Hi everyone, I’m currently in the process of getting a new mattress (queen size just for myself). I’m also planning on getting the DreamCloud’s Adjustable Bed Frame to help me get off of stomach sleeping.
Some of my stats - male in mid twenties, 5’9", and I weigh around 160-165 lbs. I’m a combo sleeper, and the main sleeping position that I take up depends on the mattress .However, I rarely fall asleep on my back, which I want to address. I also sleep very hot, and I’m really looking for a mattress that will keep me cool. I also have some shoulder problems (stiffness or slight pain from lifting).
From about 10-22 I slept on a traditional box spring pillow top mattress. My sleep was always “ok” nothing crazy.
The last couple of years I’ve been sleeping on a Tempurpedic that I got from my grandfather. For some reason I can only fall asleep on my stomach in this bed, and it sleeps really hot. I wouldn’t say it’s comfortable, and based on my experience with the bed I can say that I don’t enjor memory foam.
I’ve slept on a twin purple mattress (Purple 1) at my parent’s house the past 4-5 days and it has been fairly nice, however, there is not much support when I stomach sleep and as a result I tend to sleep on my side.
I’ve been researching into latex and latex hybrid mattresses. They seem to have a nice blend of a support and breathability, but I’ve never slept on a latex mattress before. I also recently went to a Mattress firm to try out a latex hybrid that they had on show to get a feel for latex. The bed was comfy, it was 1" of Talalay latex over pocketed coils with a wool/cotton top. Compared to the mattress brands that I’ve found here, it seems that the Kingsdown mattress was really overpriced, and had less quality material as well. I also tried out the Purple Hybrid 3 at the MattressFirm too, which was comfortable.
So far I’ve been looking into the following beds/brands online:
Luma - all natural hybrid and all natural latex. I was considering the 3" Talalay topper in medium
Arizona Premium - Hybrid and all latex. I was considering the 3" Talalay topper as well.
Flobeds - 12" deluxe. I was intrigued by there egg-carton topper and was wondering if anyone can comment on their experience with it (is it similar to purple grid due to the egg carton structure?). From their survey I picked a medium bed.
Nolah - Nolah Natural 11. Seems like an overall solid mattress, but doesn’t offer the ability to swap out any of the latex.
Purple Hybrid 3. I enjoyed this mattress when I tried it at the MattressFirm. My concerns are that I won’t like it 2-3 months down the road (I’ve seen some reviews of people not liking their purple after some time). Similar to Nolah, there’s no flexibility in the topper.
I’m having a tough time deciding between a latex, latex hybrid, and purple mattress. If anyone here has any advice / guidance that would be great!
Hi blackdog578.
Welcome to our Mattress Forum. 
It sounds like you’ve already done quite a bit of thinking and research about what you want and need from a mattress.
The issue we tend to hear from Purple users is that the material starts sagging shortly after use. It’s possible this wouldn’t be your experience, but I’ve rarely come across someone who is still sleeping comfortably on their Purple mattress 2 - 3 years later.
Because sleeping cooler is important to you, I’d lean towards a hybrid model. All foam doesn’t offer the same breathability.
It’s my understanding that Purple actually uses buckling column gel so the feel and overall experience would be quite different.
The other mattresses you mention are all great in terms of durability. It really comes down to a choice between great, great, great and great. Ultimately it will come down to your preference for having a “swappable” layer and any other differences in the materials (such as the covers) that you lean more strongly towards.
You mentioned wanting to stop stomach sleeping. Is there any particular reason for that?
NikkiTMU
Thanks for the reply! I was actually able to recently try out a few latex mattresses at an Avocado and Saatva showroom. It was my first time on a latex mattress and they were all really nice. I also found that, after sleeping on a Tempurdic the past few years, I really enjoy any mattress that isn’t too plush (anything above from 5.5-7.5 on the firmness scale).
I’m leaning more towards the Nolah mattress since the current price ($1200 for a queen with labor day sale) seems really great given the materials used to make the mattress.
I was also considering getting the Avocado Eco since it felt great too and I was considering buying the egg-crate 2" topper from flobeds separately.
I notice that Nolah and Avocado aren’t in the Trusted Members. I was wondering if you or anyone else has any knowledge with the quality of these two companies? It looks Avocado and Nolah both use a great set of materials when making the bed (organic wool, cotton, and natural latex), and the Avocado mattresses seamed to have a good build quality when I tested them out. I was wondering if you or anyone else reading this has any long term experiences with the two brands.
Also for the Talalay latex topper (if I choose the avocado mattress) is there any noticeable difference between an egg-crate topper for the talalay latex? I noticed that I can buy a regular 2" talalay latex topper from Latex Mattress factory (with a cover) for about $100 less or from Arizona Premium (with cover) for about $200 less.
Also, I want to consistently back-sleep just for general back and shoulder health. I’ve had a few shoulder injuries from lifting, and sleeping on my stomach sometimes aggravates them. I just have a tough time falling asleep on my back, and I was planning on getting an adjustable base to help with this.
Thanks for the help!
Hi blackdog578.
I’m glad you were able to test some mattresses in person. It’s always nice when we’re able to get that and gather some data points with actual testing!
I agree that the Nolah and Avocado mattresses look like great options. They’re not Trusted Members simply because they haven’t applied to be, and therefore haven’t been through our interview process to determine if our goals ultimately align in terms of industry knowledge, customer service, component transparency, etc. I haven’t heard much about Nolah so I can’t speak to their company as a whole or their practices (Yelp and the BBB may be able to give you some insights in terms of customer support). Avocado seems to be great in terms of transparency!
As for the topper, are you asking about a difference between two egg crate toppers or an egg crate vs solid topper?
NikkTMU