Back again! I tried the PLB Vitality mattress today, but I found that it was firmer than I thought it would be. My shoulders didn’t sink in and it felt rather hard. I then tried the PLB Beautiful which had a more plush feel. My hips sank in a bit more than my shoulders. I’m concerned that my shoulders aren’t getting the sink they need. Interesting note: I had read complaints that some of the PLB mattresses squeak and this one did. The salesman noted that it wasn’t the box springs, rather it really was the mattress making the squeaking noise. I wondered if that could be because the latex layers are glued together…don’t know. I am posting the specs ( I don’t know the ILD:
3" Natural, medium-plush talalay latex (with the ActiveFusion).
3" Natural, medium talalay latex.
6" Natural, firm talalay latex support core.
I’m concerned that this may not be plush enough for my shoulders and head. Also, concerned that my mid-section will sink much lower during the night, causing an alignment issue. I would appreciate your opinion on this mattress. I’m trying to be very careful as I can’t return this mattress and it’s above my price point. I do have fibromyalgia, so a comfortable mattress is crucial. Again, thank you so much.
That’s not a “story” that I’ve heard before but I certainly wouldn’t “buy” it :). Latex doesn’t make “noise”.
[quote] I am posting the specs ( I don’t know the ILD:
3" Natural, medium-plush talalay latex (with the ActiveFusion).
3" Natural, medium talalay latex.
6" Natural, firm talalay latex support core.[/quote]
You can see the specs (including the ILD’s) of the Beautiful in post #2 here.
I can’t feel what you feel or see you on the mattress so you would need to trust your own careful and objective testing and “best judgement” which will tell you much more about whether a mattress is a good match for you than any comments I could make.
If you’ve done some careful testing and still aren’t confident that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP then the return or exchange policy would also become a more important part of your personal value equation just in case your actual sleeping experience indicates that the mattress wasn’t as good a match for you as you hoped for so you would still have the option to return or exchange it.
In terms of quality and durability … there are certainly no weak links in a mattress that uses blended Talalay in all the layers.
Unfortunately, the store only allows for an exchange and I didn’t find any other mattresses there that I was impressed with. I will talk to the owner to see if he would consider a refund, but it seems doubtful.
Overall, I’m impressed with the mattress and the materials used in it. My concern, that you may be able to address, is: given the ILD of the latex and my weight (140-150) would I be likely to sink significantly in the hip area during the night? I will keep you posted.
I can’t feel what you feel or see you on the mattress so these are questions I can’t answer and your own careful and objective testing will be a much more reliable way to answer this than any suggestions I can make (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
The layering of the Beautiful is fairly soft and for heavier people this can sometimes be risky (depending on their weight distribution and sleeping positions) but for lighter weights the risk is much less and there are many people in your weight range that are very happy with the Beautiful.
Again though … your own careful and objective testing is the most reliable way to know because there are too many variables, unknowns, and personal preferences and sensitivities involved to use a formula based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” to assess whether any mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP.
I’m considering one more mattress before I purchase the PLB Beautiful Mattress. This one is a double-sided Restonic. I am including the specs that I received from the manufacturer. I would love your opinion, as always. Here we go:
The mattress is very comfortable, but I’m not sure the foam would hold up over time. Phoenix, you’ve been a real life-saver for me. I know, that without the information you’ve provided, I would have likely purchased another low quality mattress.
If this is all the layers in this mattress then it would be just “on the edge” of the guidelines here for a two sided mattress but I would also want to know specifics of the materials in the 2" quilt top because depending on the quality of the materials it may put it “over the edge” in terms of durability. It has fairly thick layers of polyfoam that are “on the edge” in terms of density on each side of the mattress. Even though the mattress is two sided which would improve durability (see post #3 here) the materials certainly aren’t in the same quality range as the latex in the Beautiful.
I’m leaning towards the PLB Beautiful and will likely purchase it next week. I am concerned about the glues used in the mattress. I understand that they are supposed to be safe for most people. However, I have a chronic illness and noticed that when I tried mattresses with a lot of glue or memory foam in them, me health deteriorated. Interestingly, on the Sleep Number, my health has improved significantly (though the mattress hurts my back). Seriously, to levels of improvement that I never thought I’d reach again. I thought this might be a coincidence, so I spent a few nights on a new innerspring mattress, and I got sick again. I won’t go into the details. I would really appreciate your opinion regarding the PLB Beautiful and the Sleep Number regarding which has more glue and the type of fire retardant used. I’m not asking for medical advice, just advice on the amount of chemicals used in each mattress.
There is more here about the glue that is used in the PLB mattresses (latex (water) based vs solvent based) and there is more here about the fire barrier they use here (rayon/silica which I would consider “safe”).
If any type of glue at all (even water based non solvent glues) are a significant concern for you then there are also component latex mattresses available that don’t use any glue at all (many of these are available from the list of members here that sell latex mattresses online).
There is also more information about fire retardants that I would consider to be “safe” in this article and in post #2 here and post #4 here but of course each person may have unique circumstances or health issues or individual concerns that are unique to them so what is safe for the large majority of people may not be “safe enough” for them.
There is also more information in post #2 here and post #2 here and more detailed information yet in post #2 here and the many other posts and sources of information that they link to that will help you differentiate between organic, natural, chemical free, safe, and green materials (all of which have different meanings) and can help each person answer the question “how safe is safe enough for me?” regardless of whether someone else would be comfortable with using the same materials in their mattress.
There is really no way to answer a question about the specific amount of chemicals used in any specific mattress because this type of information isn’t available and it would also depend on which specific chemicals someone was concerned with because even water is a “chemical”. The polyfoam used in the Sleep Number mattresses for example is made from petrochemicals and while most people are fine with polyfoam … particularly if it’s made in the US or is CertiPur certified … some people are more sensitive or more concerned than others about the chemicals that are used to make polyfoam. The air bladders are also a synthetic material that are made from petrochemicals.
Thank you for the information. I just love this site as it’s so helpful. I’ll let you know which mattress I end up with and if there are any health related reactions.
I’m still considering the double-sided mattress, however I can’t find any information about their fire retardant. The Manufacturer told me that they use something he called Milliken-Paladin (Cirrus) fire retardant, I’ve never heard of it, do you know if it’s safe? The mattress is in my price point, but I want one that’s safe. I would prefer the PLB Beautiful. Please let me know.
It sounds like the same or very similar fire barrier as the one that is used in the PLB mattresses (see here) which is a viscose (rayon)/silica inherent fabric which I would consider to be “safe” (see this article and post #2 here).
I would appreciate your advice once again. I ordered the PLB Beautiful mattress over five weeks ago and the company still hasn’t delivered any of their mattresses to the store. The store isn’t getting anywhere with the company, either they get no information or the wrong information. Latex International keeps stalling on the date for delivery to the store. At this point, I’m losing faith in the company and wonder if they can (after their recent bankruptcy) still produce a good mattress. They certainly aren’t able to produce mattresses in a timely manner. It’ll be six weeks in a few days. Is this normal and what do you think of this situation? I’m about ready to cancel the order.
I think that most of the delays in delivering their mattresses may have more to do with the recent fire than their bankruptcy (see this topic) but I have been receiving some mixed feedback from retailers about delivery times.
When I talked with Jeff Gober a little over a week ago (see here) he told me that they were close to being back up to full production so hopefully they will be able to catch up on any order backlogs quickly as well but he is more on the Latex International side of things than the Bliss side of the business. They are still producing good quality latex.
I personally don’t have any concerns about their long term viability but I don’t have any other insights about how long any delays in any of their Bliss deliveries may be although it does surprise me that it’s been that long for the retailer that you are dealing with because I do know that the delays with other retailers I know that carry them have been less (although there have been longer delays with their foundations which they don’t make themselves and some retailers seem to be experiencing longer delays than others).
It may be worthwhile emailing PLB here to explain how long you have been waiting and tell them the store you are dealing with and what they have told you to see what they say.
Jewels, are we related someway? I too have tried about every mattress out there! I too have a bad reaction to any type of memory foam (the offgassing makes me nauseated and dizzy and YES, I can detect the odor even though others can’t). I too have a type of fibromyalgia! Finding a bed with comfort, support, and pressure relief is like an endless search!
We have a PLB Beautiful mattress (have issues with the defective foundation which is getting resolved) and for me… it is the perfect bed (so far). It didn’t have quite enough pressure relief, so we bought a PLB 2" topper and that made it just right.
We ordered a second one for a 2nd home in July and it took over 3 weeks for our mattress company to get it in but as I understand it, it was out of pre-fire inventory. As Phoenix said… maybe they are trying to get production up.
We will probably have to replace the mattress which was damaged by the defective foundation so I’ll let you know what happens since we’d be in the same boat as you.
Otherwise, it might be worth the wait if you, like me, have tried all kinds of mattresses. Our last bed was a Simmons pillowtop which ALMOST gave me enough pressure release, but at the time, it had mostly latex in the top… now latex isn’t offer by Simmons and I’m reluctant to try a new one with memory foam in the comfort layers.
I’ve had no sleeping issues with the PLB Beautiful - if there’s glue in it, it doesn’t bother me.
What a coincidence, I just finished reading your posts! I think we could be related Right not, I’m not sure I want to even try the PLB Beautiful. I’ve contacted them and received no answer so far. One retailer told me not to get their foundation as they are poorly made, but I had already ordered both. I can’t believe Latex International charges such high prices and then gives customers poorly made boxes. Did your mattress off-gas or was the smell okay when you first received it? Would you keep it if you could find a long lasting version of the Beautyrest you had?
My Beautyrest Recharge was so comfortable, but it became a sink hole in one month! I think that a pocketed coil mattress works great for me and it sounds like it works for you too (as you liked the Beautyrest, but it failed). Therefore, I am considering the purchase of a Restonic Belvedere mattress made by Clare Bedding in Michigan. However, I’m concerned about off-gassing, which just makes me sick. I’m also concerned it won’t last and they don’t offer exchanges or refunds. I’m even considering keeping the sleep number I have, rather than returning it.
I am shocked by the lack of quality in mattresses today. I used to be able to go out, lay on a mattress, make the purchase and it would last for years and have no smell. Please keep me posted on what happens regarding your PLB Beautiful mattress. Also, if you find something else that works for you, let me know!
What do you think about the boxes that are being sold with the PLB mattresses? As you likely read, I was told not to get the PLB box. I was told by a retailer that the boxes PLB uses don’t support the mattress well. I would love your opinion.
I am reconsidering the Restonic Belvedere double-sided mattress that I wrote about previously. It is made by Clare Bedding and I noticed you seem to support their work in some other threads. Any opinion on Clare Bedding ( I am so sorry if I’m spelling their name wrong)?
You can see some pictures of it here and here. I’ve made quite a few comments about them in the forum but the comments I made here …
… probably says it best.
Clare Bedding has always been helpful and transparent when I’ve talked with them on the phone and I think they are “good people”. This means that your chances are good that a retailer you are dealing with will be able to find out the type and quality of the materials inside one of their mattresses you may be considering (if they don’t already know them) so you can make sure they don’t have any weak links and so you can make more meaningful comparisons with other mattresses.
The PLB had NO odor… maybe a faint rubbery whiff the first night or two… and Latex does not offgas. As I said no problems until the foundation became THE problem!
We have been through 2 Simmons in 3 years!!! These were the Beautirest World Class Plush Pillowtops comfort level 8. Yep, sink hole city! Which people like you and me can REALLY feel. We moved one to our guest room and can sleep on it in a pinch but I always keep waking up thinking “where did that nice comfortable soft top go”.
IF we were going to try another, I’d go to the top of the line Simmons Black Kate Pillowtop plush - comfort level 8 to 8.5 and hope it still gave plenty of support. Like Phoenix predicts… no doubt all the foams in the top and comfort layers will start sagging, but at that point if I just LOVED the bed, I’d probably just keep moving the newest reject to the guest room and get a new one. Yeah, rather spendy that way, but I’m at the age that I can’t take it with me, so I may as well be comfortable!
That’s why we switched to Latex… no off-gassing, plenty long lasting, shouldn’t sag or fall apart anytime soon! I grew up on one and slept on it for over 20 years! Been waiting another 40 years to get another one… this is my chance!
Plus, a latex bed is so uncomplicated… several layers of various ILD foams as opposed to Simmons… 1" of this foam over 2" of that foam over 1 1/2" of microcoils, over etc, etc, etc… No wonder they sink and sag! too complicated!
Like both of you, I had a Simmons Beautyrest Black which went to crap within a couple of months. I loved it for the first month or two. After that, sinkholes and alignment issues galore. And I’m only ~155 lbs, so not a heavy person! Unfortunately, I purchased it as a floor model (it was only on the floor for about a month and the date on the law tag proves this), so it doesn’t seem like I’m going to be able to make a warranty claim.
Scubamom, I definitely would not recommend purchasing another Simmons!
They hopefully will replace the PLB Beautiful. I forgot to mention that I do not get hot on this latex bed! I always ran hot on our last three Simmons!
Our daughter replaced her 14 year old Simmons with a Black… we’ll see how long it lasts. She too is VERY sensitive to memory foam (as is her son)… they bought a 2" memory foam topper with the Black and she woke up at 2am dizzy and sickish - they gave the topper away and evidently the foams in her Black aren’t bothering her… guess that’s a good thing!
