I wonder how this Parklane mattress compares with the Ultimate Dreams as far as value is concerned.
The top layer in this one is 19 ILD, which both my wife and I would like but may not be the best choice for me weighing a little over 250. It is also not customizable like the Ultimate Dreams. Plus I find it odd that I cannot find this mattress on the Parklane mattress website.
Hi BigCTM,
The Parklane is an all latex mattress so it is more of an apples to oranges comparison with the Ultimate Dreams which has a polyfoam core.
“Value” itself also has many different definitions depending on what people consider more or less important as part of what I call their “value equation” (and there is more about this in post #2 here). Part of this is the ability to test a mattress locally to know how well it meets your needs and preferences and part of it is also the knowledge of a retailer and their ability to give you good and accurate information that can help you make the most suitable choices (or their willingness to exclude mattresses that may not be suitable even if it costs them a sale) in the absence of any personal testing on their specific mattresses.
So the closest I could come to comparing the many intangibles that are impossible to quantify except by each person individually … is to put them both in the group of “among the best value in the country”.
I also don’t know which of the Parklane mattresses this is and it could even be an old model that they no longer sell and is being cleared out through Unbeatable Sales. They (either Parklane or Unbeatable Sales) could probably tell you which it is (or was) with a phone call though.
You are choosing between “good and good” which is the best place to be when you are making your final choices but the tradeoffs that are involved in getting from there to a final choice depend entirely on what is most important to you and your own personal “value equation” which includes both objective and subjective factors along with the pros and cons or each retailer in terms of their knowledge and guidance. In terms of the value of the mattresses themselves (not taking into account the suitability of each) both would make good choices.
In terms of “comfort specs” and the most appropriate layering for you … this is generally best done through either personal testing or with a more detailed conversation with the retailer themselves. I would agree though that 3" of 19 ILD is a little on the soft side and the support layer would also need to be firmer than average for your weight. The “risk” of having 3" of soft 19 ILD latex in the comfort layer for a heavier weight is that you may “go through” it more easily and feel the firmness of the support layer more than someone who was lighter so the support layer itself and how it “contributes” and “interacts” with the properties of the comfort layer could be a more important part of the overall performance and feel of this mattress for you. This would also depend on your sleeping positions and your body type/weight distribution as well (side sleeping generally needs a thicker comfort layer than other sleeping positions).
Phoenix