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

Thanks for your comprehensive response! I did talk to a representative at Nest, and they steered me to the Medium firmness in the Hybrid Natural Latex. The only issue remaining is with the foundation. We have a new platform bed on order- it is an Amish made semi custom piece, with a solid, furniture-grade plywood base over storage drawers on both sides and a bookcase headboard. The solid plywood is not recommended by Nest.

I need to look for something I can put over the plywood- I started reading through the pinned post on this forum. I found the Coir mats- is that enough? I couldn’t find a slat conversion kit- Flobeds shows something on their site, but they don’t sell it.

I’m not entirely sure how high we want to raise the mattress- we can’t raise it too high or it will block the storage compartments in the headboard. I’m waiting on an exact max height from the manufacturer, but we’ll definitely need something low profile or ultra low profile.

Thanks-
Nicole

Hi gryffin/Nicole.

I am glad that Nest closely guided you through the selection process (they are very skilled and knowledgeable) … their Hybrid Natural Latex is a good quality/value option that seems to be a close fit to your needs and preferences. Of course, until you sleep on it for a while and allow your body to adjust to the mattress and for the mattress to break in a bit you can’t be 100% sure, but so far all looks very promising.

A Choir bed rug would be a good choice as its porous structure allows for air to circulate more freely between the mattress bottom and the plywood. While IMO the bed rug in combination with the pocket coils would ensure adequate ventilation and breathability, as usual in these cases I always recommend checking manufacturer policies and ask them to clarify if using the coconut husks layer for ventilation would be enough and wouldn’t invalidate their mattress warranty in case things don’t turn out as well as you have hoped for. You can read Joe Alexander’s (Nest’s CEO) thoughts about mattress breathability in this article here.

You probably came across some of my past recommendations for something like this bed rug in between the mattress and the plywood … SavvyRest’s 1" bed Rug would most likely be thin enough to still allow access to the storage compartments in the headboard. FloBeds slat conversions here (which has no flex) would also be suitable so I’d make a call find out if is discontinued or if they just don’t have it available at the moment. I also previously linked one of the Ikea slatted bed bases here (which you’d certainly need to check on the thickness but because it has some flex it may change how the mattress feels and performs). You can also look into something like the fabric covered Bunkie Boards here that wouldn’t add too much height to your platform bed. If this passes Nest’s approval and if you are somewhat DIY inclined this can be a fun little project to make it fit your platform bed’s exact height specifications.

I am looking forward to hearing what the final setup is and how it all works out for you.

Phoenix

We bought a Casper queen mattress from Costco, which is the 12" version of their standard mattress. While it’s much more comfortable than our old brand-name coil-spring mattress, after a few nights, we think it may be too firm for our liking.

For myself (male, 6’2", 200lb), it feels firmer than I would like initially, but I feel comfortable once I’m in and sleep well. I wake with far less leg pain, though I don’t know if it’s been any better for my back/shoulders. My wife (5’7", 150) likes softer mattresses though, and so far, she has yet to last a night in it. She complains that it is too firm, and also (being the middle of winter), too cold. I think the cooling aspect will be amazing come summer, but it definitely feels cold whenever you roll onto a new area.

I like the all-foam mattresses, and my wife does too, but it’s hard to find good information on a lot of them regarding softness. I found one place that said the Casper is only a 5.5 on a 10-point softness scale, but another said it was a 7 (which is more believable). We probably want to go at least a point further toward the soft end of the scale. I’m less concerned about the coolness of the Casper, like I said, I think that will be great once the weather turns, and I’m fine just piling on a few more blankets in the winter. If anyone has any suggestions for a softer version of the Casper, I’d really appreciate it. We’d like to stay in the $500-$800 price range (the Casper @Costco was $600).

Thank you.

Hi Dom12,

Welcome back to the forum:).

I see the 12" version on Costco website, and of course, there is no information on specs. I am not surprised its bit too firm, they went more firm in the beginning of their “one sku” days, and this being the “12” version" it is not surprising. Caspers need to give toppers away for many months, additionally, in the industry, it is known they have had issues with the top comfort layers.

I know there are members on this site that can get to that price range, and can also get you a "softer, yet still supportive for you and your wife’s needs. Check out their sites, maybe call some of them… they are very familiar with the Casper models, so they will be able to most likely point you in the right direction. Let us know if you have other questions.

Thanks,
Sensei

Hello and thank you for the wealth of information. I have been researching for about a month. I am in Canada. I am a mostly side sleeper and weigh somewhere between 210 and 230. I have had an Isoform Opulence by Bergad for about 13 years and loved it. I happen to like feeling like I am sleeping a bit “in” a bed instead of on one which is why I love me more foam. I recently got the Recore bed for a trial and 2 weeks in am miserable. I think latex feels like sleeping on a trampoline and the bed is killing my lower back.
I have narrowed down to two options I think.

  1. The Cumulus bed by MFC which has the edge system and 5lb layers but I really wish had a bit more thickness. I also need a cal king as I have a motorized base that is a cal king. I called Mario and he sent me info but the cal king is $1749 which is really stretching my budget but honestly ends up being only about $100 more than the Novosbed, but there is no trial. Plus pillows yay, but still, no returns.
  2. The Novosbed Medium and then eventually get the soft comfort + added. Things I like are the HD foam at 5lb and the 11" thickness and the full 7" support foam. After the comfort + it becomes a 13" bed. They have no edge system built in though. I also feel like MFC is likely a bit higher quality foams.
    I really am hoping to avoid another return situation as I just want to sleep without pain. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Bleu

Hey Bleu,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :).

You are very welcome and thank you for the nice words about TMU. Both choices seem to be good, and I understand your concerns mentioned. More height? Is this for the type of bed you have? Or other reason? Just curious, as height seems to be a lesser focus, no data to support this opinionmjust my read on industry people.

Regarding the two companies, MFC is one of our trusted members., unfortunately, Novosbed is not a member. TMU can trust and verify the transparency and quality of the materials of our members. MFC can also answer any other questions you may have if you want to ask them directly anytime on their profile page links.

Additionally, as you can see from this post, one of our consumers provided an update on the Novosbed specs. We also highly recommend for you to verify this information for yourself.

[quote]—Old Novosbed-Medium—
2" 5lb, 9 ILD memory airflow top;
2" 5lb, 9 ILD memory;
7" 1.8lb, 32 ILD Support
—New Novosbed-Medium—
1" - 1.95 lb / 9 IFD - 5th generation premium airflow foam ;
1" - 4 lb / 11 IFD - 5th-generation high-density visco-elastic memory foam;
2" - 4 lb / 11 IFD - 5th-generation high-density visco-elastic memory foam;
7" - 1.75 lb / 32 IFD - Premium support foam[/quote]

The new specs, if correct, are not “bad” per se, the 1.95 lb top 1" is certainly below our reccomedations in our durability guidelines.

The Bergad Isoform, have not seen that name in a while, speciality polyfoam company in PA, if remeber correctly.

The more you ask questions, the more you can help alleviate the return risk, please continue to use the forum and ask any other questions you may have.

Thanks,
Sensei

Thank you so much. I will be calling Novosbed right away to ask directly.

The height issue is mainly because I weigh more and keep reading for my weight I should get a mattress at least 12 inches.

I will definitely keep asking questions

Thank you so much.

Bleu

Hey Bleu,

You are welcome, it seems you are well on your way to working something out, as i read your other posts, good luck!!!

Sensei

That mattress height recommendation is thrown around on a number of mattress sites. It’s wrong in the context it’s used in (I’ve even seen sites claim thick mattresses are bad for thinner people).

The best “explanation” I’ve seen on these sites is the thicker mattress keeps you from bottoming out, but the reality is that the construction of the mattress is what keeps you from bottoming out. Over a nominal thickness (maybe 9-10 inches), the only difference is a potentially plusher feel.

I wouldn’t worry too much about hitting some magic number for how thick a mattress is - I would just focus on getting what you want.

As an aside, if you were referring to the novosbed recore earlier, it’s not necessarily a good example of a latex mattress. It’s more polyfoam than latex (without a lot of easy to find specs on either). That said, it sounds like you want to sink really deeply into a mattress and not have it spring back. You might want to make sure to go for slower response memory foam, as some foams spring back more quickly.

[color=black]What is the best latex mattress for me? Dilworth or Sleeping Organic
I discovered your website last week and found it extremely helpful in my quest for a new mattress. Mattress shopping is complicated and your website has helped me better understand the many options available. Thank you so much for educating consumers like me. You are providing a great service.

I am in the market for a new queen mattress. My current mattress is a inner springs firm that is about 12 to 15 years old. I have been looking for a foam mattress. Initially I was looking at memory foam, but after some research on your site and other places, I believe latex is a better choice as it seems to have a number of advantages over memory foam. I live in the Charlotte, NC area. Other relevant info is I am 74 years old, 5’8" and 150 pounds, and primarily a slide sleeper. I have mild asthma and acid reflux, but otherwise no major health issues.

There is a local mattress manufacturer, Dilworth Mattress, which manufactures latex and other types of mattresses. I talked with the owner who is the third generation of his family in this business. It seems to have a very good reputation as far as I can tell. I tried some mattresses in his showroom and found this product very comfortable: 10" latex mattress with 3 layers: 1.5" talalay soft (24 ILD), 2" talalay medium (28 ILD), 6" talalay firm ( 36 ILD). The talalay is a blended 60% natural, 40% synthetic, all made in USA. He believes the blend is a better product than natural. He would do natural layers at a higher price. Their price is $1995 for mattress and $2199 for set and $100 delivery and setup. The mattress is zippered and allows the customer to switch layers if they want to.

The owner claims he has been selling this product for many years and most customers get 17 to 20 years from it. I want a product that will serve me well for many years. I common complaint I hear is that mattresses work well initially and then begin to sag or cause back problems in a few years. I want to avoid that which is one reason I am willing to pay more for a mattress.

I saw the Sleeping Organic in Charleston, SC on your website. I called them and they have more options with latex (both talalay and Dunlop). They only use natural latex and claim it is superior to the blended latex. I configured a 10" mattress as follows: 2" talalay soft (19 to 23 ILD), 2" Dunlop medium (26 to 32 ILD) and 6" firm base (36 to 40 ILD). Their talalay is sourced from Sri Lanka and Dunlop from Poly Global but she said it was made in USA. They seem to have all the certifications desired for their latex. Their price is $1596 for the mattress and $1,971 for the set and free shipping (UPS). Their base is expensive at $375 versus $200 for Dilworth. As I understand it, the customer has to insert all the layers into the zippered cover.

Sleeping Organic allows 45 Night $99 Flat Return Fee for Personalized Mattresses and 100 Night $50 Layer Comfort Exchange for Personalized Mattresses. Dilworth has a 30 day comfort guarantee that allows exchange for other mattresses, only paying any difference in price. Sleeping Organic has the edge here.

I would like your thoughts and opinions about these 2 choices and any others you think I should consider. Do you think there is a significant difference in the 2 choices? I like the idea of a natural latex but I am not sure if that is significant or not as each company claims their latex is superior. I am not sure if the flexibility of different latex types is significant or not. I also like the idea of a local company in Charlotte although Charleston is only 3 hours away. My daughter lives in Charleston and I am there often. I could go there and try out their mattresses at their store to get a better idea of the right firmness and actually see the mattresses in person.
Thank you for your help.
[/color]

Hi johnep,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

Thank you for those kind words about our site and you are welcome. As you say, it can get complicated but you seem to be focused on two really good choices. Although Dilworth is a small manufacturer and not a member of our site, Dilworth is known as quality and reputable company by industry insiders. As you already know Sleeping Organic is one of our trusted members, so we can rely on their transparency and quality of materials.

Both choices obviously are using quality materials, Dilworth is clearly using blended Talalay latex from Talalay Global. And Sleeping organic uses organic certified producers. No Talalay is made in Sri Lanka, Talalay is made in USA and the Netherlands only. I think this was just a misunderstanding from the person on the phone. For more info on the differences please see this earlier post about natural latex and blended latex.

It is actually to be accurate and tell the difference and how they feel to you without trying them. Two manufacturers can use the exact same latex layers and then use different fabric and different finishing processes and they feel entirely different. It would be well worth your time to visit your daughter and try the particular build from Sleeping Organic. Each sleeper has different needs but you most likely will find a “feel” difference between the two options which may be the most important factor, more important than return cost/timeframe, price and many other variables in your personal value equation when choosing a mattress because “what” to choose in terms of either a mattress or the balance between comfort/pressure relief and support/alignment that may be suitable for a specific person is always up to the only person who can feel what only they can feel on a mattress and is best left to personal testing and their own experiences or more detailed discussions with the more knowledgeable people at the retailers or manufacturers that sell a mattress you are considering. For more information when trying the mattress locally, please read steps 2 and 3 in this post to help you to determine the best pressure relief and support.

Good luck! … you are on the right track.

Phoenix

[color=black]Phoenix, thanks so much for your helpful reply. I have continued to research my options and after reviewing vendors on your website, I contacted Arizona Premium and discussed options with Ken. I am interested in his DIY approach. He has provided me quotes based upon information I provided him, notably my testing of several mattresses locally which are as follows:

Naturepedic EOS Trilux, all with 3 layers of 3" natural Dunlop, 10" profile with zippered cotton cover with wool padding. Layers could be swapped and 90 day exchange.
#1, side 1 S-S-F Good
#1, side 2 S-M-F Good
#2, Side 1 XS-S-F Good
#2, Side 2 M-M-F Too firm

OMI Organicpedic Duo, 3 3" inch layers of Dunlop, 10" profile with zippered cotton cover with wool padding. The sales tag says core is “certified organic natural rubber latex” but also says “Also available in 100% natural rubber latex”. It sounds like the product I tested is a blend. 90 day layer exchang.
S-M-F Good

Posh-Lavish, comfort layers were talalay and base was Dunlop. I was told natural but website says it is a blend. Their cover was not padded like others but it was still nice.
Relax model: 2" tal. M, 6" dun. F Too firm
Restore model: 3" tal. S, 6" dun. F Good

Dilworth Mattress
Blue Heaven Firm – 3.5" HD foam and 6" talalay blended. Too firm
Performance – blended talalay – 3layers, ILD = 1.5" 24, 2" 28 and 6" 36 Good feel
I am not sure if the talalay blend was 60/40 or 40/60. Based on your website, it may have been 30/70.

Overall, there was not much difference in the mattresses I rated good. I suppose at my 150 weight and being a side sleeper, I have a greater range of options than some others. The best may have been the Posh-Lavish 3" tal. S and 6" Dunlop firm, although I want to have at least 3 layers and minimum of 9" plus cover. Also need a non wool cover due to allergies.

Ken suggested either 2 3" dunlop firm and a 3" Talalay soft would be good or a 6" firm dunlop with 2" medium Talalay and 2 or 3" soft Talalay. The 3 3" layers felt good and gives flexibility in getting right firmness, but he said that a thicker core was better for durability. Based upon that, he priced a 6/2/2 all natural Dunlop core and Talalay comfort.

Ken is obviously very knowledgeable about mattresses and I think he has provided sound recommendations. But in the spirit of 2 heads are better than one, I would like to ask you a few questions:

  1. What are your thoughts about a 3 3" layer configuration?
  2. Are 2" comfort layers thick enough to give the necessary performance? I prefer natural which increases the price and the extra thickness will increase it more. Not sure if the added thickness is meaningful relative to the added cost.
  3. Based upon my testing of mattresses, are there other configurations to consider?
  4. I am not one of those “all organic” type of people, but it seemed to me that if you are going to use a “natural” product, then it should be all “natural” provided the cost was reasonable. Am I missing something with this mode of thinking?[/color]

Hi johnep,

Well done with all the trials, and yes Ken from Arizona Premium Mattress (one of our Trusted Members here) is very knowledgeable with a long history of making latex mattresses and fine-tuning them to match customer needs and preferences.

There would be little if any practical difference between two 3" support layers and a single 6" support layer if they were all the same type and blend of latex and the same ILD and were inside a tight fitting cover with 3" inches of latex of the same ILD on top of them. Two 3" layers would respond a little more independently and because the elasticity of the top 3" wouldn’t be connected and “pulling back” on the bottom 3" when it compresses and “in theory” it may act a little bit softer but in practical and real-life terms most people wouldn’t notice any difference in terms of performance or firmness. If a single 6" core with a 3" comfort layer was a good match for you in terms of PPP then there would be little benefit in having multiple 3" layers that were the equivalent ILD. As long as don’t move to something too soft for the bottom 6" you should be ok.

Two-inch layers, in theory, are definitely enough to give proper performance. Different people have different needs and preferences and one is not better than the other as it’s all about which one is the best match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).

Regarding other configurations, it would be very tricky for me or anyone else to begin recommending different configurations, it is really about you matching up what is best based on your research, history, and local testing. … any specific tweaking from TMU cannot be a substitute for this … we typically make sure that you are heading in the right direction, offer some guidance, and provide any necessary supportive information but generally the best and most accurate recommendations always come from the retailers/manufacturers themselves as they are much more familiar with their materials and own mattress designs than anyone else (including me) and they can use the information you provide them about your body type and sleeping positions, your preferences, your history on different mattresses, and the results of your local testing to make suggestions based on the “averages” of other customers that may be similar to you.

I think your view of not going with “all organic” is quite common and many people tend to place this criterion lower in their personal value equation. It 's also worth mentioning there is no Talalay latex in the world that has organic certification but that does not make it less desirable, and whether in its natural, the blended or synthetic version is one of the best foams used in mattresses. It’s important to note that blended is not “bad” by any means and is still a “more natural” product than many others. Most of the blended latex products are 30/70 (sales people just like to say its 70/30) but that is simply not the case with the formulas /manufacturers that have been mentioned. There is also more about organic, natural, green, and “safe” materials in post #2 here and the posts it links to because many people that are looking for “organic” materials are often just looking for materials that they can have confidence are “safe”.

Good luck with the fine tunning and I’d be interested to know what your final decision is!

Phoenix

I am curious about having a full platform under my Zenhaven, as required by the warranty. Joe Alexander’s article makes it sound like this could create a moisture issue within the mattress. Would this hold true in a dry climate (semi arid desert?) Also, wouldn’t the mattress ventilate somewhat through the sides?

My ZH foundation is failing and I’ve been looking at options to replace it that won’t void the warranty. My reluctance to put my bed on top of plywood to satisfy the warranty is nudging me towards starting over with a manufacturer who can jibe with a slatted base.

Thanks in advance!

Thank you for all the great information on this site. It has been great to help me find a good mattress.

I finally decided on a 3 layer 3 inch latex mattress DIY with Arizona Premium Mattress. I chose all natural layers: Talalay soft, Talalay medium and Dunlop firm. This is a good fit for all the mattresses I liked while testing configurations at local stores.

I like this configuration because it gives flexibility in swapping layers to find the best one for me. Also, AZPM offers a 60 day exchange policy that will allow me to change layers in case I need to.

Some of the mattress companies recommended by TMU offered returns within the first 60 days or so. I would have liked that option but it seems I would pay at least $300 to $400 more for it. I tested 12 different latex mattresses in local stores, so I think the risk of finding the mattress unsuitable is rather low.

I have read quite a few comments from people who had back or other physical problems due to their new mattress. I did a good job of testing for comfort in stores but not so good a job in checking for alignment since I did it by myself. I can never remember sleeping on a mattress that caused any problems. Hopefully, this will not be the first one.

I am very interested in buying an adjustable bed but am not ready to do that just yet. That gives me somewhat of a problem. I do not want to buy a foundation for my new mattress since I am hoping to buy an adjustable within the next few months. Many experts say that you need to have a foundation designed for latex beds that has slats, proper spacing, et al. I do not want to spend several hundred dollars on something like that to use only a few months. Conversely, some reputable mattress sites say that box springs can be used. I could use the box springs from my old mattress. I understand there can be issues of breathability and support (new latex too heavy). I do not think the weight should be a problem just for one 150 pound person. I also considered building a simple frame with slats but that quickly gets to more than $100 or more of materials for a throwaway interim solution.

I would appreciate your thoughts about a suitable foundation for an interim period of a few months.

Thanks again for your help.

John

Hi johnep,

You are very welcome, and congratulations on a good quality/value latex mattress from Arizona Premium. :slight_smile: It is really quite clear that you have done your research and testing, really well done.

I understand what you mean about testing for alignment when you are by yourself…not that easy to do, but given you are fairly light and haven’t had many issues, and with your extensive local testing it looks like the three-layer design you chose has very good chances to meet your spinal alignment and support needs.

Regarding the foundation question … it would be important to check with Arizona Premium to make sure that the support system you plan to use for the interim period wouldn’t invalidate the product warranty. From a general point of view, you can place a latex mattress on very different surfaces …on the floor, plywood, slats, traditional box spring, old box spring… but each time you do this, it will feel different as the foundation itself will add another variable. With this in mind and if Arizona Premium vets your support system to use for a month or so, there should have no problem using your old box spring with this mattress until you are ready to get the adjustable foundation. Many consumers have done this with no issues at all but I’d first make sure to check that the support system is still in good condition and does not sag under the weight of the mattress and people sleeping on it. When you change to a new foundation there will be some “feel difference” which may be very noticeable, may only be slightly noticeable, or it may even feel much better. There’s much more information about the functions of foundations, active slat systems and actual box springs in the foundation thread here.

There is more information about choosing an adjustable bed in post #3 here and the main adjustable bed topic that it links to that can help you choose an adjustable bed based on price vs features comparisons and also includes some retailers that you can use as good sources of information about the features of the adjustable beds they carry and as pricing references as well (in(in post #6 in the main adjustable bed topic).

Good luck when you start down the adjustable purchase cycle.

Thank you for the great update.

Phoenix

Hey sweetandsourkiwi,

I just wanted to quickly comment on your ZH warranty/platform bed/slats/Joe Alexander article. As I read ZH warranty you are commenting about this section 3.0:

I believe your assumption about moisture build up (Joes article) with a flat piece of plywood is correct…but I believe Zenhaven is making the integrity of there 2 Sided choice product and making the moisture issue a lower priority, or they question if there is any data to support this claim.

Thanks
Sensei

We have our new hybrid latex mattress. For now it is on the foundation from our old mattress which is set on a traditional bed frame. We don’t have the new platform bed yet. Once we get the platform bed, I’m going to figure out the exact height we need and then figure out what option suits us best. Apparently, there is no warranty concern with Nest- they just warn that the mattress might sleep hot without a “breathing layer”.

I have a Nest Hybrid Latex incoming and currently have a Zinus Demetric Steel Elite Smartbase 14" frame. Is this frame good enough? Anything I can add to make it better, like a bed rug?

Hi oBMTo,

We have our Nest Bedding Natural Hybrid latex mattresses (queen and full) set up on wood-slat foundations, including this one on our queen bed - HomeBase Foundation – Nest Bedding®. The wood-slat option has been working fine for us. We had the steel version on our previous mattress for a year, and that worked as well. You may want to check with Nest Bedding simply to be sure, though. Their Customer Service team should be able to let you know definitively.

Hope that helps…