Anyone remember the old joke about the man who goes to the doctor because he has a sore arm? The man says “Doc, my arm hurts when I do this”. The doctor comments “Well then stop doing that!” That’s about where I am now – maybe I shouldn’t have started researching mattresses.
First, let me note that the Mattress Underground is the finest source of consumer information I have ever encountered. Hands down! Bar none! Imagine a world where the consumer has this quality of information for every topic!
But alas I am now confronted with “too much information” and too few manufacturing options in my area, where I can apply this knowledge. As a result the past 6 weeks have been an exercise in futility and much to my wife’s chagrin – no mattress. The journey has certainly been eventful as predicted here at MU. The lack of knowledge by almost every sales person we encountered was astonishing. And it was impossible to avoid the major manufacturers lack of product information, with most sales people indicating that kind of data was not provided.
I did manage to find a few local manufacturers. One specialized in futons and had a tempurpedic franchise. Another made high-end latex mattresses and a low-end box spring line but didn’t sell this line locally (I would have to drive 2 hours to see an example). The only other manufacturer in the Ottawa area is the Lapensee Mattress Company based in Gatineau Quebec (just across the river from Ottawa).
This company offers just 4 variations of the same mattress. The support layer is a 6" core of 860 covered 13.5 gage pocket coil springs, with a steel edge support wire, all under a felt layer. The polyfoam is soy-based and Certi-Pur certified, The comfort quilt (upper layer of the comfort zone) is described as “soft cushioning with temperature regulating fibers”. The entire mattress is covered with “Coolmax Fabric” which supposedly eliminates humidity and heat.
The polyfoam is described as “high density” and is available in 2, 3 and 4 lb. weights. Talalay latex, memory foam and memory foam with granules (to dissipate heat) are also available.
The sequence of construction and cost for each king-size mattress model comfort zone is as follows:
“Essential” - $1149 – 2" of quilt of 2 lb. HD foam / 2" of 2 lb. HD foam
- less coils than all other models
“Classique” – $1949 – 2" of quilt of 2 lb. HD foam / 2" of 3 lb. HD foam
“Elegance” - $2199 – 2" of quilt of 2 lb. HD foam / 2" of 4 lb. HD foam
“Excellence” - $2899 – 2" of quilt of 3 lb. HD foam / 2" of 2 lb. HD foam
After testing each version my wife preferred a semi-firm version of the “Elegance” model. I preferred a similar model but with a latex layer in the comfort zone. Swapping out the HD Polyfoam for the latex adds $100.
In the description here at MU of mattress comfort layers the point is made that only HR (High Resilience 2.5 lbs or higher) polyfoam is suitable for the comfort layer. When I queried the Lapensee classifications of HD polyfoam I didn’t really get an adequate answer but that might just be my lack of knowledge. I even went over to the factory and took a tour with the son of the owner – very nice man and very proud of the family business which has been in operation since the early 1900’s. We had a fun conversation but I left still unclear about HD vs HR.
So here I am – dazed and confused – wondering whether I should simply bite the bullet and buy locally from the only choice I have. Or go elsewhere. But where? The closest manufacturer outside of Ottawa that I can find is Factory Mattress in Pickering (also very nice people). MU recommends this company in the Toronto listings. But it would be $350 to deliver and a 4 hour drive (one way)!
What to do?