To anyone in or familiar with the Toronto/GTA mattress market:
I’ve read probably every forum post here when it comes to latex mattress shopping in Toronto. I’ve called or been to a good chunk of the retailers (Dormio, Soma, Ideal, Sleepworks, Dreamtime, Factory Mattress) but here’s my problem:
The retailers that have the showroom inventory, which allows you to test out many combinations of latex layering and firmness, all have the high retail prices ($2k to $4k). Obviously this makes sense since they have more overhead (and more ability to price gouge).
The factory direct retailers have the cheaper prices ($800-$1600) however you can’t test out anything. They may have one sad looking latex layer sitting on a floor somewhere among the coil mattresses, but that’s about it. Sure, they can build you whatever you ask for, however I feel that’s super risky to buy a bed without ever having laid on it.
So, are there any suggestions out there? Are these my only two options: pay more to remove the risk or pay less and roll the dice? Are there any factory direct priced retailers in the Toronto area that would have the ability to allow you to test the mattress first?
I’m guessing you’ve seen this but just in case … the Toronto list is in post #1 here.
I’m not personally familiar with the market but the most effective approach to “sort through” a cluttered or diverse market like Toronto would be to do most of your initial research on the phone to find out what each of them has available on their floor for testing that meets the criteria you are looking for so you can focus on the ones that have a wider selection that is in your budget range.
I am in exactly the same position, experiencing the same problems. I have visited a few of the companies you mentioned and had the same outcomes. I am test driving a mattress at the moment and am finding it to firm, which has pushed me into the market again. Planning a visit to Foamite in Vaughn where perhaps we might find a comfortable mattress in a reasonable price range (although it will not be entirely latex). If you find any other leads keep us in the loop. I will do so also.
Tizzy, you mentioned that you’re test driving a mattress now. Did you buy one and are now returning it? If so, which retailer is allowing that?
And thanks Phoenix. I have a couple more to call but the trend isn’t looking good. The cheaper options just don’t have the variety in their showroom for me to test. From going to Soma and Dormio, my wife and I were able to determine that we like a 6" firm under a 4" soft, both in Dunlop (retail between $2600 - $3300) however when I asked about the ILD’s, the guy at Dormio mentioned that it’s tougher with Dunlop to give an ILD because of the way Dunlop is processed. Something about the density at the bottom of the initial slab is higher than at the top so it depends on where you slice each layer from. Not sure if that was just a line or not though.
Anyway, so I can easily ask a factory direct guy for 6" firm on 4" soft with a quote of $1500, however there’s no way of knowing what ‘firm’ is or ‘soft’ is. Sigh.
I’ll keep you posted as to what we find and ultimately end up doing.
This is correct. Latex ILD’s are not exact and with Dunlop especially they can vary across the surface of the layer, from top to bottom, and as he mentioned the overall density also depends on where the layer was cut from the original molded core. You can read a little more about ILD’s with latex in post #4 here.
I’m not sure what size you are looking at but if you were able to find a mattress made with 10" of 100% natural Dunlop with a wool quilted cover in even a queen size … and if it was also a good match for you in terms of PPP … you would be doing very well.
Hi, sorry for the delay in replying. We bought a queen size Novos Bed/Sonata model. They have a very generous trial/return policy.
We still are not sure if we are going to return the mattress or try a 3" latex topper.
So the plan is one more day of mattress testing on Tues. Hoping to hit Foamite, Dormeo, Ideal, and just to really confuse us Ton furniture. I am going to make notes and then come home and make a decision. Do you have any other ideas?