We are ordering a Ultimate dreams 13 for our son, if my wife and I like it ,we are getting a queen for us.
Hi krew,
Congratulations on your new mattress 
If you like a mattress just a little firmer than the Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe then this would certainly be a good choice and of course itās great value.
Phoenix
about to place an order with Brooklyn Bedding. Great company.
Hi matthall2121,
Congratulations on your new mattress
To receive the forum discount on Brooklyn Bedding mattresses (not their Dreamfoam Amazon line) make sure you either call, email, or use their chat to get the discount information before your purchase.
Phoenix
Hello:
Thank you for all of the info on this site. Itās truly an amazing resource (and a time-consuming one for someone as indecisive as meā¦ ha.) I am considering buying an Ultimate Dreams mattress. I am located in South Florida and have visited several local manufacturers so far, but havenāt found exactly what Iām looking for, which is why Iām considering purchasing online. I have determined that I want a mattress with a latex component. One of the local manufacturers had me try a 3" 28 ILD latex layer on top of a 3" G30 HD Polyfoam layer and a 4" G50 HD Polyfoam layer (Iām not sure what G30 and G50 mean other than the fact that G50 is firmer than G30). I liked the feel of that but it was a bit too firm. They didnāt have any softer Latex for me to try, and instead they put a 2" memory foam layer on top of that for me to try. I liked the extra softness, but it just felt like overkill. The next manufacturer I visited only had 40 ILD latex, which was way too firm. Finally, the third manufacturer recommended that I go with a 6" 28 ILD latex matress. I liked the feel of that but Iām concerned about it being too thin. Iām 5ā10", 160 lbs and usually sleep on my side. The woman who helped me said the 6" latex would provide plenty of support. She said she could add a 4" foam core below the 6" of latex, but the only purpose that would serve would be to add height to the mattress. She didnāt have any other latex for me to try unfortunately.
As I continued to research on this web site, I learned of Brooklyn Bedding, and like some of the other posters, I like the fact that there are so many positive reviews and information about these mattresses. Factoring in the 5% member discount, the 10" Total Latex mattress (king) ends up costing about $250 more than what I can get the 6" latex for locally, and the free pillows make it an even better value. Iām also considering their latex hybrids, which seem to be a much better value than the hybrid I tried locally (the first manufacturer I visited wanted $1500 for the hybrid with the 3" latex topper).
Sorry for the long-winded post, but here are my questions:
(1.) Will a 6" 28 ILD talalay latex mattress really provide enough support on itās own?
(2.) Given that I liked the feel of the 6" 28 ILD latex mattress but havenāt found anywhere local to try a duel layer latex mattress, what firmness in the Brooklyn Bedding 10" Total Latex would you recommend (I will ask Chuck this question as well)?
(3.) If I chose to go with a Brooklyn Bedding hybrid (say the Bamboo Bliss), what firmness would you recommend given that I found the 3" latex hybrid with 28 ILD a bit firm? 7?
(4.) Do you by any chance know of a manufacturer/seller in South Florida who has a selection of latex mattresses to try?
Thank you so much for your help and for all that you do!
Hi ds_express,
This probably means that the G30 was 30 IFD and the G50 was 50 IFD (IFD means Indentation Force Deflection which is a measurement of foam softness and firmness similar to ILD or Indentation Load Deflection which is more commonly used with latex). It is determined by how much force is required using a 50 sq in round deflector foot to compress a 20" by 20" 4" thick foam layer by 25% of its thickness or 1". IFD can also be measured at other percentage thicknesses. 5o IFD would be significantly firmer than 30 IFD.
There is no way to answer this on an individual basis outside of your own personal testing. Although it is a commonly used word ā¦ support in a mattress is really not that meaningful a term because it is so vague and has multiple meanings. One of the two main functions of a mattress is to keep your spine and joints in neutral alignment in all your sleeping positions. If a mattress keeps you in good alignment in all your sleeping positions and āstopsā the heavier parts of your body from sinking in too far relative to the others and āallowsā the lighter parts of your body to sink in enough relative to the other parts of your body then it would have adequate support regardless of its firmness level. If it āstopsā the lighter parts from sinking in far enough or āallowsā the heavier parts to sink in too far ā¦ then you would not have good alignment and the āsupportā under the part of your body that was sinking in too far or not enough would either be too much or not enough for you. Neutral alignment is the goal and the level of support under each part of the body is only the means used to get there.
āPrimary supportā generally comes from the deeper parts of the mattress and is primarily responsible for āstoppingā the heavier parts of the body (the pelvis). Secondary support generally comes from the upper parts of the mattress and is the part that āfills in the gapsā in the sleeping profile and helps to maintain the natural inward curves of the spine. The upper layers also need to allow the ābony prominencesā of the body such as the hips and shoulders to sink in enough to redistribute and relieve pressure. in other words ā¦ a mattress is always a combination of surface softness which āallowsā parts of you to sink in enough for good pressure relief and good alignment and deeper firmness which āstopsā the heavier parts from sinking in too far.
Every type of foam gets firmer as it compresses more at different rates so for many people a 6" layer ā¦ depending on what was under it and on the type of quilting and ticking used for the mattress ā¦ could provide good pressure relief and alignment. In other words it could be both soft enough with its initial compression to relieve pressure and firm enough as it compresses further to keep a specific person in good alignment. Other people may need a firmer support layer with a softer comfort layer to provide the combination of pressure relief and alignment that was best for them. They may need a softer upper layer that āallowedā more and a firmer deeper layer that āstoppedā sooner.
Again ā¦ the only way to know for certain is with your own personal testing on the specific combination of foam and other components (foundation, innerspring, quilting, ticking) that you are considering. If the 6" layer provides you with good PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) ā¦ then it would be supportive enough for you. For other people, a 6" design ā¦ particularly on a firm non flexing foundation ā¦ may not provide enough thickness to provide the combination of pressure relief and support they need in a single layer. Higher weights tend to do better with thicker mattresses which compress more gradually and are more adaptive and thinner mattresses tend to be fine for those that are lighter but there are no rules here. You can read more about some of the potential benefits of a thicker mattress in post #14 here.
There is no ātheoryā that can predict or ātranslateā one design (apples) into another (oranges) except by educated intuition or guesswork and based on averages for your body type and sleeping style. This is the reason for a longer conversation between you and a manufacturer you are considering who is in the best position to provide this kind of guidance. They know the details of their own mattresses and how all the different layers and components interact with each other and different types of people better than anyone else. These types of comparisons are only really relevant with mattresses that have a very similar design and other than that would require some guesswork based on their experience with their own mattresses.
I donāt recommend firmness or comfort levels. I only speak to the quality and value of mattresses and I leave the comfort choices to your own personal testing and more detailed discussions between you and the manufacturers or retailers. My goal and the goal of the site is to help you eliminate all the worst choices and then help with āhowā to choose ā¦ never āwhatā to choose. The people who actually sell mattresses are always the ones that can provide the most meaningful guidance or comfort choices.
The better options and possibilities Iām aware of in the South Florida area (Miami, Ft Lauderdale, West palm Bech) are listed in post #2 here.
Phoenix
So after spending too many hours this week on researching for a new mattress (Thanks to Phoenix and Co here and sleeplikethedead), I think I might pull the trigger on the Ultimate Dreams mattress. I dont sleep the greatest and think its time to get āa real mattressā since Ive moved and dont currently have one. Too many times in the past I just said whatever and found a cheap, like new one on craigs list or something. Im ready to take my sleep to the next level! I think its time; I do sleep a bit hot so decided to all out and get a latex as I hear they are a tad cooler than memory foam. On one of my old craigslist mattress I had a a temporpedic foam topper that I basically slept āinā and not on. It was too warm during the summer months for meā¦
The ultimate dreams seems like a good value, and something that will hopefully last me many years, as a good investment. Im on a budget and want to keep things close to $500 as I can (for a full; Im singleā¦ Thats right ladiesā¦ ha :cheer: ). Ive considered other mattresses on amazon (gosh buying a mattress online is scary) and costco because of their return policy.
Im quite the novice and by no means a sleep expert who knows all about IDV or IDL or that special sleep acronym but I will hope to return to review things if I do pull the triggerā¦ Right now its a blow up mattress for me! 
Hi austriker,
Iām looking forward to hearing about what you decide once youāve āpulled the triggerā. You are certainly looking at a good quality/value option.
Phoenix
Hello all,
Iāve been researching mattresses for a few days now and Iāve decided on the Ultimate Dreams mattress. Iād just like to say thanks to everyone in this thread(and forum!) for their reviews and input.
Really close to getting one of these. I am tired of being tired and having lower back pain. I need to go and try out the Cloud luxe to get an idea on the firmness. My wife is skeptical about the foam type mattress versus her parents Sleep Number bed. I prefer the foam as I wanted to buy Tempur Pedic before our current mattress but she was concerned about it feeling hot. It is time and I canāt wait to be sleeping through the night again. Have to get one.
I will be calling Chuck tomorrow. This is a great site. Thank you.
Thank you for your review.
Thanks Coventry for starting this thread. Iāve been looking around a bit for a good value and the UD line may be what Iām looking for. Just a few more hours of researchā¦ I hope. LOL
And thanks Phoenix for all of the excellent information and advice on TMU!
So I am getting ready to buy a new mattress and I have stumbled upon the Ultimate Dreams line. After reading all of the reviews it seems that something can still be great AND be made in the U.S.A LOL! Anyways, I am stuck with a few questions.
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If I go for the Ultimate Dreams Latex which firmness would be best for me. I really liked the scandanavian sleep system bed I tried out at the store the other day (I think it was the spa comfort) but not the price or sales person LOL.
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How does the Ultimate Dreams 13" Gel Memory Foam Mattress hold up?
I guess iām asking which one would be better for me?
Iām 5ā11 215 pounds. Side sleeper with major body pains lol.
Thanks
Aaron
Hi asjdwf,
This is one of the most common questions on the forum and there is some fairly extensive general information in the mattresses section of the site that can give you some general guidelines and insights but this is not specific to any particular person and may be more complex than you really need to know.
There are far too many variables and unknowns (body types, sleeping styles, preferences, physiology, age, health conditions, sensitivities, special circumstances etc) to use any formula or ātheory at a distanceā or any other personās experience to choose a suitable mattress that can possibly be more accurate than your own personal testing on similar mattresses with similar designs and materials that you can use as a pointer or approximation. If this is not possible ā¦ then the next best way is more detailed discussions with an online manufacturer or retailer themselves. They are much more familiar with their own mattress designs than anyone else (including me) and can give you ideas based on the āaveragesā of other customers that may be similar to you in their body type, sleeping style, or personal preferences and circumstances which can be a very useful guideline as long as you are inside the āaveragesā. Of course the options available with each design and your ability to exchange layers or the mattress itself or use other forms of fine tuning may also be an important part of your personal value equation.
So Iām always happy to help the members here with āhowā to choose or to connect with better manufacturers or retailers but āwhatā to choose in terms of either a mattress or the balance between comfort/pressure relief and support/alignment is always up to the only person who can feel what you feel on a mattress and best left to personal testing and your own experiences or more detailed discussions with the more knowledgeable people at the retailers or manufacturers that sell the mattresses.
Like many other mattress questions ā¦ this is also not as simple a question as it may seem because like most mattress questions the answer includes āit dependsā in the answer. You can see the different factors that are part of durability in post #4 here and the posts it links to.
As you will read ā¦ the upper layers of a mattress are usually its weak link in terms of durability and in these layers it uses medium and high quality memory foam or gel memory foam that are roughly equivalent to the Tempurpedic Cloud series that use 4 and 5 lb memory foam as well. The base layer is 1.5 lb polyfoam which is a lower to medium quality/density but this is not usually the weak link of a mattress. Overall ā¦ it uses higher quality materials than most mattresses in this price range in the layers that are most important for durability and āfeelā and has much better quality and value.
They have also said that it is very similar to the Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe except a little firmer and because softness is also a durability issue and because you are a little higher weight this may also have an effect. It would also be a very good idea to test the Cloud Luxe locally to make sure that it was suitable for you in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) because it is a softer memory foam mattress which can sometimes present some risk for alignment for higher weights and you are on the borderline where I would be a little cautious and make sure your testing indicated that it was suitable for your needs and preferences.
Phoenix
My wife and I have been sleeping on a Stearns & Foster mattress / box springs for 15 years at this point, and itās time for a change. Not having been to ābig nameā stores or actually tested any other types of mattresses, I feel fairly confident about which direction to go in based upon what Iāve read here. I deeply appreciate the information found on this forum, and think itās time to place an order with Chuck and Dreamfoam. So thank you.
Hi Bazlactica,
Your very welcome and Iām glad you found us
I hope you let us know what you decide on.
Phoenix
Hi folks,
I am planning on getting a king size Ultimate Dreams 13" Gel Memory foam mattress - my wife and I tried out the Cloud Luxe and loved it, and this seems like a great alternative.
My question is about what platform to get for it. To be honest, I am mostly just looking for something I can get online. Iām looking at Amazonās āSleep Master - Platform Metal Bed Frame/Foundation.ā Would that be sufficient by itself? Are there better options I should be looking into? I donāt need a box spring, correct?
Sorry if this question has been asked and answered - my quick search didnāt turn up the information I was looking for.
Thanks!
Hi lookingforsleep44,
The issue with these types of these types of wire grid foundations (besides the fact that some of them seem to squeek but this may be fixable depending on where the squeek is coming from) is that the ones that have less longitudinal wires in them also have wider spaces in between the wires and that this can create the risk of the foam sinking into the spaces between the wires over time. In general ā¦ the ones that have more longitudinal wires and smaller gaps are āsaferā but sinking through the gaps is a bigger risk with a latex base layer than it would be with polyfoam which is stiffer. Either way though ā¦ the larger the gaps are to sink into and the less surface area that supports the mattress, the greater the risk that the foam will sink into them over time.
The manufacturer themselves are usually the best source of information about whether a foundation would be suitable or meet their warranty requirements and you can see some of their foundation suggestions ADMIN NOTE: Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: How to Buy the Perfect Foundation for a Latex or Memory Foam Mattress - Brooklyn Bedding.
As you can see they donāt recommend box springs ā¦ only rigid non flexing foundations (which are generally better for foam mattresses than a box spring which has springs in it).
Other suggestions are in the foundation thread here.
If the price is a bigger priority than the support of the foundation then these are probably an acceptable choice (and again the final āauthorityā is always the manufacturer) but I would personally spend the few extra dollars to buy a less risky version with smaller gaps between the wires.
Phoenix
I decided on the Ultimate Dreams Queen Eurotop Latex Mattress which I ordered on Saturday. I got an e-mail from Chuck on Sunday with a pretty detailed description of some of the firmness options, and I ended up deciding on a ā5ā this morning. I also spoke to Chuck after finalizing the order to ask a few additional questions (if we decide to switch the latex, how long do we have to decide? What are the costs involved, etc?), and he was very helpful.
So far, the process has been great. The uncertainty about knowing what firmness level to order is definitely the worst part, but knowing that we have options if it doesnāt work out the first time is a great safety net to have.
Update: Chuck told me yesterday that they would get started making our mattress, and it would ship in the next few days. Less than 24 hours later, I received an e-mail saying that the mattress had been shipped via FedEx. Nice.
Hi Bazlactica,
Most of the choices that they help people make seem to be very close but I agree that itās always nice to have a backup.
Thanks for your feedback (and your kind comments in your earlier post as well) ā¦ and congratulations on your new mattress
Phoenix