Hi lissahurch,
Welcome … and I’m glad you found us 
[quote]Anyway, by this point, my husband was over mattress shopping, so it was just my kid and me picking them out. I lay on various configurations for 15 minutes at at time and found one that seemed particularly comfortable, but it was tough to get my four-year-old to help me test how much support the mattress was really giving, and doing any assessment re: spinal alignment was pretty much impossible with just a kid in tow.
With that in mind–my pick for my hubby and me:
Soft (2")
Firm (3")
X firm (3")
I think I read somewhere on your site that you don’t recommend a soft top layer, and also that you suggest a top layer of at least 3". Does this sound like a workable compromise since the layer is thinner?[/quote]
I’m not sure where you read that I don’t recommend a soft top layer or any specific thickness or combination of layers for any particular person because that’s certainly not the case and I don’t make any specific comfort recommendations at all. What I do recommend is any combination of layers that your own careful and objective testing indicates is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). I can’t feel what you feel or see you on the mattress and there are far too many unknowns, variables, and preferences involved for anyone to recommend any specific combination based on “specs” (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can be as effective as your own careful and objective testing. If you aren’t able to test a mattress in person then the “next best” way to make your choice would be a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced manufacturer who will know more about their mattresses and have more experience with “matching” the options they have available with different body types and sleeping styles than anyone else … including me (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
It’s a shame that you couldn’t test the mattress with both of you on it because two people sleeping on a mattress can change how if feels and performs for both which is why I suggest in the testing guidelines that both of you test a mattress together. If this isn’t possible though then you would be reliant on the “best combined judgement” of you and Flexus and on your actual sleeping experience once you receive the mattress and sleep on it. If “best judgement” doesn’t turn out to be as ideal for either of you as you hoped for then the advantage of a component design is that you still have the option to rearrange or exchange your layers for different firmness levels after a purchase so you can fine tune the mattress if that turns out to be necessary.
I’m always happy to speak to the quality of the materials (and as you probably know latex is among the highest quality and most durable materials in the industry) but choosing a mattress that is the best match in terms of PPP is always be up to careful and objective testing or more detailed conversations with a knowledgeable and experienced manufacturer.
[quote]My pick for my son (who’s not picky…but we’d like this bed to last him till he’s at least 18, plus work for guests):
Soft (2")
Medium (3")
X-firm (3")[/quote]
Post #2 here includes links to the better forum posts and topics about mattresses and children but if I was choosing a latex mattress for a younger child I would probably choose two 3" layers in the range of firm and medium (or soft if they were smaller or lighter) because this would certainly be enough thickness for them and then after they were more mature and started to develop more and put on more weight then I would add another layer as a topper if it was necessary. Of course the extra 2" of soft latex would probably work better for most adult guests so if that is a primary consideration then it would probably make a good “dual purpose” choice.
[quote]The rep I talked to at Flexus said he’d have to check on the ILDs but I haven’t heard back yet on that. They did say we have 30 days to switch the layers around,
We also plan to get the foundations they sell and standard latex (not shredded) pillows.
We negotiated a slightly better price b/c I told them I could pay cash. Am I crazy?[/quote]
I think that makes good sense and it doesn’t sound crazy to me at all. I think you are making a great quality and value choice.
The ILD’s of the layers aren’t particularly important because knowing them won’t change how you felt on the mattress and your body will tell you much more than any “comfort specs” if you are testing a mattress in person.
I think that you may have been dealing with a part time or “fill in” employee that may not have been as knowledgeable while their regulars were either out or had a day off because they would normally know the ILD range of their layers and their exchange period is 90 days not 30 (see here).
I think you are making a great quality/value choice and if you are comfortable with the firmness and design of the layers you are choosing (and your husband is willing to take the risk that what works well for you will also work well for him) then the worst case would be that it doesn’t work as well as you hoped for in “real life” when you sleep on it and you have to use your built in “backup plan” of of rearranging or exchanging layers so you can do any additional “fine tuning” that is necessary.
I think that other than not testing the mattress together that you did well and assuming that you pull the trigger … congratulations on your new mattress :).
Phoenix
).