Wow, this is an excellent forum and website! I have been trying to find a King Latex Mattress that will work on my old Craftmatic Adjustable Bedframe and have found a couple of candidates and would like to know what you think of them:
First, the Brooklyn guys on Amazon have this 10" offering:
Pricing is very inexpensive and within $50 of one another so I am looking to hear which one you think would be better for a 6’ 215# guy who is currently sleeping on a custom made Queen Sealy Posturepedic that wasn’t custom made for me but is still pretty nice. I want to re-upgrade to King so I can use the adjustable platform that I inherited.
A bit of background: Slept on full-motion waterbeds for years after moving off-campus in the early '80s. Finally went to a softsided tube waterbed for about 10 years, then briefly tried a crappy Sleep Number bed before buying this Sealy that was in a friend’s guestroom. This friend worked for Pure Latex Bliss and he introduced me to Latex and I have wanted to move in that direction ever since. I sleep hot, so I don’t think I will like memory foam.
Anyway, I could probably score a PLB bed for around $1,300 or so which is more than I want to pay right now or get one of these two if you think that they would be comparable. Another friend bought a Parklane for about $1,500 delivered and I have slept on her bed and it is awesome, but that is more than what I think I can get a PLB for.
I look forward to hearing what any and everyone who posts on here has to say, thanks again for this awesome site!
As you probably know … Brooklyn Bedding which manufactures the Ultimate Dreams is a member of this site which means that I believe they are among the “best of the best” manufacturers in the country in terms of value and quality. Members here also receive a free pillow as a bonus if you let them know you are a member of this forum.
The Overstock mattress you linked is lower quality and made by Boyd and you can see the 933 model here on their website. It only has 2" of Dunlop latex (Dunlop is firmer than Talalay for most people in the same ILD when it is in the comfort layer) and there is no ability to customize the comfort layer. Boyd also insists on calling some of their polyfoam “engineered latex” when it isn’t latex at all which I find misleading. It is polyfoam which has been “engineered” to feel somewhat like latex. They also source their materials in China (for some that is a factor in their purchase decision and I would read post #6 here as well). Overall it is a lower quality mattress and doesn’t have the same value as the Ultimate Dreams (although it may still be a more attractive option than more mainstream choices). A forum search on “Ultimate Dreams” will bring up more information and feedback about them.
To some degree the Ultimate dreams can be customized for your body type because you can choose the firmness of the Talalay latex comfort layer.
Parklane is also a member of this site and makes very high quality and value mattresses. If you can get a PLB all latex mattress in a King Size though, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it (assuming you have tested it for suitability in terms of pressure relief, posture and alignment, and personal preferences). This is far below its regular selling price. Which of their models do you have the ability to buy for this price?
Hi Phoenix, and thank you for the blazing fast reply!
I am just guesstimating the price point for the King PLB mattress, my friend was able to get a Queen PLB (I am quite sure it was a PLB base model) for some very close friends of mine for $1,100 delivered here in San Diego County. Now, it has been a while since I last saw this “friend” and I don’t know if I could even count on him to produce for me.
Which brings me back to the issue at hand. Would you spend almost twice as much for a 100% Latex bed given the choices that I gave earlier? I really like Krista’s Parklane mattress, but is it worth twice as much as the Ultimate Dreams mattress?
The other question is would using the adjustable feature of the old Craftmatic foundation be detrimental to the lifespan of either the Ultimate Dreams mattress or the Parklane? Which would hold up better?
Lastly, since I haven’t spoken with Chuck yet, what does Dreamform do to vary the firmness of the mattress? It says on the Amazon storefront that the Ultimate Dreams has 1.5" of super soft reflex foam in the quilting, is that what they change or do they add additional Latex or firmer Latex? Is there any danger of the super soft reflex foam flattening out with body impressions over time? What is super soft reflex foam anyway? LOL…
I am very appreciative that you have taken the time to answer these questions and hope that I am not becoming too tedious with my follow-ups. I just really want a great mattress at a great price and $700 delivered sounds great if it will be comparable to the doubly-more expensive mattress. I just bought two Talalay pillows on Amazon and they are fabulous.
Oh, and I should mention that I did sleep on a 1" talalay mattress topper on a futon and, until I slept on Krista’s bed, it was the the best night of sleep that I had ever experienced.
Count me in if you can find a PLB for $1,300. Your contact could likely sell many to forum members at that price. Please let us know the company and website after you acquire your’s.
I think that the mattress you are referring to is the Peace which has an inch of talalay latex over a synthetic Dunlop latex core. Synthetic Dunlop latex is a much lower cost version of latex and doesn’t have the same quality/durability or performance as the higher quality 100% natural Dunlop or Talalay latex. It is still a relatively good material but not in the same range as higher quality latex. It has been discontinued although remaining stock may still be available in some places. It is the least desirable model that PLB makes.
The lowest priced PLB which uses the much higher quality Talalay latex throughout the mattress is the Pamper which you can see here. This is a good price (lower than most PLB outlets) and good value.
Both of these mattresses however have only an inch of softer latex on top of a firm core and I would test them very carefully because for the large majority of people a comfort layer which was only an inch thick would not provide adequate pressure relief and they would need one of the higher priced models or need a topper to go on top of the mattress.
The next model up in the line which would be the first model that would suit many people (depending on their height/weight/body shape and sleeping positions) is the Nature which you can see here. There are two higher models after this that are more yet.
So realistically the Pamper and the Peace would not suit the needs and preferences of most people (although it may work for some) and the Nature is the first of the line that would be “in the range” of a mattress that would be purchased as it is without anything added to it.
This can only be answered by each individual person because it depends on the many parts of what I call their “value equation”. High quality latex is a much higher performing and more costly material and it would certainly be desirable as a base layer for many people over an alternative type of foam but this would also depend on how much someone can feel the difference for themselves. For those who can feel the difference then they could decide if the performance and feel of the mattress was worth the extra price. For those who couldn’t … then they would have a different "value equation and would either choose all latex for durability reasons along or would use a high quality, durable, and less costly material like polyfoam (at an appropriate density level). Either way it would be important that the comfort layers use a high quality material because this is the “weak link” of most mattresses.
In almost all cases … an all foam mattress is fine with an adjustable base. Because latex is the most durable foam and is very elastic and “bendable”, it would be more durable than other foams if it was used on an adjustable base that was being used regularly. High quality polyfoam is also usually fine for adjustable bases (the manufacturer should be asked because some mattresses use a very firm stiffer base layer which may not do as well with constant bending and the manufacturer may not recommend or warranty them for this use). Tempurpedic for example uses a high quality polyfoam in their base layers and it is often sold on an adjustable base and it works well.
Lastly, since I haven’t spoken with Chuck yet, what does Dreamform do to vary the firmness of the mattress? It says on the Amazon storefront that the Ultimate Dreams has 1.5" of super soft reflex foam in the quilting, is that what they change or do they add additional Latex or firmer Latex? Is there any danger of the super soft reflex foam flattening out with body impressions over time? What is super soft reflex foam anyway? LOL…
You can choose the firmness of the 3" Talaly latex comfort layer to suit your needs and preferences. They will discuss with you which may be the most appropriate and help you make the choice which has the best odds of working best for you.
The 1.5’ quilting layer is a layer of very soft polyfoam which is used to modify the feel of the latex and provide a softer surface feel (often called a hand feel) that can be achieved with latex . Many people prefer this (or other quilting materials such as wool) to sleeping directly on higher resilience latex and as long as it is “in the range” of about an inch it doesn’t represent a real durability issue. It will soften but because it is so thin and already so soft you would be mostly feeling the latex underneath it in either case and it’s not chick enough to affect comfort or support and would only be a modification to the feel. If a quilting layer was thicker (say 2" or more) or worse yet there were additional soft polyfoam layers in the upper layers of the mattress … then further softening could present an issue with loss of comfort or support. The “weak link” of most mattresses is lower density polyfoam or synthetic fiber in the upper layers of the mattress that are thicker than just a relatively thin quilting layer.
Value of course is always relative to the needs, preferences, and circumstances of the person but in most cases, any of the high value mattresses that are made by the members here and other high quality manufacturers are significantly lower cost than the alternatives that most people end up buying when they shop at chain stores or buy a mainstream brand. One of the better value brands that is available nationally is the PLB so this would be in the “better value” range in most cases but not in the “best value range”. The ultimate answer as to whether a “part latex” mattress that has great value is “better or worse” than an “all latex mattress” that has great value can only be answered by you and the key is to know the differences so you can decide which of the differences have the most value to you.
There are many different types and constructions of futons from foam to cotton to wool to innersprings so knowing the construction of the futon would five a clue as to whether you may be one of those where the Pamper may be suitable. If you spend any time on your side then the odds would be very low that it would work.
Hope this all helps and feel free with any questions that you come across along the way. That’s what the forum is for
