Latexco double-sided in Birmingham and Sleep Harmony memory foam: what do you think?

Hi Phoenix
You helped identify for us the only local mattress manufacturer in Birmingham, “Royal Bedding” on Pelham Parkway and we checked it out. The proprietor was not there but the salesman was extremely straightforward (ie about 10x more reassuring than nearly everyone we have met to date) and 75% knowledgeable (not entirely, which is part of what I’m going to ask about).

Broadly speaking we liked their stuff better than the fare at the local department store (Simmons Beautyrest Black) and the Royal Bedding’s Memory Foam product (Sleep Harmony, which they distribute, ie don’t make in house) certainly costed less than Tempurpedic.

A couple questions, since the Latex and Memory Foam drew our interest. I’ll mention that I’m a side sleeper (155") with my typical problem being (a) my hip dips in too deeply and makes my back feel excessively torqued right at the place where the top of my butt meets the bottom of my back and (b) the side of my shoulder and the hip prominence get sore unless there’s a pretty thick “comfort layer”. In our current crappy indented Simmons I literally slide in thin and soft pillows to make up for the mattress defects. Every new mattress is a bit better on both scores, but many still are modestly uncomfortable after 10 minutes due to the torque on my back.

I liked the latex best but I’m going to ask about the 2 runners-up first.

In general the memory foam prevented my butt from sinking in too much.

One memory foam by Sleep Harmony was called Bliss (1499 Queen) with 6" ventilated memory foam (made out of 2 3" layers) sitting on top of 6" high density memory foam.
? Does the ventilation actually achieve a cooler mattress compared to the traditional Mem Foams that sleep hot? Seemed like it did, by the way. Price was wayyyyy lower than Tempurpedic ($1499 for Queen Bliss). Is this basically as good as the pricier T-pedic? I thought it was perhaps a bit too hard but pretty good.

Another one was called Sleep Harmony Revitalize with pillowtop. It was more comfortable but had much more complicated construction with less memory foam and my main question is whether you think it would hold up as well. From top to bottom: The Pillowtop itself was 1.5" “comfort foam” + 1" of 4-pound ventilated memory foam. Then the rest of it was 2’ of 4-pound memory foam, them 1.5" of synthetic latex then 8" of “high density base foam”. Sounds like a lot of polyfoam, right? I have no idea whether it’s quality is good or bad or what to ask even. Pricing was $1450.

The main attraction, and probably our favorite was the softer version of Royal Bedding’s home-constructed double-sided flippable latex mattress, the softer version which was $2199 queen. A few questions on that:

What do you think of Latexco latex? I guess this is their synthetic one (he handed me some printouts but they did not make it clear). The salesman had himself been reviewing some printouts off the internet about the 7-zone Latexco core (the “add file” button seems not to be working so I can’t show you but it is described here ).

Latexco is a synthetic product and not Talalay, and not Dupont. What do you think of it?

He could not tell me the ILD, but this is the construction: There is 12" total with 6" of “core” latex and 3" of some softer Latex on each side, and I believe these are all different types of Latexco latex product.

Given my sidesleeping style, do you think the 6 inch core and 3 inches comfort layer is likely to work out decently? I should mention that while I might even nudge to something a tad softer, my wife really tends toward something a tad firmer so I can’t go much further…

We don’t have any other local manufacturers here in Birmingham, so I’m leaning toward this.

thanks for looking at this and for passing along the name of Royal Bedding.

Hi Prohazard,

I think that personal testing would be far more effective than what I call “theory at a distance” in terms mf the suitability of any particular mattress but I’ll make a few comments about each of your choices in terms of things that may be worth paying attention to.

Glideaway/Sleep Harmony makes some good value memory foam mattresses and there are a few manufacturers that carry then instead of making their own and going through all the difficulties of prototyping and testing a mattress for the fire code. Comparing it to Tempurpedic though is a little difficult because the layering is different and I don’t know the density of the materials. If the foam quality (density) was the same in both the memory foam and the polyfoam support base … then they would be comparable but without the density numbers there is no way to know. I think that 6" of memory foam can be quite risky though … especially if part of it isn’t HD memory foam (7 or 8 lbs) and I would hesitate to choose any memory foam mattress this thick without some very careful testing. This is because memory foam can continue to sink over the course of the night and if you start off in alignment you could end up sinking in too far. Ventilation or hole punching memory foam will have some effect yes but by itself it may not be enough without other cooling factors (see post #6 here) especially with 6" of memory foam. Of course this will also depend on the person.

Again … without knowing the density of the layers in either mattress there really isn’t a way to know how it may compare in durability terms with another mattress. Polyfoam and memory foam density is the most important factor in it’s durability.

I had several conversations with Tom while he was designing and building this mattress and it was designed to appeal to a wide range of people and sleeping positions. I have to say I really like the design. It uses natural Dunlop (not synthetic) in all the layers and has soft Dunlop (legitimately low ILD) in the comfort layer and also more in the the quilting. Unless he has changed the specs … I believe the comfort layers are 2" on each side and then there is an extra 1/2 an inch or in that range (I can’t remember exactly) in the quilting. The fact that it is two sided is a “value bonus” and will make a very durable mattress last even longer.

Latexco is one of the two main suppliers of Latex in north America and they supply several types of Dunlop latex and Radium Talalay as well as their own soft Dunlop toppers which they make in North America. I think they are a high quality supplier.

Overall this is a very high quality mattress and would be a very good choice IMO if your testing indicated that you had the pressure relief and alignment that you needed. It would be very adaptable to a wide variety of people and sleeping positions.

While I can certainly be accused of being biased … there is no doubt which direction I would be going in terms of quality, value, and durability but of course each person has their own individual needs and preferences and your personal experience and how it feels to you should always be the deciding factor.

Hope this helps

Phoenix

Just to be perfectly clear Glideaway (Sleep Harmony) is not a manufacturer. The product is made by a Chinese Manufucturer and sold here under the Sleep Harmony brand- they will be on the tag as the importer or record. Its a promotional/entry to mid level product. Decent product but they are NOT a manufacturer of mattresses.

Hi JoeyTOB,

You are right about their Chinese origin (for their memory foam) and while Glideaway itself is an American company they use Sinomax for memory foam (which is one of the better Chinese foam manufacturers). Sinomax is a Chinese manufacturer that provides memory foam for many different “brands” of mattresses and generally uses memory foams in the 4 - 5.25 lb range (mid quality to higher quality). They are CertiPur certified* which means that unlike many Chinese memory foams … they have been tested to the same standards for harmful ingredients and offgassing as the American foam suppliers. If you talk with Glideaway you will also find that they are a private company that is very open and transparent about what they do and why they do it and focused on quality/value and not interested in a “race to the bottom” in terms of quality and price. They also don’t use anything under 2.0 lb base foam.

ADMIN NOTE: *Removed 404 link|Archived Footprint: certipur.us/pages/for-consumers/

Like you … I tend to prefer North American (or in my case some European) foam manufacturers for polyfoam and memory foam but the Certipur program (or others that are similar or even more stringent in terms of testing for safety such as Oeko-Tex) gives consumers a means to differentiate between the “unknown” quality and safety and the “better” quality and safety Chinese foams within the limits of the tests (which are publicly available here*). There is better and worse quality in all countries.

ADMIN NOTE:*Always check CertiPur site for the latest guidelines available

The polymer density of polyfoam or memory foam (the density before any “fillers” are added) is also the most important way of knowing the relative quality and durability of a polyurethane or viscoelastic foam.

Phoenix

Well I made 2 more trips to Royal Bedding and affirmed that there now are 2 latex “flippable” mattress. I’m not going to get this right but the original has something like 6 inches of core latex with 1.5 inches of comfort latex on either side

However version 2 has got 6 inches core latex and more like 3 inches of plush/comfort latex with the 3-inch laminate of latex applied on both side, which makes it flippable . For Queen, that’s $2199. That’s a lot, I know, but a lot less than the high-end beds in standard mattress show-rooms, where the actual content is layers of this and layers of that, which you barely understand.

The proprietor insisted to me that used “natural latex” and I even felt the stuff, which is quite a bit springier and buoyant under the fingerpoint than a regular foam. I don’t know if Dupont counts as Natural or if the report here that it’s Dupont is accurate. The proprietor did tell me that hte core Latex pad is “zoned” with varying ILD under the head and shoulders.

On whole we liked it enough to buy it. Our failing bed of the last 6 years was a Simmons with pillow top, I think. Must hve costed $1900 or $2000 and I know, every single time I take a hotel trip, that ANYTHING will be better than what we are living with. Still, I have a bit more hope that we truly found something special at Royal Bedding. Thanks

Hi Prohazard,

Thanks for the feedback and letting us know that they now have two versions (I haven’t talked with Tom the owner since shortly after he came out with the first one).

The type of latex is actually Dunlop (not Dupont which is a chemical company) which is a method of producing latex which can use either synthetic or natural latex but in this case they use natural (which is higher quality).

Any high end beds in mattress showrooms at this price point or even significantly higher would use much lower quality materials as you mention. For example … this Stearns and Foster so called “Luxury latex” is only one sided, uses less and much lower quality (and less expensive) synthetic latex, adds a lot of lower quality polyfoam in the mix, and is over 50% more.

You did indeed find “something special” that will last you several times as long as the Simmons and IMO you made a great choice!

Congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Ok I’m down to Jamison emperor 11" latex all the way through, both sides useable one side firm and the reverse side plush it can also be rotated. The cost is around 3000 delivered and set up.

Next would be royal bedding nature desire 13" latex all the way through, both sides useable but I assume not rotatable because of the 7 zones? Its setup the same on both sides and cost a little less but I’ve got to drive 2 hours to experience it in person then either ship by truck or bring back myself. I have an adjustable base so I don’t need the box spring. By the way I’m getting a king bed.

I Could only find a couple reviews about Jamison latex but not this model. They were not good reviews but again I couldn’t find this particular model.

I know that royal bedding uses latex co 7 zoned Dunlop latex,I assume this is a one piece but I’m not totally sure. I don’t think latex co uses fillers in their latex.

Jamison uses tallalay latex but doesn’t say who makes it, if its one piece and if it has fillers. Does anyone know who makes their latex?

I’m concerned about the durability of both, I do not want a bed that will get impressions or have sagging issues. I weigh 165 my wife 125.

Everyone talks about tallalay being better?? Thoughts?

Hi MikeK,

The zones are symmetrical so they can be flipped and rotated.

They use a 7 zone 6" core and then separate comfort layers using Puralux (continuous pour Dunlop) and there is also latex quilted to the cover. They are very transparent about all the materials they use in their mattresses and I think very highly of Tom and the mattresses he makes. I was fortunate to be one of his “sounding boards” as he was developing his line of latex mattresses. Latexco doesn’t use any fillers in their latex.

Jamison uses Latex International for their talalay latex. LI does use fillers in their Talalay latex.

Latex of any type is among the most durable foam materials and I would have no durability concerns about either mattress … especially with your weight. You can read a little more about the factors involved in the durability of a mattress in post #4 here (and the posts it links to). I think you will find though that the Royal bedding is better value overall and would be more durable because it is realistically two sided (rather than having two different sides) but of course which one your testing indicates is more suitable for you and any extra cost involved in driving to Royal Bedding may of course also play a role in your decision.

Talalay is certainly not “better” than Dunlop (or vice versa) IMO and most of the online comments that you find saying one or the other is 'better" are usually promoting the type of latex that they sell and only telling part of the story. They are just different versions of latex with a different “feel” and properties. Some people prefer one while others prefer the other. You can read a little more about the different types of latex in this article and in post #6 here.

Phoenix

Thanks for all your help. I have a couple of more questions.

What do you think about the pure latex bliss nature? It’s also made by Latex International and I assume that’s who makes the Jamison latex. I’m going to check out both the Jamison Monarch and the PLB Nature soon to compare them.

I’m disappointed that PUre Latex Bliss doesn’t have any type of return policy on this mattress but I can get a pretty good deal on this mattress. I’ve contacted PLB corporate about this with no luck. You would think a company that makes their own mattress and controls manufacturing would have a generous policy if they are wanting to compete with tempurpedic. Again I’m assuming Latex Int owns PLB. Unfortunately Royal doesn’t have a return policy either but would work with the same mattress to make it work but I’m 2 hours away from Royal. The Jamison has a 7 day (strict trade up) policy and basically you have to sleep on it with a plastic wrapper or mattress cover.

I can get the Nature delivered and save money over the Jamison Monarch which I’m comparing it to in terms of height and build. I can get the PLB at the same price of the Royal. The intriguing aspect of the Royal and the Jamison Monarch is you have a 2 sided mattress in both. This leads me to my next question.

If in the future I wanted to add a 2"-4" sleeping layer to the bottom of the PLB, is it possible to buy a one piece king 2’-4" latex comfort layer and mattress cover to add to the bottom side of the PLB giving me a 2 sided bed with 2 comfort layers. The cost saving over the monarch would allow me to do this in the future. I would want to incase this layer in nother mattress cover rather that just having it sit on top under the sheet. I’m not sure of the existing cover on the PLB but if you flip the mattress and it to the bottom and then put a cover on the Latex should stay in place, even if it’s not latex to latex but latex to existing mattress cover. The new mattress cover would also hold it in place.

Do you think some of these internet companies will sell me a mattress cover to go along with a topper if I buy one from them. In my research and looking at your reccommendations there are several reputable companies that sell these stacking layers and mattresses online.

Hi MikeK,

The quality of the materials in the PLB mattresses are good (Jamison also uses Latex international for it’s latex) but in many cases … even though Pure Latex Bliss is owned by Latex International … they are not in the same value range as similar mattresses made by smaller manufacturers. Both would certainly make a better choice than the larger mainstream manufacturers in most cases.

I think that many companies that sell PLB have an exchange policy but both an exchange policy and a return policy are built in to the cost of a mattress and you pay for it in one way or another. With a mattress that you can test in person so you know you like the feel and performance of the material and it’s only a matter of which design provides you with the best PPP … there’s really no reason for a return policy which only inflates the price of the mattress. It’s not difficult to “compete” with Tempurpedic (based on substance rather than advertising or marketing stories) when they charge such high prices for their mattresses … with or without a return policy. IMO … a return policy is important with an online purchase but not with a local purchase.

For me … the ability to test a mattress in person and a manufacturers ability to make adjustments to the mattress is far more valuable than a return policy. For a purchase that you will use for a decade (and probably longer) and that can have a bigger effect on your overall health and wellbeing than almost any other purchase you will make in that time … a 2 hour drive would be well worth it but of course each person has a different list of criteria that are most important to them.

If you were to do this I would probably add a separate topper to use on top of the mattress when it was “upside down” and not add it inside a new cover. I personally wouldn’t do this though unless you were absolutely certain that having a fairly thick softer layer on the bottom of a mattress that is specifically designed to be one sided didn’t compromise your support and alignment. I think this would be risky. When you make these kinds of big design changes to a mattress you may well be affecting more than you realize and what you are suggesting could easily have some very unpredictable results.

Yes … if you choose to go in this direction then post #4 here has a list of sources for mattress components including covers.

Phoenix

Just bought the lady lark from Jamison. It was the best value and for us and it had the best ILD combination. The bottom 2" of foam did not bother me since this got us up to 12" which is similar to our current mattress height. The 2" of 19, 2" of 21, and 6" of 44 ILD talalay seemed to work best for us. The very bottom is 2" of foam, im not sure the reasoning behind this and hopefully it wont effect the long term use of the bed. If it collapses so what i still have 10" of talalay latex? The monarch was 21 21 and 44 and after deciding the reverse side was two firm on the monarch it wasn’t worth the two sided price. The PLBliss was 21 24 36 and again was to firm. I would liked to have tried the 2 sided Dunlop with 7 zones from royal but in the end it wasn’t worth the drive since we found a mattress we both liked. If anyone is close to Birmingham go to this store Tom the owner was very knowledgeable and helpful. We sampled all the tempurpedic, the serta I comforts and a lot of latex combo’s and even the new European round foam inner cores but in the end the lady lark mattress was best for us. If one only slept in one position all night and never moved Then i would consider the Serta icomfort,but not moving in a bed is unrealistic. I will post my thoughts after some sleep on this bed. we take delivery next week.

Hi MikeK,

This is just a stabilization layer of very firm polyfoam to both protect the bottom of the mattress (and help keep the latex from sinking into any larger gaps in a foundation) and to add some stiffness to the mattress because latex by itself is very elastic and 'floppy". It won’t in any way collapse or affect durability because it’s much too deep in the mattress to be affected by the compression on the surface.

It sounds to me like you made a good quality/value choice based on some good research … and congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

I’m looking forward to any updates you care to share over time.

Phoenix

Ok I have about 3 days left on the trial for the lady lark. I’m a side and sometimes though very little back sleeper. I’m getting a good nights rest. I love the feel of the bed. My only concern is my left shoulder which I have issues with is sore in the mornings. My wife misses the pillow top because she is a stomach sleeper. We’ve ordered the 7 comforts latex topper made of the latex rods. I hope this makes her happy and maybe will help my shoulder. My concern is it won’t be here in time before my trial is up. My other concern is I hate to add a product to an expensive mattress to make it better. The lady lark is 19 , 19, 44. I’m really not sure what to do, I’m going to call today to try and extend the trial my only other options is to try the gl slow response. I don’t think it would be wise to stay with this mattress considering my bum shoulder hurts when I sleep on this one. I didn’t have this problem on the pillow top. Any advice?

Hi MikeK,

I would be very cautious about going any softer in an exchange because the Lady Lark has 4" of soft latex in the comfort layers which is already on the thick/soft side … especially for a stomach sleeper who normally need a thinner firmer comfort layer. Soft pillowtops are not usually suitable for stomach sleepers because of the risk of hyperextending the back and sleeping in a swayback position. Of course each person is unique but “averages” say that it would be very risky. The Seven Comforts will hopefully help give her the extra softness she is looking for (and is in effect a pillowtop for your mattress) and also help with your shoulder with a little less risk of the mattress causing back issues for you as well (your first post mentioned that you were prone to back issues on mattresses that were too soft which would not be unusual).

Your mattress will also soften to some degree which would help with your shoulder as well. It’s always much safer and more effective to “fine tune” a mattress that is a little too firm than the other way around because there is little you can do for a mattress that is too soft because you would either need to remove and replace the support layers for a firmer version or the comfort layers for something firmer or thinner. It’s also very possible that shoulder issues are pillow related as much as mattress related.

I don’t see anything unusual or undesirable in a mattress/topper combination as a sleeping system. Some of the best quality sleeping systems use this and it’s also commonly seen in hotel mattresses. It’s much easier to replace a topper than an entire mattress no matter how good the quality of the mattress may be and the topper will also add to the durability of the mattress under it… Component sleeping systems are more flexible than “all in one” mattresses if you need to make adjustments (which can involve just a layer instead of a whole mattress) or if your needs and preferences change down the road.

Phoenix

Thanks for your quick response. The dealer has agreed to let me keep the mattress longer at least until the 7 comfort arrives. Our pillow top was on the firmer side. We will see what the 7 comforts does. All the other latex mattresses in the store seemed too firm hence we picked the lady lark. I sleep on a thin 2-3" pillow and never had any shoulder irritation with this pillow before. I carry it every where, anything thicker will hurt my neck. I will keep up updated.

Hi MikeK,

Sometimes a new mattress can need a different pillow as well to keep your head and neck in good alignment (which can also affect upper body and shoulder issues) because you can sink in differently which can change the distance between your head and neck and the mattress.

I’m glad that you were able to extend your trial (and it makes sense because they as well as you would be hoping to avoid an exchange). I’m looking forward to hearing about how the Seven Comforts works for you.

Phoenix

Bad news ordered seven comforts never got the cover. I tried to contact them by email 4 times and got auto replies only. They do not have a phone number listed on their site. I’m having to dispute my purchase with PayPal. I find the other latex cover (lanoodle) way to expensive 500 for the king. Any other thoughts.

Hi MikeK,

A reply is coming as soon as I reach the other post you added to the Seven Comforts thread here.

Phoenix