After much consideration, my husband and I are inclined to buy a latex-based mattress.
We would like to purchase an adjustable frame and bending an inner spring mattress on it over time doesn’t seem to be a good idea. (Unless this is a faulty asumption.)
I have asthma and allergies so the hypoallergenic aspect of it is particularly appealing.
We don’t like the feel of memory foam based options. I don’t like sinking into the bed.
However, after much research, I am completely overwhelmed by the different companies, options, contents of the mattresses, etc. I would like to stay under $4000 for the mattress alone (not including the adjustable frame). We are both back/side sleepers and both under 150 pounds.
Aside from comfort, what should I be looking for? We live in Los Angeles and two major stores are Sit N’ Sleep and Ortho Mattress. We tried the Sterns and Foster version and didn’t like it. Didn’t like Dr. Breus much either but did really like the EvoSleep Bio Temp. I also tried the Aireloom Latex but not recalling how I felt about that one.
All latex versus the multitude of blend options?
Talalay versus Dunlop?
Companies/manufacturers that are reputable in my area? I would be interested in buying from a local or independent manufacturer but I don’t know how to go about finding them in the LA area.
Do we get something firmer than what is ideal for us with the expectation it may soften with time? We like something that is medium but on the softer side of medium so should I buy a medium?
Any other points we should be taking into consideration would be helpful.
Just in case you haven’t read it yet … the best place to start is the tutorial post here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will find most helpful and links to most of the more important posts on the forum.
Most innerspring mattresses with a wire border rod would be damaged on an adjustable bed but most pocket coil mattresses don’t have a border rod and would be fine. Some other types of innerspring mattresses can also be specially made to work with an adjustable bed and most foam mattresses (polyfoam, memory foam, latex) are also fine. If there is ever any doubt about the suitability of a mattress for an adjustable bed then the manufacturer will be able to confirm whether it can be used on an adjustable.
As you’re probably aware dust mites are normally the biggest issue with allergies and latex makes a good choice in this case. There is more about latex and dust mites in post #2 here.
I would use the testing guidelines in the tutorial post to test for PPP. Other than that I would also make sure that you are able to find out the specifics of every layer in any mattress you are considering so that you can identify all the materials inside it and make sure it doesn’t have any weak links and so you can make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses. Some of the mattresses you are looking at are not “all latex” mattresses and in some cases you may have more polyfoam in the comfort layers than latex (which would be a weak link in the mattress).
This would be a matter of budget (polyfoam or most innersprings are generally less costly than a latex support core) or a matter of preference (some people prefer an innerspring as their support core or prefer a mix of latex and memory foam in their comfort layers).
This is also a preference choice. Both are high quality materials but some people prefer the “feel” of one and some prefer the other. there is more about the different types of latex in post #6 here and post #7 here also has a comparison between how they feel but your own testing is the most reliable way to know which one you prefer.
Some of the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Los Angeles area are listed in post #2 here.
No … most floor models will have broken in already so I would work towards getting as close to your ideal in terms of PPP as you possibly can. If two mattresses appear to be close to identical and you can’t decide between them then I would lean towards the firmer of the two. Terms like soft, medium, and firm are subjective and relative to each person so I would go by your own testing and experience not by how a mattress is “rated”.
I tried to go to Flexus Comfort this week during their business hours but they were closed. I called their number and it was not in service. I also tried to email them but didn’t receive a response. Do you know if they are still in business?
That’s very odd but I don’t know what’s happening. Their main number is not working but their fax number is. I’ll try to find out more tomorrow about their situation.
I called them this morning and talked to James and apparently they have been having some trouble with their phone system since they installed a new card authorization system. The “strange” message that the number is not valid only comes on when the answering machine kicks in. They are definitely still in business.
They are aware of it and are working on trying to figure out why it’s happening.
They are small and do a lot of wholesale business (more than retail) so there are times when they close the showroom when they have other business they need to attend to so it’s usually a good idea to call first before you go there (assuming of course that their phone system is functioning the way it’s supposed to :)).
The first and foremost is your comfort, material with which a mattress is made up of decides how much comfort it will be giving to the user.So check what material is the mattress made of. and don’t forget to check the warranty ,it should be atleast 20 years.
I went back to Flexus Comfort today. They are really helpful but the options are limited. They have a 9 and 10", each available in soft and firm. The soft was too squishy and the firm was a tad too hard.
Foam Sweet Foam was the opposite. There were so many permutations, I started developing decision fatigue. They come in 4" layers. In the end, I think I liked the 12" Talalay/Dunlop combo (medium Talalay, medium Talalay, firm Dunlop, extra firm Dunlop) versus all Talalay. Those two honestly felt the same to me. I keep reading that Dunlop is more sturdy so maybe having a half/half is the way to go? There was a clear comfort difference between the 9 and 12" but 15" seemed like overkill.
I might look at a few more people like Good Bed Guys.
They may have more options available than you realize (or that you tested). The firmness of the support layer and the comfort layer as well as the thickness of the comfort layer will all affect the feel and performance of the mattress so if all they had was two different firmness options in their support core and two firmness options available in their comfort layer then with the two different thicknesses of comfort layers that would give you 8 different options to try that are each different from each other. One of these would generally be a good match for the majority of body types and sleeping positions.
I understand the “overwhelm” that can come from having too many options but I would focus on their 9" and 12" models. For most people 8" to 9" would be in the range that would be suitable for most people while 12" would be a good option for higher body weights or a preference choice for people who preferred a thicker mattress (see post #14 here about mattress thickness). I agree that outside of those who for preferred the “feel” of a thicker mattress for some reason and where none of the configurations of a thinner design worked as well … 15" would be thicker than most people would choose or need.
You are certainly looking at some good quality/value latex options.
FlexusComfort only has 1 firmness for the support layer (6") and 2 options for their comfort layer (2" and 3") and 1" outer wool layer. The difference between the 9" and 10" is the thickness of the comfort layer.
I went back to Foam Sweet Foam and just couldn’t get over how the beds felt like I was sleeping on a rubber slab. Their outer casing didn’t have any padding (it was really just a thin quilted fabric sack) so it lacked the cozy feel I wanted in a mattress. For those who want a pure latex bed, I think this place offered a lot of flexibility and value especially for a split king (only $200 more than a king). In order to make this work, I would have had to spend more money on a pillow top of some sort, which was adding to the cost. Flexus Comfort had a much nicer casing (1" of wool on top) but they only had 4 choices in softness/firmness and none of them quite worked.
I went to Newport Bedding and loved their in house brand of latex beds. I ended up getting the 6" talalay firm core with 1.5" gel-infused memory foam on either side. The quilted cotton cover added an inch for a total of 10". This core gave me the support I needed but the gel-infused memory foam also made it feel more plush without being as squooshy as typical memory foam. They were very helpful and the construction felt more “finished” than what Foam Sweet Foam offered. I hope the gel-infused memory foam will hold up well. That was my only concern.
Both the Foam Sweet Foam and Newport Bedding split king were about $3200. The full latex Newport Bedding split king was $3800 but this bed also felt too rubbery to me.
Will let you know how the Newport Bedding turns out. It’s coming in a week.
I think you did some good research and ended up with what seems like a good choice in terms of PPP and it also seems to use good quality materials as well (assuming that the gel memory foam is 4 lbs or higher and that any polyfoam in the quilting layer isn’t too thick).
Even though the mattress is on the high side in terms of cost … it also has the advantage of being two sided which will extend it’s useful lifetime (as long as you flip and rotate it on a regular basis) and the cost of a mattress is only one part of each person’s personal value equation (and arguably not the most important part). There are also a lot of people who like the “feel” of thinner layers of memory foam over a more resilient material like latex because it can combine the feel and performance of both materials (some of the slow response of memory foam over the more resilient feel of the latex underneath it).
Overall it sounds like you made a good choice and I’m looking forward to your feedback when you’ve had the chance to sleep on it.
I thought I would clarify this because it didn’t seem right to me so I called them and confirmed that they have 2 different core densities (firmness levels) on their floor and two different thickness levels and firmness levels in the comfort layers so they do have 8 different options on their floor.
They have other firmness options available as well but they don’t have them on their floor for space reasons.
