Naturepedic "Essential Genesis" - Any Opinions?

[phoenix]

Hi AustinOski,

[quote]The Naturepedic was the winner and we ordered one yesterday. They said it will take 3-4 weeks to deliver. The mattresses are made to order by Amish “craftsmen” (though the company is not Amish owned).

The natural aspect of the mattress was not really a driver for us, it was all about PPP. The micro coils give us a soft feel (soft to us, anyway) and the bed still provides good support. The pocketed micro coil layer also helps reduce motion transfer.[/quote]

Congratulations on your new mattress

I’m not sure it’s the best value in terms of materials vs. cost, We may have been able to buy a similarly constructed bed, but didn’t try for a few reasons. One, I’ve already spend a lot of time looking and researching. Two, other options would be on online and we could not try them out. I’ve found nothing highly similar in Austin, in my searches. I have found micro-coils over other inner-spring types, but the other beds that have this combo, also contain other materials (that are weak links) - layers of foam, primarily, and stuff I felt would compress over time, creating uncomfortable indentations and unevenness.

IMO the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase are how it compares to your other finalists in terms of PPP (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are important to you relative to the other finalists that you were considering . While price is certainly part of value … there are many other parts to value as well and based on your comments the mattress you purchased was the “best value for you” which is always more important than anyone else’s definition of value.

Assuming the micro coils are durable and don’t compress over time (at least not for many years), we should be good. The mattress has a 20 year warranty. Incidentally, the retailer felt that as optimistic and that we should expect closer to 10 years. He thought the manufacturer was being too generous with the 20 year warranty and that it could come back to bite him. Right or wrong, his honesty was nice.

While there is no way to quantify how long any mattress will last for a specific person or predict exactly when you will decide to replace it because it is no longer suitable or comfortable for you (because this is the only real measure of durability or the useful life of a mattress that really matters) because there are too many unknowns and variables involved that are unique to each person … I would agree that a useful life of 10 years is probably a more realistic expectation for any mattress and I would treat anything beyond that as “bonus time”. There is more about the many variables that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress in post #4 here.

We did not get the latex bed because my wife felt it to “jiggly”. She said it was like sleeping on Jello. Interestingly, it did have more motion transfer than the Naturepedic Essentials Genesis. Now, before anyone jumps to conclusions and is cautioned by Phoenix, let me say this. My understanding is that latex mattresses generally have a lower rate of motion transfer than innersprings. However, in this case it was not true. I think part of this is the type of latex (100% Talalay), part is the low ILD and part is the fact that the soft top layer was also thick (4"). Now, I’m not an expert, so Phoenix may have more to say (or not, since this is not a thread on the subject). The bottom line, though, don’t assume a general rule is always true. There are many variables (which is part of what makes mattress shopping such a complex think for those of us that dig into the details).

There are many people that describe some latex mattress designs as “jiggly” because of the properties of the latex but I don’t think that anyone can argue with someone’s personal experience on a specific mattress because IMO personal experience always “trumps” theory.

[quote]Our next decision is whether or not to add a topper. I’ll talk a bit about that here, as it relates to the mattress in question and then ask questions in the wool topper thread.

I tried the mattress with and without toppers (wool, latex). I liked it with the wool. The first two times, I really liked it with the OMI Wooly 3" topper. It felt very plush to me. However, when I went back this last time, I realized the wool topper created a layer that lessened the ability of the micro coils to do their “job”. The coils were no longer conforming to my body as much, it was the wool.

For now, we decided to just get the mattress. I’m doing research on wool toppers and will likely go back to Austin Natural Mattress to try different toppers - different thickness and brands. Also, I’m guessing the OMI topper is not the best value out there (but also not jumping to conclusions). Research will tell.[/quote]

Your experience would be typical of a thicker wool topper which can lessen the ability of the microcoils underneath it to contour to the shape of the body. Having said that … wool has an amazing ability to help maintain a more neutral sleeping temperature (it can regulate temperature in both directions) and the humidity and the overall microclimate of a sleeping surface. Wool is also often a favorite material for many people because it can provide a more “relaxed” sleeping surface and can help with surface tension or shear forces on the sleeping surface (see post #18 here). There is also some evidence that it can help people reach the deeper and more restorative levels of sleep.

There are always tradeoffs involved in any mattress or topper choice that are primarily preference issues. There is more information about wool toppers and how they compare to various foam toppers (at least in very general terms) in post #8 here and in posts #3 and #6 here and there are some additional comments about wool toppers and a list of some of the better sources I’m aware of in post #3 here.

There will be a break in and adjustment period for any new mattress or sleeping system as the mattress loses any of it’s “false firmness” and the cover stretches and loosens a little and the materials settle and your body gets used to a sleeping surface that is different from what it is used to (see post #3 here). This would typically be a few weeks but it can be shorter or longer depending on the specifics of the person and the mattress so I would generally try to give any new mattress at least a couple of weeks (if possible) before considering any changes or additions to the mattress.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts and experience in such great detail.

Phoenix