In my research yesterday, I was in touch with Santa Barbara Mattress - I told them that we had seen the Pure Latex Bliss Nature and Nutrition mattresses that we really liked. They told me that they actually had a manufacturing plant in Ventura (about 1 1/2 hours south from where we live) that goes by two different names: Churchill and Smith - and Spencers Ventura Mattress/Pacific Design Center. They told me that they can produce a better mattress at a lesser price. Just wondering if you or anyone else has heard of this company or better yet - if anyone has purchased from them.
You can see my earlier thoughts about them in post #2 here. Churchill & Smith, Santa Barbara Mattress and Ventura Mattress and others are all part of the same “family”.
When I talked with them for over an hour a few months ago, Karen at Santa Barbara Mattress told me they were “dabbling” with manufacturing their own mattresses so I thought I’d call again today and ended up spending over an hour talking with Churchill & Smith and even longer with Spencer (the owner) at Ventura Mattress and it’s clear that they are doing more than “dabbling” now. They are making a broad range of very high quality mattresses and doing things right. They are clearly “mattress people” with over 30 years experience in the industry and I think it would be well worth a trip to Ventura where they carry the whole line (which they don’t in Santa Barbara). They are certainly knowledgeable about the mattresses they make and the materials that they use inside them.
Phoenix - we are edging towards the PLB Nature mattress. But I am confused again: PLB has a natural latex and an all natural latex - do you know what the difference is and, if so, which one should be chosen - and why.
The “natural” talalay is blended and the “all natural” talalay is 100% natural. It’s confusing and I think their names are misleading (and many retailers don’t know the difference or which one they have). As you can see on their site … the “natural” (which is the blended) has a 20 year warranty and the “all natural” (which is the 100% natural) has a 10 year warranty because the all natural isn’t quite as durable in the lower ILD’s (softer). The blended is also less expensive. They also talk about the difference here.
You can read more about the two different types of Talalay in post #2 here and about all the different types of latex in post #6 here.
So the choice is a preference but hopefully this will help you decide which one is best for you.
We have decided to go ahead and purchase the PLB Nature mattress.
Just wondering if you are familiar with “The Mattress Expert” Store. They have the best prices but I don’t know how reputable they are. Together with saving on sales tax - it would amount to a $610 savings over the local stores here on the California Central Coast. What I won’t get for this savings is the company taking away our old mattress and no type of program that guarantees a trade-up program should we not like the mattress.
You can see my thoughts about The mattress Expert in post #11 here.
As far as which direction to go it really comes down to your confidence that you are making the best choice and on your personal value equation and which of the tradeoffs involved are most important to you. I tend to lean towards a local purchase vs online until the difference is about 20% or so at which point I would give more serious consideration to an online purchase. Of course each person may have their own number depending on the relative benefits and tradeoffs involved in purchasing from each retailer. I would certainly let the local merchant know that you are looking online so that they have the chance to give you their best price and service.
I think post #438 here should be helpful and also includes a link to the “read first” post which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make the best possible choices.
Great site Phoenix! It looks like I’ll probably order a 3" latex topper from Brooklyn Bedding to replace the worn out high density foam layer that came on my Natural Form bed. After reading through some of the posts I definitely feel better about ordering from them online as they sound like a great company to do business with.
Thanks again and I’ll post how the topper works out for me.
Brooklyn bedding is certainly a good choice and they also have a good exchange policy if you need it
I hope you have the chance to give us your feedback when you receive it. You are certainly replacing your HD polyfoam with a higher quality replacement.
The only thing that concerns me is that the new latex topper might be to big. If it’s much bigger than 58 x 78 the wool cover won’t be able to zip around the mattress and the cover seems a little bulky. I’ll have to call Chuck next week to find out if the cover has a zipper so I can take it off if necessary. Even though BB has an excellent exchange policy I’m concerned about the cost of shipping it back if it doesn’t fit. That’s really the only thing delaying my purchase.
Do you know of any stores in the Des Moines, IA area that carry a similar product?
As far as I know their queen toppers are 60" x 80" (standard) and the covers don’t have a zipper but they have been known to make alterations to their standard sizing so it may be worth asking. You could also ask them to ship it without the cover and it would be easy to cut to size if it was a little too big (using an electric knife is the easiest).
Some of your options I’m aware of in Des Moines that would be worth calling are in post #6 here (I don’t know the individual products or toppers they carry other than what is on their website).
This list is such a great resource, thanks so much. My wife and I stopped by Sleepy’s in Philadelphia yesterday and tried a few things out. We were getting the hard sell on a king-size Tempurpedic Rhapsody, with the adjustable base. It was actually really nice, and we’d like to get something like that, butI I am so glad we did not buy right then. It is so helpful to see how many dealers provide the same or better quality - at a much better value. Thank you for pulling all this together.
So glad I came across this website, thank you for all of the insightful information Phoenix! It was so frustrating going into mattress stores and hearing the typical pitches at each place and never actually finding any reliable and consistent information about material thicknesses, densities, quality etc. Just ordered my dreamfoam Ultimate Dreams latex mattress and cannot wait to get it! Thanks again!
My husband and I are looking for a new mattress (hopefully in the next few days) and I would appreciate your help! We have a pillowtop mattress that we have had for about 8 years, but it is not comfortable and hasn’t been for some time due to body impressions and the break-down of the mattress that seems to be common. We don’t want to go out and spend $1000 on a mattress that is going to do the same. We don’t really want memory foam. I was thinking that the new Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid might be a good solution for us, but we laid on it the other day (the firmer one) and it didn’t seem supportive enough.
Unfortunately there are not any Underground Mattress members close to us in Charlotte, NC and I don’t feel comfortable buying a mattress on the internet without testing it first. Any recommendations you have would be very appreciated!
I switched your post to a separate topic to help me keep track of things a little more easily
The first place I would start is the mattress shopping “tutorial” in post #1 here which includes all the basic information and steps that can help you find the best possible choices (and avoid the worst ones including most of the major brands). It will help you avoid “brand” shopping and focus more instead on the materials and components inside a mattress regardless of the brand label that is on the mattress.
Unfortunately there are not any Underground Mattress members close to us in Charlotte, NC and I don’t feel comfortable buying a mattress on the internet without testing it first. Any recommendations you have would be very appreciated!
Some of the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Charlotte, NC area are listed in post #2 here.
Newbie from Central Texas and there’s a wealth of info on this site!
My wife and I are in search of new mattress. We have a California King waterbed we converted in 97 to a spring mattress. We need a new one now.
I’m 6ft 210 lbs, side/stomach sleeper, and sleep hot; and my wife is 120lbs back/side sleeper, and sleeps cool. My budget is $1000-$1500. The other night I went into Denver Mattress and after 10 min of NO sales people I left and drove 1/2 mile to Mattress Liquidators. They had no Latex mattresses and only three Memory foam to try. I asked about the density of the memory foam and got a “Hell, I don’t know!” So, I said have a good day and walked out.
Last night went to Sears, noticed the Firm, Plush, Ultra Plush ratings and have figured should probably stay with the PLUSH (side/back/flip-flopper sleepers). They also have no Latex mattresses to test. Looked at the Sealy Fergus Falls Ti2 mattress, which they had marked down to like $2200 including the box springs, and I can get the mattress only for $782. It has a 20 year warranty, but this morning looked up on Sleepinglike the dead website and Sealy’s in general have poor reviews on longevity. I also do not like pillow top mattresses. I would prefer a straight mattress and buy a foam topper instead if need be.
So help please? My experiences so far are worse than buying a new car! I’m in zip code 76549/76522 area if that will help me find a repituable bedding store??
