Hi,
My husband and I recently began shopping for a new mattress. We liked the comfort of the Tempurpedic Rhapsody Breeze that we tried out and compared to other brands at a home show. However, after doing some research I am considering the benefits and comfort of an all natural latex mattress., but I’m very overwhelmed, Dunlop and talalay for example. And determining the right the comfort layer is also something Id like to know more about after reading the great information here. Can you provide some basic information, a starting point? Also, I am in the Kansas City area. Are there merchants that carry this type of mattress so we could try them out? And finally, I came across Habitat Furnishings and I’m thinking like what I read. Do you have any thoughts about this merchant? Thanks in advance for your help and thank you for this website, it’s such great information and you’re helping so many people.
Hi Midwestmarinemom,
As you probably know memory foam and latex are very different materials with very different properties and a different “feel”. There is more about some of the differences between them in post #2 here but it’s good to hear that you want to try some latex mattresses in person because the best way to know which type of materials or which type of mattresses you tend to prefer will be based on your own personal experience.
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 place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps most importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase 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 all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Kansas City area (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply) are listed in post #2 here.
You can see some of my thoughts about Habitat latex mattresses in post #3 here and a forum search on Habitat (you can just click the link) will also bring up more information and feedback about them. Their latex mattresses use good quality materials but they have limited options to “fit” their mattresses to different people, body types, and sleeping positions and they are also an “all or nothing” choice that don’t provide any options after a purchase other than adding a topper or returning the mattress.
While they are certainly a “better than average” choice compared to many mainstream mattresses … for most of the members here that are aware of the many other online options that are available to them they probably wouldn’t be in the best “value” range.
The mattress shopping tutorial includes a link to a list of the members here that sell mattresses online (in the optional online step) and many of them sell latex and latex hybrid mattresses that use different types and blends of latex that have a wide range of different designs, options, features, return and exchange policies, and prices that that would be well worth considering.
Phoenix
Thanks Phoenix,
Sorry for the delay in my response, let’s just say technical difficulties :S This is such great information. Yes, we’ve read through the tutorials and now plan to visit some of the KC merchants you named. My husband weighs 190 pounds and is primarily a back sleeper and I weigh 170 pounds and am primarily a side sleeper. We both tend to prefer mattress that is more soft (but not really soft) than firm, neither of us are very keen on a firm mattress. Having said this would you have a preference one way or the other? Also, is it ok to have different latex layers that are not glued together? Do they tend to shift around? And finally, which is the best type of material for the mattress to be encased in? Thanks you again and I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Midwestmarinemom
Hi Midwestmarinemom,
My own needs and preferences in a mattress may be very different from someone else and a mattress that I would sleep well on may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on.
The best way to know whether any mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own personal preferences) will be based on your own careful testing or personal experience.
Latex is very “sticky” and doesn’t tend to shift inside a mattress if the layers are inside a suitable tight fitting cover. There is more about the pros and cons of a “finished mattresses” that generally has glued layers vs a component mattresses with unglued layers and zip covers in post #15 here and post #2 here. Either one can certainly make a suitable choice.
When it comes to mattress components there is no such thing as “best” … there is only “best for you”. Different people can have very different needs and preferences and very different definitions of “best” depending on all the many criteria that are most important to each person. Having said that … there is more information about quilted covers vs thinner more stretchy covers in post #12 here and the posts it links to.
All the layers and components of a mattress (including the cover) will affect the feel and performance of every other layer and component above and below it and the mattress “as a whole” but again … the “best” way to know which combination of materials and components would be “best for you” is based on your own careful testing and your personal experience.
I or some of the more knowledgeable members of the site can certainly help you to narrow down your options, help you focus on better quality/value choices that are available to you either locally or online, help you identify any lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress relative to your weight that you may be considering, act as a fact check, answer many of the specific questions you may have along the way that don’t involve what you will “feel” on a mattress, and help with “how” to choose but only you can decide which specific mattress, manufacturer, or combination of materials is “best for you” regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or whether anyone else (including me) would have the same criteria or circumstances or would make the same choice.
Phoenix