I’ve narrow my mattress search down to two choices thanks to this amazing site! Using the recommended manufacturers in the cleveland, oh area, hear is what I’m considering.
The origional mattress factory has a latex bed called “serenity” which is a two sided latex bed. It has a foam core with 3" of latex on each side. The latex is a 60/40 blend of natural talalay/ synthetic latex. Different firmness levels are not offered. The owner of the cleveland store spent a considerable amount of time on the phone with me and was extremely helpful answering questions and explaining things. He said that they feel that this latex combination offers the most value as well as durability to customers. Cost is 2039.00 for king mattress only.
The second option is from a manufacturer in Amish county called rainbow bedding. They have also been extremely helpful in answering questions and explaining what they offer. They offer a “perfect choice” line which is unique in that it is an innerspring mattress with a detachable topper of your choice. The innerspring mattress uses 12 1/2 gauge offset coils, and the latex topper would be 3" of natural Dunlop latex in either 55, 75, or 95 firmness. This bed is one sided, and it was explained to me that it would be reasonable to expect to get 10-12 years out of the latex topper, it would then be possible to simply remove the topper (Velcro) and replace with a new topper for approximately half the price of the original bed. Was explained it would be reasonable to expect 25 years out of innerspring mattress under “normal use”. Cost of this mattress only in a king is 1599.00.
Hoping to get feedback from anyone regarding these two options. I realize comfort and support would be the major deciding factor between the two but assuming my wife and I find both to be comfortable does one stand out in terms of value and durability? Foam core vs innerspring core is obviously quite a difference. Are there any other questions I should ask or things I should consider when deciding which mattress to purchase?
Both of the mattresses you are considering use high quality and durable materials that exceed the minimum quality/durability guidelines here and there are no lower quality materials or “weak links” in either of them that would be any cause for concern in terms of durability.
There is more about the 3 most important parts of “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).
Assuming that they are both a good “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) and aren’t on the edge of being too soft (see post #2 here) then it would be reasonable to expect that both of them would last for 10+ years (I consider anything over 10 years to be “bonus time”).
The OMF Serenity latex is two sided which can extend the life of a mattress compared to mattress that uses the same materials but only has comfort layers on one side of the mattress … assuming that you turn and rotate it on a regular basis (see post #3 here)
The Rainbow bedding mattress would also be a very durable choice and as they mentioned having a separate mattress/topper combination has the advantage of being able to replace just the topper without replacing the entire mattress if it softens or breaks down before the base mattress (which is very likely because the upper layers of a sleeping system tend to soften or break down before the deeper layers or components) and it would also give you the option of changing the topper for a firmer or softer version if your needs or preferences change over time.
An innerspring will be more “springy” than the OMF Serenity latex and if you sleep with a partner you may find that it transfers more motion as well. If you are used to sleeping on an innerspring then it may also have a more “familiar” feel that you are already used to but the only reliable way to know whether one of them will be a better “match” for you than the other one in terms of PPP (which is the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase) will be based on your own careful testing and personal experience.
Once you have narrowed down your options to a list of finalists that are all choices between “good and good” and none of them have any lower quality materials or “weak links” in their design relative to your weight range (which they don’t) and if there are 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 suitable choice and post #2 here can help you make a final choice based on your local testing or mattresses you have slept well on, your more detailed conversations about each of them, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, your preferences for different types of materials and components, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress or individual layers, 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.