I am here in Austin, Texas, and with the recommendation on this site I went to Austin Mattresses. They have a Restonic innerspring with latex which I really liked. It is 2.5 inches of 100% Talalay latex on top of the Magic Middle innerspring. The firm seemed really firm, but the next level up felt good. I didn’t like the pillowtop. The mattress that I liked seemed that it would hold up pretty well and for $900 for the King it seemed like pretty good value, esp. compared to the Restonic 100% latex that they have for $2,300. Do you have any insight into this type of set-up? What would the long term durability be?
Hi derrunner,
There are many variables that contribute to the relative durability and useful life of a mattress including the mattress, the person themselves, and how suitable a “match” a mattress is in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). There is more about the factors that can affect durability in post #4 here and the posts it links to.
One of the most important parts of assessing durability is identifying any weak links in a mattress (lower quality materials in the upper layers particularly) and I suspect there are more layers than just the latex and innerspring in the mattress you are considering which could be a factor in its durability. If you could list all the layers and components (from the top down) including the thickness, and density of any polyfoam in the mattress I’d be happy to help you identify any potential weak links. A good retailer should be able to provide this for you.
Phoenix
I called the store. I must say they are very knowledgeable and helpful.
These mattresses are made in Houston.
There is a Dacron quilt that contains 1/4-1/2 inch of 2lb density polyfoam. This is actually part of the quilting. This is all there is above the 2 1/2 inch Talalay latex which is rated at 26 ild. Between the latex and the innersprings is a fiber pad, more like a protective barrier. The springs are 14 gauge in the middle and 15 at both ends.
He also mentioned that his mom has had the pillowtop version for 2 years now and it is still in great condition.
It seems like a well built mattress.
Thanks in advance for the feedback.
David
Hi derrunner,
Thanks for the additional specs.
It seems to me that all the materials are good quality (in the most important comfort layers especially) and there are no obvious weak links in the mattress so from a durability perspective I would have no concerns. The polyfoam in the quilting is high quality (and even if it was lower density it’s thin enough that it wouldn’t have a significant effect on the comfort life of the mattress) and there is also an insulator to protect the latex from sinking into the coils over time. The dacron fiber in the quilting will also pack down and impress to some degree over time but this is also not likely to be a significant issue unless it’s a very thick layer.
Overall … as long as you’ve done some careful and objective testing on the mattress for PPP … it seems to me that it would be a good quality/value choice.
It’s always great to see a retailer that provides meaningful specs about a mattress so their customers can make more informed choices :).
Phoenix