PLB Beautiful and Healthy Back PLB "Elegance" - Interesting Observations and Assistance Needed

[phoenix]

Hi jkozlow3,

That said, I remember reading a post where you mentioned that you think the vZone with 6 separate zones is perhaps excessive and overly complicated and I think I may agree. Flobeds allows you to build a 100% custom vZone layer however so this means that I can pick and choose the ILD of each of the 6 zones, and as a result, I can essentially create a 2/3/4 zone mattress instead of a 6 zone if that makes sense.

You may be referring to this post but while it is fairly complex (and I’m a fan of simple) and this many zones may not be necessary for many people … their zones cover the three critical areas where zoning is most important (see post #11 here) and the six zone configuration allows the default zones to be exchanged with another one that is the same width (such as exchanging the firm foot zone with the medium hip zone or exchanging the x-firm knee zone with the firm lumbar zone) that is already part of the arrangement without doing an actual exchange. This is much more flexible than other more complex zoning schemes that are “built in” and can’t be re-arranged or customized. As you mentioned it can also be further customized by exchanging the zones with a new zone section or with a custom order to “fit” each person. For those who are more difficult to “fit” they can offer a unique and effective solution that IMO would be well worth considering.

Their vZone is also their most popular mattress and they have had great success with it and I’m also not one to argue with success

So I think that the uniqueness of their zoning and the fact that the 6 zones allows the main zones to be customized without an exchange more than makes up for any additional complexity for those who would benefit from it.

As you also know they are a member here which means that I think very highly of them and that I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of quality value and service.

So do you have any recommendations on how many zones seem to work best and what the configuration should look like? I know that I’ll probably want something around “medium” under my hip area and “soft” under my shoulders, but should I continue with the “soft” all the way up and under my pillow or go back to something like “medium” under my head? What about from my knees down? Keep it all “medium” just like my hips for the lower half?

I have read some very detailed and interesting information about zoning (particularly in this book which goes into great detail about sleeping ergonomics) and while there is no particular zoning scheme that fits every body type and some people may even do better with non zoned layers … in very general terms the zoning scheme that seems to work well for more “difficult” people is softest under the shoulders, firmer under the hips/lower pelvis, and a little firmer yet under the lumbar curve … which is their default zoning pattern. Having said that … they have more experience and customer feedback with their zoning options than I do so a more detailed conversation with them would be a much better source of more specific guidance.

Phoenix