Hunting for a new mattress

Hello,
I stumbled across this forum while researching mattresses. My wife and I are looking to purchase a new mattress, preferably a memory foam or latex one. We are both side sleepers, though I occasionally sleep on my back. My wife has fibromyalgia which can cause her to have significant pain in her hips/shoulders, so a soft mattress is ideal.

We tested out the Icomfort Savant and really liked it. However, I was reading here that it may not be made of high quality materials. We also debated going with the Natural Tencel matress from bedinabox.

Cooking at various reviews online, it seems like most people are happy with their Savants but I’m not certain how objective they are being. I saw the list of recommended mattresses here and I’m debating trying out the recommended gel one from Ultimate Dreams.

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Dreams-Memory-Foam-Mattress/dp/B0092UCN0Y/ref=sr_1_5?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1349133995&sr=1-5

As for Latex, I’m completely unfamiliar with it. I’m open to any thoughts :slight_smile:

Now that I’m doing more digging, I’m becoming interested in their:

http://www.brooklynbedding.com/memory-foam-mattresses/14-inch-aloe-memory-foam-mattress

Any thoughts on this mattress?

Alright, I’ve pretty much decided we’re going to give Brooklyn Bedding a shot. There is a lot of good info here that helped answer my questions. One last question:

They offer the choice of two 3 inch latex comfort layers, or a hybrid comfort layer with a 3inch (4 lb density) gel infused foam over 3 inches of latex. What do you think the advantages/disadvantages would be? We’re living in Tampa Florida so we’re concerned about “sleeping hot.”

Hi Padinn,

This would really be a preference choice and it would really depend on how you feel about the feel and fast response of latex vs the feel and slow response of memory foam. Latex has a more “on the mattress” feel and memory foam has a more “in the mattress” feel. Latex is more resilient and motion friendly while memory foam is less resilient and a little more motion restrictive.Some local testing on mattresses that use both types of materials in the top layer could help you get a sense of the difference for yourself.

Latex will be more durable than 4 lb gel memory foam and will also be a little cooler but there are many elements to what makes a mattress sleep warmer or cooler besides just the foam that is used on top (see post #2 here) and they have a cumulative effect.

With latex there is also a choice of softness levels while with memory foam you only have one.

Hope this helps.

Phoenix

Thank you very much for the information. After talking to my wife, we’re going to go with the Latex Aloe Alexis with the “8” (ILD 19) softness level. Since we both tend to change sleeping positions often the faster response rate of latex sounds like a better fit for us. We figure with Brooklyn’s return policy if it’s too soft we can always switch it up. We like the fact that we could replace the “comfort layer” down the line if it starts to wear out. Any thoughts on how the ILD 19 will hold up vs the 28?

Great website, I’ll let you know what we think once we order and sleep on it for a bit.

Hi Padinn,

Congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

Latex is more durable than other types of foam in similar ILD’s but softness and the position of the layer in the mattress are also durability factors (see post #2 here) so its safe to say that it will be less durable than the 28 ILD below it although it’s not really possible to put a specific number on it because of all the variables involved.

I’m looking forward to your feedback when you’ve received your mattress.

Phoenix

Order’s been placed. We went with the Aloe Alexis full latex mattress. Brooklyn Beddings Customer support was very helpful - we got the 5% discount and the two free pillow offer from their front page. They also “split” the firmness for us, with my wife’s side getting the “level 8” and mine getting the “level 6” at no extra charge. Total cost for the king size mattress, with frame and mattress protector, was $1630.

Looking forward to testing it out and seeing how it sleeps, but right now I’ve been very happy with their customer support!

Got the mattress today. Very easy to assemble. Little confused about the layers I received, I expected 2x ILD 19 and 2x ILD 24, but we have 2x ILD 24, 1x ILD 19, and 1x ILD28. I’m going to contact them to seek clarify if an error was made. However, the bed looks great and I’m looking forward to sleeping on it :slight_smile:

Hi Padinn,

Their “standard” layering uses a middle layer which is one step up in firmness from the top layer.

It sounds like you received a split layering with one side a little firmer than the other. These layers would mean one side is designed to be 19 ILD over 24 ILD and the other side is designed to be 24 ILD over 28 ILD.

Did you order a split layering with one side a little firmer than the other or did you order both sides the same?

The good news is that you have more firmness levels to test for fine tuning if its necessary but if this isn’t what you ordered they would certainly rectify it with a call.

Phoenix

Hey Phoenix,
You are right, we simply didn’t realize initially that it comes in two layers. Our order was done correctly. Their customer service replied to me that night, but in my excitement I didn’t read my email. We easily fixed it the next day and have slept great since. I wanted to post some initial impressions now that we are about 10 days in.

The TLDR verison: We LOVE our new mattress!

INSTALLATION: Very simple. We ordered a king size with split comfort layers (my wife had a “8”, I had a “6”). Once we realized the correct order of the transition/comfort layers (no directions provided that I saw about that) we were good to go. We received the mattress in two ~85lb boxes. One with the support layer/aloe topper zipped together and wrapped in air tight plastic, another with the transition/comfort layer in air tight plastic. Removing/exchanging the layers is EXTREMELY easy. It took less than five minutes for us to switch out our layers. I was a bit confused about some screws that came with the frame but I figured it out, installing the frame was very easy (just fold it out and hand tighten two screws).

BUILD QUALITY: This mattress was clearly built with pride. The cloth on the outside is very clean and appears to be of high quality. The aloe top cover with the zipper is very soft, high quality, and comfortable. The zipper has a soft cloth around it that prevents the zipper from snagging, which is part of why installation is so easy. The latex layers were cut cleanly and fit together nearly perfectly, my transition/comfort layer were approximately 1/2 an inch longer than my wife’s side - this was not noticeable once the layers are installed and in no way impacts the quality of the mattress. The mattress is supportive even on the very edges, my wife and I could easily sleep together on one/half the bed without any issues. The frame was very sturdy as well, with no real sharp edges.

SLEEP QUALITY: I am very happy with how I sleep on the mattress. I am kind of an “all of the above” sleeper - I sleep on my back, stomach, and side. It is different sleeping on latex as it definitely has that “on top of the bed” feel, which was a big change from our old inner coil pillow top with a memory foam topper :slight_smile: That said, I have slept better this past 10 days then I have in years. My sleep is deeper, I wake up without any pain in my back, and I sleep throughout the night without waking. So from my perspective, this is an A+ sleeper. We are in Tampa FL and the bed sleeps plenty cool for us.

My wife’s impressions are more complex than mine, so if you are reading this paragraph please read it carefully :slight_smile: My wife is a side sleeper who has chronic pain (arthritis and fibromyalgia - a pain condition with significant pressure point pain) and insomnia. Overall she is very happy with the build quality of the mattress but she is still adjusting to sleeping on it. Her shoulder pain (arthritis) is significantly reduced and this is what makes her most excited about it. Her hip pain is also reduced overall, though not as much as her shoulders. She also noticed that being on a king vs. our old queen allows her to “spread out” more, which is helping reduce pain too. However, my wife has woken up feeling stiffer. The stiffness is not necessarily a con in her view - it appears to be happening because she not moving as much in her sleep. It also seems like she is getting a deeper level of sleep. She isn’t waking up as much as she used to, with my wife’s insomnia she would previously wake up every 1 to 2 hours and now it’s improved a bit. Overall she gives her sleep quality a B- right now. It’s worth noting she would have given our old mattress a C- or D (“At least a whole grade level worse”). She has no issues with the “temperature” of the mattress, it feels comfortable for her as well.

EDIT As of 5/18/13 my wife now rates her sleep quality a B+. The mattress has softened during this break in period which has helped improve her sleep quality further.

We are going to try having her sleep on my side and see if the firmness makes a difference for her, we’ll post updates over the coming months.

ACCESSORIES: The frame is easy to install, it just unfolds and uses two hand tightened screws. I am just a fool and it took me 30 minutes, once I figured out what I was doing wrong it took me about 30 seconds :slight_smile: It doesn’t have sharp edges that I noticed and appears to be incredibly strong. We bought their water proof mattress protector and it appears to work well, it fits over the bed easily. It causes some “ruffling” noises under our sheets which bother my wife a bit, but it’s not major. We received two free shredded latex pillows. We both feel they are a bit understuffed- but I think that is because they are advertised as “adjustable” pillows. If we reshape them the firmness “sticks” and we have both found our own comfort with them. I used to sleep on a medium firmness memory foam pillow which I loved, and I’m finding myself gravitating towards the new pillow more and more.

So that is where we are 10 days in. I think so far we are both very happy overall. Thank you so much for your help.

I will be posting a sped up Youtube video of the installation and post additional impressions in the future. If anyone ever has questions, feel free to PM me.

Hi Padinn,

That was an easy “fix” :slight_smile:

Thanks for taking the time to write such a great and detailed review. It’s nice to see that kind of in depth feedback and I know that it will help others as well!

I’m happy it is working so well for you and I’m also interested in seeing how your wife does over time as well as she adjusts to a new type of sleeping surface. I know several people with Fibromyalgia and it’s not easy to deal with … and any improvement is a good one.

I’m looking forward to any ongoing feedback you may have … and thanks again :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Just wanted to post a quick update. We’ve had our mattress now for about three months and it softened some from it’s initial firmness (as was expected). This has helped to improve my wife’s sleep quality on the mattress and I still find my side to be perfect (even better now than it was). Her pain has definitely reduced overall and we are likely to stay with our original selections for firmness.

At this stage my wife now rates the mattress a B+ as it has softened some since my big post above.

Would highly recommend Brooklyn Bedding and this mattress, it has been great!

Hi Padinn,

That’s great news about the improvements for your wife :slight_smile:

Thanks for for keeping us up to date … I appreciate it.

Phoenix