Pocketed Coil & Latex Mattress

[phoenix]

Hi Phil P,

Again, thanks for the quick response and feed back, especially since you took the time on a holiday weekend. Kudos and appreciation for your dedication in service to all those folks on this site.

Thank you for your kind words.

In the your comment responding to my thought of adding 1/4" of plywood over the slats you suggested I might consider adding a “coir bed run” between the plywood and the bed. Is that like a layer of say burlap to allow for some small space for ‘breathing’? Please clarify.

Here is a coir bed rug. It’s made of coconut fiber and held together with a natural latex adhesive. It is firm and allows for air circulation beneath a mattress placed upon a firm, flat surface.

Actually, I was thinking of drilling 10 to 12 or more 2" diameter holes spaced between the slats in the plywood to allow for the breathing and air flow.

If you do that, you may wish to forgo the coir bed rug.

Regarding the slats and my and the beds weight, it seems the slats are not defecting below the horizontal to form a concave curvature. They are deflecting somewhat but are still in a convex position. I was puzzled why I felt I was being pushed or rolled slightly to my left with my right side a bit higher than my left when lying on my back towards the center of the bed. The convex position of the slats especially from the center support was pushing me to the left. Not sure this was detrimental to the longevity of the mattress but it made a “odd” feeling.

These bowed slats can perform as a bit of an active sleep surface and accept some of the load placed upon the mattress, and some of these slat systems are tension adjustable and they can change the feel of the mattress in certain areas, and their impact will be more noticeable when used in concert with thinner mattresses (see post #2 here). If the bow is substantial, adding the flat decking material may end up causing noise.

I’m attracted tot be better L & P pocketed coil system that comes with the Natural Escape but my real question is does a 1/2" or 1" of Dunlop or Talalay in 2 or 3 inch top comfort layer make all that difference? Does an extra 1" of NR foam between the DreamFoam and say the Arizona Mattress with $500 or the 1/2" between the Eco Terra and the Green Mattress (excluding the supposedly better coils) worth $2- $300? While I’m not budget constrained, is that little extra 1/2" going to make a major difference in the quality of our comfort and health?

These are all questions that I can’t answer for you, as they’re all part of your own personal value equation. While price is certainly important of course, the “value” of a mattress purchase is what is most important and price is just one of many factors that can affect the “value” of a mattress purchase. There isn’t a “formula” that can be used to assess or “calculate” the value of a mattress because there are so many different variables and criteria involved that can affect the price of a mattress that can each be more or less important to some people and not to others who may have completely different criteria or definitions of “value”. The value of a mattress purchase is also relative to how a mattress compares to the other finalists you are considering or to other mattresses that are available to you in your area (or online if you are also considering online options). There are many reasons that a mattress that may be “good value” for one person or in one area of the country may not be good value for someone else that has very different needs and preferences or that lives in a different area.

With that being said, every change in layering will impact comfort. Going from 2" to 3" is a 50% increase in comfort material. You’ll tend to notice more of a difference between Dunlop and Talalay latex versus the difference between blended and natural. Aside from that, it really would come down to your own personal testing of a product. The Dreamfoam Ultimate Dreams you mentioned uses a blended Talalay. Based upon the firmness data on the Eco Terra site and their import records, I think they are using Dunlop (you’d want to call and confirm). The Arizona Mattress offers both Dunlop and Talalay. The My Green Mattress uses Dunlop latex.

I would make a list of the pros and cons of each product and then compare two at a time, looking at price, configuration options, ability to customize, totally overall componentry, Dunlop or Talalay, return policies, etc. Only compare two items at a time, and eliminate the “loser” from contention. You’ll eventually come up with your “winner”.

Phoenix