Thanks so much for this site, it’s been extremely helpful and a wealth of information. We ended up purchasing a mattress from a local vendor, which was supposed to be a slight modification to a 12 inch one they had on display (essentially the same construction of layers but at 10 inches instead of 12). Delivery was setup or this Friday and I was surprised when it I got a call for delivery today one day early (figured they’d need the full time to make it). Anyway, have it setup and it seems to feel different than it did in the showroom, of course I understand that brand new mattresses will feel a bit different and we slightly changed the mattress (by shaving down the various layers a bit) which could also have an impact (although we are 125 and 155 lbs so I’m assuming there shouldn’t be that much difference we would notice). The strange thing is that the mattress tag listed the construction data as November 19th. That struck me as a bit odd, given I was assuming he wouldn’t have the mattress already constructed (although I suppose it is possible). So I was basically wondering if we might have been delivered the wrong mattress, or if the mattress tag date is just when the cover was made and then the latex layers are basically put inside of that later.
There is more about the different ways that one mattress can “match” another one in post #9 here but depending on the specific changes you made or which layers you “shaved” in some cases even what seem to most people to be relatively small changes (especially to the comfort layers) can make a surprising difference in the feel and performance of a mattress. In most cases a mattress that has thinner comfort or transition layers than your “reference” mattress will feel firmer and somewhat less “adaptive” to your body profile in different sleeping positions.
There is also more about the adjustment and break in period and some of the variables that can affect the feel of a new mattress compared to what you tested in post #2 here (or in post #2 here if it also contains memory foam)
It’s less likely that the mattress is different from what you ordered and more likely that the mattress tag was for the prototype that was tested for the fire regulations since most manufacturers prepare a batch of tags ahead of time and wouldn’t print a different tag for every variation that was possible inside the same basic prototype. You could confirm this by comparing your tag to a mattress tag on the “standard” mattress that you tested in the showroom (before the customization) which would likely be the same (outside of the manufacturing date because the floor model may be from a previous batch).
I figured that might be the case (the date thing) but wanted to be sure. The mattress is 100% latex. The original was a 6 inch dunlop core (36 ILD), with 2 inches of 28 ILD Talalay, and then 1 1/4 inches of 22 ILD Talalay (double sided). We had it made as a 10 inch: 5 inch dunlop core, and then shaving a bit from both the other layers because my SO prefers a bit firmer mattress and myself a softer one (she thought the 22 ILD on top was just a tiny bit too memory foam like, but I loved it). We ended up on that with the owner’s help and advice, plus it knocked some $$ off from the price of what it would’ve been if it was 12 inches. Of course I did expect it to feel somewhat different than in store when we first got it (for the reasons you noted), plus knocking a bit off the 22 ILD is likely to make it feel a bit firmer anyway.
Thanks again for the website and info (I spent months researching on here). Will be donating a little (as your info saved us a lot of money) once we recover from the mattress purchase
Your mattress certainly uses high quality and very durable materials and it’s always great when you have a chance to work with a smaller manufacturer that can customize a mattress to your specific criteria.
Thanks also for the kind words and I’m glad the site could help you!
Most importantly … congratulations on your new mattress
Although probably should hold the congratulations until I see if it softens up over the next 30 days or not (or I grow used to it). Right now its too hard, woke up with my lower back feeling fine but my shoulders hurt a bit and I just can’t get comfy when I lay down. Even my SO who likes firmer mattresses thought it was a bit firm. I’m a little worried that the comfort layer was shaved down too much, although the support seems good, and I’m not quite sure what to do about. But we’ll see what some time will bring.
