Oz latex mattress help!

BrissieMum · February 8, 2013, 7:13pm

Hi Phoenix

This is a fantastic website, I have learnt loads from reading here, thanks so much for providing such valuable information.

I was wondering if you could offer any advice to me. I live in Brisbane, Australia and whilst there are a few latex bed manufacturers over here, none are offering exactly what I’m after.

I would like a natural latex king size mattress, organic would be lovely but not essential.
My husband is 75kg and a front and side sleeper and I am 70kg and a side and back sleeper. Also our 3 year old sleeps between us (hence the need for a king size!).
From research here mostly, I think we’d be suited to a 3 x 3inch layered latex bed with maybe firm/med/soft as the layers.
I have wide shoulders and feel that a 3 inch comfort layer is essential for us – although still not sure if it should be soft or medium.
If I were in the US I’d probably have bought a sleepez 10000 or a savvy rest serenity by now as they both meet all my criteria and the ability to change around the layers is very appealing.
I have enquired as to postage to Australia, and if my local search fails, I haven’t ruled out shipping over one of these two.

However, here is what is available in Australia…

I have visited the following manufacturers in Brisbane

Zantai Living – Essential: 17.5cm (7inch) (12.5cm ext firm & 5cm medium) natural latex – 7 zoned - $1350
This felt way too firm for me and I could feel the that the 5cm(2inch) comfort layer was too shallow. They do a Medium/soft option but this wasn’t on display.

LatexMattress.com.au – Pure Comfort: 25cm (10inch) (5cm soft, 15cm medium & 5cm soft) natural latex – 7 zoned - $3240
This felt comfortable, but a bit bouncy, and I wasn’t too keen on the thick wool casing (I would prefer a simple cotton cover and add a separate wool cover if needed afterwards), also I felt it was overpriced.

Other options available interstate:

The Comfort Shop – Stella Rubino Euro: 15cm (6 inch) medium natural latex (from Stella Rubino) – 5 zoned - $2,590
This is appealing due to the quality of the latex (oeko-tex certificate) but it is just a solid block of latex. Would you recommend something like this, without a comfort layer on top? There seems to be several manufacturers offering this option.

Latex Mattress Warehouse – Latex Pod: 20cm (8 inch) (15cm med, 5cm soft) natural latex (from latexco Belgium) – 7 zoned - $2,295
This has a zippered cover in order to switch layers around, really appealing, except that the top layer is only 2 inches and not 3 inches.

Dawn Latex Beds – M4: 15cm (6 inch) (5cm firm, 5cm med, 5cm soft) natural latex (from latex international) - $2,295
This has a zippered cover in order to switch layers around although the two bottom layers are laminated together. This is the closest I’ve found to the sleepez/savvy rest in that you can choose each of the three layers, however they first two are laminated together and of course they are only 2 inches thick.

So, I think I’ve covered most of the Australian manufacturers, but if you know of any that I’ve missed, I’d love to hear about them.

My main questions are:

1 – Would a mattress of 3 x 2 inch layers (f/m/s) be a huge difference to one with 3 inch layers – after reading information here and being a side sleeper mainly, I don’t feel happy sacrificing that extra inch on the top comfort layer…

2 – One option could be to just get a solid block of single density latex (such as the stella rubino one) in Australia and import a 3 inch soft tallalay topper or similar from the US, achieving my goal of a 3 inch comfort layer without having to import a whole mattress. Any thoughts? (I would love to try a tallalay mattress but they don’t seem to be an option over here at all!)
Would this be too bouncy (as I experienced at latexmattress.com.au)?
Is it good to have the Firm layer at the bottom to take away that feeling?

Sorry for the length of this message, I would appreciate any help at all.

phoenix · February 9, 2013, 3:08am

Hi BrissieMum,

Unfortunately I don’t have the time or resources to be able to do more detailed research into the Australian market (there is a long time to go before I would even be happy with the research in the North American market) but the same general guidelines that are linked in post #1 here would apply in any market. There is also no “formula” that can accurately predict which type and design of mattress would best match your body type, sleeping style, and preferences and local testing that focused specifically and more objectively on pressure relief and alignment is much more accurate than any “theory at a distance” although there are some general guidelines that are linked in the earlier post.

There are several topics in the forum that include quite a number of sources in Australia and some feedback and conversations with others from down under that would be well worth reading as well. They are in this topic and this topic and this topic and this topic and this topic and this topic. There is also a discussion in another forum here which may be useful as well. Post #7 in this thread also has a list of many Australian manufacturers with comments about some of them as well.

It seems to me that all of the mattresses you are mentioning are a little on the costly side but I’m not so familiar with pricing and the details of the Australian market so may not be as “educated” an opinion as it would be for North America. I think that the threads I linked would probably include some better “value” though.

Only you can really answer this because different people would have different answers depending on many variables but in general and “average” terms I would think it would be a “large” difference yes … perhaps not “huge” (I’m not sure how to “measure” either of them) and it would also depend on factors besides just the thickness of the layers. You can see some of the potential benefits of thicker mattresses in post #14 here.

I would have a hard time imagining that you couldn’t find latex or layers that were suitable in Australia (either Talalay or dunlop both of which come in a wide range of firmness levels) but this would certainly be an option (although I would imagine a very expensive one and the shipping and import charges may be more than the cost of the material itself). the type of layering you are mentioning with a 6" support layer (either Dunlop or Talalay) with two or three inches of softer latex on top (either Dunlop or Talalay) is perhaps the most common type of latex mattress construction (although there are also many people who sleep directly on a single latex core with perhaps a thin layer of softer latex or other quilting materials on each side).

This would depend entirely on the preferences of each person. Some will prefer “less springy or bouncy” and some wil prefer more. It would also depend a lot on the type and firmness of the layering, the specific design or the mattress, and on the other components (such as the ticking and quilting) in the mattress as well.

Generally the firmer layer would be on the bottom yes and not just for feel (the deeper layers generally have less effect on the “feel” of a mattress for most people but it would provide more stability and deep support). How it “felt” though would depend on the specifics of how all the layers interacted together (especially from the middle of the mattress and up) and with the specific body type, sleeping style, and perceptions of each person. Your own personal testing will answer “feel” and “individual performance” types of questions much more accurately than any “theory at a distance”. Besides this … the manufacturer themselves would be the next best source of this type of information because they are much more familiar with all the details of their mattresses than I am and would be in a much better position to be able to tell you how each mattress they make would “feel” (on average at least) for similar body types and sleeping styles.

Phoenix

BrissieMum · February 9, 2013, 8:07am

Hi Phoenix

Thank you so much for your reply and your patience.

The threads you have referred me to have thrown up several more manufacturers that I can look at, some look promising, so thank you. My research wasn’t as thorough as I’d thought!

The discussion on thicknesses was interesting and it confirms what I’d read elsewhere that we’d probably be suited to something in the 8-9inch range, unless further testing proves otherwise.

Overall, you are right, it’s a matter of personal preference and I just have to try for myself and speak to the manufacturers themselves.

What I can try here in Brisbane is limited, but I am certainly trying to get as much information from those tests as possible.
Zantai are very helpful and whilst they advertise a range of layered mattresses on their website, in reality they only have one style to try out (7 inches – 5 inches ext firm & 2inches med) which was too firm for me. I have asked if they have anything else I could try and they are looking into it. I hold out some hope that they’ll be able to help.

Thanks again for your advice.

BrissieMum · February 12, 2013, 8:40pm

Hi Phoenix
I hope you don’t mind me updating you on my search. I visited the third (I think I’ve visited them all now) latex stockist in Brisbane today.

They had a range of latex gold beds on display – 15cm blocks (unzoned) in soft, medium and firm and also the same densities in 20cm blocks. They were covered in a bamboo and polyester blended cover with a layer of wool between the latex and the cover.

They also had available 5cm and 7.5cm toppers in the same cover (without the wool). I was excited to find this out as I was then able to try lots of different combinations of the toppers over the 15cm and 20cm bases! My first chance to customise a latex bed and see how it felt.

The densities of the latex were:
Soft 75kg/4.68pcm
Medium 85kg/5.31pcm
Firm 95kg/5.93pcm
LGU supersoft (the topper) 55kg/3.43pcm

I really like the feel of the bamboo cover, however I was hoping for an all natural knitted cover to get the stretch rather than polyester.

My favourite combination was the 15cm medium density with the 5cm supersoft topper, this felt very nice (for the short time I was on it). The 7.5cm topper (I think) felt too thick, although I’m not sure if this was just the influence of the salesman who thought it was a ridiculous idea to even try it!

I need to go back and spend longer trying out the beds but I’m excited that I have possibly found a local contender.

I hope you don’t mind me asking a couple of questions.

What is your opinion of latex gold - are you familiar with them? I can’t find any information on whether they are ECO certified or Oeko-tex certified – do you happen to know? I will try and contact them directly anyhow.

Do you think a 60% polyester cover would affect the temperature and breathability of the mattress?

Do you think 55kg seems too soft a density for 100% Dunlop latex – I’m not sure if it can be translated to an ILD measurement but it converts to 3.43pcm which seems to indicate an ILD of under 20?

Any thoughts of the combination of a 15cm medium base with a 5cm supersoft topper? It felt nice but I don’t have much else to compare it to!

Many thanks

phoenix · February 13, 2013, 1:53am

Hi BrissieMum,

Not at all … and as a matter of fact I’m grateful. Hopefully your experience will help many others.

Bamboo has a very soft and smooth “hand” and it’s very common to find it blended with polyester (as well as other fibers such as cotton). Temperature regulation is controlled by many factors (see post #2 here) and by itself this probably wouldn’t be enough for me to exclude a mattress or be concerned for its sleeping temperature. It could still be a stretch knit (polyester or other fibers can be part of a woven or a knitted fabric).

This could be a very comfortable combination for many people. This would be similar to the 6" plus 2" construction which is quite popular here … especially with a slightly softer core (with a firmer core many people may need a thicker topper).

I think Latex Gold makes high quality Dunlop latex and don’t use any SBR. I don’t know the specific certifications that they have but I don’t think they would have any difficulty passing any of them.

Their site says this would be in the 12 - 15 ILD range and the density would seem to confirm this. If you are testing a mattress locally though I wouldn’t pay much attention to ILD and would let your body tell you how well the mattress worked in terms of PPP. ILD can be a little misleading with Dunlop because it also has a higher compression modulus so it will feel firmer with deeper compression than the equivalent ILD in Talalay. It is also denser than very soft Talalay in a similar ILD. “Too soft” or “too firm” is always relative to the individual person and I would let your testing answer this.

I don’t know the prices you are looking at but it seems to me you do have a “legitimate contender”

Phoenix

BrissieMum · February 14, 2013, 8:44am

Hi Phoenix
Thanks for your reply. Your thoughts are very reassuring

Regarding the ILDs, I thought I had read, (and for the life of me I cannot find any reference to it now so I may be completely wrong) that 100% natural Dunlop rarely has ILDs in the low teens. So I am confused as to how Latex Gold has such low ILDs in their supersoft topper (12-15). I know I shouldn’t be paying so much attention to the ILDs but this is just on my mind and I’m curious. Perhaps they just use a different scale.

I’m afraid the price is no better than the options I listed in my first post – I have been quoted $2,800 (on sale down from $3,410). Unfortunately in Australia we are overcharged on pretty much everything. I am still searching though

Many thanks

phoenix · February 14, 2013, 11:15am

Hi BrissieMum,

You read this correctly and it is rare that an ILD that low is available (or correctly listed) in Dunlop but in this case based ont he density it appears to be accurate and they would be one of the exceptions.

I believe that in the other Australian threads that there are some options that are less (some of which sell online if I remember correctly as well) but I don’t have them categorized and they are somewhat mixed together in the other threads. It may be worthwhile going through them and checking each source though because I believe that there is better value available in Australia even if its not in your area. if nothing else … if you find a similar mattress for much less at another manufacturer it may give you some leverage to help you bring the prices down.

I’ve listed all the links that are listed in this thread and all the other threads I mentioned after this post so you have them all in one place. For the most pare I don’t know which are chain stores, major manufacturers, smaller manufacturers, smaller sleep shops, or factory direct manufacturers but at least this way you can go through them all fairly quickly.

Phoenix

The ones you have mentioned in this thread …

http://zentai.com.au/

http://www.latexmattresswarehouse.com.au/ (See some feedback in post #8 here)
http://www.latexbeds.com.au/

The ones linked in the other threads I mentioned and other Australian topics …

http://www.simplythebest.com.au/
http://www.regalmattressoutlets.com.au/

http://www.naturatex.com.my/index.htm
https://store.bedtek.com.au/

http://www.stuartshouseofbedding.com.au/

http://www.badbacks.com.au/

http://www.re-upholstery.com.au/

http://www.ausservice.com.au/

http://www.australianbeddingcompany.com.au/
http://www.perthbedding.com.au/

https://www.mattressesdirect.com.au/

http://www.mattressman.com.au/
http://www.dreamzone.net.au/

http://www.bedsforlife.com.au/

http://www.becksbedding.com.au/
http://www.designmobel.co.nz/index.html

http://electricadjustablebeds.com.au/ Mentioned in this post

http://www.sandman.com.au/ They are a family run company since 1948 with 3 outlets . From comments in another post: The mattress I tried is a medium density 8 inch flippable latex gold mattress . It had a poly fabric covering . But they have just introduced a 100% organic cotton fabric or a 100% australian wool fabric . They had them on display but not on the latex mattress but on a normal mattress . So for an extra $150 I can upgrade to this cover . The mattress is $1500 with an extra $150 for the upgraded fabric .

http://www.chiropedicmattressco.com.au/ They are a factory direct manufacturer in Melbourne and make a very nice range of mattresses using innersprings, latex, and memory foam. They also use a wool quilting in several models rather than synthetics. I’m including them here as a reference to compare pricing (which would need a phone call to ask).

http://www.themattressgallery.com.au/ Retail outlet that carries Avante Bedding which seems to be an alternative brand that makes a range of mattresses including latex and latex hybrids that may have “better than average” value. Doesn’t list the specific details of the mattresses though.

http://www.foam.com.au/bedding/puresleep.asp A foam manufacturer that makes a brand called Pure Sleep which seem to include some good quality options and are sold through retail outlets. They have a nice range of mattresses using latex, memory foam, and innersprings and will provide the name of nearby retail outlets on request.

http://www.juvenator.com.au/ Local factory direct manufacturer which makes latex memory foam, and innerspring mattresses. Not details about their individual models but would likely be worth a call to find out what they make and including them in your research.

http://www.makinmattresses.com.au/index.html Local factory direct manufacturer who makes a range of mattresses including some high quality "“all latex” and latex hybrids. They seem to fit the profile of manufacturers who are knowledgeable and transparent and have good value.

http://www.organature.com.au/ Factory direct manufacturer based in Victoria that makes organic cotton/innerspring mattresses and organic cotton futons. Will ship throughout Australia.

http://www.ozmattress.com.au/ Factory direct online manufacturer based in QLD. They make three mattresses that use high quality materials (including pocket coils, memory foam, latex, buckling column gel, and high density foams) and appear to have good value. They have a very interesting website with some very good (and IMO accurate) information. Well worth a phone call.

http://www.factorydirectfurniture.com.au/products.php Factory direct outlet (probably not a manufacturer) who carries a “latex ensemble” but has no details about construction or materials. May be worth a call to get the details.

http://www.bedshed.com.au/gel-solutions.html Retailer/chain store which carries mostly major brands but I’m including them here in case you wish to test two different types of gel layers (neither of which are the more typical gel memory foam). One is buckling column gel used in a couple of their Simmons mattresses and the other is Technogel which is used in two of their mattresses.

Sleepyhead | Beds R Us Retailer/chain store which don’t provide any details of the layering of their latex mattresses. Included only to give a reference example of mattresses that are similar to those made by some of the local manufacturers in this list but at a much higher in price.

http://www.sleepys.com.au/home.html Retailer/chain store. Also carry latex/pocket coil and buckling column gel mattresses which are mixed in with polyfoam. Also included as a reference but the layer details of their mattress would be important to identify any lower quality materials used in the mattress.

BrissieMum · February 14, 2013, 2:29pm

Wow! That shall certainly keep me busy, I appreciate you collating all that information in one place.

Thanks once again