When last we spoke, I was considering the Aloe Alexis for it’s additional latex layer, but I find that a 14" mattress may make my bed a bit too high and I am concerned about the downsides of latex over foam. So, now I am leaning towards stretching the budget and going all latex in a thinner mattress. Having researched a bunch of options, I came up with three that I’m considering:
Sleep Ez 10" Natural - 3 layers (2", 3", 3") - choice of firmness ranging from 22 ILD to 40 ILD
Brooklyn Bedding 10" Total latex - 2 layers (3" comfort, 6" core) - choice of firmness 19 ILD to 36 ILD
I am hoping you might comment on these choices given my stats - 5’5, 190 lbs (yes, that pudgy), side sleeper. I am currently sleeping on a futon with a memory foam topper. I appreciate the firmness of the futon but like the slight sinking in the topper provides. I am looking to have a mattress that is firm, but sinks a bit on the top. That said, I don’t want the cradling effect to be too deep.
Also, the EcoSleep is <$500 than the other two. That seems like a huge price differential … Is there something I am missing about how this mattress is different from the other two?
Thanks again for any guidance - it is great to have this forum with so much valuable information. This represents a major expense for me so I am grateful for your help to make an informed choice.
I can only comment on the quality or value of the materials and mattresses and any potential weak links they may have because there are too many variables and unknowns (body types, sleeping styles, preferences, physiology, age, health conditions, sensitivities to different factors etc) to use any formula or “theory at a distance” to choose the best balance between comfort and support for any specific person (outside of the more extensive but generic information in the mattresses section of the site) … especially without a specific frame of reference that includes detailed descriptions of mattresses you have tried and the specifics of their construction. Only your own personal testing and/or more detailed conversations with each manufacturer or retailer you are dealing with can help you make good comfort/support choices. The most accurate way is always your own personal testing and the next best way would be longer conversations with each manufacturer or retailer who is much more familiar with the more detailed specifics of their own mattresses than anyone else and the types of people that “on average” will do best with each or their models or options than I am.
The foam materials are good quality (blended talalay) and comparable in all of them but you have more options and choices of the type of latex and the design of your mattress with SleepEz and BB. The cover on the Ecosleep is also different and less costly because the other two contain wool quilting and the Cassidy is an less expensive unquilted bamboo cover. The other differences are mostly about your ability to customize the layers both before and after a purchase so that you are able to “match” your ideal in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) and about what your options are and the costs involved if your choices aren’t as close to your ideal as you hoped (which is an important part of any online purchase IMO.)
No matter what the cost or “commodity value” of a mattress … if it doesn’t match your specific needs and preferences in terms of its design then it would have little value to you. Either local personal testing on different mattress materials and designs or longer conversations with manufacturers and retailers that have the knowledge and experience to help you make good choices based on the “averages” of their customers that may be somewhat similar to you are an important part of the confidence you will have about the suitability of a mattress and IMO are important parts of the “value” of any mattress purchase and your own personal value equation.
You are looking at “all good options” though which is the most important part of making any purchase … no matter how difficult it may be to make final choices that are best for your specific criteria and preferences and give you the most confidence that you are making the best choice for you.
In my own case … it took me weeks to make a final choice as I weighted and measured all the pros and cons of each design down to the level of detail that in hindsight probably wasn’t all that meaningful in “real life” experience
