i wonder if you can tell me where to find a mattress manufacturer near kamloops bc canada. i’ve had majestic mattresses in the past and have been very disappointed in their quality. if not, can you recommend how to start to find a good mattress at the major department stores and outlets? we went to sleep country and i really liked the icomfort series, but after reading through your posts, i’m very hesitant about buying one. cost is not too much of an option ($3000 in a king size is the budget) and i’d happily pay it for a good night’s sleep. we also tried the temperpedic, but am very wary of the heat issue as it gets very hot here in the summer. as well, my husband is a stomach sleeper. please help!
thanks
Hi traceym43,
Majestic Mattress has quite a few models ranging from $175 to $1070 (queen) and the lower end would likely use lower quality (and lower durability) materials than the higher end. I haven’t had the chance to talk with them so I don’t know the density of the foams they are using in their mattresses but there would probably be quite a range of quality in this price range. It would surprise me if all their models were low quality. ADDED: You can see some comments about them as the result of a conversation I had since in post #6 here.
Were your experiences with their lower end mattresses or their higher end? If the quality issue was because of lower density foams in their lower end mattresses … it may be worth looking at some of their higher end. The key to knowing the quality of a mattress is knowing the materials that are in it and hopefully … like most local manufacturers … they are open about the materials they use.
Other than them … I don’t know of any other local manufacturers in the area. BC as a whole doesn’t have a lot and most of them are in Vancouver or on the Island.
I would tend to avoid all the major brands and larger mass market outlets (department stores and larger outlets) because most of their mattresses use too much lower quality materials (low density polyfoam) or don’t disclose what they use at all. The ones that don’t use low quality materials or disclose the quality of their ingredients are almost always overpriced.
Your budget is high enough to purchase a top of the line mattress that uses very high quality materials (and is probably more than you need) but having said that … I would make sure that the materials in any mattress you are considering are of the quality that should be in a top of the line mattress.
A quick look around the area didn’t show any obvious great choices but a lot of details are missing from the websites so it would probably take a call when they open again (which I’ll do for my records and post any results here) to find out more about what they are carrying. I’m assuming you are looking for a mattress that has memory foam in it?
As a reference point for value … both of these mattresses use high quality ingredients and have a very reasonable price.
Furniture Store — Wholesale Furniture Brokers Canada May also be worth a visit to try out the Boyd gel mattresses if they have them on the floor.
More to come when I’ve had a chance to talk with some of the local outlets.
Phoenix
thanks for the quick reply! the mattresses i had from majestic were pocket coil (this was in 1999) but their top of the line model and the one i’m sleeping on nowis 5 years old and my hubby bought it before he knew me so i don’t know what is in it to tell you the truth. then one i bought yonks ago sagged after only 2 years so badly, i was flipping it every 2 weeks and even tried sleeping on it widthwise. i’m looking into a more memory foam or latex product because of what i had heard of the tempurpedic mattress and now have back and neck issues. i will definately research the info you gave me (thank you!) and not go with the $2499.00 mattress we had been looking at at sleep country.
sincerely
tracey murphy
Hi traceym43,
In looking at the Majestic mattress line … some of their mattresses (like their most expensive Serenity Super Pillowtop) include materials like “high loft bed pillow fiber” which is likely a synthetic fiber used in the quilting. Like all synthetic fibers … it will compress fairly quickly leading to impressions. Materials like this in combination with lower density polyfoam (usually soft) which also soften and develop impressions faster are what I usually recommend that people try to avoid (except for very thin layers in some cases) and if your mattress had layers of either of these then this could very well be the cause of the sagging and impressions. Pillowtops especially that use fiber or low density pollyfoam are notorious for this no matter what the brand or price. These same materials can be found in mattresses made by larger manufacturers which sell at much higher prices.
The irony of this is that it creates a very soft feel which people like in the showroom and also adds to the cost of the mattress compared to mattresses that don’t use the extra layers (so they are paying more for a mattress which “feels good” but will develop the very problems they want to avoid). Mattresses that use materials like this will always develop some degree of sagging and impressions no matter what the price of the mattress and yet they feel good in a showroom so people pay more for them! This isn’t so a case of poor value (because it will always happen with these materials) as much as it is a case of knowing what will always happen with certain materials used in thicker constructions and what to look for in a mattress regardless of price.
The “trick” is to choose a mattress that doesn’t have materials where the odds of softening or impressions are much higher and of course this depends on knowing what is in the mattress. Better materials or more appropriate (thinner) layers of these materials will usually be in firmer mattresses which people tend not to buy as much. Softer mattresses that use more durable specialty foams (like latex or high density memory foam) in the upper layers to create a similar softness are also more expensive so when people buy on “feel” alone, most will choose the lower cost mattress that uses lower quality materials that in the end becomes more expensive because it is not as durable.
Local manufacturers are sometimes forced by the current market to sell these types of mattresses because so many people are buying them (and ending up with similar problems) because they need to eat 
At least when they do (or at least most of them) they are typically at a lower cost than something equivalent at a mass market store or major brand. The better outlets will carry them for those who insist on buying them but will usually try to steer people away from models that have these types of materials and towards mattresses that use higher quality “soft” materials or thinner layers.
This is why I usually recommend that there is no more than about an inch of lower quality polyfoams or synthetic fibers used in the upper layers of a mattress. This alone would “solve” most of the softening and impression issues that so many people experience.
More to come as I have the chance to contact some local outlets in your area to see what they have (and how knowledgeable they are).
Phoenix
Thanks for the info! I owned a top of the line seally next that was incredibly comfortable, but even that got worse after a couple of years. I added a memory foam topper and that’s making it bearable. Is latex a better option?
Hi traceym43,
I talked with Majestic in Kamloops and they do tend to use mostly 1.5 lb polyfoam both in the upper layers and the lower layers of their mattresses. This is on the low side for polyfoam … and while it’s certainly better quality than 1.2 lb which is more common in the comfort layers … in combination with the layers of fiber they also tend to use in all their mattresses it could certainly account for the impressions you saw over time. In a memory foam mattress (which has memory foam over polyfoam) I would not consider anything under 1.8 lb density in the support layers unless you were in a low budget range. 1.5 lb polfoam would be similar to some of the “better” foams that many of the larger manufacturers use (often in combination with even lower density) although I personally would start looking for higher quality/density polyfoam once I was looking at prices over @ $500 or so. 1.5 lb polyfoam can work well in a two sided mattress in reasonable layers but not as well in a one sided mattress.
That would depend on your preferences because memory foam is very different from latex. Latex is more durable than memory foam and won’t soften as much or as quickly. If you prefer the feeling of memory foam though (which is a more “in” the mattress feeling than latex which is more “on” the mattress feeling and more motion restricting than latex which is more “lively”) then I would be aware that lower quality memory foams (less than 5 lbs density) are less durable than higher quality/density memory foams and I would completely avoid any memory foam that was less than 4 lbs unless durability was not an issue. I would also avoid any memory foam that was not CertiPur certified (tested for offgassing and harmful chemicals).
Phoenix
I guess I’m more confused in a way now than ever. I like the idea of latex better (better longevity, cooler mattress, high satisfaction rating, less off gasing), but have never had the opportunity to try one out. I’ve tried memory foam with my topper and at sleep country; I like the feeling of being cocooned in the bed, but my husband doesn’t. As well, doing a quick and dirty online search, the best I could come up with is the Essentia mattress company in Vancouver, but holy moly, expensive! A lot of companies online that are more reasonably priced don’t ship to Canada. Any ideas?
Thanks so much for the help
Tracey
Hi traceym43,
A search on Essentia will bring up a whole thread about them and other references. I believe that they are certainly overpriced and the idea that they are “latex memory foam” is rather strange to me and probably misleading. In any case … I certainly wouldn’t pay what they are asking for a mattress that probably contains more polyfoam than any latex.
Two of our members make layered latex mattresses (where you choose your own layers and put them in a zip cover) that they often ship to Canada. They are …
While they are different and offer different options … they are both great quality and value. There is one advantage at the moment which is that the Canadian dollar is higher than the US dollar
It would help to have tried a couple of latex mattresses (either Talalay or Dunlop) in various degrees of firmness to give you a sense of what you prefer (either in materials or in firmness).
If any of the dealers here are within reasonable driving distance of you it would give you a chance to test a high quality Dunlop latex mattress (although the prices are quite high).
I’m still waiting for a reply from a couple of others that may carry latex (or at least latex in the comfort layers that may be worth testing for a reference point) but so far no other options that I’m aware of.
Kamloops is not exactly great “mattress country”.
Phoenix
thank you again for your quick reply! mattresses must really be your life! thank you again for the suggestions; i’ll try and get to a place in town that sells novotec (sp?) and try them out if i can. if they actually have the mattress. its amazing how they don’t put the prices of those mattresses on the web
have a great day
tracey
Well phoning around no one in kamloops carries the novotech mattresses, just pillow and bedding. I know you’ ve commented on the Boyd latex lower models, but how about the natural flex ultra? On the website it says it talalay and Dunlop latex layers but doesn’t give ild specs or any other info. I can probably get this model from wholesale furniture here.
Thanks
Tracey
Hi traceym43,
When I talked to wholesale furniture brokers they told me they didn’t have any of the Boyd latex on the floor.
The Boyd Natural flex Ultra line is a polyfoam/latex hybrid but they use the talalay latex on the top of either polyfoam or more layers of Talalay or Dunlop (the latex layers vary from 3" to 9"). They would also make a good testing ground for the feel of latex and could also have good value depending on the price. It would be nice if someone carried them locally.
http://www.sleepcountry.ca/storesearchresults.aspx?d=50&l=Kamloops-BC has a mattress called the Zenbody which is 9" of what Sealy calls “smartlatex”. It would be closest to Dunlop latex although it’s mostly synthetic and has inserts which “zone” the latex with other materials so it wouldn’t feel quite like 100% natural Dunlop but it would be “Dunlop latex like” and give you a bit of a sense of what Dunlop latex feels like (it may be on the firm side). (ADDED they no longer carry this mattress and there is nothing else there that I would consider)
Novotech is very nice but it is also very pricy and I didn’t find an outlet near you that carries it. It also uses many different layers but at least one of the models (the neutral sleeper) uses talalay for the top two layers.
It seems that the only place (at least that I’m aware of) that you could test various different layerings of both Talalay and natural Dunlop is in Kelowna.
If I discover anything else I’ll include it here and if you find something I’ve missed then I hope you let us know as well
ADDED: See post #2 here for the Kamloops area and post #4 here for some better options in the Okanagan area.
Phoenix
thanks again! well, kelowna is pretty close ; its only about 2 hours away and a nice drive. another store contacted me, sleepys in kelowna. they carry the iron man t3 (?) but it sounds too slick to be true. i couldn’t find any specific information at this time online about it, but my gut tells me expensive for what i’ll get
thanks again
its nice to have someone be so helpful
tracey
Hi traceym43,
There is a thread with some thoughts about the ironman mattresses here.
The Ironman site used to have more complete descriptions of their mattresses but the pages for each model have disappeared. If memory serves me correctly their top layers did include Celsion latex (a cooler version of Talalay) and other latex layers as well over different types of support systems.
While they certainly have an interesting construction … if you do go to Kelowna … the PLB and the Snugsleep would be much more typical of the feel of the two different types of latex.
the Ironman would be closer in its construction style (combination of memory foam and latex) to the Novotech.
Phoenix
i found another guy in kelowna who is custom making latex mattresses. sleepys (with an s, not a z) is his company and he’s dealing with talalay latex and fairly reasonable prices. my hubby and i can’t get to kelowna until sunday when his store is closed, but he said he’d open if he knew when we’d be there. he uses latex international latex and can do a split king 10’ at a pretty good price. have you heard of him before?
hitraceym43,
http://www.sleepys.ca/ would also be well worth including in your research if you go to Kelowna. As you probably already know from their site, they make an 8" and 10" latex mattress that uses Talalay, can be customized for firmness, and can even include a side to side split. They don’t say who makes it but that is not as important as the ingredients which seem to be high quality.
I don’t know their prices but I would assume they are likely to be better than most other similar options in the area and will be interesting to see how they compare to the Pure Latex Bliss. They are the type of small sleep shop that usually has more knowledge about their mattresses and better service and value than the larger or more mass market outlets.
Thanks for including them in your comments. I knew about them but didn’t have this particular mattress listed in my notes so your research and questions will certainly help others in your area to find better options
Phoenix
Geoff (the guy I talked to) said they get their latex from latex international. He really seems knowledgable and I was glad for your site when I was talking with him. You provide an excellent and helpful service for us mattress newbies! Thank you so much!
Hi traceym43,
I had a long conversation today with Geoff at Sleepys (actually 3 because we were interrupted a few times) and I have to say I was truly impressed. He has been in the industry for over 30 years and he really knows his stuff both about different foams and about mattress construction. He doesn’t “cheap out”, sells the best he can find, and doesn’t shy away from telling people the truth about mattresses or the industry. We swapped some stories and he shared his ideas and thoughts about mattresses with me which not surprisingly were very similar to mine. He is truly one of the better “mattress people” that I have met and is passionate about mattresses and helping people to find what is best for them. It also doesn’t hurt that he runs his store on a lean budget and has narrow profit margins which translates into great value.
I’m glad that we had a chance to talk (triggered by your thread … ty) and a visit to his store would definitely be worth the drive IMO. I doubt you will find better in the Okanagan valley
Phoenix
That makes me feel sooo much better about buying from him. Your opinion is very valuable and if you say he sounds good, I can trust him. Thanks for all your help; who knew buying a new mattress would be so complicated? It was easier buying a car!
Tracey
Hi Tracey,
I’m looking forward to hearing your feedback about your trip.
I also think a lot of people would agree with you after experiencing the frustrations, tricks, and traps of mattress shopping.
Phoenix
will do. am planning a trip down on sunday if possible. my hubby and i both had to work all week because of the holiday and i have a course i have to attend on saturday. me and my back are getting really excited about a new mattress!