Hello all my name is Neal. I have really learned alot on this forum in the last couple days of reading. Phoenix has been especially helpful/insightful.
Background: My wife and I are currently sleeping on a innerspring pillowtop that has lived out its useful life and then some. I am 6’ 1" and 215 lbs and my wife is 5’ 3" and significantly less weight. We are both side sleepers although I do some back sleeping as well. We have done some shopping around and both agree we would like to get into some type of foam based mattress. Like many others we both liked the Tempur Pedic Cloud Luxe model but did not like the price. Another one we liked was the Serta iComfort Wellbeing pillow top. However, the reviews I have read here about the iComfort quality/value has me looking elsewhere also. Thinking there had to be a better deal out there I turned to my trusty amazon and many of the reviews there pointed me to this site. One thing I would like to try after reading all the benefits of it is a latex mattress. I don’t believe any of the models we tried at the local Mattress Firm were of latex construction. I would like to find a local store to try some out.
Location: 73034 or just north of Oklahoma City. I did a search and found Oklahoma Mattress mentioned here so it is definitely on my list of places to check. Are there any others that I should check out?
Just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start is the tutorial post here which has the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible choices … and avoid the worse ones.
Latex is certainly a very high quality material and would be well worth testing to see how you feel about it because it is very different from memory foam (see post #2 here).
The better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Oklahoma City area are listed in post #2 here. Oklahoma Mattress is certainly one of the better options on the list and I would make sure you include them in your research. I think very highly of Jim (the owner) and they are a member of this site which means I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of quality and value.
Phoenix I appreciate the information. For some reason using the search function and keyword “Oklahoma” I did not find that thread on Oklahoma options. I have read most of the stickies but had missed the articles on latex and memorial foam which I found very educational. I will be sure to update with my findings once I get a chance to visit Jim and Oklahoma Mattress.
There are two search functions on the site. The “search forum” tab searches the forum and the search window in the top right of the page searches the rest of the site (but excludes the forum).
The default for the “search forum” search function is to go back one year but if you set the “find posts from” setting to “any date” it will search through all the posts since the beginning of the forum.
I’m looking forward to your feedback after your visit
I wanted to update my mattress hunt. I found a place close to my work that had Latex mattresses available so I thought I would check the place out. It was definitely not your typical fancy showroom but the owner at Quality Bedding seemed to know his stuff. The mattresses he was offering were made with 8" latex international Talatex base material and then topped with a 3-4" memory foam topper of the 4 lb variety(I dont recall the brand). He would vary the firmness of both the topper and base material to suit your comfort. Lastly this was covered by a synthetic anti microbial type cover. My concern was compared to some of the multi layered offerings I have read able that seemed like an overly simple mattress even if quality materials are used for the foams. Lastly his price of $1500 per king (mattress only) seems a little high compared to others for the simplicity of his design. The mattress did feel comfortable but didn’t quite have the same level of plushness in the comfort layer as I noticed on the Tempur Luxe for example. Perhaps I am over thinking this but wanted to get your thoughts Phoenix on this mattress design. I of course plan to at least visit Jim at Oklahoma Mattress before making any decisions.
Thanks for mentioning Quality Bedding. I didn’t know about them and it’s always a nice surprise to me to find out about another smaller independent manufacturer that I haven’t heard about. There aren’t many I don’t know about across the country.
I called them but it was after hours and he was at a basketball game so he wasn’t eager to talk to me or provide any information about what he was making but I think that he also may have thought that I was looking for an “advertiser” when I asked him if he had a website that had more details about his mattresses so hopefully he will be a little less rushed and open to sharing a little more about the mattresses he makes when I talk with him tomorrow. These are often the types of manufacturers that provide much better quality and value than the mainstream brands.
It sounds like the mattress you are considering uses good quality materials (Talalay latex is a high quality material and 4 lb memory foam is a medium density/quality material that can be a good choice for average weight ranges). His price sounds very reasonable to me and not “high” at all for a king size with these materials. The mattress would have at least two layers of latex (latex cores come in a maximum thickness of 6" so an mattress with 8" of latex would have at least two layers) in addition to the memory foam. With only 2 - 3" of memory foam it would certainly not have the same “soft memory foam” feel as a Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe but the quality of the top layer would be comparable. The Cloud Luxe uses 2.75" of 4 lb memory foam over 2" of 7.1 lb memory foam over a polyfoam base layer. With the mattress at Quality Bedding … the latex layers underneath the 4 lb memory foam would give the mattress a more resilient and responsive feel than the 8 lb memory foam that is underneath the 4 lb memory foam in the Tempur Luxe. The latex in the support core is also a much higher quality material than the polyfoam support core used in the Cloud Luxe.
Overall … the materials in the mattress you tested is higher quality than the Cloud Luxe but of course no matter what the quality of the materials … it’s important to make sure that you do some careful and objective testing using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post to make sure that the mattress is a good “match” for your body type, sleeping positions, and preferences in terms of PPP.
I’ll add any additional comments about Quality Bedding after I have a chance to talk more with him (and hopefully he will be happy to provide it).
Phoenix, I appreciate your insight once again. I feel I must have been mistaken about the latex thickness as with the unzippable mattress cover I was able to see the inside construction and it was most certainly 1 layer of latex. It is good re-assurance to know that the 2 layer design is not necessarily a bad one. Although I was ok with it, I am concerned about the mattress having some of the softness feel of the Tempur Luxe for my wife but only that can be determined by her trying it out. I really appreciate your willingness to give the store a call as well hopefully you will catch him at a better time tomorrow. Perhaps he will be in better spirits than I after the Thunder loss haha.
I tried to call Quality Bedding today on a couple of occasions but they didn’t answer their phone so I wasn’t successful in talking to them. I’ll try again tomorrow.
I appreciate your attempts to reach Quality Bedding. It appears he may not as simple as your typical mattress store.
I want to continue to update my experiences in mattress shopping in the Oklahoma City Area. First off, yesterday I stopped by a foam fabricator that I have passed 100’s of times on my way home from work. As it turns out they also build mattresses there. The name of the place is Allied Foam Fabricators, Inc. I spoke very briefly with Kenneth there as they were about to close and I did not want to keep him from heading home on a friday evening. Kenneth was very pleasant and knowledgeable about foam/latex and the products they offered. It appears they primarily deal in Foam/Memory foam and latex and combinations thereof. They seemed willing to build a custom mattress to suit their customer’s needs. They had a nice variety in the showroom it appeared but due to the time constraints I did not test any of the beds out. Their hours are m-f 8:30am to 5:00 pm so it may be hard to find a time that my wife could come with me but he said he was willing to stay later one evening if we scheduled an appointment.
Secondly, today my wife, mother(also mattress shopping), and I visited Jim over at Oklahoma Mattress. What a great experience that was. He was very friendly and also had a very clean albeit somewhat small (around 8 beds) showroom. He seemed very knowledgeable about his products. He prefers to build mattress that are pure Talalay with varying quantity of layers and thicknesses to suit his customers needs. Very pleased with our visit there.
You seem to be good at “uncovering” some of the local options that aren’t listed in the Oklahoma City list. I was aware of Allied and they are wholesale suppliers for some other mattress manufacturers but I didn’t realize that they also sold mattresses directly to consumers.
Now I have another one to call to find out what they have available on their floor
Phoenix, I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised by the places I have found in Oklahoma City that build their own mattresses. Another one I was thinking of trying was Orthopedic Bedding Co but it appears they may have gone out of business or are in the process of moving as they were not open today and the building is for sale. If you decide you would like to give Allied a call their # is 405-946-0384. All in all I would say your suggestion of Oklahoma Mattress was right on the money as that is a quality operation.
Orthopedic Bedding is still in business as far as I know. They are wholesale manufacturers that are included in the Oklahoma list and have a couple of family run stores in the area that sell their mattresses. I have talked with them and they make latex mattresses as well as innersprings and memory foam and are “good people”. Jim at Oklahoma Mattress knows them. Their phone is still working and it would be a shame if they were out of business.
It’s not very often that one of the members here lets me know about two sources for mattresses I wasn’t aware of so I’m looking forward to also talking with Allied about their mattresses.
In the spirit of keeping this thread up to date I wanted to add that I have ordered a mattress from Jim at Oklahoma Mattress. I found his Med-Plush mattress to be a perfect fit for me and my wife. In addition my Mother has decided to get one as well. Jim’s knowledge, the quality of his mattresses, and way of doing business can’t be beat. Not to mention his price was less than the best I could find online for the same quality of mattress. I am going to ask him for the specific ILD’s of the Talalay Latex layers for my own curiosity but the mattress is full Latex Intl Talalay, 3-3" layers in varying firmness with a 1" Cotton/bamboo top layer(need to double check as my memory is fuzzy). I plan to report back my initial thoughts after the mattress arrives next week.
I think you certainly made a great choice both in terms of the quality/value of the mattress and the manufacturer you are dealing with.
I’m looking forward to your feedback when you’ve had the chance to sleep on it.
Phoenix
PS: Thanks again for mentioning the other Oklahoma City options you did and if my conversations with them justify it I’ll add them to the Oklahoma list as well … although like you I think it would be difficult to make a better choice in the area than you did.
Well I am happy to report we finally received our mattress yesterday. However, the first night of sleep did not go well. My wife and I found ourselves tossing and turning most of the night and having soreness in our backs and shoulders by morning. I felt that sleeping on my back was more comfortable than sleeping on my side which I believe may be due to me not sinking in as far as our old mattress and needing a higher loft pillow to hold my head correctly. I believe that also points to our mattress being harder than we are used to even spine alignment seems ok. We picked the 2nd softest mattress in the showroom but of course you can only tell so much from a showroom. I want to give this bed some more time of course before I condemn it but last night was not a good start.
I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t have a great experience on your first night but as you know there is often a break in and adjustment period for any new mattress so as you mention it’s well worth giving any new mattress some time (see post #2 here).
The good news of course is that you are dealing with a good manufacturer that has the best interests of their customers at heart and will do whatever they can to make any adjustments that may be necessary and will continue to work with you after a purchase.
I hope you have the chance to share more updates over the course of the next few days and weeks.
Made a stop by Oklahoma Mattress today and picked up a Latex Intl shredded talalay pillow. I wanted to try the higher loft pillow to see if it would help with my shoulder pressure and general alignment. Jim was sure to let me know that if I choose he will happily send his guys out to my house to swap out layers to suit our needs. Talk about service!
I am really surprised how much having the right pillow has helped me. Being able to adjust the loft to hold my head correctly while side sleeping has been a huge help. I am sure some of this is due to my body getting used to the mattress but I have to say I love this pillow. I believe we will go ahead and have the mattress softened up slightly but this was definitely a step in the right direction.
I think a lot of people underestimate the effect of having the right mattress/pillow combination for their body type and sleeping positions and as you mentioned it can make a significant difference in pressure points under the shoulders and with the alignment of the upper body as well. A new mattress can be different from the one it’s replacing in terms of how deeply your shoulders sink in and your sleeping profile and it’s not uncommon at all to need a new pillow with a new mattress purchase for good pressure relief and alignment.
Thanks for the reminder about the importance of a suitable pillow for good PPP
Wanted to post a progress update. First of all I cannot say enough about Jim and the folks at Oklahoma Mattress. They have gone above and beyond to make sure I was getting the best nights sleep possible. I ended up going with the softest mattress he offered which I never would have guessed. I have been sleeping great and couldn’t be happier with the purchase.
