I never thought I’d be on a mattress forum, but then again I didn’t realize the importance of the mattress until I started having back problems. I have been working in the auto industry for over 15 years now (guess which one???) and “get” why research is important. I also get why finding a source of information that is accurate and honest is vitally important too. I am very glad, happy or enthusiastic (take your pick) to find this web based group about mattresses. As most of you have noticed finding a competent sleep professional is not easy. This website directs you straight to them! I am in my early stages of gathering information, and more importantly understanding that information so no “glory story” of what mattress I purchased yet. When I do I’m sure I’ll share my impressions with the rest of you all… thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts in a brief hello to this message board 
Hi nissanman,
I don’t think “guessing” would be too difficult given your mattress forum name and I would guess that your work also involves bending over or being in “unnatural” positions for extended periods of time and working in small and/or somewhat “impossible” spaces trying to make something “fit” that wasn’t designed as well as it could have been.
In any case … thanks for the kind words and welcome to the forum
If you have questions or need any help along the way … feel free to post them.
Phoenix
I’m narrowing down my options ( I hope). My first choice would be a custom Mattress from custom sleep designs in CT. Local product and no doubt a top notch mattress set. Biggest con, top notch pricing. Tied for runner up is Worley Beds mattress set, double sided and a local manufacturer where my in laws live. Or Connecticut Mattress by Tom Wholley because they carry the Natura line of latex mattresses. The runners up would cost about $1200+ less for a set. Tom found out 1st hand not to challenge the major mattress chains in court, they have unlimited resources vs the independent guys, but I admire the fact he even tried! Worley beds is an outlet I found on this forum and is the type of place worthey of my har earned $$$. If anyone has experience with any of the three companies I’ve mentioned I’d love to hear about it.
Hi nissanman,
Custom sleep design is a member of this site (meaning you are entitled to a 5% discount on your mattress) and I think very highly of them (NOTE: for those who are reading this they are unfortunately no longer in business). They have a zoning system which is personalized to each person and is very “accurate” and they will exchange out layers until it is the way you want it. It would be the mattress equivalent to buying a pair of custom made shoes or a custom fitted suit where the construction was tailored to your personal measurements and needs as well as your height/weight etc. While they are certainly not the lowest cost … they have great value for those who are looking for this kind of “custom fit” and Bob is also very service oriented and very knowledgeable about latex (he used to be a VP at Latex International).
Worley beds is a local manufacturer who I also think highly of although this is based on a single much shorter conversation. They certainly fit the profile of the type of family owned local manufacturer that I like and based on our conversation I know they also have good value although their mattresses would be more “standardized” than CSD.
Natura is a Canadian manufacturer which makes some quality mattresses but IMO they are not in the same value range as either of the other two (although the prices they charge would make a difference in value). I think they tried to do too much too quickly and tried to be all things to all people by introducing too many mattresses too quickly and their relationships with some of their retailer suffered as a result. It would depend of course on which specific mattress you were comparing but all other things being equal they would clearly be my third choice of the three. They also seem to carry Gold Bond which also makes latex mattresses and can have better than average value (if they carry their latex models).
I also admire people who will “stand up” to the major players … win or lose … but as you mentioned they have money behind them and have no qualms about applying “pressure” when it will benefit them. It will be nice to see when either their practices change (unlikely) or they begin to lose market share to smaller manufacturers who truly deserve to have a much larger share of the market. The key is to educate consumers about the difference in quality and value that is available all across the country if they only find out where to look and what to look for
Phoenix
Thanks for the info on Gold Bond (another CT company too). I didn’t realize they were into Latex as well. That would certainly be a consideration for me as well. And based on your information a stronger option than Natura in a heads up comparison.
Days later, and days wiser…
I almost feel bad, but it’s not looking good for CT Mattress. Nothing they did wrong, just don’t have what I’m leaning towards. The manager at the store was more than helpful and a nice guy to deal with… but a Gold Bond all Latex mattress goes for as much as the custom sleep designs mattress, a no-brainer decision for me there. That leaves Worley Mattress in MA. Though not “local” to me, I have family in that neighborhood. Good enough for me Now just trying to get out there to try the PLB mattress vs their home built Platinum series. That puts me in a $1800-$2500 dollar range, more than I thought I’d spend but over the 10yrs I’ll keep it a small price to pay! Keep y’all posted
Hi nissanman,
Gold bond latex mattresses seem to have quite a wide range of prices at different places. They are in partnership with Ecosleep and some of their line are made by Durable Products (owned by Vymac which owns Ecosleep) which makes a similar line and in some cases has identical models that often sell for less (see post #3 here). For example you can see the Gold bond Ecotouch here is identical to the Ecosleep Cassidy. You can also see here that the “Ecosleep” Gold Bond Ecotouch is a 9" talalay latex mattress selling for a very reasonable price and yet in other places or with other mattresses the pricing is much higher.
Lets hope that one of the Worley Platinum series fit what you are looking for in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Preferences) because their value is very good. Of course the PLB’s are also very nice even if they are more expensive (than most local factory directs at least even if they are better value than most mainstream mattresses).
I’m looking forward to seeing what you choose
Phoenix
I really, really, really need to get into a shop that actually knows what they are talking about! For gits and shiggles I stopped into a larger chain store to lay on different mattress types. From my research I’m confident that Latex is the way I’d like to go, but I have not ruled out other combinations. The TWO stores I entered both immediately tried to steer me off of latex, especially all latex. Ironically they didn’t have a good selection of all latex, just one offered between the two stores! They both went straight to “you want different materials in your mattress because Latex won’t have enough support and you’ll sink all the way down”… riiiight, I beleive you. NOT! I did not have high expectations when walking into either of these two places, and they certainly delivered! I’m now in the process of figuring out how to get to Worley even sooner now…
Hi nissanman,
There’s not really much to say about the “so called” information that you received that hasn’t already been said in many places on the site and forum. At least you knew not to believe the stories which unfortunately many people don’t!
It’s sad really … and unfortunately not so unusual in so many of the larger outlets that love to sell mattresses with much lower quality materials (usually undisclosed) at inflated prices.
I hope you have a chance to get to Worley soon and I’d love to hear your feedback when that happens.
Phoenix
I will provide my impressions when I get there, no doubt! And on a side note, if any mattress shoppers have Nissan questions… I will try my best to answer them. Knowledge is power my friends…
Worley was great! No pressure and lots of beds to try out. You can tell it’s a family owned business with trustworthy people on site. My visit really helped me figure out that I like the feel of a latex bed. Now to get the wife to try out some of these mattresses. I will bring her to Comfort sleep solutions to try out some latex stuff, much closer to home and still a local manufacturer. This mattress thing is a lot of work! :blink:
Hi nissanman,
That’s for sure … but it can also be a lot more enjoyable when all the pressure is off and you know you have good choices. I hope your wife appreciates all the legwork you’ve done and I sure appreciate your feedback and reports as well
Phoenix
Hi Everyone,
I’m also living in the CT area (New Britain) and I also never thought I would be on a mattress forum! But I love this site and I am determined that this time I’m going to get the right mattress. I’ve been reading up and I’m at the stage where I need to visit some stores. I’ve never even laid on a latex mattress that I can recall. The wife and I are going to visit Restopedic and Custom Sleep Design this Saturday, even though it’s a bit of driving. Aside from saying hello, I wanted to ask if there is a particular mattress that I can try at either of these places that will give me an idea of what the Ultimate Dream will feel like? We’ve agreed that we are willing to pay as much as it takes to get the right set-up, as long as it will last. But we would love to pay $600 instead of $2,500, if that would fit our needs. Also, are there any other stores in the area I should visit?
My wife and I are both side sleepers, 5’5 - 125 and 5’11 -175, respectively.
Best,
Matpro
matpro, what size mattress? A CSD queen set will run you $3200. For what you get it’s a great deal. The $2500 mark gets you a Comfort sleep solutions queen set or Pure LatexBliss queen set +/-. Just food for thought.
We like a queen. $3200 is really steep, but we might just do it if it is that amazing and will last. Do you know if $3200 includes tax/delivery? In your experience, are you seeing a pretty big difference in the variety of mattresses out there? I’m really curious how different a CSD, PLB, and Ultimate Dream feel. I would love to know how far the extra money goes in terms the actual benefits experienced. And thanks for sharing from your experience. I’ve been reading through your posts and you’ve been able to answer a lot of questions!
I wouldn’t call $3200 pocket change, but for something you’ll get 10 + years out of, not too bad. And when you compare what you actually get, two customized sleep surfaces that can be altered years later (making it less expensive than replacing the entire mattress) the “value” of the CSD mattress goes up a few notches in my book. That being said, if you and your wife are both comfortable on a mattress that’s the same on both sides, going with CSS type mattress will save you $700 +/- :woohoo:
If you visit CSS (still on my to do list btw), they still offer more traditional style mattress too. A Talalay topped inner spring mattress set is only $1600. That may also be comfortable enough for you too. I plan on comparing that model to the all Latex and see if I want to spend the additional $900 or so. I will spend the extra if I feel that much beter on an all Latex mattress but that will take some laying down time to figue out.
So there is where I’m at too. My maximum budget is set at the $3200 mark (CSD), with a few great options at the $2500 mark (CSS or PLB) and not giving up hope that a $1600 set won’t be perfect for me and my wife.
Hi all,
Thanks to nissanman mentioning this site (thanks :)), David at CSS emailed me and I had the chance to talk with him for quite some time today so I thought I’d add a bit about our conversation to the thread.
He grew up in a mattress family and is third generation so he certainly knows about mattresses and the history of the industry. His family has been dealing with Latex International and its precursors for decades and they have a great relationship with them. We share many thoughts about the current state and direction of the industry and the “me too” manufacturing driven by marketing considerations and corporate profits rather than high quality and design and customer service driven by long term reputation. He is “mattress people” and like many multi generational manufacturers … mattresses are in his “blood”.
He is a big fan of latex and makes a range of all latex mattresses as well as latex/polyfoam hybrids and latex/innerspring hybrids as well. It’s not on the website but in addition to offset coil innersprings he also likes and uses pocket coils. Like many independent manufacturers he is not a fan of memory foam and while he does carry some models for those who insist on it … he much prefers latex or in lower budgets higher quality polyfoam. The polyfoam he uses is typically 1.8 lb density or higher up to 2.6 lb (which he likes as well) depending on the budget range and design.
He is a big believer (as I am) of giving helpful and educational information and guidelines but then staying out of the way of the final decision making process of his customers or saying what is “best” for any individual. He understands the importance of people making “educated” decisions based on their own personal criteria (or what I call their “value equation” rather than someone else’s opinion of what may be best.
I also asked him about the new slow recovery Talalay GL and how he felt about it. His reply was along the lines of “who would want to make latex feel like memory foam”. For him … and many others … slow response foam is just not the best way to go when more resilient latex can provide the same pressure relief without the “negatives” of memory foam. Of course this is about preferences as well but it’s always interesting to me how many manufacturers share these opinions.
Also like many local manufacturers … he will gladly make adjustments to a mattress when it’s needed at a nominal or very reasonable charge.
Overall … it was a great conversation and he certainly is helpful, informative, knowledgeable and is building high quality mattresses with good value. There is no doubt that if I was within driving distance I would make a point of including them in my research.
Phoenix
Okay, the plan is to hit Restopedic, CSS, and then CSD all this Saturday. We are going to focus on the 3P’s, take detailed notes on the setup’s we like best, and then come back and decide if we should spend $600 or $3,200. Any other advice on how to get the most out of this trip? I’ll let you know how it goes.
Hi matpro171,
I think you’re probably as prepared a you could be and you have some very good choices which is better yet. I’m really looking forward to your comments and feedback after the trip.
My only suggestion would be to make sure that when you are testing you try to leave thoughts about the mattress’ construction for before and after testing and focus on relaxing completely and hearing what your body (rather than your mind) has to say while you are lying on the mattress (that’s the voice of first hand experience speaking :))
Phoenix
Looks a little “commercial” to me, but there’s Healthy Choice Mattress in Danbury too. http://www.hcmattress.com/html/mattress_collection/organic_mattress_collection.html
Pricing seems to run a bit steeper than CSS, but their “bio” page states made in CT, all natural Talalay etc. An example, their 10" ROSE model runs $3200 for a set… which prices it even with a CSD set. However… they do have a memorial day coupon for $500 off a king or queen set. Why can’t that just be their normal price???
And there’s Showroom Locations that’s been mentioned on this site before. Appears to carry high quality stuff, but charges high quality prices too :ohmy:
Good luck this Saturday!!!