I have been looking online and in stores for a new mattress. We are currently sleeping on an Original Mattress Factory plush pillowtop. I am 160lbs 5’9" and my wife is 5’8" 150lbs. We are both side and back sleepers. I wake every morning with an ache all over, and my wife is 14 weeks pregnant. Because of my research I would like a latex mattress. I also laid on one in a store about 8 years ago and loved it. My main problem thus far has been finding a place to test out what ILD’s we need. I found this online Gold Bond 936ECOTOUCHK EcoSense Latex Series King Size Mattress | Appliances Connection but am worried that it will be too soft. I was also looking into foambymail thinking they might be too hard. Anyway I travel for work sometimes and wake up feeling better in hotels that my own bed. I am very ready to have a quality mattress in my own home. I would be willing to spend more $$. However the aforesaid options seem to be a great value.
Any thoughts greatly appreciated.
We almost bought this http://www.sleepys.com/en/Simmons-Beautyrest-Legend-Plush-Mattress_61689/ if it helps with our comfort zone.
The memory foam mattresses at sleepys were all to firm for my back, as I had slight lower back pain laying on them
Hi shawnprooney,
There are a few steps that you can take that dramatically increase the odds you will make the best possible choices when you are buying a mattress.
The first of these is finding better outlets which can be even more important than choosing a mattress. No matter how good the quality or value of a mattress … if it doesn’t fit your needs and preferences then it has no value to you.
The best suggestions I can make is to first do a little reading to help you avoid the most common traps and pitfalls of mattress shopping. This article will help you with this. Next … I would read this article which will give you a sense of what to look for when choosing the outlet you are buying from. Finding outlets that have the knowledge and ability to tell you what is in their mattresses and also to help educate you in how to make the choices of materials (and latex is a great choice), layering, and design that best fits your needs for pressure relief and alignment and your preferences in feel and subjective choices and tradeoffs. This can be an even more important first step than choosing a mattress without really knowing how to make your best choices.
Reading the overviews in the mattresses section can also give you some basic information that will help you ask better questions and know when you are dealing with someone who is “mattress people” or someone who is more about marketing and selling you a mattress that helps their profit margin more than it helps you sleep.
In general the best choices are factory direct manufacturers or smaller “sleep shop” types of outlets that have close relationships with smaller independent or local manufacturers. If you are buying online … then you will be dealing with “averages” because you won’t have the ability to test the mattress you are considering and you will be subject to the knowledge and skill of the person you are dealing with. Local testing in these cases in combination with working with someone who knows how to “translate” your height/weight/body shape, sleeping positions, personal preferences, and the local testing you have done into the best choice of mattress that they make or sell can be very important.
Gold Bond is an old independent manufacturer that makes some high quality mattresses with good value (including the one you linked to) but knowing whether a particular mattress is suitable for you is more important than just the quality/value of a mattress.
There are some great choices in Connecticut and post #2 and 4 here (depending on where you are in Connecticut) would be a good place to start. A search on “Connecticut” will also bring up other threads with feedback about some of these options from other forum members. One of our members … “nissanman” has also been doing some research in Connecticut and has posted some great feedback and a search on his posts would also be valuable. matpro171 has also provided some good feedback.
This should give you lots of great options and best of all the kind of guidance and help that will lead to making your best choices. the more the people who are helping you know … the less you have to know 
Phoenix
Thank you for your prompt reply and general wealth of knowledge. I found that searching for information on this site was easy and very helpful. I just purchased this mattress online Gold Bond 936ECOTOUCHK EcoSense Latex Series King Size Mattress | Appliances Connection
Although somewhat of an impulse buy. I feel much better than if I had spent twice as much at sleepys. I would very much liked to have tried out more latex in the store. However I am ready for a new mattress. I have been to 4 stores, none of which had a full latex. I chose this option over foam by mail b/c the ILDs seem softer. I plan on following up and posting my experience for others like myself. From my research I found that foambymail.com was a touch hard for some and to add a soft topper would have added significantly to the price.
I wanted to say that overall I am very displeased with the mattress business. I have found that latex has incredible reviews when compared to other mattress types. However mattress suppliers do not make it available to the public at a fair price. I feel that this is a case where capitalism is truly evil. It seems that the innerspring cheap foam mattresses have such a ridiculous markup, that latex even though a superior product, is hidden from the consumer. Maybe there is something that I missed, but I think mattress pushers are selling you an uncomfortable night sleep, just so you will continue to come back for more. This type of greed is just wrong. I used to think car salesman were the devil. Mattress pushers are however far more evil. Anyway that is my rant.
Also, after I ordered the mattress I called applianceconnection and talked them into giving me an additional $25 off.
Hi shawnprooney,
Congratulations on your new mattress
As you mention … it is certainly higher quality and better value than most of the choices you would have had at more mainstream outlets. This is actually one of the Ecosleep mattresses that they distribute in the Eastern part of the US. I hope it works and is suitable for your needs and preferences when you have had the chance to sleep on it
I also think you did much better than you would have done by ordering anything at FBM. With a purchase that is as important as a mattress and which can affect our wellbeing for many years … I would not take the risk of ordering questionable or unknown materials from a place that doesn’t disclose the real specs of what they sell. Post #2 here includes some of my thoughts about them and a forum search on FBM will bring up more.
I certainly share this thought about the “mainstream” industry although I’m not sure I would have used the same terms to describe it
There are also many great manufacturers and outlets though that are often “hidden” in the noise of advertising and marketing and for those who take the time there are always better options than most people end up finding out about (which is of course the reason for this website).
Thanks for your comments and feedback.
Phoenix