Ive read through your site and have learned alot. I had no idea how much there was to know about mattresses. Im definitely still learning and not as adept as some of your other users. Before finding your site i went to Sears and from the moment the woman began selling me a mattress that she had prepicked out i knew that it was going to be up to me to find the best mattress for myself.
So after reading through all the different pages i ventured out today to Hardy Mattress Feather Inc. in Ottawa. The woman was very helpful but i felt like there was a disconnect from what i read on your site and what was offered.
She showed me two different types of latex, one firm and one medium. Thats all the info i got from her, is there a metric i should be asking for here? I preferred the medium. She showed me a 6" and 8" thickness and said that it was entirely cosmetic and the thickness between the two would not change comfort. Is this true? Also, it was just one slab of latex, no comfort layer, is that normal? She said i didnt need a comfort layer which seems to contradict what ive read here. The 6" latex was 1400$ and the 8" latex was 1700$
She tried to steer me towards the memory foam, but my partner is not interested in memory foam so i didnt look at it.
Finally, she showed me a series of foam mattresses that were labelled firm, medium firm, medium and soft. Is there a metric i shouldve looked for to describe their firmness? Each of type of firmness she said i could get a level of density, 1.8, 2.2, or 2.7, which she said wouldnt affect the comfort of the mattress but affects the durability. 10,15, and 20yrs respectively. is this accurate? none of the mattresses had a comfort layer.
Prices were 690,800,1000 for the different densitys
I next plan on going to 7heaven, matelas lapensee and matelas dauphin.
Some of the information you are getting is a little misleading and not particularly accurate.
When you are testing mattresses locally then the only specs you need to know are the type and quality of the layers and components in a mattress (see this article) so you can make sure that there are no weak links in the mattress and make more meaningful comparisons to other mattresses. If a mattress uses 100% natural Dunlop from top to bottom then there would be no weak links in either mattress in terms of durability.
Testing a mattress for suitability (vs durability) is a completely different issue. The most effective way to decide on which mattress is the best match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) is with your own careful and objective testing using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post. There are so many technical details that can affect how well a mattress works for you that it’s much more effective to use your own testing to decide how everything works together “as a whole” (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here) and I would avoid trying to decide on a mattress based on “comfort specs” such as the thickness or firmness ratings of individual layers or the mattress itself. Every difference between two different mattresses can make a difference in how it feels and performs and while the specifics of each layer will make a bigger difference than just the thickness of each mattress … in very general terms thinner mattresses will tend to feel firmer than thicker mattresses. There is more about the effects of thickness in post #14 here but again I would trust your body and your own personal testing to decide which mattress is the best “match” for you.
No. There is no “standard” definition of firmness between manufacturers so firmness ratings are generally only applicable when you are comparing mattresses made by the same manufacturer. Different people will also have very different perceptions on the same mattress depending on their body type, sleeping positions, and physiology so a mattress that is “too soft” for one person may be “too firm” for another. Firmness and softness is something I would evaluate on an individual level regardless of how firm or soft a mattress may feel for someone else or how a manufacturer “rates” their mattress.
The density of polyfoam is the most important factor in its quality and durability but it has very little to do with its firmness or softness. Any density of polyfoam or memory foam can be made in firmer or softer versions. Higher quality/density materials will also be more costly. There is more about all the many variables that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress relative to each person in post #4 here and the other posts it links to.
I would also be aware that warranties only cover defects in the mattress (and only if the exclusions in a warranty don’t void the warranty) and have little to do with the useful life of a mattress because they don’t cover the gradual (or sometimes rapid) loss of comfort and/or support which isn’t considered to be a defect and in most cases will be the reason you need to replace a mattress (see post #174 here).
Since you are already aware of most of the better options in the area … I’m guessing that you’ve seen the Ottawa list in posts #2 and #3 here
I wanted to say that although I was not able to find out where the dunlop latex from Hardy’s comes from, I did wonder if it perhaps came from mountain top since the top 2 inches of the 8 inch model was very soft (something continuous poor). Although this is totally subjective. The cover was very nice too (natural bamboo very stretchy and thin). They also offered a 20 year warranty including delivery and pickup, as well as a comfort exchange.
