Hi OPILOVA,
[quote]
Phoenix, thank you so very much for such a detailed reply. I read through all the suggested materials and today went to the only natural latex showroom in my area – this place www.thecleanbedroom.com/Showrooms.htm[/quote]
There are also a couple of other options in your area that may also be worth considering that are listed in post #2 here.
[quote]There I tried out the two mattresses the saleswoman recommended, both OrganicPedic by OMI - DUO and Lago Nouveau
www.thecleanbedroom.com/Organic_Mattress...y-OMI-Mattresses.htm
Even the DUO felt a bit too firm. So at this point I know for sure that that 6 inch Habitat Furnishings is a mistake - too firm.[/quote]
I’m guessing that you would likely be right.
For me … price is only one part of the “value” of a mattress purchase and in many cases it’s not the most important part. In your case for example if you had purchased the Habitat and it wasn’t a good match for you in terms of PPP then you would have either needed a topper (at an additional cost and still without any certainty that the topper would be “right” for you) or you would have needed to return it at a cost of $75 (which of course is reasonable but it still would have added $75 to the cost of an eventual mattress purchase). The post I linked earlier is the “formula” I would use for the “value” of a mattress and value is always relative to the other mattresses you are considering or that are available to you based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
If one of the Habitat mattresses is one of your finalists and it’s the best match for all your criteria (including price and the options you have after a purchase to fine tune, exchange, or return a mattress and all the other criteria that are important to you as well) then for you it may be the best “value”.
Habitat is more of an “all or nothing” choice because it will either work for you or you would need to return it (or add a topper if it’s too firm) because it doesn’t have any options to customize the pressure relief or support of a mattress after a purchase by rearranging or exchanging layers which may be an important part of the “value” of an online mattress purchase for some people but based on the “raw material cost” it would be in a relatively good value range compared to many other similar mattresses with 6" of latex.
As you mentioned I don’t recommend or “suggest” specific mattresses or “what to choose” because there are too many unknowns, variables, and preferences involved in any mattress choice that are unique to each person … but I can certainly help with “how to choose”. In your case it would be a matter of choosing your local “finalists” and then comparing them to any of the online manufacturers or retailers that you are also considering based on the “value comparisons” I linked earlier. The tutorial post has a link to a list of the online manufacturers and retailers that are members of the site and many of these make a wide range of latex mattresses that use different types of latex, have different options and features, and different price ranges that would also be well worth considering. When you can’t test a mattress in person then a more detailed conversation on the phone with a knowledgeable and experienced online manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and can help “talk you through” the options they have available that would have the best chance of matching the criteria that are important to you is one of the most important parts of a successful online purchase (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
Once you are down to finalists that are inside your budget range and are all a good “match” for all your criteria then you will be in a much better position to make a final choice between them and decide which one is the “best value” for you.
Phoenix