My wife and I have been researching and researching and researching beds when we came across this fantastic site. We started off first looking at Sleep Number, Temperpedic, and all the other major brands. After much research, we decided that a Latex bed be right for us.
We wondered into Midwest Mattress in Ankeny and found the Nevada Firm latex mattress.
Here are the product specs:
-One Sided (No Flip/Neverturn)
-10" Thick
-1" All Natural Talalay Comfort Layer
-5" All Natural Talalay Latex Core
-4" polyfoam stabilizer base
We had read that the polyfoam stabilizer base should be a point of caution.
[quote]We wondered into Midwest Mattress in Ankeny and found the Nevada Firm latex mattress.
Here are the product specs:
-One Sided (No Flip/Neverturn)
-10" Thick
-1" All Natural Talalay Comfort Layer
-5" All Natural Talalay Latex Core
-4" polyfoam stabilizer base
We had read that the polyfoam stabilizer base should be a point of caution.[/quote]
There would be no durability issues with a good quality poyfoam base layer under 6" of latex so you would be fine and there would be no weak links in the mattress. On the other hand … polyfoam in the comfort layers would be a durability issue (if it was more than about an inch or so thick) if the polyfoam density was too low.
I’m Onewingnut’s wife. I called Midwest Mattress today and found out the 4" layer of polyfoam is only 1.5 lb. I recall a post where you recommended at least 1.8? If it was up to my husband we would buy from Midwest Mattress because he loves the sales staff there. I liked them as well other than the fact that the salesperson did not mention it had 4" of polyfoam. I thought that the mattress was all talalay latex. We didn’t realize it had a 4" polyfoam base until we got home and looked online. Other than that, we’ve loved our experience shopping there.
We did find one other latex mattress in our area. It is a Lebeda mattress. I’ve seen other posts where you refer to their latex as blended. They are advertising it as 100% all natural talalay. It has 6" talalay with a 1" quilt on both sides.
The thought of buying a bed with a polyfoam base at 1.5 lb makes me nervous and I’m afraid I’ll always be concerned that it will break down faster than the latex. I like the thought of having an ALL latex bed. We thought both beds were equally comfortable. The Midwest Mattress one was cheaper but obviously because of the polyfoam. Midwest Mattress said they add the polyfoam because otherwise the all talalay bed would be too jiggly like a pancake? They also said that dunlop latex was bad and too stay away from it? That seems to be opposite of what I’ve read online. I’ve also been leaning towards Brooklyn Bedding and they have the option for a dunlop core? Is an all talalay mattress just as durable as a dunlop core with talalay comfort layer?
The pros to Lebeda is that their price includes a foundation and would actually be cheaper than Brooklyn Bedding since we would also need to purchase a foundation from them. Plus it is local and we know we like how it feels. The con is that if we don’t like the bed after we get it, we are only offered an exchange and there is no other bed I would want from them.
The deeper layers of a mattress are generally not the weak link of a mattress so underneath 6" of latex the 1.5 lb polyfoam wouldn’t generally be an issue or a weak link unless you were in a heavier weight range.
I would generally suggest 1.8 lbs as a minimum for a comfort layer (unless it was two sided where 1.5 lbs would be OK) or you were in a very low budget range but using firm 1.5 lb polyfoam underneath thicker comfort and transition layers can be an effective way to lower the cost of a mattress without compromising durability for most people.
If it uses talalay latex made by Latex International and the layers have a specific ILD such as 19, 24, 28, 32 or any of the others listed by Latex International here then it would be blended. If the latex is N1 - N5 then it would be 100% natural but wouldn’t have a specific ILD. Generally (and hopefully) the manufacturer themselves would be the most reliable source of information about the materials they are using in their mattresses.
Both mattresses use 6" of latex so from a “raw materials” perspective they would be roughly comparable if both of them are using 100% natural Talalay. The type of cover and quilting materials can also make a significant difference in the cost of a mattress. I would also make sure you were comparing “mattress only to mattress only” (not a set) so you are making apples to apples comparisons because they may also be using different types of foundations or box springs. If the Lebeda is using a box spring that flexes (rather than one that has a rigid non flexing surface) then it would also be part of how a thinner latex mattress feels and performs so they would need to be purchased together or the mattress you take home will feel different from the one you tested. With a rigid non flexing foundation then any suitable non flexing foundation would generally be fine (but always check with the retailer or manufacturer if you are using a different foundation from the one they recommend or is part of the set to make sure it meets the warranty criteria).
I certainly don’t agree with this at all. They have a different “feel” and performance but are very comparable in terms of durability. You can read more about the different types of latex in post #6 here.
It seems to me that you have eliminated your worst choices and are looking at final choices that are all between “good and good” so which one is “best” for you when there are no clear winners would depend on all the objective, subjective, and intangible criteria that are the most important parts of your personal value equation. Lebeda can also make custom adjustments to some of their mattresses outside of just exchanging them (within 730 days) but I don’t know if this applies to the mattress you are looking at.
I called Midwest Mattress today and found out the 4" layer of polyfoam is only 1.5 lb. I recall a post where you recommended at least 1.8? If it was up to my husband we would buy from Midwest Mattress because he loves the sales staff there. I liked them as well other than the fact that the salesperson did not mention it had 4" of polyfoam. I thought that the mattress was all talalay latex. We didn’t realize it had a 4" polyfoam base until we got home and looked online. Other than that, we’ve loved our experience shopping there.