I too went ahead and ordered the ultimate dreams mattress after months of procrastinating on purchasing a mattress. My wife and I are currently in discussion with chuck on a firmness level. Can anyone here whose purchased chimed in on the levels they chose. I prefer a firmer mattress but am scared that the level recommended will be to hard. We were thinking of a 4 or 5. However ny wife prefers a softer touch, but im worried it will be too soft to the point where were sinking in.
Hi seraphicsiren,
There are some reviews there that already mention TMU but I’ll leave it up to you whether to mention the bonus offer (it costs Dreamfoam a free pillow if they register and post here). Being a “free speech” advocate … I usually try to avoid suggesting what people write.
FWIW though if people come here to validate the quality and value and not just to get a “free pillow” it may help Dreamfoam keep their prices down and then if they do come here … they would also find out about the “bonus” as a “side effect” rather than that being their primary reason.
Either way though … I’m fine with it 
Phoenix
Hi msturg29,
Latex comes in many levels of firmness from very soft to very firm but all types of latex will feel very different from memory foam and you are really making an apples to oranges comparison no matter how soft or firm the latex may be. Their 13" gel memory memory foam mattress is similar to the Temmpurpedic Cloud Lux (just a little firmer they say) but latex in either soft or firm is a completely different animal.
All latex has its own “feel” compared to memory foam even though there are many variations of latex just like there are many different types and variations of memory foam. It would be well worth while testing latex to see if you are comfortable its very different response from memory foam. It would be closer to polyfoam (which also comes in a wide range of firmness levels) which is also a fast response foam.
In spite of this … it may be worth calling them because they will have a much better idea of how close their softest latex option would feel to one of the Cloud models or be able to give you some of their customer’s feedback. Probably the closest “translation” in latex though would be the softest version they have (which I believe is 19 ILD) but they would be in a better position to talk to you more about any similarities.
Phoenix
Hi Almbriano,
I would be very careful about possibly confusing the issue by going by what anyone else considers to be soft or firm because each person’s experience and perceptions can be very very different from your own.
Even searching through this forum you will find that one person’s “way too soft” is another person’s “way too firm” on the same mattress.
I personally would stick with your discussions with Chuck (who will tell you what people of your body type and sleeping style would tend to do best with “on average”) and use this in combination with any local testing you have done with latex or other mattresses where you know how relatively firm they are (you probably know if you prefer a little firmer than average or a little softer than average for example). If you are in any doubt I would go with slightly firmer over slightly softer. This is because you can always make a mattress that is too firm a little softer (with a mattress pad or topper) but it’s very difficult to make a mattress that is too firm any softer and if it’s too soft … then there is little you can do.
Phoenix
Am I understanding correctly that the Ultimate Dreams Eurotop has the ability to change out the top layer to increase or decrease firmness? Is this what is being referenced when the description states, “If you purchase our mattress and are not satisfied with the comfort level, we will allow you to exchange the density of the latex for a small fee.”
I just wanted to get a little more insight from someone that has replaced this top layer since “small fee” can mean different things to different folks…
[quote=“Chalms”]
Am I understanding correctly that the Ultimate Dreams Eurotop has the ability to change out the top layer to increase or decrease firmness? Is this what is being referenced when the description states, “If you purchase our mattress and are not satisfied with the comfort level, we will allow you to exchange the density of the latex for a small fee.”
I just wanted to get a little more insight from someone that has replaced this top layer since “small fee” can mean different things to different folks…
[/quote]“small fee” is defined here
We ordered the ultimate dreams eurotop king mattress after weeks of research here and on Amazon. My wife and I are currently in discussion with Chuck on a split firmness on the eurotop layer. Thanks to Phoenix and all of the rest here for the infomative discussions! We will post after a few weeks to let you know our experiences.
Hi ccsmec01,
Congratulations on your new mattress
I’m looking forward to your feedback when you’ve had the chance to sleep on it.
Phoenix
Did you get the mattress? What firmness and what do you think? I’m terrified of ordering a mattress on-line.
Hi all! I am loving this site and have learned so much about mattresses–had no idea it was so complicated!
Anyway my husband and I at looking at Dreamfoam’s total latex mattress on Amazon. We are 250+ lbs each and 5’8 and 5’10 and I have back issues. Currently “sleeping” on a worn-out pillow top…ew. Mostly back sleepers but sometimes side. I read that we would be likely to need a bit thicker comfort layer for our weight and something nice and supportive for our backs. It seems like the total latex mattress might fit the bill since it’s all talalay (or that’s my understanding?). However, Amazon says the bed is 10" thick total, but I don’t see the thickness of each of the layers, core vs comfort (it may say that the core is 6", making the comfort layer 4", but I wasn’t sure if that was what Amazon was saying because there were some odd characters on there.)
Overall I’m looking to confirm that this mattress is all talalay, to find out the thicknesses of the layers, and whether the thicknesses would be appropriate for our size and sleeping style.
Thank you so much for the help…great site, Phoenix!
Hi Heidizie,
A phone call to the manufacturer is usually the best source of information about their mattresses but I can tell you that the Total Latex mattress has 6" of 36 ILD Talalay latex for the core (or you can choose 32 ILD or Dunlop as well) and then a 3" talalay latex comfort layer where you can choose the firmness level. The extra inch is the cover which is quilted with wool and a thin layer of polyfoam.
I would talk with them about your comfort choice and which may be best for you (the manufacturers themselves are always the best source of guidance for helping you to make the best choice for your body type and sleeping style). 9" of latex would be suitable for your weight and you certainly wouldn’t be bottoming out but some people that are a higher weight may prefer a thicker mattress because it has a greater range of compression and can be more adaptable with higher weights and different sleeping positions. You can read more about some of the potential benefits of a thicker mattress in post #14 here. The best way to know your preferences is if you are able to test various versions of latex mattresses locally to get a sense of what may work best for you.
You will likely need a firmer base layer (either the 36 ILD talalay or the Dunlop (you would need to ask them about its firmness level) and you would probably do best with firmer comfort layers as well (firmer foam feels softer with higher weights because you will sink in more that someone who is lighter).
Phoenix
Thank you for such a fast response! That helps answer some questions. I think tomorrow we’ll head to some stores to get a feel for all latex mattresses and different ild’s to better inform future discussions with Dreamfoam.
We’re curious… What weight would warrant a mattress thicker than 9-10"? There probably isn’t a clear answer with so many variables involved, but we’re wondering how close we are to a theoretical cutoff point.
Thank you!
Hi heidzie,
That’s a difficult question to answer with any certainty because of the many differences in body type and sleeping style even with people of a similar weight. I was talking with a manufacturer today who has sold latex mattresses that were 6" two sided with a thin quilting on each side that was telling me that the only mattress he has had returned that he can remember was one that was being used for over a decade by someone that was well over 300 lbs and was quite happy with it until recently when it began to soften. I’m guessing he was a back sleeper that didn’t need more softness that would be typical of side sleeping but we were talking about many other things so I didn’t get more details. For 10 years though he was quite happy.
A preference for a thicker mattress may be at a lower weight but my guess is that in the upper 200’s for side sleepers it may become more of a “need” although even here it would be more about comfort than about actually bottoming out.
Phoenix
Hi heidizie,
That’s a difficult question to answer with any certainty because of the many differences in body type and sleeping style even with people of a similar weight. I was talking with a manufacturer today who has sold latex mattresses that were 6" two sided with a thin quilting on each side that was telling me that the only mattress he has had returned that he can remember was one that was being used for over a decade by someone that was well over 300 lbs and was quite happy with it until recently when it began to soften. I’m guessing he was a back sleeper that didn’t need more softness that would be typical of side sleeping but we were talking about many other things so I didn’t get more details. For 10 years though he was quite happy.
A preference for a thicker mattress may be at a lower weight but my guess is that in the upper 200’s for side sleepers it may become more of a “need” although even here it would be more about comfort than about actually bottoming out.
Phoenix
PS: I deleted my original response to this and replaced it with another one which was identical. Somehow my reply which was written after yours was posted before it. I think it’s connected to the Daylight savings time switch but i wanted to keep them in the right order. I couldn’t figure out why my reply was posted before your post
Thanks again for the info! Good to know. I’m gonna say we’ll be OK with the 9".
Anyway we looked for an all latex mattress to try out in the stores we went to, but no joy. We tried our luck with a few places and didn’t get a lot of info from the salespeople. Should have called ahead like you suggest on the site here, but we wanted to GO!
However we did figure out that something on the firm side seemed better for us (our rears sank in a bit too far on the tempur-pedic cloud, e.g. and felt more supported on firmer surfaces).
Decided to pull the trigger on the Dreamfoam total latex. Chuck got back to us very quickly and said we definitely picked a mattress with the support we’re wanting. Yay! We decided to go with a 4 for firmness since we also sleep on our sides sometimes…didn’t want to go tooooo firm. Interestingly, and I don’t know if others have mentioned this before, a 3.5 is also an option! Chuck described it as:
“We can also do a 3.5 on our scale. This bed has a firmer top from the 3 on our scale and the medium firm latex from the 4 on our scale. Less initial softness on the top, but the latex below has a little bit more give to it.”
Just wanted top share that with everyone because I hadn’t seen that option before.
Anyway, we should get our bed soon! Will update on how it works out.
Hi heidizie,
A few people have mentioned choosing an “in between” firmness level that they make available as an option. They use a tighter quilting pattern to create a firmer surface than the regular quilting pattern which is looser (and softer).
It sounds to me like you made a great choice and I’m looking forward to your feedback when you receive it.
Congratulations on your new mattress
Phoenix
I just ordered the Dreamfoam Ultimate Dreams Cal King Eurotop Latex Mattress. MU was very helpful in the lead-up to making my decision, so a thank-you to all the members who have contributed reviews and comments about their own experiences. Now I just have to choose a firmness - a 5 or a 6; it’s the ultimate question!
Hi Kiirkas,
Congratulations on your new mattress
I’m sure they will tell you this as well … but if you are undecided between two seemingly equal choices … a little firmer is usually a “safer” choice than a little softer because you can soften up a mattress much more easily than you can make it firmer.
Phoenix
After waking up with yet another sore back, we’ve made the decision to buy another mattress. Our current one was from The Original Mattress Factory in Georgia, and from day one I was unhappy with it. Stumbled upon the Amazon ratings of the Dreamfoam mattress and was immediately suspicious of all the 5 star ratings. Did more searching on it and found this forum. Have to admit I’m still skeptical about it all, but will go shopping today and see what I can learn. Thanks for all the detailed information on this site. I’ll keep you updated on the outcome…if we go the Dreamfoam route.
Hi 6488,
I’m glad you found us. As you can see from post #1 here (which is the starting point for any new mattress search) … it’s fairly simple to know the quality and value of a mattress once you know how so from this perspective you can set your skepticism aside. This is the reason why knowing all the details about what is in your mattress is so important because you don’t have to “believe” anyone about the quality or value of a mattress because it’s self evident.
As you can read in post #2 here however … the quality and value of a mattress has little to nothing to do with how suitable it may be for the specific needs and preferences of a particular person. The mattress you purchased from OMF is an example of this because they are higher quality and better value than almost any mainstream mattress but as you know the choice you made wasn’t suitable for your body type, sleeping positions, and preferences. This is the most difficult part of choosing a mattress. A mattress that is “perfect” for one person may be completely unsuitable for another and this has nothing to do with its quality. Making the most suitable choice for your specific needs and preferences is always the biggest challenge once you know to only deal with manufacturers where the quality and value of their mattresses is known and “transparent”.
I would normally suggest some local testing first if any mattress you are considering uses materials that are unfamiliar to you so that at the very least you know in general terms how a certain material feels and responds. I would also suggest local testing as a reference point so that you can make better choices about the comfort level that is best for you as well (they give you a choice). While they will help you with this based on body type and sleeping position “averages” … in the end only you can make the choice or know if you made the best one. If you are uncertain about which choice to make … then it makes sense to choose a model that allows you to make layer exchanges in case you make the wrong comfort choice.
So while their quality and value is self evident (and like all the members of this site I consider them to be among the best quality and value in the country) … your comfort choice is just as important a part of the purchase as the quality, and value of the mattress.
Hope this helps a little with your “skepticism”
Phoenix