How to look for and find the best mattress ... for YOU! ***READ FIRST***

Hi Phoenix,

My wife and I purchased a king size 3 - 3 inch sets 100% talalay latex mattress two weeks ago. It is a two sided mattress with 32, 40, 32 which was highly suggested by the factory salesperson for side sleepers, approx. 200 lbs apiece. My research suggested much softer than medium, firm, and medium, but, it was highly suggested we go with this as people had been complaining of it being to soft with other settings. We have to have this adjusted and would very much appreciate your suggestion as to comfort levels for side sleepers.

thank you in advance for your prompt response.
Bcook

Hi Bcook,

Comfort levels are very subjective and individual and depend on many variables (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). Your own testing and experience will be a much more reliable way to assess whether a mattress is a good match for you or how it needs to be adjusted than any ā€œtheory at a distanceā€.

Iā€™m not clear from the information you provided what you are looking to adjust or what you are experiencing on your mattress but there is more about some of the more common ā€œsymptomsā€ on a mattress in post #2 here and the other posts it links to that may be helpful.

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix!

I sent you a PM but probably should have posted here:( I read your tutorial, great information! My wife and I live in Grand Junction, CO and are looking for a good local shop. Any recommendations?

What do you think of this one from Denver mattress?

Thanks!!!

Hi bgreen19,

I switched your post to a new topic so that itā€™s on its own and easier for others in the area to find.

There arenā€™t a lot of great choices in the Grand Junction area but the better options and possibilities Iā€™m aware of are listed in post #2 here (including Denver Mattress which youā€™ve already found).

The guidelines I use to evaluate a mattress for the quality of the materials inside it are in post #4 here.

The iChoice only has 1" of lower quality material (the 1.35 lb polyfoam) and thatā€™s inside the guidelines I would suggest (@ an inch or so of lower quality or unknown materials) so there are no weak links in the mattress and if you have tested it and itā€™s a good match for you in terms of PPP then it would be well worth considering as one of your finalists.

Phoenix

My wife and I went and tried the iChoice yesterday and loved it. It passed both of our PPPā€™s. The salesperson we worked with was very knowledgeable and helpful. Overall it was a great experience and weā€™re excited to make our new purchase. BUTā€¦not so excited that itā€™s not work asking your opinion on negotiating the price. Is this acceptable practice in the mattress industry? We ended up leaving yesterday so we could talk about our decision a little further, but like you said, choices are somewhat limited here in GJ and we both love the mattress.

I donā€™t want to be ā€œthat guyā€ and beat them up over the price but I also would like to get a good deal and not pay full retail price. Any advice? Thanks again!

Hi bgreen19,

There are many factory direct manufacturers that sell their mattresses for their best price every day and donā€™t negotiate (unlike many retailers who have sales or ā€œnegotiateā€ based on inflated prices). There is more about negotiating in post #6 here and while itā€™s always worth a try ā€¦ I certainly wouldnā€™t be disappointed if they say no and the mattress you are considering is your best option out of all your finalists.

Phoenix

Check out this additional blog post from The Organic Mattress Store
They have tips and tricks for testing your mattress to make sure itā€™s the best possible quality. This comes in handy while shopping in stores!

Hi Bethopia,

I deleted your other two posts because they were overly promotional and not directly related to the topics you posted them in and I removed one of the links in your post here as well.

The forum rules here include the guidelines for posting on the forum.

Your posts were more like ā€œadvertising copyā€ than informative or just posting about your own personal experience (which is always welcome) which often indicates that a poster is connected to the store they are posting about so if you have any direct or indirect connection to The East Coast Organic Mattress Store itā€™s also required to disclose it as well.

Phoenix

I just wanted to thank everyone on this forum for sharing their thoughts and experiences. This forum has provided TONS of information for me and a host of others. The amount of information here is invaluable to someone who is looking to step out of the ā€œbig brandā€ hype and marketing. Iā€™m glad I found this forum.

Iā€™m getting ready to order a sleep ez select sleep 13000, in what seems like a pretty standard s-m-f-xf. Hopefully I get it right the first time!

Once again thank you Phoenix and everyone else on this forum!

Cycopen, I decided to look at the Sleep EZ that you selected on their website. I have to admit that it sounds like it meets most of the criteria that weā€™ve established. My two concerns are 1) ordering online without trying it first, and 2) figuring out the layers. Weā€™re going to go out on our first ā€˜field tripā€™ this week. Maybe that will help allay some of my concerns. More likely it will create a whole lot more questions!

I just canā€™t read any more about mattresses until we go try out a few!

Hi cycopen,

Iā€™m glad you found us and the at the forum could help you.

You are certainly making a great quality/value choice ā€¦ and congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

I hope you have the chance to share your feedback when you receive it and have had the chance to sleep on it.

Phoenix

Looking for retailers in the Kingman or Bullhead, AZ area or the Henderson, Las Vegas or Laughlin, NV areas. Thanks

Hi dbb2700,

The better options and possibilities Iā€™m aware of in the Henderson/Las Vegas areas are listed in post #2 here.

There isnā€™t a forum list for the Kingman/Bullhead City, AZ area but the guidelines in the tutorial will help you choose the better options in the area. Time permitting ā€¦ Iā€™ll also take a look in the area over the next few days for any of the better possibilities I can see and list them here.

Phoenix

Hi dbb2700,

I took a look around the Bullhead City and Kingman areas and while there arenā€™t a lot of options in the area that I would consider ā€¦ the ones I saw that I would and the manufacturers they carry I would tend to focus on on a mattress by mattress basis and assuming they can provide the information you need about what is inside the mattress (see this article) includes ā€¦

http://www.coasterfurniture.com/StoreProfile.aspx?StoreId=1935 Bullhead City, Fort Mohave, AZ. Carries Easy Rest (gel memory foam and will be bringing in their latex mattresses when they come out with it in a month or so). Easy Rest is transparent about the materials inside their mattresses.

http://boydsoutlawsleepcenters.com/ Kingman, AZ. Therapedic Ecogel, Southerland, Stress-O-Pedic, Pure Latex Bliss. They told me they would call their factories for any specs they donā€™t have for customers that are informed enough to know to ask.

Phoenix

You can find the best cool gel mattress supplier, cool gel mattress please check it out hope youā€™ll find it a good source.

Hello,

we are considering purchasing two twin mattresses for our kids from my green mattress. Iā€™ve read through the posts and am still a bit confused wheather we should go with cotton/wool option or latex option. The mattresses would be only used for sleeping/occassional reading in bed so not sure if the cotton option would be too firm. Also, how important is a two sided option in terms of longevity of a mattress. Thank you.

Hi lvka,

This would really be a preference choice and not so much a ā€œbetter worseā€ choice.

When you canā€™t test an online mattress (or a very similar mattress) in person for PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) then the best source of guidance would be a more detailed conversation on the phone with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer who can talk to you about each of your options and help you decide which one would be the best ā€œmatchā€ for the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). They will know more about their mattresses and which ones are most likely to work best for you (based on the information you provide them) than anyone else.

There is more about the pros and cons of a two sided mattress in post #3 here and the posts it links to. A two sided mattress will generally last ā€œsignificantlyā€ longer than a similar one sided mattress that uses the same materials and components but only has a comfort layer on one side.

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix,
I have spent the last day going through your posts. Thank you for your excellent information on how to find the best mattress for you. I now feel better equipped to start shopping for my new mattress.
Michelle :slight_smile:

Hi mend7,

Iā€™m glad you found us ā€¦ and welcome :slight_smile:

Iā€™m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding.

Phoenix

I got to try a latex mattress a little while ago. The Original Mattress Factory here in Charlotte has a two sided one.

The cute gal would not or could not tell me the density of the inner foam or the latex ā€œbreadā€ on this foam sandwich. Neither could she describe the Talalay type latex. The cutout sample it did not look as high quality as what Iā€™ve seen on the sites Iā€™ve learned of here and Amazon. The ability to flip it is a nice idea, but the bed was soft on the surface with firmness inside. Comfortable immediately even though I did sink into it. Support was there, just a few inches below. Longevity of this one is questionable to me without specifications. $1300 for a full sized mattress, It was substantial probably 80 + lbs.
Bottom line is I got to try an unknown type of latex bed. Answered questions, less squishy on top and better price (again my need) and Iā€™ll get to the right one.