Need Advice on Replacing My PLB Beautiful Mattress: Exploring Latex and Firmness Options

[phoenix]

Hi md_backpain,

In 2013 we purchased a PLB Beautiful mattress. In February after dealing with progressively increasing pain, the mattress was replaced under warranty for having sagged beyond their guidelines. PLB Were great at replacing our mattress , however the (extreme) pain has sadly not left. I consistently feel like my waist/hips are sinking far too low and that my torso is at a higher elevation.

I’m mostly a back sleeper (according to the Mrs), but i fall asleep on my side. My wife is mostly a side sleeper. We both feel like the mattress is too soft and doesn’t provide sufficient support. At the time of purchase (in a store) it was identified as a “medium” firmness option, their website now lists it as being on the softer end.

I’m sorry to hear about all the issues you’ve had with your Beautiful mattress. The Beautiful is one of their softest mattresses which means that it can be a risky choice for some people like yourself in terms of maintaining good spinal alignment over the course of the night. It also sounds like the latex in your mattress was defective as well but at least they replaced it under the warranty.

The Beautiful also contains 3" of their softest Talalay latex in the top layer and thicker layers of very soft foam materials (including latex) will be less durable than firmer versions of the same material. While I don’t know your weight or BMI range … this would be especially true for those that are in a higher weight or BMI range.

While there really isn’t a lot you can do if you choose a mattress that is to soft to provide suitable support/alignment … outside of buying a new mattress there are some suggestions in post #4 here that may be helpful even if they are only on a partial or temporary basis.

Which brings us to now, and the need to replace our King sized mattress with a new one.
After much (much) reading (not comprehension) i’m still convinced that we like the overall feel of a latex mattress, more so than the alternatives. I’m not particularly inclined to purchase another PLB mattress due to both the costs of the mattress, but more to the point the overall medical expenses incurred due to that brand, their lack of any comfort warranty, and their unwillingness to work with us to consider an exchange (even with some cost involved) for a stiffer model.

It would be almost unheard of for any manufacturer in the industry to provide a comfort exchange that long after a purchase so this would be the norm for almost every manufacturer … not just PLB.

I believe i’ve narrowed down our choices (subject to talking to the reps to determine firmness for each option) in order of preference (although 1-2 are neck and neck really)

Spindle Firm - 365 day comfort adjustment (150$ and you keep the existing layer) , option to purchase replacement layers if needed. Cons their return policy is (while super honest) one of the worse. 299$ deductible , have to donate to a local charity (hassle/time)

Dreamfoam - ULTIMATE DREAMS TOTAL LATEX. Pro’s full latex, comparable (or so it seems) to PLB’s quality , exchangeable layer (200$ deposit refunded) , 90 day return policy. Basically 30 days to attempt a comfort change, another 60 to bail out if needed

Brooklyn Bedding - sister company to dreamfoam, albeit with a polyfoam support layer. Lower cost, 120 day return policy, no comfort adjustability and return only usable once. I’m not sure but i suspect that means you can’t choose eg. “firm” return and exchange for “medium” and then return it if you decide the mattress really doesn’t work for you.

Sedona Sleep - 100 day comfort. Split between base and topper (not sure how i feel about this), split firmness. website (and spelling) sucks. Cheaper cost due to foam base vs latex.

While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here 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 suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).

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 isn’t just interested in “selling you” any mattress they can convince you to buy) 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 and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.

Two of the mattresses you are considering (Brooklyn Bedding BestMattressEver and Sedona Sleep) are latex/polyfoam hybrids and the other two are all latex mattresses so they are in different mattress categories (see this article). There is more about the pros and cons of latex/polyfoam hybrids vs an all latex mattress in post #2 here.

All of the mattresses you are considering use good quality materials so there are no lower quality materials or weak links that would compromise the durability or useful life of any of them relative to any weight range although it would be reasonable to expect that the all latex mattresses would have a longer lifespan than the latex/polyfoam hybrids.

Three of the mattresses you are considering are component mattresses and two of them allow you to fine tune the firmness of the top pressure relieving layer by exchanging the layer for a softer or firmer version after your purchase (Dreamfoam Total Latex, Sedona Sleep). One of them (Spindle) has 3 individual layers which allows you to fine tune both the pressure relief and support of the mattress by either rearranging the order of the layers or replacing any of the layers for a firmer or softer version as well. The Brooklyn Bedding BME allows you to choose between 3 different firmness options when you make your purchase but the only options you would have available after a purchase would be to add a topper (if the choice you decide on is too firm) or return the mattress for a refund.

There is also more about the pros and cons of a component latex mattress with a zip cover and loose layers vs a finished mattress with glued layers in post #15 here and post #2 here.

Each of the mattresses you are considering also use different types and blends of latex. Spindle uses 100% natural continuous pour Dunlop in all of their layers. The Dreamfoam Total latex mattress uses blended Talalay latex in both the base layer and the comfort layer. The Brooklyn Bedding BME uses a 2" layer of blended Talalay latex on top of a 2" layer of synthetic continuous pour Dunlop latex (on top of their polyfoam base). Sedona Sleep uses a 3" topper of blended Talalay latex on top of their polyfoam base layer. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and there is more about some of the general differences between Dunlop and Talalay in post #7 here. Continuous pour Dunlop is somewhat “in between” Talalay and molded Dunlop in terms of its feel and response. The choice between different types and blends of latex is more of a preference and budget choice than a “better/worse” choice because any type or blend of latex is a good quality and durable material relative to other types of foam materials such as memory foam or polyfoam. The best way to know which type or blend of latex you tend to prefer in general terms would be based on your own local testing or your own personal experience.

They also have different exchange/return policies with different time periods and costs involved which of course can affect the level or risk and the “value” of a mattress purchase when you can’t test a mattress before a purchase to assess whether it’s a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP. I would also keep in mind that the manufacturer’s cost for a return policy is built into the cost of a mattress and free or “subsidized” returns or exchanges are built into the cost of the mattress so the majority of customers that don’t exchange or return a mattress or individual layers are the ones that pay for the minority of customers that do. On the other hand return/exchange policies that are more costly can lower the initial cost of a mattress for the majority of people but if you are one of the minority that needs to do a return or an exchange your final cost will be higher.

All of the manufacturers you are looking at are members of this site which means that I think very highly of them and that I believe that they all compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency so I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to purchase a mattress from any of them.

While again I don’t make specific recommendations or suggestions … hopefully this will help you assess the pros and cons of each of the options you are looking at.

Once you have narrowed down your options to a list of finalists that are all choices between “good and good” (which you have) and you have confirmed that none of them have any lower quality materials or “weak links” in their design (which they don’t) and if at this point there are no clear winners between them (which is usually a good indication that you have done some good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a suitable choice and post #2 here can help you make a final choice based on your more detailed conversations with each of them, your personal preferences, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress (or individual layers in some cases) and any costs involved, 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.

Phoenix