Hi! I hope you’re all doing well.
I was just wondering if anyone had any recommendations for a firm or extra firm latex hybrid that uses talalay latex (natural or blended). My wife and I spent quite a bit of time trying out different mattresses. We found 3 things to be true:
- Latex Hybrids felt the best.
- Firm/Extra Firm (8-9/10) felt best
- Talalay felt better than Dunlop
Out of all the mattresses we tried, the Prana Karma Elite Hybrid 2 Firm felt the best. It was a little on the softer side , but overall was very comfy. However, I don’t love that it uses some foam layers that break down easily and costs over 4K haha.
The only latex hybrid I can find that uses talalay latex AND has a firm/extra firm option is from Arizona Premium Mattresses. I did talk to Ken and he gave some advice and seemed nice. However, the return policy seems like a nightmare. Neither my wife or I, for health reasons, have the capacity to actually package one of these mattresses and return it. So for all intents and purposes, this one is essentially non-returnable for us if we buy it and don’t like it.
I’m also generally looking for something that will not break down easily. I would rather not have to buy another mattress in a few years. If it was between buying a latex hybrid that would last only 5 years or an all latex that could last 10+ years, I would definitely pick the latter.
Any recommendations? Thank you so much!
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Hi Bishbish777,
Welcome to the Mattress UnderGround and thanks for your question.
Mattress Makers of San Diego makes the Soledad mattress. Talalay latex in soft, medium or firm, with a quad coils support system. I am quite certain if you wanted extra firm, they could do that too. Their Carmel hybrid uses two layers of Talalay, in any firmness you prefer.
Maverick
@SDMattressMakers
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Thanks for the kind mention, Maverick. Hi Bishbish777 , Maverick beat me to it.
I’m Pablo with Mattress Makers in San Diego. You definitely did the homework most people skip, and those three takeaways you listed are spot on.
Talalay hybrids in the firmer range really are a sweet spot for couples, and the Soledad is built exactly like that. It’s Talalay over a Texas Pocket Coil quad coil, comes in soft, medium, or firm, (if needed extra fir) and we can build it extra firm if that’s what felt best to both of you. Here’s a video walkthrough of the Soledad if you want to see how it’s put together.
Soledad Hybrid
Here’s the thing that matters most for your return concern. The top is zippered and that Talalay layer pulls right out. So if we get close but not quite perfect on firmness, we swap that layer instead of you having to box up the whole mattress and ship it back. For someone who can’t physically wrestle a mattress into a box, that tune in place approach is the real answer to trial anxiety. You’re adjusting it, not returning it.
On durability, your gut is right. What breaks down on a lot of 4k hybrids is the poly and memory foam comfort layers, not the coil. Latex over a good coil lasts way longer, so you’re not looking at a five year bed. We also make all latex beds like the Coronado and Del Mar if you ever want to go zero coils, but from what you described the hybrid feel is what you’re actually after.
Happy to walk through firmness by phone and go over the specs with you, no pressure. You clearly know what your bodies want, which puts you ahead of most people.
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Hi! Thanks for the response! I appreciate your time.
From what I can see, the mattress does fit the bill for what we’re looking for. Do you happen to know exactly what firmness (ILD) the firm (or extra firm) options are?
The main downside is the price haha. You could almost get 2 mattresses from APM for the same price! But, again, I don’t doubt the quality…it looks good!
@SDMattressMakers
Our firm uses approximately 36 ILD. The extra firm uses approximately 40 ILD. If you’re wanting to go even firmer, then I would even explore the Dunlop option, which is our Del Mar.
I’m sure APM makes a fine mattress, and even though the ingredients are very similar, there are some subtle differences that change the performance and feel of the mattress, hence the price increase. If you’d like, we can jump on a quick phone call to help make it a little bit easier to decide.
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It sounds like you’ve already narrowed down exactly what you’re looking for - a firm Talalay latex feel with long-term durability. At that point, I’d focus on finding the best-built mattress rather than trying to compromise on materials.
If you’re specifically set on Talalay latex, one mattress I’d recommend looking into is the Berkeley Ergonomics Fairmont GOLD. It’s an all-natural Talalay latex mattress that uses a 6" zoned Talalay support core with an additional 2" Talalay comfort layer, so you still get that buoyant, pressure-relieving feel that makes Talalay so popular. It also has a quilted cover made with organic cotton, wool, and camel hair, which helps with breathability and temperature regulation while avoiding synthetic foams and fillers. One feature I really like is that couples can choose different firmnesses on each side of the mattress, which can be a huge advantage if you and your wife have different comfort preferences.
If you’re open to Dunlop latex, there are also excellent natural hybrid mattress brands like the Whitney Natural and Hypnos. Both pair durable pocket coils with natural Dunlop latex, along with wool and cotton comfort materials, creating supportive and breathable mattresses that are built with longevity in mind. Both of these mattress brands come with strong warranties (15 years for the Whitney Natural and 20 years for Hypnos), which is reassuring if you’re hoping to avoid replacing your mattress anytime soon.
Hi Bishbish,
you can also check out our website to see if this is something that looks appealing to you. We get a lot of people who like our beds for the firmness. But the firmness in our beds is perhaps different that with other more conventional mattresses that do “all the work” of supporting your body in the mattress component.
Our system has only a 4inch Talalay latex mattress as the comfort layer. Then most of the sleepers weight gets projected through the mattress and onto the movable slat system. This system is made up of latex beams with wooden slats on top. The idea is that the slats move like your traditional coils without the downside of the high fatigue rate of metal coils.
In my experience people who are looking for a soft mattress are just looking for a mattress that doesn’t let you endlessly sink into it but rather they are looking for something that is supportive and yet soft to the touch.
Hope this helps.
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