In search of an all latex mattresses to try in the nashville, tn area. There seems to be no vendors who have a display in their showroom. Most of the salesclerks no little about real latex and don’t care to discuss this. If a latex mattress has a duvet(pillowtop), will it be firmer than a standard in the same ild. This industry seems to be trying to hide under their mattress covers, and won’t take the time to look up specs. Thanks
Hi rupert,
This is unfortunately very true … especially if you are dealing with major brands or most of the mass market retailers or chain stores. They don’t really care about the quality of what they sell and their sales are based on “showroom feel” which of course won’t last long if the materials inside are low quality.
The firmness of a layer depends on the ILD of the latex whether it’s in a pillowtop or a tight top. How soft or firm it feels will also be modified by the layers that are above or below it. While a pillowtop can use any type of foam … this type of construction provides more independent movement at the edges (the edges are not directly attached to the mattress) so a pillowtop can feel a little softer than if the same layer was inside the mattress itself. I would make sure that any pillowtop didn’t contain more than an inch or so of lower quality foam but if the pillowtop uses high quality foam in it then it would be fine. You will also find foam used in a quilting layer with or without a pillowtop (this is not usually latex) and in this case the quilting can make the foam firmer and the tighter the quilting pattern the firmer the quilted foam will feel.
some of the better options and possibilities in the nashville area i’m aware of are in post #7 here.
Phoenix
I did not explain the topper question. I am asking about the actual feel of the raw latex( pillowtop vs. standard) that latexco makes. Nashville mattress retailers care only about profit. None of the names on your list produce or sell an all latex bed except Jamison. However, even that manufacturer cannot tell me of a local retailer that has a display. What I find missing in a lot of these posts is the concern about shipping. To have a complete queen mattress shipped from states away will be several hundred dollars and if it’s not what you want the return is even more. Only mattresses.net seems to be upfront about this issue. I really need to try something out locally first and only then order online if necessary. The consumer is going to pay for shipping somehow; even if it’s advertised as free. These items are overweight and oversized, bad combination. Could anyone in Tennessee help me find some all latex beds to try? Thanks
Hi rupert,
I’m not sure I’m clear on your question but the “feel” of “raw latex” if you take the layer by itself will depend on the type of latex and on its ILD. A pillowtop is a type of mattress construction that can use any type of material the mattress manufacturer may choose rather than a specific material. Latexco makes and sells latex but not “pillowtops” (which is a type of mattress construction not a type of layer).
If you mean a type of latex that is fabricated in a certain way (such as being convoluted like this, with sculpted ridges or channels like this or having “bumps” or “pillows” on the surface such as this or like this … then these will be softer than the same type and ILD of latex that uses a solid layer of the type of latex in the same ILD (whether they were in a pillowtop or any other layer or type of mattress construction) because there is less material to compress until you reach the solid part of the layer.
Jamison has a retail outlet finder here and then a few phone calls can let you know which models each retailer carries.
Shipping varies widely between different online retailers and manufacturers and is of course part of the purchase price of a mattress that needs to be taken into account. Return or exchange costs of either layers or a mattress can also vary widely depending on the retailer or manufacturer (from free to minimal cost to much higher costs) and all of this is part of each person’s personal value equation (see post #46 here which is also linked in many other posts on the forum) which would play a role in which mattress they buy and which retailer or manufacturer they choose to work with. I don’t have a “concern” about this as much as I would hope people take any differences into account so that they are comparing all the different benefits, risks, and options between different mattresses and merchants that they are considering.
I think that you will find that most better manufacturers or retailers will be very upfront with this issue even though their policies and how they pay for shipping may vary widely. Some include it in the price of a mattress and others add it as an extra. Every “benefit” of a mattress though is part of what a consumer pays for and part of its “value”.
In addition to the sources listed in the Nashville list (some of which do make all latex mattresses) … you may also want to call any of the retailers that are listed on the Pure Latex Bliss retail finder or on the Natura retail finder as both of these also make all latex mattresses.
Phoenix
Arizona mattress has a latexco topper that comes from a duvet mold that the retailer describes as pillowtop. I repeat this is raw latex produced this way being sold by one of your members. Maybe they are selling something that has been altered after the mold or I don’t understand what their describing. This search has been going on awhile and I have called these companies myself. I need an all latex mattress that needs at least a 3" layer on top for side-sleepers and body weight. I can’t find a single example of this in Nashville after extensive searching. You reference to a poster names hendricks, who never responds about what they found. Nashville is a dead zone for all latex mattresses, I don’t know why, since it has shown little slowdown during the recession. The retailers here only want to carry the popular brands that sell to most consumers. Southerland does not produce an all latex mattress. Fluffo is out of business. DutchMaid has no latex. Jamison has only 1 all latex mattress and according to corporate, they can’t even find a display for me to try. Natura has a retailer that is 150 miles, oneway from me in Alabama. Do you see the reason I say Nashville is a dead zone and it seems like I will have to order online for a product I’ve never laid on. I not blaming anyone, it’s just the way it is here. I ask again; has any consumer found or purchased an all latex mattress in Nashville? Describing shipping as free is pure marketing BS and just clouds the buying experience when you are purchasing something that weighs over 100 lbs. and must be delivered by truck with 2 workers. It’s different than throwing in priority mail as a sales pitch. I not being negative but realistic; I was in the shipping business for 25 years. Thanks
Hi rupert,
I thought I had answered this in my last reply (I even linked to the specific topper you are mentioning). They describe it as having “pillows” not as a “pillowtop” (which is a specific type of mattress construction). It is apparently made with a specific mold that gives it its shape but different types of surface modifications can also be the result of fabrication after the layer is manufactured.
I called the first two retailers in the Nashville list here and both of them carry an all latex Jamison on their floor that could at least provide you with a sense of the feel of latex and if you call the others I believe you will find more examples of latex mattresses as well. Even latex hybrids which have latex in the top few inches of the mattress will give you some reference points for the feel of latex.
If you go through the list one at a time you will find some latex to test in or near Nashville.
I think (or at least would hope) that most people would realize that “free shipping” is part of the purchase price whether it is separated out or included in the purchase price. Either way … it needs to be included in the end price of a mattress for comparison purposes. I would just call this different pricing models. Manufacturers also don’t separate their margins from the purchase price either and yet this is also part of the cost of a mattress and included in the final price. In the same way … any return or exchange options are also factored into the final cost of a mattress. There are many manufacturers that ship separate layers or components through UPS that reduces the cost of shipping compared to truck freight (which would generally need two people for a complete mattress as you mentioned).
Phoenix
Sorry I missed the second link about the duvet topper only saw the first link. I am not getting any useful info from any local salespeople. They are doing what’s normal; just trying to sell what they carry on their floor. When I spoke to Farrar’s Furniture, Jack Farrar told me they do not have an all latex mattress. He is the owner and said they don’t have any demand for that and their a small store. I have called Jamison customer service at 615-228-2999 for 3 straight months asking for any local retailer with one of their all latex mattresses. They could not give me any, only a store in Huntsville, Al that I called and was told that they did not have an all latex mattress. I hope they could do better if someone had an issue. I will keep looking and hoping for someone to respond with personal experience. I did not go to the greenlife website in your list but it said their latex was aircured and not baked, could not get them on the phone. Is there such a type of latex? Englander of Mississippi does not produce all latex mattresses, manufacturer that supplies my area. Pure latex bliss (LI) no longer has a retailer in Nashville, I talked to their customer service yesterday. Maybe I will try one of their out of area stores. This is a time consuming task and I hope it’s worth it.
Found the most helpful information about true latex on arizonamattress.com There are descriptions and videos that really helped me to understand about this type of bed. I repeat, I need to try latex before buying; it’s just smart. I have used memoryfoam and will not buy another. I still have not bought anything in 3 months of looking. Thanks for trying to help.
Hi rupert,
I called a few of the people on the list and there is certainly some all latex mattresses in and around Nashville.
I didn’t call them all but here are a few I found that are all latex (Except Jamison usually has a 2" layer of firm polyfoam on the bottom under the support and comfort layers which wouldn’t affect the feel of a latex core with latex comfort layers)
http://www.ofonashville.com/ All latex Jamison on their floor.
http://naturesgreenlife.corecommerce.com/Organic-Mattress/ Carries both all Talalay latex mattresses (from OMI) and all Dunlop latex mattresses (SleepTek) so you can feel the general differences between them
http://www.snoozecity.com/mattresssets.html ? All latex Jamison floor model for sale
http://www.europeanseating.com/ I wasn’t able to reach them on the phone but their site says they carry Pure Latex bliss which are all Talalay latex mattresses.
http://www.mattressinn.com/ has a Jamison all latex on their floor.
There are also others that carry latex hybrids (including http://www.farrarfurniture.com/WeSell.htm as you mentioned and http://www.mattressexpressnashville.com/ and http://www.bfmyersfurniture.com ) from various manufacturers which would let you test the “feel” of latex and would be useful for a reference point.
If you call the rest that I didn’t have a chance to call there may be even more.
Phoenix
hi there, I will share some frustration in trying to find a bed in a showroom that is all latex in the Nashville area. I’ve reach this and the related threads and cannot seem to locate any even after calling the suggested retailers. In shopping for Jamison, many of the salespeople are not aware that most of their “latex” beds have a non-latex core layer. Not that that’s bad necessarily, but it would be good for them to know the difference.
One retailer near me just switched out their Jamison lineup. while I am not certain everything they are carrying, they do have an Admiral that I am going to try out. Per their website, it has:
Comfort Layers
Luxurious recovering knit cover
Continental finish hides zipper under the mattress
Mattress Unit
One piece construction comprised of
2" Soft GL Talalay Latex
1" Medium Talalay Latex
3" Extra Firm Talalay Latex
6" Marriott High Resiliency Ultra Premimum Core
Jamison used to be specific about ILDs in their layers. I can surmise extra firm is 40ILD and Soft is 19ILD. No telling what Medium might be but they frequently use 24ILD in their stack.
Phoenix, can you offer an opinion how this bed might sleep. My wife and I are not small people… not morbidly so but likely require a bit more support than the average person. Mostly side and back sleepers. Thanks!
Hi packinmn,
I certainly agree with this. Even though both may be “suitable” for a specific person and both can be good “value” … a polyfoam base layer would certainly make a difference in the relative “value” of a mattress or in the ability to make meaningful comparisons between mattresses. I did make some calls to some of the merchants in the Nashville area list very recently when another member mentioned they were having difficulty tracking down an “all latex” mattress in the Nashville area and after asking specific questions about whether they carried any, the results are listed in my comments in post #8 here.
If they are going by the “firness ratings” of Latex International which is the source of their Talalay latex … then “soft” would be 24 ILD and extra firm would be 36 ILD. Medium would be 28 ILD.
Unfortunately there is no way for someone else to give you any meaningful opinions about how a mattress may sleep for any particular individual (in terms of pressure relief and support anyway) that would be more accurate than your own personal testing. If you tested a mattress that was similar to what I am assuming is the Prince here and described how it performed and felt in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) then I may be able to speculate how a mattress that was similar but had some differences may compare but without a reference point there are just too many variables involved except to say that it would be “in the range” of something that would be suitable for a heavier person. It would depend on how much someone of a specific body type and sleeping positions felt the firmness of the layers below the softer comfort layers (and also on whether the talalay GL was fast or slow response) which would vary from person to person. With 2" of soft Talalay over an inch of medium Talalay over 3" of extra firm Talalay it would feel firmer for example than say the Emperor here which has 4" of “soft” latex over an extra firm Talalay layer. Of course it would be easier to speculate about some of the preferences such as temperature regulation because Talalay is more ventilating and breathable than other types of foam and Talalay GL would be a small improvement over “regular” Talalay here as well but this doesn’t speak to how well it would relieve pressure or provide support for your specific body type and sleeping positions.
The key would be whether the comfort layer was thick and soft enough to provide good pressure relief in all your sleeping positions (along with secondary support that comes from filling in the gaps in your sleeping profile in all your sleeping positions) without being so thick and soft that your heavier parts were sinking down too far to keep you in good alignment.
I wish there was a way to be more accurate but your own testing will be much more accurate than any “theory at a distance” that I could offer.
Phoenix