So I just wanted to give everyone update on my mattress search with Parklane Two weeks ago, the girlfriend and myself spent about 45 minutes trying different mattresses in the Pearl District store. I kinda had a top 3 of Glisan, macadam, and Thurmond after previously trying out mattresses in a different store, but we initially eliminated the Glisan due to my girlfriend sleeping hot. After going back-and-forth between the Macadam and the Prescott (a late suggestion by the sales guy) we decided on the macadam.
Not feeling 100% confident with my selection, I went back again two days later and spent about an hour and a half validating my decision. Interesting thing was that in the second time around the McAdam felt much more firm than I originally remembered , to the point that side sleeping do not feel very comfortable especially when compared to the Glisan. At this point in time one of the sales people said something interesting: that there was a companywide email that Had been recently sent out saying to be careful recommending the Macadam mattress to customers due to a large number of returns resulting from The mattress being much more firm than customers were expecting. I really liked the concept of latex but I really wish there was a middle ground between the Overton and the macadam in terms of firmness, a comment the salespeople said they hear all the time. I ended going with the Glisan due just the overall comfort and support after laying there for about 30 minutes. We will see if it works out with my girlfriend sleeping on the warm side
Anyway, I wanted to pass on the comment regarding the macadam for other people looking at the mattress
Thanks for taking the time to share some great feedback. It’s great to see that you were getting some good guidance as well that was more focused on helping you to make the best possible choice rather than just “selling” you any mattress you were willing to buy.
This is an interesting phenomenon and there are many people (including me) that have had the experience of testing mattresses say earlier in the day or on a different day and then going back to test it again and discovering that it was different from what they remembered because their frame of reference has changed by testing different mattresses. Our memory of softness and “feel” can be fairly subjective and subject to change over time.
Latex is also a somewhat unique material and has an unusual combination of softness and firmness (it is soft with initial compression and then becomes firmer with deeper compression) and it’s firmness compared to other types of foam can be deceptive. There are many people who have tried latex in a store for a few minutes but not enough to really get a sense of what it would feel like in “real life” and then are surprised that it feels firmer than they expected … especially if they are used to the “feel” of polyfoam which has a lower compression modulus (the rate that a material gets firmer as it compresses more).
In any case … it sounds to me like you did some great research and had some good guidance and ended up making a great choice.
Congratulations on your new mattress
I’m looking forward to your feedback once you’ve had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.
My wife and I recently visited a Parklane store, and I came away with a similar feeling of wanting middle ground. We’re both heavy people, and I wonder about how the Overton will hold up over time. I suppose we might wind up just buying one to see.
There is more about the many variables that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress relative to each person in post #4 here. Assuming that the Overton is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and it’s not “on the edge” of being too soft for you then latex is among the most durable materials in the industry and this would be one of the most durable choices you could make.
A lot has happened since that day about a month ago when my wife and I decided to go down to the mattress place and get a new mattress. I have spent a lot of time researching the confusing world of modern mattresses. This site has been a real eye-opener with so many informative posts from Phoenix and many others who have added their valuable insights and information. Thank you all.
I believe we have narrowed our search down to four, two at Parklane and two at Cotton Cloud–both located in Portland, Oregon. We will be making a trip to the big city (we live in a small town on the central Oregon coast) to make a final choice; I hope. We will be looking at latex mattresses, and would appreciate some help.
First some vital statistices. I am 5’ 11", weigh 170 lbs. and am 78 years old. I sleep on my side and back with some stomach sleeping on occasion. My wife is 5’ 6", weighs 170 lbs and is 82 years old. She also is a side and back sleeper. We both have slept on innerspring mattresses all our lives, preferring a firm mattress. For some time now we have been experiencing shoulder pains along with lower back pain. Neither of us have had many “good night’s rest” lately.
My questions:
One store uses natural Talalay latex as a base and the other uses natural Dunlop latex for its base layer. I understand that Dunlop is denser that Talalay. Would the Dunlop provide better support for the spine than Talalay?
Would Talalay or Dunlop provide a better top layer of latex to help out with the shoulder pains? Is there a difference between natural Talalay and “Talatech”?
Are there any concerns about the thickness (2", 3", 4") of the top softer layer?
What are the general quality levels of the mattresses from Parklane and Cotton Cloud?
Thank you in advance for your input. It has been a long and enlightening journey this past month. We are both looking forward to not being sleepless in Waldport any longer.
If you were only sleeping on a single layer and if they were both the same firmness and ILD then Dunlop is denser and would be firmer than Talalay in the same ILD once you compress it more deeply than 25% (it gets firmer faster than Talalay when you compress it more deeply) but firmness isn’t the same as support and this doesn’t mean that it would be more supportive or more importantly would keep you in better alignment in any particular mattress. It would really depend on the specific combination of materials in each one and which mattress your testing indicates keeps you in the best alignment in all your sleeping positions. There is more about the relationship between primary and secondary “support” and alignment in post #2 here and in post #4 here.
The choice between Talalay and Dunlop in either support layers or comfort layers is primarily a preference choice. There is more about the differences between them in post #7 here but once again it would depend on the specifics of the materials and overall design of the mattress and which one your testing indicated provides better pressure relief. Nobody else can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone else to know which mattress is the best “match” for you in terms of PPP based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or theory at a distance (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
In most cases … Talatech would refer to blended Talalay. “Natural” can refer to either 100% natural Talalay or blended Talalay (Pure Latex Bliss for example which is owned by Latex International refers to their blended Talalay as “natural” and their 100% Talalay as “all natural” so it can be confusing). There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here but the most reliable way to know which type of latex is in a mattress would be to specifically ask the manufacturer or retailer about the type and blend of the latex in a mattress you are considering.
Not in terms of quality or durability no but the thickness of the comfort layers are one of many factors that can make a difference in which mattress is the best “match” for you in terms of PPP.
The quality of a mattress depends on the specifics of the materials in the mattresses you are considering and the name of a manufacturer has little to nothing to do with the quality/value of a mattress. Having said that … Parklane is a member of this site which means that I believe they compete well with the best in the industry but I also think highly of Cotton Cloud as well (see post #34 here) and they would also be well worth considering.
There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses in post #13 here.
I now feel more comfortable with our mattress finalists. It looks like we go to Portland, talk to the staff, try out the mattresses, and make our choice.
I checked out the two stores and four different mattresses. I chose the Parklane Overton California King for $1,577.00 yesterday (Sunday). As you thought, the clerk didn’t know anything about the 5% discount, called his manager who also didn’t know anything about it and told me to pay the full price and call Customer Service on Monday (today) and the company would refund the discount amount if it was indeed true that the 5% discount was valid.
I called today and customer service didn’t know anything about the discount, but on my insistance put me throughg to Scott (the owner). I left a message on his machine and he called me back a few minutes ago. He insists that he never agreed to giving a discount of any kind. What I got was a free set of sheets.
I will not go back to Parklane on a bet, and I will steer others away from them whenever possible. I hope you drop Parklane from your membership list, since you obviously can’t trust them to fulfill their obligation.
I’m not sure what you mean by “as I thought” because Parklane doesn’t have a 5% discount … only a bonus gift which depends on the price of the mattress you purchase (you can see the discount or bonus that each member of the site offers here).
Again both the store and Scott are correct and Parklane offers a bonus … not a discount.
I think very highly of Parklane and the quality and value of the mattresses they sell and I would be very comfortable purchasing any of their mattresses. With or without a bonus they compete well with the best in the industry based on their quality, value, service, and prices. I have no intention of dropping them from the membership list … especially when they are already among the best in the industry and in addition are providing the bonus they agreed to provide to the members here.
I’m not sure where you got the idea that you were entitled to a 5% discount from Parklane but you are basing your assessment on some very incorrect information and I think your comments are very unfortunate when it is you that is incorrect not them. I hope you take the time to call them and let them know that you realize that you were mistaken and apologize for any confusion you created. It would be the “honorable” thing to do
You also owe me an apology. If you look at post 4 on this string (page 1) you will see the following–take special note of paragraph three:
Hi illinileo,
The Aurora and the Vale are very similar in basic design with both having a combination of latex and memory foam in the comfort layers (with the vale having a softer layer of memory foam). The biggest difference though which is the main difference in their cost is the Vale uses a more expensive 6" layer of latex in the support core while the Aurora uses 5" of polyfoam which is a lower cost material.
Your own testing for pressure relief (on your side especially if you are side sleepers) with the body fully relaxed and sensing any pressure points and then in all your sleeping positions for alignment (any tension in your back) is by far the most important part of your choice but the staff there are trained to help you fit your weight distribution, sleeping positions, and any preferences to the best mattress for you and it’s better to do that in person that using “theory at a distance”. They both use high quality materials for their price range and are excellent value (their mattresses are among the best value in all of the US which is why I invited them to become members here).
If you do decide to make a purchase there … make sure you let them know that you are a member of The Mattress Underground as that entitles you to a further 5% discount on a mattress purchase with any of the manufacturing members of the site. They have several outlets and every staff member may not be aware of this agreement as this site is still relatively new and every employee of some of the members with multiple outlets may not be aware of the agreement made with the owners of each member company. If they don’t know … just let them know to check with Scott who is Parklane’s owner.
You are fortunate to have a high quality factory direct outlet so near you
Phoenix
As you can see I got the 5% discount idea directly from you.
You’re absolutely right. Unfortunately you probably found the only post out of many in the forum that was very unclear about the bonus that Parklane offers to the members here. It was written in late 2011 when their membership was still relatively new and some of their staff weren’t clear about what their membership here entailed (which was why I mentioned that some of their staff may not know about it) and while it linked to the membership list which did list the bonus correctly … I can certainly understand that it misled you.
I wholeheartedly apologize for any confusion it caused you (and any embarassment as well) and I’ve corrected the post in question.
I’ll also call Scott and let him know what happened.
I hope that you reconsider purchasing a mattress there (assuming that one of their mattresses is a good “match” for you in terms of PPP) since even without a bonus or discount they would be among the best values available in the country.
I wasn’t paying attention to the dates of the posts, and I guess I should have been. What upset me more than anything was Scott’s seemingly unconcern. It may have been his usual demeanor rather than unconcern, it just hit me the wrong way.
I will say that my experience at their Broadway store was extremely good. No pressure to buy a more expensive model and lots of time to decide. Whitney, the sales clerk, was helpful and friendly, and he did all he could to get the discount issure clarified.
I have gone ahead with the purchase and I and my wife are looking forward to sleeping on our new mattress. It will probably be delivered sometime after Thanksgiving.
I’ll let you know how the mattress is working out for us after we have slept on it for a month or so.
I called Scott today and explained to him what happened and apologized for any confusion and his comment to me was “no problem”. His demeanor on the phone is very even and “non expressive” this is just his normal style of communicating. Some people have more “tone” in their voices than others.
In any case … congratulations on your new mattress
You certainly made a great quality/value choice and I’m looking forward to your feedback when you’ve had the chance to sleep on it.
Sorry again for the role I played in the confusion.
I want to add my recommendation for Parklane Mattress stores. Very helpful people. No sales pressure. My wife was able to spend about an hour (1/2 on her side, 1/2 on her back) sleeping on a Macadam mattress to test it. She loved it and we have been happily sleeping on one at home for over 2 months. There was no break in period that we could tell - we slept great from the first night.
Having at least sat on most mattresses in their store, I would offer a caution about thinking too quickly that the Macadam is too firm. It will definitely feel very firm on first impression, especially compared to everything else they sell. But give it a chance. We are side and back sleepers and have had no problems. Not saying it will be right for everyone, but give it a chance as my wife did, laying (sleeping) on one for a good amount of time. And I also second the idea of a second visit if that is convenient.
Temperature was a concern for us. We are coming from an older Tempurpedic and my wife regularly had problems with being too hot, even in the winter. She is not experiencing that with the Macadam. She does sometimes get a little warm, but since we have gone from a queen to a king size, she finds that she has extra space and can just move over a bit. I’m finding the temperature to be perfect - much more neutral than the Tempur. That could be aided by the St. Dormeir mattress cover that we also got based on recommendations in this forum.
I’ll also pass along a recommendation for a bed frame. We wanted some additional storage and I found the Serta-Stabl-Base-Ultimate-Bed-SER-4169BG-10. That raises the bottom of the foundation to from 7.5 to 10 inches. We went with the thinner foundation from Parklane and the result is a “normal” two-feet or so bed height. Very solid base. Like the extra storage. Unfortunately, it is getting hard to find the -10 model.
Finally, since that was the latter discussion in this topic, our bonus was a free set of sheets. We’re liking them. I’ve seen people in other places commenting that the Malouf sheets don’t hold up well, but we are having no problems. And, since we did change bed sizes, it was great to have something immediately available to put on the bed when it was delivered.
New member and first post. Came here after finding myself at the end of my rope on making a decision! I live in Portland, OR and had very little luck shopping at the many, many stores I visited in the last few weeks. Finally started looking online (in search of a latex/innerspring hybrid mattress) which lead me to the Naturepedic EOS. Luckily, there is a nice, local, boutique store here that carries it and they were willing to match the price. I kept looking for something similar, though, as it was still over $3,000, probably because it is all organic. Felt nice, seems like a solid company, too, but while I want a natural mattress I don’t necessarily need an organic one so while searching further for something comparable but more affordable came upon this website here, which lead me to Bay Bed and Natural Mattress Store. I’m now torn between the three options (Naturepedic, BB, and NMS). I am liking the prices of the two online stores but the shipping and risk of not trying them first had me coming back here to see if I might be missing any other local manufacturers here in the Portland area. To my surprise I found these recommendations for Parklane. I say that because I have recently been there twice and was not impressed with how little actual latex they use in their beds. The cost of their mattresses is very fair, but they use a lot of other foams that I’m wanting to stay away from. I also found it hard to find out the exact components of the different styles, and after two trips was only able to find out specific information by calling the company. The rep who talked to me was very helpful and expressed frustration that the two different salesmen I worked with didn’t show me their iPad presentations, which are meant to be shared with customers. Anyway, I liked their moderate prices but overall the product was not up to the level of what I have found at the other three mentioned earlier. Wish they could make a latex/innerspring without all the other added foams.
If anyone knows of any other local area manufacturers let me know. I have also been to Mattress Lot. I liked them there but again, their product line was lackluster. They had a few latex/hybrid beds but with very little latex and mostly other foams. One line is called Sound Sleep but is made by Lady Americana which seems to get a lot of negative reviews. Thanks for listening!
If you tend to prefer innerspring/latex hybrid mattresses (and there are many who do … see post #13 here), some of the better innerspring/latex options I’m aware of are listed in post #2 here that may also be worth considering as well.
I would also keep in mind that as long as the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the guidelines here … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses (see this article) are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice.
I’m assuming that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps most importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase 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 all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).
While I can’t speak to how any mattress will “feel” for someone else because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances … outside of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new) so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
All of the manufacturers you listed use high quality materials in their mattresses and there are no lower quality materials or weak links in any of them so from a durability perspective all of them would be well worth considering.
Naturepedic is one of three manufacturers that makes mattresses that are certified organic “as a mattress” as opposed to mattresses than just contain certified organic components (see post #2 here and the posts it links to). You can see some comments about their EOS mattresses in post #9 here and forum searches on Naturepedic EOS and on Naturepedic (you can just click the links) will bring up more comments and feedback about them as well.
The Natural Mattress Store also makes several high quality latex/innerspring hybrids that use either 100% natural Talalay or 100% natural Dunlop latex. A specific term site search on Natural Mattress Store will also bring up more comments and feedback about them as well.
BayBed & Mattress uses blended Talalay latex in their component mattresses, their pocket coils have polyfoam edge support and they also have the option to customize the springs in their mattresses as well as the latex layers. As you know they are also a member of this site. A forum search on Baybed will also bring up more information and feedback about them as well
While your own careful testing or personal experience is the most reliable way to know whether a mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort and PPP … when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
As you know Parklane is also one of the members here and they are very transparent about the materials in their mattresses but they also have several stores so some of the salespeople there may be more knowledgeable than others and it’s unfortunate that the salesperson you dealt with didn’t find out the information that you wanted to know. They also make some great quality/value mattresses that compete well with the best in the industry and none of their mattresses use any lower quality materials or have any weak links that would compromise the durability of the mattress either. They have 3 all latex mattresses and also have a latex/innerspring hybrid and their springs also have a polyfoam edge support system. a forum search on Parklane will also bring up more comments and feedback about them as well.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Portland area (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply) are listed in post #2 here.
Thanks, Phoenix. I’m including the link to the boutique local store that carries the Naturepedic EOS.
Eclectic Home–nice store, really helpful staff and owner: http://www.eclectichome.com/
Just not sure I can commit to the price tag, even with a generous offer from the owner for a free latex pillow and fancy mattress protector.
What has me torn is whether to place more of a premium on all the “ingredients” rather than the finished product. Not sure which of your links/articles was most helpful in this regard (there are so many egg hunts to go on here! but one mentioned this pitfall. I was leaning towards Bay Bed because for the same 3" of Latex (and they can do all natural Talalay, no blended synthetics, for $150 more in a King) it’s about $900 less than the EOS (but that’s not counting the bonus free stuff the owner was offering, which makes it really more like a $600 or $700 savings. But factor in the risk of it not FEELING as good, and having to ship layers back and forth to get it right, might negate that savings. On the other hand, if I hit the bullseye, that’s still a nice savings. BTW, Bay Bed will also make the mattress without the foam edge support; Dan said he would just put in a stronger coil around the edges. I like that option (not sure if there is a price increase) because I want to stay away from ALL foam except latex. I will also need a platform bed and Bay Bed has ridiculously cheap all wood ones. I’m waiting on a quote for shipping costs, and would like to know where they are made, but so far I haven’t found any that come close in price.
Steve at The Natural Mattress Store was very helpful, too. Their mattress, the Enlightenment Hybrid with Springs, has an additional 2" of Talalay latex for the same price, but that’s before shipping (waiting on a quote). Bay Bed offers to ship the mattress in separate boxes (same as the EOS) which would make it easy to bring up the zig zag staircase we have in our old house, whereas NMS ships it completely assembled and I would need to get help to bring it up the stairs, and worry about being able to get it up and through the stairway. On the other hand, it seems to me (correctly or not) that a bed fully assembled will be more solid and durable than one I pack into a cover myself.
So this gives you but a glimpse into the sad, pathetic case of “analysis paralysis” with which I’ve become afflicted! I am hell bent on researching some of the links you sent me, even though my wife gave me until 2 Sundays ago to wrap this up and make a decision (I got a one week reprieve after the first deadline and after yesterday I’m not sure where I stand…or sleep!)
Lastly, we’ll have to agree to disagree on Parklane. I found their website to be lacking in important details. For example, it tells you there is a “layer” of latex but not what kind or how thick. The only one that came close to what I’m looking for is the Pettygrove, but only through talking to the helpful sales rep on the company phone did I learn it is only 1" of latex AND there is a foam support core, which neither the website or the two different salesmen mentioned. In any event, it was also way too firm and nothing else appealed to me. The stores are very clean and well laid out, and I like their eco friendly products, but soy foam is still a big glob of petrochemical foam to me.
Like many custom manufacturers … they have many options that aren’t listed on their site and like you I also prefer steel edge support vs polyfoam (see post #2 here) although for different reasons because I have no personal concerns about the “safety” of polyfoam that is US made or CertiPUR certified.
There would be no meaningful difference in durability if both mattresses have a suitable tight fitting cover.
As you can read in the previous link … the three most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase are …
Testing to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP (or that you are comfortable with the return/exchange options and any costs involved if you can’t test it in person).
Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress that would compromise the durability of the mattress.
Comparing with your other finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
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 (which they don’t) and if there are no clear winners between them (which is usually a good indication that you have done some very good research) then you are in the fortunate position that either 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 with each of them, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, your preferences for different types of materials, 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.
Parklane is a local manufacturer and you will rarely find the detailed specs of a mattress on any local manufacturers website so this is completely normal. What’s always important is that they are transparent and the specs (see here) are available to you on request when you visit them to test their mattresses or talk to them on the phone so that you can confirm that there aren’t any lower quality materials that would be a weak link in a mattress you are considering.
There is more about soy foam or other plant based foams in post #2 here. Their polyfoam materials are good quality/density materials and are CertiPUR certified and US made so by most people’s criteria they would certainly be a “safe enough” material. While it’s true that different people may have different criteria and a there are a minority of people that may be more comfortable with more “natural” materials … this is a preference choice that is specific to each person based on their individual sensitivities, circumstances, criteria, beliefs, and lifestyle choices.
Just wanted to provide an update as I am looking for a new latex mattress in the Portland Oregon area. Unfortunately Parklane is no more as they were acquired by Bedmart and stopped making any mattresses. Parklane stores are being phased out, though they have some absolutely screaming deals on floor models of the remaining Park Lane mattresses.
We really liked a couple of available latex mattresses, however they didn’t have anything in the king size. We also stopped by bed Mart but were generally unimpressed with the offerings and the pricing. An internet search led me to Mulligan mattresses. As long as you don’t care about having a normal sales floor, their pricing is just absolutely absurdly low. My wife and I are pretty sure we’re going to go with their softest latex Dunlop core with a 2-in Talay topper.
We will likely check out mattress lot as I liked what I saw online, but they are going to have a hard time making up the price difference.
I will let everyone know about our experience and our final choice.
