Hi ekrolik,
I think it would be more accurate to call this a “house brand” or a “private label” since they don’t own the factory (which would be the case with a factory direct mattress) and their mattresses are being made by the same factory as their other “brand name” mattresses that are made by the same manufacturer. Having said that … private labels are often a little lower in price than a “brand name”.
My layer by layer comments about the mattress and materials except I changed the order from top to bottom instead of the other way around …
The Latex Pillowtop is as follows. (bottom to top)
1" 1/2 of perfect contour foam 1.5 lb 16 ILD this is the quilting foam that is used to get the soft pillow top feel: This is in the range of “about an inch or so” of lower density polyfoam in a quilting layer that I would consider to be OK (I’m not particularly concerned about lower density quilting layers until they reach about 2" or thicker) and the density is also a little higher than you will often see in a quilting layer so this layer would be fine and wouldn’t be a weak link in the mattress.
1" plush latex 19 ILD
3" conform latex 24 ILD with a blend of natural latex and strengthening agents that are man made. Blend is appox 50/50. This is very much the norm with Talalay: These two latex layers are blended Talalay (which are a 30% natural and 70% synthitic blend not a 50/50 blend) but like all latex this is a high quality and durable material.
1" 1/2 of 5 zone plush foam 1.55lb with a 28 ILD This is a little bit lower density than I would
6" core 1.55lb with a ILD of 28: These two layers are a little lower density than I would normally like to see in the support core of a mattress in this budget range (I would normally look for 1.8 lb density or higher) but since the layer is underneath 5.5" of other foam layers this would only be a durability issue for someone that was in a higher weight range (say more than the lower 200’s) that would compress the deeper layers more than those that are in lighter weight ranges. For most people it would be fine even though I would normally prefer to see a little less “risk” in a mattress in this budget range.
1" stability base foam. 1.35lb with an ILD of 44: While this is a lower density materials it is also a firmer stability layer and since it’s on the bottom of the mattress it wouldn’t be a durability issue.
the foam encased rails are 1.16 lb with an 8 ILD This layer doesn’t make sense to me and I would ask them if it’s correct or to clarify what this is. Normally foam encased rails are used to surround an innerspring to provide firmer edge support (or sometimes they are used for edge support in a polyfoam support core as well) and they are normally in a higher density range (at least 1.5 lb polyfoam and 1.8 lb would be preferable for those that sleep with more of their weight on the outside edges of a mattress or that sit on the side of their mattress on a regular basis) and they are usually much firmer. 8 ILD/IFD is ultra soft and wouldn’t be suitable as a firmer edge support that surrounds an innerspring (or even an edge support that surrounds a polyfoam support layer) and 1.16 density is also very low and not really durable enough for a foam surround that would be used for sitting on. Something doesn’t add up with this layer and if it’s correct it would be a weak link in the mattress to have an edge support system that was this low density and this soft so I would want clarification about this component.
Assuming that the foam encasement turns out to be a suitable quality/density and firmness and that you can clarify the specifics of this component … there would be no obvious weak links in this mattress as long as you aren’t in a higher weight range so from a quality/durability perspective it would be worth considering.
I would have some question about the “value” of the mattress though compared to other similar mattresses that use similar components that are in lower budget ranges so I would definitely do some bargaining to bring the price down somewhat.
For example there is a very similar mattress here that uses a similar quilting layer of 1.5", a 3" blended Talalay comfort layer, and a 6" 1.5 lb polyfoam base layer that sells for $599 (queen size mattress only). While this is a true factory direct mattress sold by one of the members here that is in a very low budget range and has unusually good value (and has an inch less latex in the comfort layers) so I wouldn’t expect a local retailer to “match” the price … it would give you a reasonable reference point for “value” that you can use in your negotiations (see post #6 here for more about negotiating)
There is also another mattress here which uses wool and 1" of polyfoam in the quilting (wool is great for temperature regulation and is a more costly material), two 3" layers of blended Talalay which can be exchanged for a different firmness level if the layer firmnesses need to be changed after a purchase, and a 7" 2.17 lb density polyfoam support core (which is higher quality/density and would be suitable for a much higher weight range) and sells for $1499 (again queen size mattress only) that you could use for a reference point for a higher quality mattress that uses more costly components than the one you are considering.
While there is something to be said for a local purchase that you can test before a purchase that would add some “value” and reduce some of the risk of a mattress purchase … I would also be cautious about paying “too much” of a premium just for buying locally and make some careful value comparisons based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (see post #46 here).
The first thing I would do though is to find out what they mean by “foam encased rails” and the specifics of the materials they are using.
Phoenix