We liked the Latex mattress topper (IKEA Sultan Elsfjord)that we bought from Ikea years ago and we want to stick with Latex mattress. I’ve been reading all kinds of articles on latex mattress but still don’t sure if I should go for the natural one this time. I saw this mattress with synthetic latex on sales on Overstock.com. Looks like a good price? Any reviews or suggestion?
Thank you!
Hi pickamattress,
Post #13 here has more about the most important parts of the value of a mattress purchase.
The first question I would ask yourself is how confident are you that this mattress match your specific needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). When you can’t test a mattress in person then you would be completely dependent on the knowledge and experience of the retailer or manufacturer you are dealing with and most of the customer support staff at Overstock aren’t particularly knowledgeable about “matching” a mattress to different body types and sleeping positions and are more interested in selling you whatever you are willing to buy than they are helping you to choose the “right” mattress. This means that the return policy would become a more important part of your decision to offset the risk of making a “blind” purchase and this mattress isn’t returnable once you have used it.
The next most important part of your purchase is making sure you know the type and quality of all the layers in your mattress (see this article) so you can compare them to the guidelines here. In this case the description doesn’t include the information you would need about all the materials to make an informed choice and I’m not so sure that the “better than latex” material is latex at all … synthetic or otherwise. I would want to see a copy of the law tag to see if it includes latex in the materials and I would want to know the specifics of all the layers and materials in the mattress.
Vivon is also one of the Zinus brands that also includes Night Therapy, Spa Sensations, Keetsa, and many others. They are all Chinese made mattresses that tend to use some lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses although to their credit they are CertiPur certified. A forum search on Zinus Vivon (you can just click the link) will bring up more information and feedback about them.
I would also be aware that these mattresses are being liquidated and are no longer being made (they are no longer on the Vivon website here). This means that at best they are just clearing out old stock but at worst they could be comfort exchanges or warranty returns as well. It also means that they have probably been compressed for quite some time in shipping and storage which could also lead to durability issues (see post #6 here) so I would want to find out the manufacturing date on the law tag as well.
Overall I would say that from every perspective … this would be a very risky purchase and you would have little to no recourse if the mattress either wasn’t a suitable match for you in terms of PPP or if there were durability issues with the materials.
It certainly isn’t a choice that I would consider.
The first place I would start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible choices in any budget range … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Phoenix
Thank you for your reply, Phoenix. I’m currently in Orlando area and have driven to Fox mattress in Holly Hill to test different mattress bed by myself. Thanks to your recommendation, the staff over there is very knowledgeable and explained to me why natural latex is more popular. I tested a 6’’ natural latex king size ILD 28-31, and I still think I want something more firm. But they don’t have it available in the store, which makes me a little bit hesitant. I went back to check my old Ikea mattress, it’s actually Sultan Eidsvoll. I’ve tried to find the ILD for that mattress, because I like the firmness of it and would like to stick with it. So now I’ve made up my minds that I want something higher or equal than ILD 31. The price for natural latex, 6’', ILD 31 or higher is about 1600+. Should I go local or online? Seems risky to make this purchase online…
Hi pickamattress,
I would be very careful about using ILD specs as a basis for comparison because ILD is only one of several factors that is part of how soft or firm a layer or a mattress will feel (see post #4 here). ILD ratings are also not directly comparable between different types of latex or between different types of foam (see post #6 here).
The most effective way to know whether a particular combination of layers and components (including the cover and quilting materials which can have a significant effect on the feel and performance of a mattress) is a good match for you is with your own personal testing where your body will tell you how firm or soft and pressure relieving and supportive a mattress feels for you. If you can’t test a mattress before a purchase then a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced manufacturer or retailer that has your best interests at heart and where they can help “talk you through” which of their mattresses may be the best match for you is the next best approach (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). In this case the return or exchange options that are available to you after a purchase would also become a more important part your personal value equation and the risk and “value” of your purchase.
Most “should I” questions are about personal preference and where in the range of risk you are most comfortable and all the other pros and cons involved with each choice. There is more about the pros and cons of a local purchase vs an online purchase in general in this topic. For those that are comfortable with the additional risks of an online purchase (and the risk would also depend on the return or exchange options) there are certainly some very good online options available (including the links to the online lists in the tutorial post) but these are the types of questions that only each person can decide for themselves based on the specific mattresses they are comparing.
Phoenix
Well, after testing it out, I know I would like to have something firmer than the one that I tried on. Unfortunately, they don’t have firmer latex mattress available on that day. What should I do next? I’ve contacted all the listed direct manufacturer/retailer in Orlando area, it seems Fox is the one that carries most latex mattress. Meanwhile, I’ve looked through the online retailers, and found this one, 10 inch Essence by BrooklynBedding:
I think I like this combination and the height, except for the price… I would like to have very firm Dunlop as the core and firm Talalay as the support layer. Is there any other bed with the same combination but cheaper?
I’ve now between 100% natural and blended Talalay. Is it that critical to have it all natural? As I go further on the research of Latex, the price is going up and up, far beyond my original budget. Is it worthwhile?
Hi pickamattress,
I’m guessing you mean the firm Talalay as the comfort layer over the Dunlop (as opposed to using Talalay as the support core)?
In any case … the tutorial post includes this link to a list of the members here that sell online and many of them (including Brooklyn Bedding) sell latex mattresses that use different types of latex with a wide range of designs, features, options, and prices, and many of them allow you to choose the type and firmness of some or all of the layers in the mattress.
Posts #3 and #4 here also includes some of the lower budget latex and latex hybrid mattresses (under $1000 for mattress only in queen) that I’m aware of.
No it’s certainly not critical or in some cases even important to have “all natural” latex. In most cases it would be a preference choice. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here.
Phoenix
Thank you, Phoenix. While I’ve seen some DIY here, different layers of talalay, etc, I’m just wondering if a foundation + 3" topper will work. Say any foundation plus 3" 100% natural Talalay? Of course, this is purely to reduce the cost. Is there anyone thinking of this combination?
Hi pickamattress,
I’m not sure what you mean by a “foundation” and a 3" topper. Do you mean putting a 3" topper directly on a mattress foundation that is meant to go under a mattress so that you would be sleeping on only 3" of latex? If this is what you mean then I think that a 3" mattress on a foundation would be too thin and uncomfortable for most people.
If that’s not what you meant then could you clarify what you are considering a little more specifically?
Your choices will basically boil down to which local mattresses you have tested are your “finalists” based on your testing for PPP and the other parts of your personal value equation are most important to you and which of the online options you are considering are your “finalists” based on your more detailed conversations with them (instead of personal testing) and also the other parts of your personal value equation that are important to you including the risks involved in each one and their return or exchange policies (to reduce the risk) just in case what you choose doesn’t turn out to be ideal for you.
Once you are down to your finalists and they are all choices between “good and good” then you can make a final choice between them.
Phoenix
OK. Finally, I’ve made a choice today. I opted for the 7000 on Sleep Ez, Firm+Extra Firm 100% Dunlop, with the wool cover. I’ve compared the Sleep Ez, Arizona mattress company, Fox Mattress, BrooklynBedding.
BB: I have been thinking about buying two 3’’ layers of Dunlop from BB(384*2) and the cover from Sleep EZ(290+50shipping), since it can give me 1108, a saving of 270. Besides, I’m not sure if BB and Sleep Ez has same quality of Dunlop latex, and I’m just too lazy to do the DIY …
Fox Mattress: although it was highly recommended by Phoenix, and I went to test it by myself twice in the store, I still didn’t choose it. Because their price is not that competitive to SleepEz. They have 6" 100% Talalay for 1399. Personally, I like something firmer than the one that I tested in the store, and it will need a week to manufacture it anyway.
Arizona mattress company: https://www.mattresses.net/ I’ve almost made the purchase there 6"+3" model, but it won’t be delivered until three and half weeks and with a shipping cost.
I’ve chosen SleepEz because of convenience and price. They have what I want, and can ship it quickly.
Well, after such a long time search, I simply don’t want to waste time. But if time allows, I would probably go with the try-and-error DIY approach, which seems a money saving option.
Hi pickamattress,
You certainly had some good options to choose from and I think you ended up making a great choice based on all the criteria that were most important to you.
Congratulations on your new mattress 
I’m looking forward to your feedback when you receive it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.
Phoenix