Please recommend local manufacturer, factory direct or reliable mattress near Roanoke, VA

Phoenix _

I have been directed to go to a website for information about Paramount mattresses. These are sold at Virginia Furniture Market. He recommends that I come to the store, see what I like and then he will help me.
I want to know first about the mattress, then if I like it I will already know the quality of the mattress. If the quality is not good, I don’t want to make a trip to this store.
I know you said that I needed to know what type of foam the mattress consists of but at this time, all I have is the website information, so I just want to ask you if you know this manufacturer to be one to be trusted for quality mattresses. I live in an area where it seems I don’t have a lot of choices. If I can’t get a mattress in my area, I am willing to travel farther if I need to, but that will be an added cost for me. I have attached the links and the mattresses that are of interest to me.

http://www.paramountmatt.com/tight_top.htm

The Med Care mattress and the Comfort Classic Luxury

http://www.paramountmatt.com/pillow_top.htm

The Pillow Rest
Comfort Classic Pillowtop
and Premium pillowtop

All these I’ve chosen are two sided. I believe this makes for a longer lasting mattress. Thanks again.
Ginger

Hi Ginger,

In the description for Virginia Furniture mart I mentioned that they were “as open about their mattresses as their supplier allowed them to be”. In these cases … the information they can provide you is limited to the information they are given by the manufacturer of the specific mattress you are interested in. The Paramount website is not nearly detailed enough about their specific models to provide you with the information you need. This means that you would need to do a little more research on the retailer before considering any of the Paramount mattresses they carry.

While I don’t know of any retailer who would have the time to “list” all the more detailed specs of many of the mattresses that they carry unless they already have this information readily available … they would certainly be able to tell you if the information you would need is available to them and if it is … that they were willing to find it out as part of their customer service (and not just direct you to the manufacturers website which doesn’t have it anyway). So in these cases the questions to ask on the phone and which need a specific answer would be something along the lines of …

“If I come in and test any of your Paramount mattresses and like one of them … can you confirm that you would be able to get all the specs of the mattress including layering and the density of any polyfoam or memory foam in the mattress that isn’t listed on either their website or yours?”

If they say YES … then I would then repeat the question in a different way to confirm this because many retailers aren’t used to being asked these types of questions or dealing with a more educated consumer and will tend to answer yes when in fact all they have access to is layering information or spec sheets which don’t include foam density. So if their answer to the first question is yes but you sense that they are more focused on getting you into the store than on making sure they have access to the information you would need … then I would ask again along the lines of …

"So just to confirm what you said … you will call Paramount and you already know and have confirmed that they will provide you with this specific information including foam density?

If they can do this and confirm that they know for sure that they can get the specific information you need and give you a clear sense they understand the importance of this information for a more educated consumer, then this would put them in the group of “better retailers”. If this information is also easily available to them through their channels with Paramount, it would also put Paramount in the group of " more transparent manufacturers" and I would then pay them a visit to look at the Paramount mattresses that they carry. In some cases the availability of this information depends on who the retailer normally deals with at the manufacturer level. If they are dealing with a typical sales rep … then this information may not be easily available to them. If they are dealing with someone in the company that is more knowledgeable or part of the ownership of the factory … then this information may be easier for them to find out or even part of what they normally do anyway.

If either Paramount doesn’t supply this information about the mattresses you are looking at or if they do but the retailer is hesitant to go the extra mile to find out … then you would be in a position that if you did like the mattress you would have to buy it on “faith” that the materials were good quality or that the value of the mattress was better than others that had a similar style or materials.

While I don’t recommend this type of “blind” purchase because you have no way of knowing what the quality of the materials in your mattress really are or any way to make meaningful comparisons … if I was forced to make a choice between a “blind” purchase from Paramount and a “blind” purchase from a major manufacturer, I would tend go with Paramount although with all the choices available … I would not want to be facing this type of “blind” choice in the first place. The reason I would choose them is that they fit the “profile” of a manufacturer where the odds are higher that their mattresses are better than average quality and value but higher odds doesn’t always translate into actual experience or to specific mattresses that they make.

So this is the type of research I would be doing with the “possibilities” that I often list in various areas to find out which of them are willing to go the extra mile and understand the importance of finding out the type of information you are looking for (or at least confirming that they can) before paying them a visit.

There are enough of these who will that I would not tend to look at mattresses or visit retailers where the staff wasn’t willing to the extra mile and find out this information unless there were no other options available in the area and even here my next “least risky” choice would likely be to deal with an online manufacturer or travel further to visit a retailer or manufacturer who made this type of information easily accessible. This is exactly why I normally suggest first doing some research on the phone to find out which are the better outlets or the specific mattresses where this information is readily available from a particular retailer before deciding where to visit. If you go there first without knowing this … the odds are good that you may be wasting your time unless you are comfortable with a “blind” purchase" where you don’t know and can’t find out the quality and value of what you are buying.

Phoenix

I spoke to a sales rep for Carolina Guild about the latex Flex luxury edition and the grand luxury. He says the top layers on both mattresses are latex and the soy based core support is 1.8 lbs density of polyfoam. If I understand what you wrote earlier, this is not a very good quality of core support. Is this correct?

Thank you

Ginger

Hi Ginger,

1.8 lb polyfoam is generally fine in a support core and is the minimum I would consider to be reasonable quality. There are some which have higher density/quality but this is normally quite suitable.

It appears then hat the layering of the Flex Luxury Edition is as follows …

3" of zoned all natural latex (I would want to know the type of latex)
5.5" of 1.8 lb polyfoam (this would be suitable for a base layer)
1.5" of polyfoam (unknown density and probably firmer and used as a base layer for stability)

This would mean that the mattress was about 10" thick (with some additional allowance for the cover). If this is the case … then these would be the only layers that are in it (no missing specs) and there are no obvious weak links in the mattress and the type of latex would really be the only unanswered questions. If the thickness is more… that would mean that there are some layers that they haven’t listed and then of course I would want to know what they were. The only other missing information is the type of cover fabric and any quilting material that it uses.

The Grand Luxury Edition is as follows …

1" zoned all natural latex (I would want to know the type of latex)
3" of VS latex (again I would want to know what type of latex this was because VS is just their own made up name)
Same base layers as the Luxury. I would also want to know the cover fabric and any quilting material.

This means that this mattress should be about 11" thick (with some allowance for the cover) and again if it actually that thick then there are no obvious weak links in the mattress.

These specs (and the unanswered questions) would give you the information you needed to make meaningful comparisons between these mattresses and other choices you have in terms of quality/value. If the layering information is complete … they would be good quality and their value would depend on their price compared to other similar mattresses.

This is the type of information that a better retailer would have available for you and if they didn’t … they would be the ones phoning the factory.

Phoenix

“4” or visco memory foam in the box top." Is this the type of memory foam that loses it shape and not good to be in the top layers of a mattress? Most everyone is pushing the memory foam or gel. I was trying to stay away from this type of mattress.

Hi Ginger,

Viscoelastic or memory foam can be good or not so good quality but it is a slow response material which feels and performs very differently from the latex you were mentioning in the previous post which is a fast response material.

Better quality and more durable memory foam is @ 5 lbs and up although there are many mattresses that use a mid quality/durability 4 lb memory foam because it can sometimes be a little more breathable, faster responding, and less temperature sensitive depending on the memory foam formulation and some people will prefer this “feel”. There is more about the pros and cons of memory foam in this article and more about the many variations of memory foam in post #9 here.

Ultimately the choice between slow and fast response materials in the comfort layer is about personal preference but either way it’s important to make sure that the materials are good quality and appropriate for the price of the mattress no matter which they are.

Phoenix

I called this store and asked about their mattresses. “These are the best.” I was asking if they had adjustable beds with latex and no memory foam. I could tell he was in a hurry to hang up the phone, but he assured me the mattresses are good quality and worth coming to see. As I’m looking on the website, I am wondering if one of the ones I’m interested in looking is actually an Englander mattress. The Ultra Comfort has Nature’s Finest written above it but not Englander but some of the mattresses do. Does thiis mean the Ultra Comfort is not actually made by Englander?

Also, the Lifestyle Latex Quilt mattress, if I were interested in this mattress, would I need to ask him the density of the 6" premium luxury Comfo cusion foam?

Thanks again,
Ginger

Hello Ginger,

This is my first post. Hello to Phoenix as well. Nice forum!

I am thinking about going to Roanoke Mattress Direct and looking at a Bed Boss Memory Foam, will be researching latex as well. I also need an adjustable base.

Did you go by there and have a look? If so, what did you think?

Thanks!

Hi John -

No, I did not go there, but I did call. The man’s name is Mike. I am looking for a mattress that contains some latex. He said he had one mattress with latex by King Koil, but other than that I did not get much more information about this mattress. He did speak alot about the memory foam mattresses that he has. He says they are high quality and low priced. He compares them to the high priced name brand memory foam mattresses.

Ginger

Phoenix -

I called this store and asked about their mattresses. “These are the best.” I was asking if they had adjustable beds with latex and no memory foam. I could tell he was in a hurry to hang up the phone, but he assured me the mattresses are good quality and worth coming to see. As I’m looking on the website, I am wondering if one of the ones I’m interested in looking is actually an Englander mattress. The Ultra Comfort has Nature’s Finest written above it but not Englander but some of the mattresses do. Does thiis mean the Ultra Comfort is not actually made by Englander?

Also, the Lifestyle Latex Quilt mattress, if I were interested in this mattress, would I need to ask him the density of the 6" premium luxury Comfo cusion foam?

Thanks again,
Ginger

Hi Ginger,

An adjustable bed is a base that goes under the mattress. Did you mean a mattress that was suitable for an adjustable bed? You can always buy an adjustable bed separately because you don’t have to test them like a mattress (they are all the same) so you can price shop a little more than a mattress.

I think that this is a pretty “standard” reply but it doesn’t mean anything. What does he mean by “good quality”. I would want to know some details about a mattress to make sure that it was at least close to what I wanted to look at before taking the time to visit any store. If I was looking for a latex mattress for example I would want to know if there was any polyfoam above the latex and if so how much. To me it is just too big a time waster to go and visit every store that sells mattresses only to find out that they can’t tell you what you need to know anyway.

Nature’s Finest is Englanders brand name for their latex mattresses. They usually use Dunlop latex. The Ultra Comfort is the model name, Natures finest is the brand name, and Englander (or a licensee factory for Englander) is the manufacturer.

The Ultra comfort has 5.5" of support polyfoam on the bottom(I would want to know the density but it’s probably OK)

Above that it has 6" of 100% natural latex (good quality) and 1.75" of comfo foam (this is polyfoam and i would want to know the density)

Above that in the quilting it has another 3" of polyfoam (quiltflex and pillowfex and comfofoam) so you would actually be sleeping more on polyfoam than on latex.

So there is almost 5" of polyfoam above the latex in this mattress and at this price I would probably pass it by. This makes no sense to me to put this much soft polyfoam above latex. At the very least I would want to know the density of all the layers of polyfoam. If there is less than an inch in the quilting then knowing the density is not as important because softening won’t affect the performance and feel of the mattress but with this much polyfoam that is subject to softening I would want to know the density of every layer.

The Lifestyle Latex Quilt is a little better.

It has 6" of polyfoam on the bottom for a support core (and I would want to know the density of this yes)

Above that it has 2" of 100% natural Dunlop latex which is good quality material. there’s not as much of this as in the other mattress but it’s closer to the surface where it belongs.

Above this in the quilting it has just under an inch of comfofoam in the quilting. This is inside the maximum (around an inch or so) that I would consider OK in a quilting layer.

Overall this mattress doesn’t have nearly as much latex in it but the latex is closer to the surface which means that you would be sleeping more on latex than on polyfoam and the upper layers (the weak link of a mattress) would be more durable. Even though this has a lower price … I would actually prefer this to a mattress that has thick layers of polyfoam on top. Assuming that the base foam is good quality (and that the layers listed are complete and correct) … the price of this is very reasonable for a set. Of course it would still need to work in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) because no matter what the quality or value of a mattress … if it doesn’t meet your needs and preferences then it would have little value for you.

Phoenix

Phoenix -

Are most all foam mattresses non- flip?

Thank you.

Hi ginger,

Most are yes but there are also some that are two sided. They can be made any way a manufacturer chooses but two sided is a little more costly because the comfort layers and any quilting layers and fabric used for the sleeping surface has to be added to both sides of the mattress.

Most of the larger manufacturers have only made only made one sided mattress in the last decade or more (since Simmons started the trend in about 2000) but there are some which are starting to bring back two sided versions again and many of the smaller manufacturers never stopped making them.

Phoenix

Phoenix -

Is it better to purchase a quality mattress with box springs that you flip or a quality foam mattress that you don't flip? 

Thank you

Ginger

Hi Ginger,

There are many different styles of mattress and each design can have advantages and disadvantages. Everything involves a tradeoff of some type. For example a two sided mattress has a durability advantage but it also limits the design and layering of the mattress to some degree and is more expensive than an equivalent one sided design.

A mattress with box springs (usually but not always this is an innerspring mattress or a thinner foam mattress where the box springs add to the designed performance of the mattress) can be two sided or single sided and an all foam mattress that uses a foundation instead of box springs can also be single sided or double sided.

They key word in your question is “quality”.

No matter what style of mattress you choose the important part is that it meets your pressure relief and alignment needs and all the preferences that are important to you (there is more about this in post #2 here) and that it uses the highest quality and most durable materials that are available in your budget range.

Phoenix

Hello Phoenix,

 I hope you are having a happy Monday!  I tried two mattresses today, both  Custom Comfort by Winn.  The first one I liked contained 2 1/2 " Quilting foam, 2" Super soft foam, 1.8 21 lb compression, 3" firm 1.8 32 lb compression, followed by 2" 1.8 21 lb foam 1320 mini pocket coil unit.    I was told there were 11 inches altogether equal on each side for this is flip mattress.  Looks like I maybe missing another 2 inches, I will check with her again. The price for a king is $3595.

The other one has cashmere wool, 2" latex quilting foam, 2" soft latex foam, 6 inch firm latex core. 9" wood foundation $3895. Both mattresses have 15 year non prorated warranties.

I liked the feel of the first one the best, because it was slightly morej firm, I would say, but I would really like to have a latex mattress. The lady said they could make one for me in the latex to be a little more firmer. My questions that I have for you is, do you consider the first mattress to be of good quality? And in your opinion, do you have any suggestions on what type of material I should ask for in the second one to firm it up just a little more?
Thank you
Ginger

Hi Ginger,

If you add 2" for the mini pocket coil then the specs add up to about 11". The order of the layering seems a little odd to me (it looks like the 21 ILD foam and the microcoils are at the bottom of the 11" on each side and I know this wouldn’t be the case). Is this a 22" thick mattress?

The only concern I would have with this is the 2.5" of quilting foam and I would probably want to make sure it is also a higher density foam. While quilting foam is compressed with the quilting process and this would make it more durable … it is also a fairly thick layer of soft foam if the density was too low and could be the weak link of the mattress. 1.8 lb density polyfoam is generally a higher quality and more durable polyfoam than most mainstream manufacturers would use and the microcoils are also very durable.

To firm up the latex mattress … they would probably use the same layering but use firmer latex (probably in the layer under the quilting foam).

A am assuming that both of these are king size and include a foundation?

It’s generally better to compare mattresses on a “mattress only to mattress only” basis and then add the cost of the foundation or innerspring because you can make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses that way. In terms of quality/durability and assuming that both are close in cost with the box spring or foundation removed, I would personally be leaning towards the latex because of better durability and quality and I’m not so sure I would be looking at a 22" thick mattress regardless of material or the fact that it was two sided. This just seems to me to be overkill. I would also make some very careful value comparisons with both of these because they are both in a price range that I would question the need to spend this much unless there was a particularly compelling reason to do so. It seems to me that in the first case you may be buying much more mattress than you really would need and in the second case you may be paying more for a 10" latex mattress than may be necessary compared to others that are similar.

I normally suggest that a premium in the range of 20% or so for a local purchase compared to similar mattresses that are available online is reasonable because a local purchase that you can test is less risky but when the local “premium” starts to go above this then it may be a good idea to include some online options as well. I would also look at some other local options to see if you can do better in terms of cost and value as well.

While both of these use good quality materials (one better than the other) … I would question the prices you are paying (again depending on the size and on what else is included in the price besides the mattress).

Phoenix

Phoenix -

I may take a drive to Charlottesville to look at these mattresses. The 10" inch pure latex mattress and the EcoRestore Organic Mattress. Do you know anything about this company? The prices seem better than the ones I saw at a local furniture store that you and I discussed in my previous post. Thanks for your help!

http://atlanticorganicsleepshop.com/natural-organic-mattresses/

Hi Ginger,

The Natura mattresses they list are high quality but Natura as a whole tends to be overpriced when you make “apples to apples” comparisons with other similar mattresses. The prices they list on their site though are more reasonable than most so the value is more reasonable. The Ecorestore uses good quality materials and fairly thick layers of wool in the quilt (and wool is a costly material) which can improve ventilation and temperature control but can also affect the feel of the mattress materials below it … especially when the wool compresses over time.

Pure Latex Bliss mattresses are also high quality and they are also better value than many other mainstream mattresses but not generally in the same “value range” as latex mattresses made by many smaller manufacturers. They are owned by the company that produces much of the Talalay latex that is used in mattresses in North America (Latex International). In some cases though … local prices for these mattresses can be good value (they tend to control their advertised pricing but the actual prices in the store can be better than what is advertised). They have two “all Talalay latex” lines and one is made from blended Talalay latex (they call this natural) and the other is made from 100% natural Talalay latex (they call this “all natural”).

Of the two … the one they call “natural” (using blended talalay latex) is probably better value for most people than the “all natural” (this article talks about the different types of latex). The Nature that you are looking at is a good price for the “all natural” line for those who are willing to pay a premium for 100% natural Talalay even though it may be a little less durable and more expensive than the “natural” line (that uses blended Talalay latex). Some people like the Pamper (which in their store is the “natural” line that uses blended Talalay) and then add a latex topper to get to the comfort and pressure relief they want. The advantage of this is that a separate topper provides some flexibility in “designing” the performance and feel of your mattress and can also be replaced without replacing the whole mattress (the upper layers of a mattress will soften faster than the deeper layers).

These are good quality choices and while they may not be the “best” value … they are certainly reasonable IMO and may be better value than many of your local choices.

Phoenix

Phoenix -

I went to the Atlantic organic natural sleep shop today in Charlottesville, Va and I tried the 8" natural blend latex mattress with a 2" talalay topper and I like it. The mattress does not come with a foundation. The gentlemen did not offer to sell us one. He said it would be okay to put this mattress on our existing box springs. We have a king size bed. Ours are actually springs over slats. Is this okay or do I need another type of foundation?

Also, if we later want to add an adjustable foundation to this type of mattress, would this be okay to do?

Thank you,
Ginger