Wow, there is a lot of great information here! I am a newbie looking for a little guidance.
We purchased a bed a few weeks ago from a clearance center with a no return policy and it was too soft for me. My lower back pain came back just after a few nights on it. So we are selling it to a friend who prefers softer beds and taking a nice hit. Lesson learned.
We almost bought a Tempur Pedic Contour Select or Signature bed but then read about off gassing and potential toxins in the bed. Are those rumors true? Wife is pregnant so we are probably a little over sensitive right now.
We then tried an all natural Latex bed by Pure Bliss Nature and really liked it. The guy in the store had a Nature bed with a 2" latex topper on it which gave us just the right feel. After researching here and other sites, I noticed we can pick up a latex bed cheaper by ordering online. My question is, where would you order from and why? I’m overwhelmed with the different online stores.
In case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start your research is post #1 here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines and links to some of the forum posts that you will find most helpful.
You are asking a very complex question that has no specific answer because it depends on how each person answers the question 'how safe is safe enough for me?" and this can be different for different people. Post #2 here has much more information about the “safety” of mattress materials and components but “most” people would consider Tempurpedic to be “safe” although there are also a minority who are more sensitive or that are more focused on natural materials that wouldn’t agree and have experienced symptoms of various kinds on Tempurpedic or other memory foam mattresses. I personally would tend to avoid memory foam for babies or young children (if they will be sleeping on the mattress) both because of potential offgassing issues in some cases and because memory foam is generally too soft and “motion restricting” for babies and young children.
I would follow the steps in the guidelines and choose a mattress that was the best match for your personal value equation. I’m happy to help with “how” to choose but the specifics of “what” to choose is up to each person and their unique criteria, budget, and circumstances. The post also includes a link to a list of some of the better online choices I’m aware of.
Thank you for your response. As I read through all the post on the forum I am amazed at your commitment to answer everyone.
Great answer on the the soft or sinking attribute of memory foam. That may be as or more concerning then the potential off gassing. All of our research and testing is pointing us to talalay latex.
I did read through the post you provided several times. We have completed the steps over the last few weeks and are trying to see how to get something similar to the Pure Bliss Nature online. We are trying to stay around $2K for a King set and just not sure which online retailer would be the best. Although I assume if they are on your list then we can’t go wrong.
After spending a lot of time in stores and connecting with a great owner who was committed to teaching us about all the different types of materials etc. We really like a firm base (support) with the pressure relief topper. We settled on the Pure Bliss Nature:
You can see more accurate specs for the PLB Nature in post #2 here.
As you can see they are different in terms of layer thickness and ILD than most of the online manufacturers that sell talalay latex mattresses listed in post #21 here so you would their help to approximate or “translate” the design of the Nature into the options they have available that are the closest equivalent.
You could order the exact same layers from a supplier like Sleep Like a Bear and a similar cover but it would cost you more.
2" 14 ILD topper $ 664 (you could find this for less elsewhere)
Slatted foundation @$ 300 +
Total @$3429
You could also shop around with some of the suppliers in post #4 here and order some of these individual layers for a lower cost as well.
Overall though it would probably be most cost effective both in terms of time and money to talk with some of the members here that sell online and see what they suggested that may approximate the Nature and the topper although the savings for 12" of latex and a foundation may not be that significant compared to actually purchasing the Nature itself.
For example you could talk with mattresses.net and see whether they could add 2" of Talalay to one of their 6" + 2" Talalay mattresses in the same ILD’s with a stretch knit cover (instead of wool quilting).
The SleepEz 9000 may also be similar in terms of “feel” and the makeup of the top layers because it has 2" of similar ILD as the top layer and then a middle layer that is a little thicker (making it a little softer) but also a little firmer ILD (which may compensate for the softness of the greater thickness) and then the bottom 3" would also be firm (although it would be 3" less but the bottom layer contributes less to the “feel” than the top layers).
In other words … approximating the Nature could involve some research, some conversations, and some guesswork (see post #9 here). I don’t think you would find all these components, layers, and toppers, and a similar cover in the same configuration for close to $2000 even if you found the best prices for every layer and component and to reduce your price to that degree you would probably need to find a rough “equivalent” that used less latex and/or different layering.
Ok Thank you. I’m in San Antonio, TX and the only latex beds I have been able to try are by Pure Bliss. Are they good “value” beds? I guess it’s hard because that is all I know so far. I am sure these online retailers have great options I am not aware of. Which online manufacture provides the best value? I think I could go to the $2500 range if it meant I was getting the right bed for us at a great value.
We have been sleeping on our Nature for about a week and a half and love it. For us it was a good value. I appreciated being able to lay on it before I bought it. Even if I had spent a little less money by buying something similar on line there would have been no way to try it in advance. Even if I had been able to exchange the layers the hassle factor of exchanging was not something I wanted to deal with. I like being able to support a local business when I can. Pure Latex Bliss makes a quality product. If your local supplier has a price that you feel comfortable with then it will be a good value.
Pure Latex Bliss certainly uses good quality materials (Talalay latex) and depending on the price at the retailer you are dealing with are typically better value than most mainstream brands yes although there may also be better value available some local manufacturers or retailers or some of the online manufacturers or retailers as well. The “best” value is relative to each person and depends on the specific criteria that are the most important parts of your personal value equation and would depend on what was available to you and what you were comparing it to. The read first post I linked earlier has a link to some of the members here that sell latex mattresses online that you can use as a “reference point” for value (comparing a similar thickness of the same type of latex and a similar cover).
Some of the better options or possibilities in the San Antonio area I’m aware of are listed in post #2 here.
I am from San Antonio as well and have been going through a similar buying process. You didn’t say where you found the Pure Latex Bliss mattress but I assume it was from Optirest since they are the only place in town that carries that brand as far as I know. Did you happen to look at the hybrid collection they have? Its not a full latex mattress, for instance the Celebrate model has an 8" bonded foam/latex core and a 5" talalay topper, but it falls more along your budget line. I think it retails for right around 2k for that particular model.
If you go to the pure Latex Bliss retail store finder and put in your zip it will give you all the retailers around your area and it seems that Quality Mattresses in New Braunfels | New Braunfels Mattress Co. carries the Pure latex Bliss mattresses (natural and hybrid) as well in the San Antonio area.
Yes, I have been to Optirest and NB Mattress. Like the owner of Optirest a lot. Very educational. NB will beat any price out there (Optirest will also). NB has 0% financing. We are taking our time. Really leaning towards the PLB Nature with 2" topper. Out the door I was told $3K. Is that about right? Or can I do better on the same model?
I don’t know what different dealers across the country end up selling for but for a king set with a 2" topper out the door it seems very reasonable to me.
You could find 12" of blended Talalay latex with a cover that was the same or better quality and a foundation for less than this but it wouldn’t be the same mattress and any saving may not offset the additional risk of buying online.
Well we finally sold our last mattress and with baby #2 headed our way in the next few months we have decided to wait on a latex bed at around $3K.
So it looks like we are looking for an innerspring mattress around $1200-$1400. I know the feel is personal preference and we have read the great guidelines on how to pick a mattress. My question is, are there certain brands that are better as far as construction for an innerspring mattresses and ones to avoid? I imagine there is.
A mattress is only as good as its construction and materials no matter which brand name is on the label. The “best” brands are the ones that fully disclose the quality of the materials in their mattresses (as long as the retailer you are dealing with will provide you with this information). You can see the list of the largest 15 brands here (which represent over 87% of the sales in the industry) and the odds that you will be able to find out the information you need to make an informed decision from each of them.
In general … but not always … the highest quality and value is in smaller local and regional brands that are in the remaining 13% (there are several hundred of these) and which tend to use higher quality materials in every price range but again the only way to confirm this and make meaningful comparisons is by knowing what is in any mattress you are considering. In most of the forum lists for different areas of the country I have identified the brands that are carried by each retailer or manufacturer that I’ve listed that would have higher odds of transparency.
Brands to avoid (that are not transparent) are easier to identify which is basically the 5 largest manufacturers on the list and any others that don’t disclose the materials in their mattresses or are listed as “avoid” which represent well over 3/4 of the mattresses sold in the industry.
Wow, good link. I’m back to square one. It’s interesting, the main post #1 has a link to pricing in mattresses. $1200-$1600 is the best price point it seems yet I feel still overwhelmed. I would love to get a latex bed for that price but it seems impossible. So am I best off just settling for an innerspring until I can afford a latex? Then it’s a crap shoot as far as quality? I would save for a little while longer, just now sure we can hang in there as our current innerspring is done. Thanks as always for you insights. Best I have heard.
For a king mattress that includes a good quality foundation and shipping the top of your budget is probably just at or under the lower end of the price range for the large majority of the most common 8" or 9" constructions although you would be inside the budget range for a thinner mattress either online or in some cases locally.
This is really a preference issue and for some people a good innerspring of the type they prefer is a strong preference even over a latex core. some of the most knowledgeable people I know in the industry that could sleep on anything they wanted sleep on an innerspring/latex hybrid.
With any mattress … including an innerspring … the quality/durability and useful life of the mattress will depend more on the quality of the layers above the innerspring than anything else and it’s always important to know the quality of all the layers in a mattress regardless of which type of materials it contains. Even a good quality polyfoam/latex hybrid (which can be a good option for those whose budget doesn’t allow for a latex support layer) can be a very high quality and durable choice.
The list of online members of the site in the guidelines post includes several options for thinner latex mattresses or latex hybrids that are in your budget range. Have you talked with the other manufacturers in the San Antonio list as well? They would probably also have some good quality mattresses (innerspring and otherwise) in your budget range.
Ok this makes sense. So would a Pure Latex Bliss Vitality be an example of an innerspring hybrid? This is something in our price range to consider. If not what is an example if this?
A hybrid generally means that there is a combination of materials or components in the mattress. It’s generally used to describe one type of material used for a support system and another used in the comfort layers. A latex/polyfoam hybrid for example would typically have latex in the upper or comfort layers and polyfoam in the support layers. A latex/innerspring hybrid would typically have latex in the comfort layers and an innerspring for the support layers. These are general descriptions because there can be many “hybrid” variations.
The materials in the Pure Latex Bliss Vitality are …
So there are 4" of Talalay latex over a bonded foam core that includes 10% latex and 90% polyfoam pieces which are bonded together.
So this would really be a latex / rebond foam hybrid since there is no innerspring. You can see the details of the rebond foam in post #6 here. While the foam used here is rebond which is somewhat unusual … it’s mostly polyfoam so this would be most closely comparable to a latex/polyfoam hybrid.
An innerspring / latex hybrid would have an innerspring of some kind and then one or more layers of latex over the innerspring for the comfort layer. You could even have a hybrid that used an innerspring for the support system and then a mixture of different types of foam in the comfort layers (such as latex and memory foam or memory foam and polyfoam). Anything is possible and each combination of materials creates a different “feel” and performance but it all boils down to which mattress design is the best “fit” for your body type and sleeping positions in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).
The choice between different types of materials in a support system or in the comfort layers are a matter of preference and budget. Every material or component has lower and higher quality versions and the goal is to find the highest possible quality of the materials and combinations you like best that is inside your budget range. Since a mattress tends to soften and break down from the top down … the quality/durability of the comfort layers especially will have the biggest effect on the useful life of the mattress regardless of which materials you prefer.
