New to the site and looking for pointers

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hi,

I am new to this site and am looking for some advice. I have done numerous research on mattresses and I am struggling on coming on a decision on “the one.” I have already purchased a Sealy Optimum Radiance on Black Friday. We (my girlfriend and I) got a great deal and negotiated the price down even further. However, I am starting to second-guess my decision as I have educated myself even more on mattresses since the purchase and have read on this site that Sealy may no be the best mattress manufacturer to buy from. I plan on letting the mattress arrive within the week and using the sleep trial period to test it out. My girlfriend and I like a firmer feel mattress and this Optimum seems to be on the firmer side. It has a 6" memory core, a 2" memory foam, and a 2" gel memory foam with Outlast that appears to make the mattress cooler (although I have read that the cooling effect may only last 15 minutes). I sleep “hot” and a cooling mattress is important for me. However, I understand that memory foams get hot and may not be the best type of cooling mattress. Also, my girlfriend has a very sensitive sense of smell and memory foams tend to have a bad smell. I also consider myself a “green” person for the most part, so the off-gassing that tends to come with memory foams is bothersome not me, not to mention what it may do to our health. I tend to move around in bed a lot and shake my leg around so having less motion transfer is a big deal to my girlfriend. But we both feel that we still don’t want to feel “trapped” in our mattress so getting up out of bed easily is important as well. Any mattress may feel like an upgrade to us because we have an old innerspring mattress (possibly close to 10 years) that is sagging, but I still would like to make the “right” purchase since we will be sleeping on this next mattress for the next decade hopefully. Also worth mentioning is that I am a stomach sleeper for the most part (though I tend to change positions) and my girlfriend is a side sleeper. Mattresses and brands that have piqued my interest include:

Amerisleep and the Revere mattress in particular. They say that their plant-based memory foams emit far less VOC’s and that their mattresses sleep cooler. However, I am skeptical of them because they seem to run a crazy deal on their mattresses every day.

The Tempurpedic Rhapsody Breeze caught my eye but their mattresses seem to be way overpriced and the heating problems persist with them. I don’t mind spending a lot of money on a mattress, however, if it is going to last awhile.

I took a look at Sleep Number as well because their air mattresses seem to be good for your back and motion transfer but I have heard some negative things about their parts breaking down.

I have read about Essentia Mattresses because of their Natural Latex Memory Foam, but I have a feeling that they are also just very clever marketers and may not be selling the best product.

Intellibed caught my eye as well because the editor of mattressreviewguru.com has listed it as his number one mattress.

I also like BeautyRest Recharge and Saatva mattresses for innerspring. Saatva in particular is listed on mattressreviewguru.com as it’s number two mattress and Sean Fry on sleeplikeahog.com has it listed as his number one mattress.

However, I’m not sure who I can really trust. That is how I ended up on here. What is important for my girlfriend and I is to get the very best mattress for us. That mattress should: be medium-firm (more firm better than more plush); last us a long time (hopefully 10 years); be comfortable and supportive for our backs and necks; not smell nor emit any harmful chemicals; stay as cool as possible; reduce motion transfer as much as possible without making us feel “trapped” in our mattress (breathable); and hopefully not cost us an arm and a leg, but like I previously stated, I will pay more to get more (but value is the key). Good customer service from the retailer and a sleep trial period are important as well (especially if buying on-line).

I apologize for the long post but I hope that helps you narrow down the mattress of our dreams. By the way, we live in Orlando, FL if you know of any great retailers close by that may or may not be the chain retailers.

Thanks is advance,

Oneiros

2

Hi Oneiros,

The tutorial post here and the links inside it will answer most of your questions and has the basic information, steps, and guidelines I would suggest to make the best possible choice.

Outside of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences), knowing the construction and the quality of the materials inside a mattress are one of the most important parts of a mattress purchase because without knowing the quality of all the layers there is no way to identify any weak links in a mattress in terms of durability or make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses.

As you will see … I would generally suggest avoiding any of the major brands because they tend to use lower quality materials in every budget range than many other options made by smaller manufacturers across the country and they often don’t disclose the specific information you would need to make an informed buying decision.

You can read a little more about the Sealy Optimum line (including the Radiance) in post #48 here. The Radiance has a 6" 1.5 lb density polyfoam core (not memory foam) and then 4" of 4 lb memory foam in the comfort layers.

You are wise to be skeptical about marketing information that implies that a mattresses uses a “special” material that is unique to them. You can see some of my thoughts about Amerisleep at the end of both post #4 here and post #4 here and a forum search on Amerisleep (you can just click this) will bring up more information about them as well. There is also a link to a list of some of the better online memory foam retailers and manufacturers I’m aware of in the tutorial post.

You can see my thoughts about airbeds in general in this article.

A forum search on Intellibed (you can just click this) will bring up more information about them as well.

If you do some initial reading and then follow the steps in the tutorial post one by one you will end up with a good quality/value choice. When you get to step 3 … the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Orlando area are listed in post #2 here.

Phoenix

3

Hi Phoenix,

I apologize for responding 10 days later. However, I must say that since I last contacted you, I have studied this website thoroughly enough to feel like I can pass some type of national exam. I appreciate that you responded to me right away. Since we last made contact, I have grown to really like what I have been reading on latex. The Sealy Optimum Radiance that I purchased on November 29th should have been here awhile ago, but I keep calling to push back the delivery while I figure out what I want to do. It is now set to arrive tomorrow and I’m still thinking about letting them deliver it so that I can use the trial period to figure out my eventual latex mattress purchase. :slight_smile:

Before I decide on purchasing a latex mattress, I obviously would like to lay on a few to see if my exceedingly high expectations on latex will be met. I have a feeling that it will. I am thinking about taking a drive over to Fox Mattress to test some latex mattresses over there as well as the lower priced ones in Ikea since I have one very close to me.

With that being said, can you guide me as to which kind of latex would suit my girlfriend and I better and how much density we should be looking for? We like a firmer feel to our mattress, but not too firm. We also like a springier feel. We are both combination sleepers, however I’m mostly a stomach sleeper and my girlfriend is mostly a side sleeper. I’m 6’2" and 175, while she is 5’3" and 105.

I was thinking of a 100% Dunlop Support Core with a Talalay Comfort layer to combine the firmness and the “springiness.” I’m also not sure about whether to go with NR Talalay or Blended Talalay. I like the thought of the all natural rubber Talalay because I consider myself a “green” person, however I also like the fact that blended Talalay is more durable, which is also a key factor in our mattress purchase. We also like to sleep cool (which is one of the many reasons we like latex), so I’m thinking about adding a wool quilted top or perhaps just a wool mattress pad.

Because I am mostly a stomach sleeper, should I look at a really thin Talalay comfort layer such as 1"? Will 2" be okay because my girlfriend is mostly a side sleeper? I worry that the less inches of latex I have, the less the life of the mattress will be. But comfort is more important than mattress life. Since I’m a stomach sleeper, should I even be looking at Talalay on top at all since I should be sleeping on a firmer comfort layer?

I would appreciate your help pertaining to the type of latex for both the support and comfort levels, the density and thickness that would be ideal for both of us, and what you think a fair price the latex mattress would be depending on the answers that you give me, all while knowing our sizes, weights, and sleeping styles?

If you need more information, please ask.

P.S. Do you think that I should just cancel the order of the Sealy Optimum that I purchased since I’m already destined to return it, or will using the trial period be fine?

Thank you for all you do!

Oneiros

4

Hi Oneiros,

[quote]With that being said, can you guide me as to which kind of latex would suit my girlfriend and I better and how much density we should be looking for? We like a firmer feel to our mattress, but not too firm. We also like a springier feel. We are both combination sleepers, however I’m mostly a stomach sleeper and my girlfriend is mostly a side sleeper. I’m 6’2" and 175, while she is 5’3" and 105.

I was thinking of a 100% Dunlop Support Core with a Talalay Comfort layer to combine the firmness and the “springiness.” I’m also not sure about whether to go with NR Talalay or Blended Talalay. I like the thought of the all natural rubber Talalay because I consider myself a “green” person, however I also like the fact that blended Talalay is more durable, which is also a key factor in our mattress purchase. We also like to sleep cool (which is one of the many reasons we like latex), so I’m thinking about adding a wool quilted top or perhaps just a wool mattress pad.

Because I am mostly a stomach sleeper, should I look at a really thin Talalay comfort layer such as 1"? Will 2" be okay because my girlfriend is mostly a side sleeper? I worry that the less inches of latex I have, the less the life of the mattress will be. But comfort is more important than mattress life. Since I’m a stomach sleeper, should I even be looking at Talalay on top at all since I should be sleeping on a firmer comfort layer?[/quote]

I would use your own careful and objective personal testing using the testing guidelines (along with the guidance and experience of a good manufacturer or retailer) to choose which mattress design and layering is the best match for your specific needs and preferences (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). I would keep all your options open and avoid trying to design your own mattress ahead of time based on specs which is overly complex and without good reference points can lead to information overwhelm and confusion more than anything else and is not nearly as reliable a way to make a choice as your own personal testing. Your body and personal experience will tell you much more than “theory” or specs about which version of latex or which design is best for you. The choice between types of latex is also a matter of personal preference and your own personal value equation more than a “better worse” choice.

I’m not quite sure what you mean by “the less inches of latex you have the less the life of the mattress will be” unless you mean a latex hybrid with a thin layer of latex over polyfoam where you are sinking “through” the latex into the polyfoam in which case this would be correct to some degree (depending on the quality/density of the polyfoam).

Both Dunlop and Talalay come in a wide range of ILD’s and firmness levels so either one can be firmer than the other depending on the ILD of the layer. It’s only when they both have the same ILD and you sink into a layer more than 25% that Dunlop would feel firmer than Talalay.

I would first choose the mattress and the mattress protector before you add a wool topper unless you are able to test the mattress and topper combination together and prefer the combination. If there is already wool in the quilting and/or you are using a wool/cotton mattress protector then the mattress may already sleep cool enough and you may not need a wool topper at all unless you want to change the “feel” of the mattress or you prefer sleeping on thicker layers of wool. A wool topper will change the feel of the mattress significantly and reduce the ability of the latex to contour to your body to some degree (depending on the amount of wool and the compression of the wool in the topper) so I would make sure you prefer the “feel” of this before adding it to your sleeping system.

This would be up to your best judgement and would also depend on the return policy if you take delivery of the mattress. If there is a good no risk return policy then taking delivery would have little risk outside of the time and effort involved in returning it but you may feel better about returning it before delivery so that the store doesn’t end up with a used mattress if you know for certain that you won’t be keeping it.

Phoenix

5

Thanks for the help Phoenix. I asked a lot of subjective questions. I’ll have to test the mattresses out myself to truly know what I like. Hopefully, I can take a drive down to Fox Mattress sooner rather than later and test some of their latex mattresses. I’ll also check out Orlando Mattress Company (www.orlandomattresscompany.com/) and Original Mattress (Find an Original Mattress Factory Store) as you have mentioned them in previous posts. Once I do, I’ll let you know how it went.

Oneiros

6

Hi Oneireos,

I’m looking forward to hearing about your experiences :slight_smile:

You have some good options available.

Phoenix