Hi GearGuy,
You seem to have looked at some good options and some “not so good” options. One of the challenges you will find is if the retailer where you are testing mattresses can’t provide the details of the mattresses you are trying (or if you can’t find them online) … then they have little value in terms of making meaningful comparisons and any time you spend there is often wasted. Worse yet … you may find a mattress like this that “feels good” but there is no way to know what other types of mattresses may be similar except by real time comparisons (because the subjective memory of “feel” isn’t very reliable or long lasting).
With your wife’s arthritis and the connected pressure issues she may face … there may be a tendency to choose a mattress that is too soft rather than “just enough” to relieve pressure and this can lead to alignment issues that may not be as obvious in the store but could become more apparent and important with long term use.
This makes a lot of sense to me for the reasons you are mentioning. You will need some “soft” latex on top … enough to make sure her pressure issues are relieved … and then good support below this to keep you in alignment. The comfort layers will need to be thick and soft enough to provide good pressure relief but not so thick that the heavier parts sink in too far before they are “stopped” by the support layers of the mattress. If there is a larger weight differential between you or your needs and preferences are very different … post #2 here may be helpful.
Because your wife gets fatigued easily … I would do some preliminary research on the phone and only visit retailers that you know ahead of time can provide you with the details of every layer of the mattresses you are testing and have the knowledge and experience to help you make good choices. Without this … there will be a lot of wasted time and trips … and frustration and confusion.
Metro Mattress, Chattam and Wells, San… (something) (I’ll have to look at my paperwork again):
As you probably know … Chattam & Wells is Spring Air’s “luxury” brand. If you are not able to find the layering then unfortunately it would have little value in your research. The only potential value of this is to find out if you like the feel of “some kind” of latex (probably Talalay) in the top 3" (assuming that the latex is on the top) but the gel foam underneath (you can read more about the different types of gel memory foam in post #2 here) will affect the feel of the latex so it wouldn’t be an apples to apples comparison with other latex hybrids without the memory foam. If I was to seriously consider this … I would want the specific details of every layer (including foam density of any polyfoam or memory foam) if you were seriously considering it. It’s not likely that you will find this and Spring Air uses some lower quality foams so I would advise caution.
Most of the gel memory foams are not as temperature sensitive as the older memory foams so this would be true but to a lesser degree. The two main benefits of gel memory foams are any cooling benefits (which are limited to how long it takes for temperatures to even out at which point they become an insulating foam) and that the gel increases the support factor of memory foam (meaning it gets firmer a little faster with deeper compression). Gel can help to offset the tendency of viscoelastic materials to keep on sinking and get softer over time (independent of temperature and humidity). So in some cases the “temperature benefits” of gel are the main part of the design goal (in which case they would be on or near the top) and in other cases the increased support factor is the most useful property in which case they would be a little deeper in the mattress and used for a “transition” layer (no memory foam is supportive or firm enough to be used as an actual support layer).
That’s true. Some of the newer memory foams and gel foams are more breathable than the slower response versions but they would still not be as breathable and ventilating as latex.
I personally wouldn’t consider this mattress (or any mattress where you didn’t know all the specs) for the reasons mentioned earlier and the “danger” is that you may like the mattress and try to duplicate it which wouldn’t be possible because you wouldn’t know the layering to duplicate. There are only three ways to “match” another mattress (listed in post #2 here) and it’s likely that none of these would be possible with the Chattam & Wells. Don’t forget that you can’t feel quality so how a mattress feels and performs has little to do with the quality of the materials. The quality is more about how long it will last and keep its original properties.
Xtreme Discount Mattress , Dutch Kraft, Contour Coil Carrolton Pillow Top:
Dutch Craft is an independent manufacturer that makes some very nice quality mattresses. Of course the value depends on the selling price.
I would want to know the type of gel memory foam they were using (the better ones can be very durable but the particulate types would be less durable than their density would indicate)
I also like the feel of microcoils and they can also be a good quality and durable component.
Pocket Coils can also be a good choice for many people but for heavier weights they can sometimes be a less durable choice because they compress more than other types of innerspring. They are generally still not the weak link of a mattress however and in this case the layering seems good (no obvious weak links in the upper layers depending on the type of gel memory foam they are using).
Sealy, Embody Perspective
The only advantage of this is that you are on top of the latex (no polyfoam layers on top) but not only is there too much polyfoam for the price … the latex is mostly synthetic Dunlop which is the least costly version of latex you will find. I would pass this by
Jamestown Mattress:
The prices may seem a little high because of the materials they are using in the mattress. In an apples to apples comparison they tend to have good value. Some of their mattresses are quite soft and if they provide good alignment they could work well. They use 14 ILD talalay in some of their mattresses which is very soft latex and may be suitable for your wife’s pressure relief needs (depending on her weight) but even latex at this softness won’t be as durable as firmer latex especially for your body weight. I would be careful with thicker comfort layers that were this soft (especially in combination with other lower density foams) both for durability reasons and for alignment reasons. The polyfoam densities in this mattress are also quite low (1.2 and 1.5 lbs) so I would want to know the exact layering and the thickness of the polyfoam layers as well. While it may be good value and lower density layers are more durable in deeper layers in the mattress … I would be a bit hesitant to go in this direction for a higher weight.
Brooklyn Bedding:
They are good at helping people make good choices based on your conversations and on any local testing you have done on “known” materials which makes this less risky but there are no returns which of course increases the risk. Because of your wife’s more unusual needs their Eurotop version may be a good choice because of the additional options it provides. You can see some of its advantages in post #2 here.
I don’t know all the prices of what you are looking at or all the exact layering but it seems to me that you have some good choices available. Because there is no formula which can choose a mattress based on “theory at a distance” that is even close to as accurate as your own personal testing … especially for more difficult circumstances … I would pay a lot of attention to the “best” choice at each outlet you are looking at (based on your personal testing) and then compare all the “best” choices based on the advantages and disadvantages of each mattress and the merchant you are buying from (see post #46 here). This way your final choices will be between “good and good” as long as you have the exact details of all your final choices.
Once final caution is that it’s always easier to make a mattress that is too firm softer but if you choose a mattress that is either too soft in the support layers or too thick and soft in the comfort layers … it’s much more difficult to “fix” (unless you are dealing with a manufacturer that will change out the layers).
Hope this helps.
Phoenix