After reading online a lot about different type of mattresses I feel more confused than before. But, I believe I am more inclined to latex mattress than memory foam. My husband and I are sleeping on a inner box spring bed and its really time to get a better bed as we both wake up not rested well. I am 5.5 and 123 pounds and my husband is 6.2 and 187 pounds. As such, our current bed is sagging on one side and I’m trying hard to not roll on to his side lol. We both sleep on our side/back. Went to a couple of local shops in OC but were not able to try a latex bed to see how we would feel. We tried Tempur-Pedic which was not bad but from what I read online, memory foam can trap heat and thats not something we want. Plus sinking in the bed and struggling to get out of also does not appeal to me. Although, we were told that some models are cool, but still. (not to mention the high prices). It would be very nice to lay on a all natural latex bed to compare. So far, I found a couple websites that sell all natural latex mattress and they both have good reviews. Flobeds and Bed in a Box. It’s just very difficult to spend a lot of money without knowing if we really like the bed.
Are there any retail stores in OC where we can go check them out? Any thoughts on those two online retailers and mattress quality? I really would like something natural maybe organic at least the top portion. Also, sounds like talalay is better than dunlop but more expensive. Our budget is not set but around $3-4k seems reasonable for a bed that would last 20 years. Would that be enough for a quality latex mattress? We really appreciate any help on this as its getting more complicated than it should
Just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place I would start is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Flobeds is one of the members of this site which means I think highly of them and the mattresses they make and none of them have any weak links in their design. They specialize in customizable component latex mattresses I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency. A forum search on Flobeds (you can just click the link) will also bring up much more information and feedback about them.
You can see my thoughts about bedinabox in post #2 here and I would tend to avoid any mattress that uses more than about an inch or so of memory foam that is less than 4 lb density (see the guidelines here).
Post #2 here includes the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Greater Los Angeles area and you are fortunate because you have some very good options to choose from.
You can read more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and there is also more about the differences in “feel” between Talalay and Dunlop in post #7 here but I would consider this to be a preference choice … not a “better/worse” choice.
Of course the price will depend on the size you are considering but this should be more than enough yes.
So, we went to three stores that you had in the list. First one was Customer Comfort and we liked a medium top firm core all latex with quilted plush top (cotton &poly), double sided mattress (9.5") and the service was very nice. Then we went to Foam Sweet Foam in Anaheim. Liked a 12" medium, firm, firm, xfirm mattress. Although, the idea of being able to change the firmness of the mattress at any point by switching the layers was great, we were not so fan of the cover of the mattress. When we sat on the side of the bed and it folded and looked like a baggy lose cover. It was organic which was a plus but the look and feel didn’t feel like a $3-4k bed.
We then went to Newport Bedding. We liked the firm all latex bed (8") there. It was very similar to the ones in custom Comfort, except instead of quilted top it had vertical stitched poly/cotton filled top. The salesman said it is better if we get an adjustable box, it wouldn’t fold when we lift the head or feet section. The price was around $3-4k for a mattress in all three stores. One thing to note was that I’m not so much of a fan of the poly on the top portion.
Then, I went online to check online stores. Both Flobeds and Sleep Ez look good. I’m more inclined to Sleep Ez as we don’t care too much zoning. But, I realized they also come in the same style as Foam Sweet Foam in terms of layering the firmness and zip close the cover. Not sure if the cover is also baggy looking and folding on the sides. I feel like if the bed was constructed as a more traditional bed style and with the quilted top, it feels stronger and has higher quality (personal opinion). I know you can’t arrange different layers in that style, but not sure if it really makes difference to our bodies (buying one type of firm bed vs. various firm layers).
The price is definitely much better at online stores. And, the quality seems great. We are kind of hesitant about zip closure cover, however. Any insights on that? Have you seen one in person? I wish we could try Sleep Ez mattress in person.
I would keep in mind that a mattress is designed for sleeping not for sitting on the edge and that with the more concentrated weight of sitting on the edge with more point elastic materials like latex that this isn’t uncommon. Zip covers are normally designed to be tight fitting when they are zipped around the latex but they can fold if you sit on the edge of the mattress … particularly with softer or thicker layers. This is just part of the design of this type of mattress and certainly isn’t a “quality issue”.
The price of a mattress has little to do with how it feels which is very subjective. You could purchase a $10,000 mattress for example that would feel horrible and be completely unsuitable for some people to sleep on and yet would be the “perfect” design and for others. The cost of a mattress has more to do with the cost and quality of the materials inside it (more durable materials like latex or quilting materials like wool tend to be more costly) and the labor involved in manufacturing it than with how it feels.
No I haven’t seen one in person but I have talked with Scott about his cover a fair bit. It’s a high quality cover that he has custom built for their mattresses and he is very happy with it (he has used many covers over the years and he particularly likes this one).
You can see a little more about the pros and cons of a zip cover and replaceable layers vs a finished cover with glued layers in post #2 here and post #15 here.
I would also keep in mind that if you are hoping to keep a mattress for 20 years that your own needs and preferences may change by that time even if the materials haven’t lost their comfort and/or support and this may be the limiting factor in the useful life of a mattress. It’s more realistic to expect that you will sleep well on a high quality mattress that is a good match for you in terms of PPP for about 10 years and I would consider any time after this to be “bonus time”. With component mattresses you can replace individual layers if one of your layers softens or breaks down faster than the others (usually the top layers) or if your needs and preferences in a mattress change over time.
I think the zipped cover was too loose therefore was sagging. Even without sitting on the bed you could see the extra fabric by just gently tucking the side of the cover. I will read your other posts. As always, you are very helpful.
Also, what do you think about the thickness of the mattress? Sleep EZ 10" sounds very good, as when we tried mattresses, we felt more comfortable with thicker mattresses. There is also 13" mattress. Not sure how would that feel though.
That would depend entirely on which one was the best “match” for you and for the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. Thickness is only one of many criteria that can affect which mattress is the best choice for any particular person although of course additional layers of more costly materials like latex also adds to the cost of a mattress compared to thinner mattresses that uses the same material or type of latex. For some people a thinner mattress would be better “value” because they wouldn’t notice enough difference with a thicker mattress and for others a thicker mattress would clearly be a better choice for their body type, sleeping positions, or because they preferred to have more options to rearrange layers to fine tune the comfort and support of their mattress. There is more about thicker mattresses in post #14 here.
