I’ve been perusing this site for the past few days and have more information on mattresses than I thought possible, so first and foremost, thank you. I’ve narrowed my mattress options down to two: Dreamfoam bedding Ultimate Dreams Aloe Alexis and Arizona Premium Mattress Natural Talalay with Bamboo cover. Dreamfoam seems to have a bit more flexible return/exchange policy as far as not having to pay a fee as long as it’s done within the initial test period. While that is certainly attractive it’s my understanding the Dreamfoam latex is blended as opposed to natural. Additionally, I know it’s not truly comparing apples to apples since the Aloe Alexis isn’t an entirely latex mattress as there is a polyfoam core. Both companies have been very helpful over the phone, but I’m looking for some outside input, particularly from anyone that owns either of these mattresses.
I know that a mattress is individual to the owner and you cannot per se recommend one over another, but my quest ions are as follows: is the benefit of a completely latex mattress substantial over a 6 - inch latex mattress with polyfoam? And as far as natural vs. blended talalay, how significant is the advantage healthwise? The price point between the two is comparable so that’s not as much of a factor. My husband and I are both under 150lbs and he is a combination sleeper while I tend to favor my stomach. I’d like to note that Dreamfoam mentioned a mattress life of 7-12 years while Arizona suggested a 20 year life expectancy. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular store or business can certainly be very helpful … I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress so I would be very cautious about about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).
It’s also very unlikely that any of the members here have any extended experience on both of the mattresses you are considering and would be able to tell you how they compare but even if they did they may have different versions of each mattress and their experience on both mattresses and their thoughts about how they compare in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP may be very different from your own.
There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
While nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
There is also more about an all latex mattress vs a latex/polyfoam hybrid in post #2 here and there is also more about the benefits of the Alexis that has two layers of latex vs a mattress that only has a single layer of latex in post #2 here.
Both of the mattresses you are looking at use high quality materials and there are no lower quality materials or weak links that would compromise the durability or useful life of either of them relative to any weight range.
Dreamfoam and Arizona Premium Mattress are also both members of this site which means that I think very highly of both of them and that I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency. I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to purchase a mattress from either of them.
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
A good online retailer or manufacturer will generally suggest a mattress that they honestly believe has the best chance of success based on the information you provide them when you talk to them on the phone because this is in both your own and their best interests but again at the end of the day the only way to know for certain whether any specific mattress is a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP will be based on your own careful testing and/or your own personal experience so if you can’t test a specific mattress in person then the options you have available after a purchase to either exchange the mattress or individual layers or components or return the mattress for a refund (and any costs involved) would generally become a more important part of your personal value equation just in case a mattress you purchase doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for.
While some mattress materials may be “safer” than others … I wouldn’t consider any mattress to be “healthy” because unlike food or exercise which have direct and specific health benefits … any health benefits with a mattress come from how well you sleep on it rather than directly from the mattress itself or the materials inside it. There is more about the factors that can affect healthy sleeping in post #4 here.
The only reliable way to to assess the “safety” of different materials in more general terms is based on lab tests and the certifications they have for harmful substances and VOCs so that you have some assurance than the VOCs are below the testing limits for the certification (see post #2 here for more information about some of the more reliable “safety” certifications). If the materials in a mattress or the mattress itself has a reliable “safety” certification then for most people they would certainly be “safe enough” … regardless of the type of material or the name of the manufacturer on the label.
All the latex you are likely to encounter (either Dunlop or Talalay that is made with either natural or synthetic rubber or a blend of both) will have a reliable certification such as Oeko-Tex, Eco-Institut, Greenguard Gold or C2C and based on actual testing I would consider any type or blend of latex to be a very “safe” material in terms of harmful substances and VOC’s (offgassing) … it’s certainly not the only “safe” material.
Having said that … there are differences between the feel and performance of different types and blends of latex and there is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here.
While there is no way to specifically quantify how long any mattress will last for a specific person or predict exactly when they will decide to replace it because it is no longer suitable or comfortable for them to sleep on (because this is the only real measure of durability or the useful life of a mattress that really matters) and because there are too many unknowns and variables involved that are unique to each person … if a mattress is well inside a suitable comfort/support range and isn’t close to the edge of being too soft when it is new (see post #2 here) and you have confirmed that it meets the minimum quality/durability specs relative to your BMI range that are suggested in the durability guidelines here then it would be reasonable to expect a useful lifetime in the range of 7 - 10 years. With materials that just meet the minimum guidelines (in the upper layers in particular) it would be reasonable to expect the lower end of the range and with higher quality and more durable materials like latex or higher density memory foam or polyfoam (again in the upper layers especially) it would likely be in the higher end of the range or even longer and the chances that you would have additional “bonus time” or even “extended bonus time” beyond that would be higher as well.
I would also keep in mind that mattress warranties only cover manufacturing defects in the materials and components in a mattress and don’t cover foam softening and the gradual loss of comfort and support in the materials and components over time (or more rapid in the case of less durable materials) that would be normal for any mattress and which is the most likely reason that someone would need to replace their mattress. They also don’t cover visible impressions that are less than the warranty exclusion. In other words warranties have little to do with the durability or useful life of a mattress or how long it may be until you you are no longer sleeping well on a mattress and need to buy a new one. If there is an actual defect in the materials it will usually show up early in the life of the mattress but knowing the quality and durability of the materials in your mattress is always a much more reliable way to assess the durability and useful life of a mattress than the length of a warranty. There is more about mattress warranties in post #174 here.
Once you have narrowed down your options to a list of finalists that are all choices between “good and good” and you have confirmed that none of them have any lower quality materials or “weak links” in their design relative to your weight/BMI range and you have talked with each of them and there are still no clear winners between them (which is usually a good indication that you have done some good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a reasonable choice and post #2 here can help you make a final choice based on any local testing you have done, your more detailed conversations with each of the online options you are considering, your personal preferences, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress (or individual layers in some cases) and any costs involved, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
You are certainly looking at two very good options and I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding.