Thank you for much Phoenix! You really are so helpful.
Would you mind also looking into the Restonic Bradham ultra pillow top? The only specs I could get in the store (Haynes Furniture) was the picture I am attaching.
I also liked the Restonics Elevate Felicity but the only one they had left was the floor model, and I am pretty sure that’s never a good option.
Thank you!!
After about an hour of phone calls I was finally able to get Restonics to give me specs on the Bradham. The foam layers sound durable enough if I’m understanding the tutorials well enough, but I am worried that the coils are not the right gauge of steel. Could you give me your insight into these specs:
Bradham Ultra Euro Top
1000 series coil—a wrap coil utilizing tempered steel: “marvelous middle” center third is 14/15 gauge wire, shoulder and knees regions are 15
gel memory foam— density—4 lb at 1 inch
synthetic latex–density—ILD 28-32 (in the middle)
2 inches quilted top with polyfoam—density—1.8lb
Thank you!!
Hi cbear08.
Based on the specs you provided the mattress you are considering has a few weak links for higher weight ranges. Please revisit the information I provided about selecting a mattress in thedurability guidelines here for BMI ranges higher than 30 section. I would place a caution on both the 1.8 lbs/ft[sup]3[/sup] polyfoam and the gel memory foam of 4 lbs/ft[sup]3[/sup]
Higher BMI ranges will need more durable materials and components in a mattress and in a BMI range of 30 or higher I would include any 1.8 lb polyfoam or 4 lb memory foam as a “lower quality/density” material (relative to a higher BMI only) and minimize their use to a total of “about an inch or so or less” in the mattress.
Polyurethane foam: If your mattress is one sided then I would look for 2.0 lb per cubic foot density or higher. If the mattress is two-sided then I would use a minimum density of 1.8 lbs per cubic foot or higher.
Memory foam (or gel memory foam): If your mattress is one sided then I would make sure that any memory foam is at least 5 lb per cubic foot. If the mattress is two-sided then I would use a minimum density of 4 lbs per cubic foot.
There are also a number of forum posts and threads about mattresses and higher weights and a forum title search on heavy (you can just click this) will bring up many of them. Some examples include post #2 here and post #2 here and this thread
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Thank you again for being an incredible resource to me in this process! I was telling my mom about your help, and she might come on here too for help finding her own mattress 
I think I have determined that I am going to buy my mattress from Ken from Arizona Premium Mattress, but I have one last question that I hope you can help me with.
Let me give backstory to lead up to my question: I really loved the Pure Talalay Bliss Hybrid in plush because I tested it out for thirty minutes and never felt the hip pain that I did on the CozyPure mattress. The only problem is that the mattress is only 10" and, between that and 17" being the tallest height on an adjustable base that I can find, I am not going to reach the 30-32 inches that I need for the mattress to work with my extremely large head and footboard.
This leads me to Ken, who was SO helpful at creating a mattress concept for me-- the hybrid with two layers of 3" Talalay to create a 15" bed after we add in the height of the cover. This is perfect and is even less expensive than the PTB. I really liked Ken’s knowledge, and he was incredibly personable. However, he suggested for my weight (270) that the ILD of the layers be 28 and 32 respectively.
I am concerned that this might feel to firm for me still. My reasoning behind this is that when I went to look at the Original Mattress Factory’s talalay mattress I noticed that it felt very very similar to the PTB and didn’t bother my hip, and there were lower ILDs for each layer of latex (although it is on a high durability polyfoam core). I am attaching the specs of the OMF mattress just in case I’m misunderstanding something, but the talalay seems to be light at 16-22 ILD and 21-27 ILD respectively. However, the OMF is also only 10" and isn’t what I am looking for.
All that to say, I am thinking of asking Ken to make the Talalay layers a little lower in ILD. What affect will a lower ILD have with my BMI? What are the potential issues in asking for a lighter ILD? What is the lowest possible ILD that you would recommend for my weight? Does the fact that these will be thicker layers of talalay come into play? What ILD would you suggest?
I just would hate to order the mattress and then have to exchange a layer that might actually damage the life of the mattress, but I also don’t want hip pain and I can’t test them out. I am starting to think that I like an extreme plush feel compared to most individuals with a higher BMI based on recommendations.
Also-- do you by chance know the ILD of the PTB Hybrid talalay layers? I have called and emailed PTB and haven’t received an answer. I wonder if maybe they are actually higher ILDs and I will be more secure in going with Ken’s recommendation.
Thank you again! You really have been a life saver I feel like I should send you a gift basket or something, haha.
Also-- just found out from PTB that the hybrid plush is a 3" ILD 14 layer with a 1" ILD 44 layer. I found this fascinating-- does the super heavy ILD have an effect of protecting the extremely light layer above it? I wouldn’t think I should go all the way down to a 14.
The firm 1" layer is placed under the innerspring unit. The softer 3" layer is placed atop the innerspring unit.
Wow. More of a reason for me to talk through ILDs since that is only a 14. Is a 3" talalay later with an ILD of 14 going to hold up to a high BMI? That is the plushness that i liked, but Ken from mattresses.net thinks that is too light and will not last more than 4 years. I am a little confused because Phoenix said that the PTB hybrid would be durable for a high BMI. When I called PTB and gave them my weight they said that it wouldn’t affect the durability and it is made for all weight ranges. I’d appreciate both of your help!
Hi cbear08.
I appreciate your kind words. I am glad we can help and that you are getting input and assistance from quite a few experts here.
I am not sure which version of 10" Pure Talalay Bliss you tried in the showroom, as the hybrid comes in two choices, Plush and Firm, with the following specifications:
• 3" Talalay top comfort layer (14 ILD for the plush / 32 ILD for the firm.)
• 6" of 13.75 wire gauge coil support system (with 4 rows of nested coils for a sturdier sleeping edge.)
• 1" stabilizing base layer
Either way, the firmer 32 ILD would be more suitable for your weight range, but from your previous testing, it seems that you like a much plusher feel which complicates things a bit.
When it comes to local testing, one thing to keep in mind is that side by side mattress testing is the most effective way to compare different mattress feels and that sometimes testing mattresses on different days may introduce new variables that may alter perception and what is recalled about the “feel” of each mattress. The body usually responds differently at different times depending on tonus, fatigue, ambient temperature, what one wears and many other factors.
Everything you seem to be describing points towards you preferring more surface conformation, but I would be cautious to not go to the point of losing the deep support within the mattress,
Deep support would be a priority to get proper alignment and Ken’s suggested construction makes good sense from this point of view and I do not know how this will play out for you in terms of surface plushness as this is completely dependent on your preferences and sensitivities, but I would add that in most cases … if you have a roughly equal choice between two firmness levels that it can often be “safer” to go with slightly firmer because you can always soften the upper layers and improve pressure relief and “comfort” by adding a mattress pad or a topper but it’s much more difficult to firm up the support of a mattress that is too soft (unless you can exchange a layer) because this involves removing or replacing layers or components that are too soft (instead of adding to them) which in most cases can be much more difficult to do.
The top layer in a mattress undergoes the most mechanical stress and even though latex is a very durable foam compared with any other types of foam, a plush comfort layer of 14 ILD for higher BMI would wear out a little faster than for normal weight ranges. Depending of the thickness the 14 ILD comfort layer may create alignment issues for plus size people …usually in these case having a thicker mattress will compress from softer to firmer more gradually which means that there is more “range” of compression without the mattress becoming too firm for heavier weights (or parts of the body) then you could likely choose the medium (28) or slightly softer top layer and then vary the firmness of the layers below them to fine tune the surface feel and support qualities of the mattress and give you the options that you may want to experiment with. It is worth mentioning to Ken your preference for plushness to see if he has some contingency options to fine tune the mattress after purchase in case it turns out to be too firm for you… or… if in your case it would be safe enough to go a little lower ILD on the top layer.
Phoenix
Thank you for your informative response!
I talked with Ken again about how the other two mattresses that felt the most comfortable had a top layer of less than 22 ILD and that I prefer a softer bed than most at my BMI . We decided that it is best to go with the softer top layer (a 3" 19 ILD talalay layer over a 3" 28 ILD talalay layer) with the knowledge that it will not hold up as long as the lower layers. For this reason, I will not receive a warranty on the top talalay layer, and will probably have to replace it after about 4 years.
I know this is risky, but I think that when I weigh my comfort with the price of replacing the 3 inches I would pick comfort. I trust Ken that this will not give me alignment issues until about 4 years, but will also be slightly disappointed if the latex doesn’t make it until then. Call me a princess, I suppose 
I also want to give a HUGE shout out to Ken and Arizona Premium Mattress (mattresses.net)! He was very personable and patient with me (as I clearly am one to ask a billion questions). I think I emailed him a few too many times within a 24 hour period, but he treated me with kindness and respect as he walked me through each question. He even went out of his way to go measure the height of the adjustable base for me to make sure that the bed will be the height I wanted! I feel secure in my decision to purchase from him and am very excited about my mattress arriving next month.
I will come back and post an update once I receive the mattress.
Thank you again for all of your help Phoenix!
Hi cbear08.
Congratulations on your new mattress! :lol: You certainly made a great quality/value choice.
I am glad that Ken found an “out of the box” solution to accommodate your needs and preferences, (Thanks for your appreciation towards his many efforts to understand and work with your unique situation)
The hardest part now is the waiting time until you’ll receive your new mattress and actually be able to sleep on it.
I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback once you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.
Phoenix