Oh my, now I've gone and done it...

:huh:
Now I’ve gone and confused myself after I thought I had made a decision in my choice for mattress and adjustable bed. I still want to go with the L&P adjustable (although I am not sure exactly what model that is being offered to me. They seem to have their own name. )
It is called the classic with wall hugger.
here are the specs:

Classic wireless model comes standard with:

A lifetime limited warranty.
A "whisper quiet" DC motor system.
550-lb lifting capacity.
Wireless illuminated remote
Separate head & foot adjustments
Position memory
10-speed therapeutic massage
Power drive disconnect SAFETY design
7" steel powder-coated legs
Compatible with headboards, 4-poster beds and bedsteads

OPTIONS

You can order your Queen Classic model with the following options:

  1. Wall-Hugger gliding mechanism.
  2. 10-speed, full-body “wave massage”

It is a set by Sleep Comfort Adjustable Beds. The mattress is the 11 inch Talatech Latex Dual Firmness Mattress ( I had already decided on the 13.5 inch Briella Memory Foam by Christeli).
It has:

1.5" soft quilted panel with FR fiber (whatever FR fiber is?)
1" of Talalay Latex 32 ILD
6" of Dunlop core 32 ILD
1" of Talalay Latex 40 ILD
7/8" firm quilted panel with FR fiber

Talatech ® – in two eco-friendly talalay layers reduces pressure.
Each mattress goes through a five-stage washer to ensure purity.
Every latex mattress we sell is tested in nine locations for consistency.
A luxurious euro-knit fabric helps our mattresses "breathe" to keep you cool.

It was this set for $2799 or the Christeli and the Designer 222 L&P adjustable queen at just ablout the same price after white glove for the base. The only advantage to the delivery is that Sleep Comfort would be delivered and set up at the same time.With Christeli they do not arrive at the same time and the white glove delivery would only be on the base.

LATEX OR FOAM…AGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

My TP fav was the Cloud Luxe Breeze.

I am a hot sleeper, I am 5’4" and weigh 244lbs. Yes, I am pleasingly plump!!! I have numerous bach issues including 5 herniated disks, 3 in neck from auto accident and have sleep apnea.

Any advice would be appreciated, I can’t decide.

Regarding the base…make sure your model has stationary legs. I just purchased the L&P D-series and think it is great. The legs stay put and all movement is on a track as part of the frame. With some introductory models, the legs move across the floor as the bed changes position. I would think over the long haul, the legs being stationary would be less wear/tear on your carpet/floor. Also, the LP D-series has a motor rated at 700lbs I believe.

As for mattress, I was initially shopping TP Cloud Luxe, then a foam knock-off. After insight from this site, I went latex and I must say the support is there without the pressure of springs. But, we do “miss” the sink-in feeling of foam. I may add a 2" talalay gl slow response topper for the “sink in the sand” feel. With the talalay gl slow response, it really feels and acts like memory foam but has all the properties of latex. Being so, I am hoping it will hold up a little longer as a top comfort layer then a piece of Sensus foam. I am also hoping that the heat retention isuues are not present with the latex-based product.

My only concern with the slow response is that Latex International has stopped manufacturing it. Why that is, is unclear. Seems like if it performed the way it should, every foam bed would have this in a top layer…no heat, no chemicals close to the body, longer life span, some support properties from latex. Perhaps being a latex company, the close association of a visco-type product was a step too close to the dark side for the latex purist and latex mattress manufacturers.

Good luck with your search. BTW, I went with a PLB Nature on a LP D-122 base. Got a great deal as a package.

Hi Premalata,

You can see a good list of the Leggett & Platt adjustable beds here so you can compare the specs to the models they list (there isn’t one called the Classic).

I would treat the purchase of an adjustable bed and a mattress as two separate purchases so you can choose which one of each you prefer and make apples to apples comparisons with each of them instead of being locked in to a combination where you may prefer either the mattress or the adjustable but not both. The same mattress will “work” just as well on any adjustable bed. Post #3 here and the adjustable bed thread it links to may help you decide which adjustable bed you prefer and has some sources you can use for price comparisons.

I would also make sure you have the “wall hugger” feature to keep you close to your bedside table when you lift the head.

The choice between latex foam and memory foam is strictly a personal preference so this is something that only you can decide but with your body type I would make sure that you use good quality durable foams no matter which way you decide to go. There is more about how they compare in post #2 here.

These are all good quality materials although I would want to know the blend of the Talalay and the Dunlop. The FR fiber is the non woven fire retardant barrier which is required to pass the fire regulations and the quilted panel probably uses polyfoam in the quilting on each side (more on the softer side and less on the firmer side). It looks like this is a two sided mattress but each side is a different firmness so you would probably only end up using the side which was your preference.

@Jippa,

You may be thinking of adjustable beds that don’t have a “wall hugger” feature which keeps you close to the wall and your bedside table when you raise the head but the lifting mechanism runs on a track and I haven’t seen any adjustables where the legs move across the floor. Do you have a link to one that does this (and if it does I agree I would avoid it).

They are still manufacturing it. A manufacturer I know and talked with today just received a load. (NOTE: LAtex International has since stopped making the slow response latex and it is no longer available)

Phoenix

Phoenix,

I have not tried any latex mattresses, because I don’t know where to go and haven’t found any at the local stores I have gone to. My zip code is 33764 which is Clearwater, FL,if anyone know of anyone that has the latex for me to try.

The sales person I spoke to for Sleep Comfort said the blend of the talalay was, I think, 12 or 13 percent other chemicals but not petroleum. I will have to clarify this.

I will look at the L&P link you gave me and figure out what I want.

Also, this slow and fast response stuff has me a bit confused…do you compare latex to latex or latex to memory foam?
Could you please explain which is better, I assume a faster response is???

Thank you so much

Hi Premalata,

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Tampa/Clearwater/St Petersburg area are listed in post #143 here.

[quote]Also, this slow and fast response stuff has me a bit confused…do you compare latex to latex or latex to memory foam?
Could you please explain which is better, I assume a faster response is???[/quote]

You can compare anything to anything to see which you prefer but in the case of latex and memory foam the comparison is apples to oranges because they are very different from each other and have a very different feel and response. Slow response means that when you press on it the foam will take anywhere from a second or two or in some cases much longer to come back to level so you can’t see your handprint. It has a “memory” of where you pressed on it for a while. Latex and polyfoam are fast response materials that spring back instantly with more energy after you compress it so the foam never shows a handprint.

There is no better or worse … only preference and you would need to test memory foam and latex (or any material or type of mattress) to see which one you prefer.

You can see a video here of several different types of memory foam which you can compare to the video here of Dunlop latex.

Phoenix

@ Phoenix

“Wallhugger” may indeed be the key word to look for for keeping the legs stationary. That was a minimum starting point for me.

Regarding slow response…when I contacted PLB for a 2" SR topper, I was told they quit doing that and I would have to find one in someone’s inventory. LI may still be making it but PLB is not offering SR toppers any more from a call last week.

@ Premalata

I only mentioned the slow response latex as you were considering foam. As Phoenix mentioned comparing foam and latex outright are two different products. If you decide on latex, a slow response latex top layer is a great way to give you that mem foam feel if that is what you like (a cloude luxe feel). I am convinced that latex is a superior mattress component vs mem foam but it feels very different as a top layer.

In our house, we tend to lean toward the sink in feeling of foam. Almost purchased a Cloud Luxe. After this site, did an about face and went all latex. Personally, we like the support, push back, of the latex properties and have yet to get hot on our new mattress. We do however miss that sink in feeling of mem foam but are disenchanted with the reported heat issues and the chemical make-up that are often mentioned with mem foams. That is why I am shopping a top layer of slow response latex.

The slow response latex does a good job of matching the feel of mem foams. I was able to demo a 3" slow response latex topper for a brief time. I felt 3" was a little too thick. Slow response latex is a dense foam and it really “firmed up” the top layer. More than I wanted. I think a 2" layer may be the sweet spot. Being latex, I am not so worried about chemicals and I hope the heat dissipates the same as my current top layer of 21ild latex. I am not certain about the make-up of slow response latex but I would hope it would hold true to the properties and composition of a traditional latex layer.

In the end, I hope to have an all latex mattress that has a similar “feel” to a cloud luxe with better support and a longer life cycle.

Best of luck in your search.

Hi Jippa,

I haven’t seen any adjustables where the legs weren’t stationary regardless of whether it was a wallhugger version or not. For all the ones I’m aware of the lifting mechanism is independent of the legs.

I confirmed this morning that LI is also discontinuing production of the Talalay GL slow response so it’s not just PLB apparently but in the meantime, and until stocks run out, there are still several sources for Talalay GL slow response in different ILD’s and thicknesses in the component list here including …

Phoenix

Do you have any idea why this form of latex is being discontinued, Phoenix? I’d been looking into it the past week or so since I saw it mentioned on the forum somewhere, wondering whether this type of topper might help with the pain issues I seem to have from my Dunlop mattress and had been meaning to ask what you thought of the slow response latex.

It would definitely be a blind purchase with no way for me to try a topper like this in person, which is one reason I’d been taking my time even thinking about it, and now it appears that the material itself is disappearing.

[quote=“Phoenix”]
Hi Jippa,

This one I saw on a showroom floor…the legs moving on casters as the bed changed positions. In an effort to contribute to the knowledge base of this forum, I will make a stop by the store and report the brand/model. I remember it had a wired remote too.

Hi Clawdia,

I don’t know the reason for certain but I would guess it’s for economic and “belt tightening” reasons. It probably never gained enough traction and popularity to justify a separate production run. While it is fairly similar to a faster responding memory foam in terms of its response and still maintains many of the benefits of latex (durability, breathability, certification etc) … I’m guessing that for most of the people who like memory foam that they are predisposed to memory foam and slow response latex for them would be more of an “unknown” and the benefits of the slow response latex probably weren’t enough to justify purchasing it over memory foam and for most people who like latex a big part of the reason is its fast response so it probably wasn’t as popular in the latex market segment either.

I haven’t heard of any durability issues from any of the people I know who carry it so I don’t think this was a factor.

Phoenix

Hi Jippa,

That would be great and I’d certainly appreciate it :).

If the legs themselves move on the floor then it certainly would be a design that I would be cautious with and would probably avoid.

Phoenix

[quote=“Phoenix” post=37018]Hi Clawdia,

I don’t know the reason for certain but I would guess it’s for economic and “belt tightening” reasons. It probably never gained enough traction and popularity to justify a separate production run. While it is fairly similar to a faster responding memory foam in terms of its response and still maintains many of the benefits of latex (durability, breathability, certification etc) … I’m guessing that for most of the people who like memory foam that they are predisposed to memory foam and slow response latex for them would be more of an “unknown” and the benefits of the slow response latex probably weren’t enough to justify purchasing it over memory foam and for most people who like latex a big part of the reason is its fast response so it probably wasn’t as popular in the latex market segment either.

I haven’t heard of any durability issues from any of the people I know who carry it so I don’t think this was a factor.

Phoenix[/quote]

Thanks. What you said about why the product is being discontinued made perfect sense - it all comes back to what’s cost effective.

I had another question or two with regard to this material and whether it might offer a possible solution for me. I was reading some things a few days ago about the relatively few of us who seem to have difficulty adjusting to sleeping on latex, something that’s still hard for me to admit even while the pain is hard to ignore.

The point of the article seemed to be that when a foam has a very fast response time, some people’s bodies may find that this fast response time results in contributing to pressure point issues, whereas material with a slower response time helps alleviate pressure point problems. That took me back to thinking about what you’d said about latex and the shear forces that are involved, and whether these two issues might be connected somehow
.
One article I read was obviously trying to make the point that memory foam is much “better” than latex because of the response time, and whereas I’m disinclined to sleep on memory foam, if the slow response latex might offer the benefits without the problems of memory foam, then it seems it might be an alternative I should explore, albeit a bit quickly before it’s all gone.

I know you can’t tell me what to try next, but was hoping you could tell me if this makes any sense or if I’m totally lost out in left field somewhere.

Hi Clawdia,

The response time or resilience of a foam material has very little to do with the pressure on any particular area of your body which is determined by how well the material contours to the shape of your body and your weight distribution on the mattress along the surface area of your body. Memory foam (like latex) contours to the body shape very well which is why it relieves pressure (although some memory foam takes more time to soften and contour. For example … even a carved piece of wood can provide great pressure relief … until you move (see post #2 here).

Again … there is lots of misinformation all over the web that is meant to promote something that someone is selling and most of it talks about one material being “better” than another without talking about the tradeoffs involved. When your body is at rest and you and the mattress are in equilibrium … then there is no movement or “direction” of pressure … only the actual pressure itself on the body surface that is determined by the resistance of the foam under each part of your body and the weight of your body that is spread out over the surface area that is in contact with your body. The more surface area that is in contact with the mattress (determined by how well a material contours to your body shape) … the more your weight is distributed over the surface of the mattress.

If you decide to try the slow response latex then I would probably try the softest version because the firmer versions will probably feel firmer than most memory foam. As you can see here … it comes in ILD’s of 15, 21, and 27.

I know I’ve mentioned it before but considering your feedback and that a featherbed seems to work well for you I would probably consider a down alternative instead (purchased from a big box store so you can test it and return it if it doesn’t work for you) so that it’s not as costly to replace it when necessary and you would have the benefits of sleeping on something similar to what has worked for you.

Phoenix

Thanks for the input - sounds like I was out in left field (again), which was what I feared.

I’ve heard and understood your very valid points about a down alternative topper, and it’s probably another case where my prejudices are getting in my own way. I don’t like polyester, which seems to be the most common of the alternative fibers. I don’t even own any clothes that contain it.

One thing I meant to mention just because I found it interesting is that mattresses.net lists the slow response topper as “Talalay GL Eco Friendly Memory Foam”. If I were to decide to try a slow response topper, it would definitely be the softest one.

Hi Clawdia,

Perhaps a mattress pad or topper that used Ingeo fibers such as something like this would be worth considering because Ingeo is made from plants (mostly corn).

Phoenix

Interesting material, but I can’t find a vendor that’s currently selling this. The one you linked to says not available, as does Amazon and several others I checked.

Would you happen to know of anyone who actually bought and used one of the Talalay GL slow response toppers? I’ve seen where several people expressed interest in those, but haven’t seen anyone who has actually tried one.

Hi Clawdia,

I noticed the same thing so I called Pacific Coast Feathers who was making many of the ones that were being sold and they confirmed they aren’t making them any more and have no plans to re-introduce them. She didn’t know why they had been discontinued so hopefully someone else will fill in the gap and start making them but for the moment I didn’t see any others either.

I haven’t slept on one myself but I’ve talked with a number of people who sell or have sold them and I think that the most common feedback is that they are firmer than most memory foam and don’t have the same “mushy” feel (are a little more “boardy”). While their website lists them as being available in 3 ILD’s (15, 21, 27) … most of the people I’ve talked with only had the 24 ILD (it’s listed as 21 but apparently they were 24). It would probably be fair to describe them as being “somewhat memory foam like” but I think that someone that would looking for a material that was “just like” memory foam except made with latex may be disappointed.

Phoenix

Thanks (again) Phoenix - glad to find out I was right about the material not being available, but sorry it isn’t since it seemed it might be worth a try.

The reason the slow response seemed tempting to me was because it wouldn’t feel exactly like memory foam but perhaps more like a hybrid - but wouldn’t dare try a 24 since I think it would be too firm for me. Amazon, thru a 3rd party vendor, lists a few of these, but since they’re showing a 6-10 day shipping period, I suspect the seller expects to be able to source them through PLB and an order would never be filled.

I guess I’ll give up on that idea. If it weren’t for all the negatives I think are attached to actual memory foam (heat, smell, etc.), I might even be tempted to try some soft memory foam as a topper, but I really don’t like the notion of trying to dig myself out of a hole to try to change position at night, which is one of the negatives about memory foam that I find really turns me off about it.

Hi Clawdia,

This may be worth a try if for no other reason than to see how it works for you. Some of the newer gel memory foams are faster responding and have a less “stuck in the mud” feeling than the old slower responding memory foams (along with being a little more breathable) and with a relatively thin layer (one or two inches) it would also “allow” more of the feel and response of the latex underneath to come through as well.

If the memory foam is Certipur certified then it should be “safe” (even though you may still need to air it out for a few days) and if you order a topper that can be returned for a refund then it would give you the chance to test it out with little risk.

Phoenix

I’m certainly willing at this point to consider such a thing, but the who/what/where, etc., of a gel memory foam topper that would meet those criteria is sadly far over my pay grade, and an hour spent searching the forum has left me more confused than I was when I started (not all that hard to do, I’ll admit). If you could point me in an appropriate direction to start looking for such a thing, I’d appreciate it.