Hi,
I have been searching and researching for a little while now trying to determine what brand or brands carriers the best 100% Natural Latex Mattress. My wife and I are currently sleeping on a 11 year old Sealy pillow top that is starting to quickly age…for all I know it may have aged a long time ago. In the last several years it seems like my back hurts most mornings I wake up along with tossing and turning at night. So being that we try to live a very natural life style with the other products we use, we started looking at new bed options. I was amazed to find out the mess that is in most main stream mattresses (that say or seem luxurious) including the one we currently have. This set of on the path of looking for all natural and organic options for beds. We had never heard a whole lot about latex beds, but after doing some research realized that this would be a good investment. That being said…we have narrowed it down to a few options.
We have been looking at Flobeds, Cozypure, and 2 or 3 of the internet so called highly rated brands (Astra, Plushbeds, etc). After doing extensive research I became skeptical of these highly rated internet companies because I could not find out a lot about the company or their people. I also read a few of your posts which also help me eliminate these companies…thank you. Flobeds and Cozypure actually had information on who they are, where they came from, and what they are all about…which I like (a Real Business).
So basically it seems like both companies use the same quality materials but one uses Talalay and the other Dunlop method. Both offer the zone style option, Flobeds just puts theirs on the top while Cozypure puts their zones in the core. We went to a local store that carried Cozypure which uses Dunlop latex and also tried PureBliss which uses the Talalay process. We seemed to like the feel of the Talalay better, just due to the overall uniformed softness yet seemingly supportive. I like the zone customization or at least I think I do, due to the fact that I have low back pain currently and would like the extra customized support. Both seem to have 20 year warranties but I think Flobeds is truly only a 5 year true warranty…and not really sure how Cozypure’s warranty breaks down. So based on this information I just want to make sure I make the right choice. Can you really tell a big difference in the zoning construction vs. just selecting the right cores and top layers? Is there another brand out there that is comparable to these in quality of materials and build that is more economical? Is the warranty a big deal and why do some of the companies you do not recommend carry the longest warranties in the industry? Please let me know your thoughts on any other mattresses I should look at and why? Thanks for your help and this forum…Jason
Hi Radioman,
The first place I would start your mattress research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
There is no such thing as the “best” mattress or the “best” manufacturer … there is only “best for you” based on all the criteria that are most important to you. A mattress that may be “best” for one person may be a completely unsuitable choice for someone else whether it uses latex or any other material.
There is more about the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that you can use to compare the “value” of a mattress. I would avoid “brand shopping” (see post #5 here) because all manufacturers have access to the same or similar materials and the value of any mattress depends on how well it matches your specific needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences), the type and quality of the materials inside it, and on how it compares to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
As you probably know … Flobeds and Cozy Pure are two of the members of this site which means that I think very highly of them and they both compete well with the best in the industry. I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase a mattress from either of them. Of course I would also make sure you are familiar with the “feel” of latex in general because while it’s a high quality and very durable material … not everyone prefers it … and the choice of which type of mattress or materials are “best for you” is always a personal preference. If you are considering an online purchase then it would probably be a good idea to make sure you have tested a range of different types of latex mattresses in person and while they may not be the same in terms of how they feel as the mattresses you are considering … it would at least give you a good sense of how you feel about latex mattresses in general.
Flobeds has custom zoning (as you mentioned) where you can make firmness adjustments to the individual zones while the zoning with CozyPure is built in to the layers and components in their mattresses and can’t be adjusted or changed. Talalay and Dunlop are both high quality materials … but they are also different and the choice between them would be a personal preference. There is more about the differences between Talalay and Dunlop in post #7 here but the best way to know which one you tend to prefer (if either) would be based on your own testing and experience.
I would also make sure you have a more detailed conversation with each of them (or any other online supplier you are considering) because this is one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase with any online manufacturer or retailer (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
Warranties only cover defects in materials and have little to nothing to do with the useful life of a mattress relative to each person (see post #174 here). In most cases … if there is an actual defect in latex it will show up within the first year or so.
This depends on the person and on the specifics of the mattress, on the specific type of zoning, and on the person themselves and how well they “match” the zoning in a mattress. For some people it can make a significant difference and for others it would make little difference at all. There is more about zoning in this article and in post #11 here.
The tutorial post includes a link to a list of the members here that sell mattresses online and many of these make latex mattresses that use different types of latex and have a wide range of different features, designs, and options and have a wide range of prices as well that may also be worth considering.
There may also be some local options that are available to you that are worth considering and if you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about any of the local options or at least “possibilities” I’m aware of that are close to you.
Phoenix