So I have done a lot of research and I have narrowed down that we want a latex mattress that has the flexibility to have split comfort levels. My partner likes her side really soft while I like more of a medium feel. We have tested out mattress in at Jamestown Mattress and she likes the Natures cloud EuroTop which has super soft latex (ILD 14-16).
I’m thinking about going with sleepez but flexus as is still in the running. We knocked Jamestown’s off our list as there prices are considerable higher to the point that I can’t see them reducing their price that far. This was disappointing as I would really like to make this purchase locally and the people at Jamestown were great to work with.
We talked with sleepez and they suggested a soft – soft- med configuration for her. My concern is that there soft is an ILD 22-24 and may be to firm for her. I think that I had read that ILD’s are subjective but it seems like a big difference. Am I over thinking this?
I am going to call flexus tonight to find out what there ILD’s are as I can’t find them on their website.
Sleepez has a note in there buyers guide that super soft latex has a tendency to not hold up over time. Would you be concerned with Jamestown’s use of this material?
Thanks for the great site it has been really informative! I do have one suggestions for the manufactures list. It would be really nice to be able to sort through them by type of mattress and if they sell on the web. I know it is listed if the sell on the web so that was really helpful but I visited a number of members that do not sell latex mattress after I had already decided that was the direction we wanted. I know this is a first world problem and by no means want this to come off as a complaint just an observation. As your list grows I think this will be more and more helpful. Thanks again for all your hard work and vary thoughtful responses, I don’t know how you do it but I’m really glad that you do!
There are several factors that can affect the softness/firmness of a material or the comfort layers in a mattress including layer thickness, the ILD of the latex, and the type and blend of the latex (see post #4 here). There are also many factors that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress relative to different body types as well (see post #4 here).
While latex in any firmness level is a very durable material relative to other types of foam … the firmness of a material is one of the factors that can also affect the durability and useful life of a mattress and softer materials will tend to be less durable and have a shorter useful life for most people than firmer materials of the same type. While even the softest latex will tend to be more durable than other materials of the same firmness … it also won’t hold up as well over time as firmer latex so I would tend to be cautious with any material (including latex) in the softest ILD ranges unless someone is in the lightest weight ranges and even then I would make sure that the layer was either replaceable (which it would be in a component mattress) or added as a topper so that a single layer can be replaced rather than needing to replace the whole mattress if only one of the layers has softened or broken down prematurely. SleepEZ does have softer latex than their standard “soft” layer available as a special order but they won’t warranty it because of the greater risk of foam softening and the more rapid loss of comfort/support over time compared to firmer latex.
If I was in your shoes I would start with the suggested layers which are already as soft as they would generally suggest (and significantly softer than the most common soft/medium/firm layering) and use the thickness of the top two soft layers to provide the softness that she needs and then if your actual experience indicates that it still isn’t soft enough you can always exchange the top layer or even add a softer topper to provide any additional softness that she needs. In general the most effective approach is to use the combination of layers that provides “just enough” pressure relief in the most pressure prone position (usually side sleeping) and no more so that there is less risk of the alignment issues that can happen from comfort layers that are too thick/soft with other sleeping positions that are less prone to pressure points and so that the odds are greater that the mattress will maintain its initial firmness over medium and longer term use as well.
I think this is a very good idea and adding search tags for the members directory is one of the ideas that is already on the list too be implemented over the course of the next year or so and which is now possible because of the new site design and software that was just launched two weeks ago although there are some other changes that are higher on the priority list that are also now possible that will be added first over the next few months.
Even with this though it would always be a good idea to make a preliminary phone call to any retailer/manufacturer you plan to visit just to make sure that they carry the types of mattresses that you are most interested in testing and that are in your budget range so the suggestion to always call first before visiting a retail store/manufacturer will still be part of step 3 in the mattress shopping tutorial just to confirm that they still carry the mattresses that you are most interested in testing because the lineup that a retailer/manufacturer carries is always subject to change and their site (or the TMU site) may not always be up to date when it comes to the specific mattresses that they carry.
Thanks for the kind comments and the suggestion … I appreciate them
