Hybrid vs. All Latex Mattress

Greetings All,

My wife and I wake up each morning with moderate to severe back pain. Our 15-year-old Innerspring mattress needs to be replaced. After hearing great things about Tempurpedic, I spent about 45 minutes at a local mattress store trying out the various models on display. The smell of the foam made me ill and I was forced to leave the store. I have since learned about “off-gassing” and natural latex as an alternative to memory foam. I drove to the nearest latex mattress dealer (Savvy Rest) to try their mattresses. They were quite expensive and not entirely comfortable to me. More research led me to this website, and I’m now considering a hybrid model. The Ultimate Hybrid Pocket Coil Latex Mattress from the Arizona Premium Mattress Co. looks promising. I’m concerned about the coils surviving shipping from Arizona to Virginia, where I live. I also wonder if I can continue to use my old box spring as a base. Any information about this or similar products would be welcome.

Thanks Nick

Hi Nick S,

I would keep in mind that there are many versions of memory foam and some of them have a stronger and more noticeable smell than others. Some people can also be much more sensitive to certain smells (including the smell of latex) and may be affected by the smell of some materials that others may not be bothered by at all. As an example the smell of cooked cabbage also turns my stomach while others find it appetizing.

Having said that … the “safety” of a material isn’t necessarily connected to its smell and almost all materials will have some degree of off gassing that may have a smell even though the smell itself may not be harmful and will dissipate fairly quickly. The only reliable way to to assess the “safety” of different materials in more general terms is based on lab tests and the certifications they have for harmful substances and VOCs so that you have some assurance that any harmful VOCs are below the testing limits for the certification (see post #2 here for more information about some of the more reliable “safety” certifications). If the materials in a mattress or the mattress itself has a reliable “safety” certification then for most people they would certainly be “safe enough” … regardless of the type of material, the smell of the material, or the name of the manufacturer on the label, although of course some people that are more sensitive or that have certain health conditions (such as MCS or multiple chemical sensitivities) may still be affected by a material that is certified even if it would be fine for most people.

Latex and memory foam are very different materials with very different properties and each person may have their own preference between them. There are certainly some people that strongly prefer memory foam and there are some people that strongly prefer latex. There is more about the pros and cons of latex vs memory foam in post #2 here.

Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here relative to your weight range … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article). The best way to know which type of materials or which type of mattresses you may tend to prefer in general terms will be based on your own careful testing and personal experience because different people can have very different preferences.

Savvy Rest certainly uses high quality and durable materials in their mattresses but they are also in a much higher price range than many other similar component mattresses that use the same materials and components and have a similar design.

Outside of rare exceptions where there is damage to a shipment that can happen with any product (which would result in a shipping claim and a replacement pocket coil) … there would be no problem with any damage to the coils in shipping.

I’m not sure you are clear between the difference between a box spring and a foundation. A box spring has springs inside it that flex under the mattress and there are very few one sided mattresses today that use them as a support system and in many cases they will invalidate a mattress warranty. Most mattresses in the industry today need a steel or wooden bedframe with a foundation that has minimal to no flex (vs a box spring that flexes) or a platform bed which also has little to no flex under the mattress. There are many in the industry that mix up the terminology between box springs and foundations even though they are very different products.

If you have a foundation (vs a box spring) then the manufacturer of a mattress will generally be the most reliable source of guidance about whether it would be suitable for the mattress you purchase (different manufacturers can have different requirements for a support system under their mattresses) but if your foundation is suitable for your mattress and is still in relatively new condition and the support surface is still perfectly flat with no sagging and it’s structurally able to support your mattress and the people sleeping on it then it would probably be OK.

There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).

While nobody can speak to how any mattress will feel for someone else in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) … the Arizona Premium certainly uses high quality and very durable materials and there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress that would compromise the durability or useful life of the mattress.

There are many people who prefer latex/innerspring hybrids (see post #13 here) and outside of any other local options that may be available in your area … some of the better innerspring/latex options I’m aware of are listed in post #2 here and the post it links to but if you wish to test any of them in person you would need to check their websites or call them to see if any of them have a dealer close to you.

Phoenix

Hello Phoenix ,

Thanks for the quick reply. I’ve been working my way through your list of hybrid manufactures. It seems that the “Natural Escape” by My Green Mattress is comparable to the “Ultimate Hybrid Pocket Coil Latex Mattress”, except that the 3" comfort layer is only available in Dunlop latex vs. the choice of Dunlop or Talalay with the Arizona Premium product. I suspect that you’d be comfortable recommending either product, as both companies are members of this website, but I’d appreciate any additional thoughts you may have regarding my choices.

Thanks,
Nick

Hi Nick S.,

It would depend what you mean by “comparable” but they are certainly in the same general category. Every category of mattresses (including latex/innerspring hybrids) can include hundreds or sometimes thousands of different mattresses with different designs, different “feels”, different characteristics, and different firmness levels. Every layer and component in a mattress (including the cover and any quilting material) will affect the feel and response of every other layer both above and below it so each category will generally include some mattresses that will be a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own personal preferences) and others that use the same type of materials and are in the same category but have a different design that be unsuitable for you to sleep on even if the actual materials and components are the same type.

While I do recommend the members here “as a group” because I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency … there are also many other sources of good quality/value mattresses as well that aren’t members of this site (at least yet).

I don’t make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial)or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

While nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else because again this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress.

This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new) so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.

Since both of the mattresses you are considering use very similar materials and components … they would certainly be comparable in terms of durability even though they may not be comparable in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP.

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else and their guidance will give you the best chance of success.

Once you have narrowed down your options to a list of finalists that are all choices between “good and good” (which you have) and none of them have any lower quality materials or “weak links” in their design (which they don’t) and if at this point there are no clear winners between them (which is usually a good indication that you have done some good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a suitable choice and post #2 here can help you make a final choice based on your own local testing and/or your more detailed phone conversations about each of them, the firmness and suitability of each one, their prices, your preferences for different types of materials and components, designs, or types and blends of latex, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress or individual layers and any costs involved, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix

You’ve provided a lot of great information, Phoenix. Thanks, so much!