Recommendation for bed type for fibromyalgia & arthritis pain

[phoenix]

Hi HDrider,

Lots to try and get my little mind around in shuffled into an organized analysis. I have become a believer in the wool bedding and think we’re gonna go with natural latex in a zoned bed.
Thanks again for you input! After numerous calls, conversations and research my honey and I have focused in on the Flobed company natural latex with the Vzone top layer so we can try and find Jayne’s “as close to perfect” pressure relief. Even though there are numerous latex mattress sellers I’ve not yet found one with the numerous adjustments available to get a mattress so customized as Flobed.

Thank you for the update on your progress so far. I do think highly of FloBeds and their V-Zone design and their experience with it, and as you know they are a site member here, and I do have respect for their knowledge.

If you know of other mattress’s with nearly the same flexibility as Flobed perhaps you could point them out to us. Dormio is very close but they only ship within Canada.

Yes, the FloBeds V-Zone uses 6 zones with interchangeable layers, and the Dormio Sleep System uses three interchangeable zones. Out of the site members, those would be the two systems that are “most similar”. There are of course other zoned systems available nationally. There is more about zoning in this article and in post #11 here and the additional posts it links to.

One question I have is that talking to Flobed folks they only use Talalay as they have had issues with consistent quality and durability with Dunlop. Do you find in your years of gathering info this to be a substantiated issue? I have read due to the process of making Dunlop the heavier particulates seem to settle to the bottom of the mold and density can be uneven throughout the mattress.

You are correct that there can be more fluctuations in the overall feel of Dunlop latex, especially with layers sliced from the top of the bottom of a 6" mold, due to the particulate that can settle a bit during the curing process. The latex particles in Dunlop settle more in manufacturing so a 3" Dunlop layer that is cut from the bottom half of a 6" Dunlop core can be firmer than a 3" layer cut from the top half and the top would be softer than the bottom of the layer, while with Talalay it’s more consistent from top to bottom so it doesn’t matter as much which part of the core a thinner layer was cut from. All the layers cut from a single core (Dunlop or Talalay) will be rated the same even though they may not have exactly the same ILD.

When dealing with a zoning system like the V-Zone has, they do prefer the feel and slightly more consistent nature that they’re able to achieve with their Talalay supply. Overall, it’s important to realize that ILDs (the softness) of latex are not exact specifications, but “ranges”.

Whatever you decide to do, I’ll recommend a detailed phone conversation with any manufacturers you’re considering, especially when looking at a zoning system, as that can add extra complexity to your selection, and you’ll also want to become fully aware of any potential exchange/customization/return options that any manufacturer may offer.

I’ll look forward to learning of your progress.

Phoenix