Plush
Can’t find any information or reviews on this bed, but we liked the feel in the store. If anyone has any experience with this one, please let us know!
Thank you for any information you can provide! We liked each of these beds, but if anyone has any suggestions for similar beds please let us know.
I can make a few comments about each mattress you are looking at in terms of the quality of the materials and layering but without knowing the size you are looking at or whether you are using “mattress only” prices (which is the only way to make apples to apples comparisons) I can’t speak to their relative value.
This is an all latex mattress with 8" of Talalay latex (probably blended although they do come in both 100% natural and blended versions). If you are looking at the newer versions with the blue cover then you can see the specs here. This is the firmest of their line and most people that are side sleepers would need to add a topper to this mattress although of course each person may have very different needs and preferences.
This is very similar to the Pamper except it only has 2" of Talalay latex on top (active fusion fast response) and the core is a blend of polyfoam and some latex that are compressed and bonded together like rebond (carpet underlay). This is a durable material but of course not in the same league in terms of performance as latex. this would also be firm and have a rather thin comfort layer for most side sleepers. I don’t know what the ILD or softness/firmness of the base layer may be but with only 2" of latex on top … you would feel much more of the firmness of the layer below in both the Pamper and the Balance than you would with thicker comfort layers and if the firmness of the support layer was similar to the firmness of the latex support layer in the Pamper (40 ILD) they would feel fairly similar.
This also uses latex in the top layer but they don’t provide any information about the type or thickness (or whether there are any other materials in the comfort layers) and I would certainly want to know this to make any meaningful comparisons. Their base layer is 1.8 lb polyfoam which is the minimum I would I consider to be suitable for a base layer (except for lower priced mattresses) but it’s not in the same quality range as the other two and it’s also very soft for a base layer at only 23 ILD (softer than either of the other two you are looking at). If the comfort layer is very thin then this may be necessary to provide good comfort/pressure relief for the mattress. I would imagine that this one was the softest of the three you are looking at.
If you let me know your city or zip I’d be happy to let you know or any other options I’m aware of in your area. My guess though is that post #2 here would cover most of the “lists” that are close to you.
If you are open to or considering an online purchase then post #21 here includes the members here that sell online and which are among the best quality and value in the country. There is a very wide selection there of different types of latex and latex hybrid mattresses. They can also provide a good “value” reference point for local purchases (I would consider a local purchase that was about 20% more than a very similar online mattress to be roughly “equivalent” value because of the added risk of an online purchase that you can’t test in person).
a little more info about our situation: we are in the boston area as you probably guessed from the mention of Jordan’s, and we are looking for a queen with box spring and or frame because we currently have a full, which we are finally able to admit is too small for the two of us and it is time to upgrade in size (and quality). We were hoping to stay closer to $1000 since we will also be needing new sheets and comforter to fit the new size. But we are willing to spend up to $2000 if we feel its worth spending the extra $$$. The quotes we got for the beds mentioned before included box and or frame.
Although we liked the pamper we also tried the Nature and both liked that more but price was much too high for us. We thought the pamper or perhaps the hybrid equal would satisfy and could always add a topper if we eventually found it to be too firm.
I have thought about purchasing online. The price to quality ratios are very alluring but i just cant seem to get past not being able to test it out first or exchange without loosing money. We have gone to a good number of stores and at many of them we seem to be having a Goldie locks issue of either too hard or too soft (most stores had the standard 3 levels of comfort) which worries me that its very possible we would have same issue with one ordered online.
For example we visited Boston bed company in cambridge last weekend (really enjoyed the experience there. no pressure very friendly) and tried the two “natural” latex mattresses Latex | Boston Bed Company, Boston, Framingham, Stoughton MA, mattresses, futons, platform beds, bedroom sets, bunk and loft beds, wall beds, sleep sofas the “comfort” was too hard for my weight although my bf really liked it and the “slpendor” was far too soft for either of us.
Perhaps you could persuade me to still consider online. do you have any suggestions for one or two that have the best trial run/return/exchange policies that might make me feel more comfortable about ordering online?
Again thank you very much for any help or knowledge you can provide to make this process easier!
Just in case you haven’t read it … I would make sure you have read post #1 here which is the most important post on the forum and will give you all the information, steps, and guidelines you need to make the best possible choices.
As you can see from the guidelines here (# 10 in particular) … I would choose a mattress as if you only had one chance to get it right. This will encourage you to to more objective testing (see the first post I linked for some suggestions to help with mattress testing). I would not consider a mattress that you would likely have to “fix” with a topper which could end up being as difficult as buying a mattress in the first place and focus on getting as close to your specific needs and preferences as possible. Testing more expensive mattresses can be a helpful guideline for an online purchase if you do decide to go in that direction but I wouldn’t knowingly buy a mattress that wasn’t as close as you can make it.
the choices available will depend on where you go. If you go to some of the local manufacturers on the list they can customize a mattress to your preferences in many cases. Many of the online manufacturers also offer mattresses where you can choose the various comfort or support layers which can be “re-arranged” or in many cases they also offer layer exchanges if you need it at a very reasonable cost which allows you to customize either the comfort layers or the support layers or both.
There are several ways to accommodate the different needs and preferences of a couple that you can read about in the first part of post #2 here but one of the most effective of these which is offered by many local and online manufacturers is split layering where each side of the mattress is made differently to suit the needs and preferences of each person.
I certainly wouldn’t want to persuade anyone to go in any direction because each person has a different set of needs and preferences or risk tolerance they are comfortable with. My role is to help you know the pros and cons of each side of a choice so you can make the choice that is most suitable for you. All the trial, return, and exchange policies are listed on their websites (I’d have to look on each site). As you can see in the steps in the initial post I linked … I would always start locally anyway and then look online or talk with some of the manufacturers on the list if there were similar choices to one of your “finalists” available and any difference in cost and all the other parts of your personal value equation justified an online purchase. There are some very good quality/value choices in the Boston area.
I would also do some initial research on the phone and talk to each retailer or manufacturer you are considering visiting about what you are looking for in general terms and then visit the ones that were most attractive to you based on the information from their sites and on your phone conversations.