I’ve got a 4-year old Rhapsody Breeze that isn’t working for me anymore. It was okay for about the first year or so, but it’s gotten so soft that I feel like I’m sleeping in the mattress. I’m 6’1", 260lbs muscular build with broad shoulders and hips. I typically sleep on my back and side, but occasionally wake up on my stomach. My guess is I am sinking through the comfort layers because I wake up with lower back pain, shoulder and neck pain every morning. I’ve decided I’m just not a fan of memory foam and the effort I have to go through every time I want to roll over.
So…time to stop torturing myself with this thing. I wandered into the Dallas, TX Urban Mattress store a couple of days ago. Overall I was impressed with their selection and the knowledgeability of the sales guy (Jake). My favorite mattress was the 5th generation Pranasleep Super Vinyasa Firm.
I reached out to Pranasleep for the specifications of the mattress, and received this response:
[quote]Our 5th generation latex mattresses are made using our patented blend of more than 50% natural to synthetic latex. The polyfoam in the quilt is a 2.5# density layer designed to help minimize body impressions.
The Super Vinyasa 5 is made to be more supportive, longer lasting, and more comfortable than other latex mattresses in the industry. It also feels the same consistently longer than mattresses such as your Rhapsody and others. We do not give out ILDs as it is proprietary information. I will tell you the mattress will typically feel slightly firmer in time rather than softer. [/quote]
So, I’m hoping to get your insight into a few questions:
I’ve read your comments about the prior generation’s polyfoam density being the weak link in this mattress. Given that they are now using 2.5#, do you think the components of this mattress will support my weight?
Should I be concerned that Prana is not sharing the ILDs of their latex?
The mattress seems to be a match for me in terms of PPP, but at $4700 for a king, it definitely gets no points in the “value” category. If I’m getting a quality mattress that will last, I can stomach it, but are there other mattresses similar to the Super Vinyasa Firm that are a better value that you recommend? One thing I actually like about the Super Vinyasa is the top layer of polyfoam (provided it passes the durability test) absorbs some of the “springiness” of the Latex.
Urban Mattress has an Uban Organics latex mattress, but I can’t find much information on it. Do you know anything about it?
Any other thoughts/advice?
I’ve been a long-time lurker in this forum, and I really appreciate the information you provide. Thank you, Phoenix.
I would keep in mind that the density of polyfoam is the single biggest factor in the durability of polyfoam but it has very little to do with support because any density of polyfoam can be made in a wide range of firmness levels. 2.5 lb polyfoam is a durable material and would be suitable for your weight in terms of durability but the only way to know whether any mattress or combination of materials and componentswill support your body and keep your spine in good alignment will be based on your own careful testing and/or your own personal sleeping experience.
With a local purchase knowing the ILD information for the various layers is mostly meaningless and will generally only add to confusion. Careful testing for “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) based on what your body tells you is much more reliable than choosing a mattress based on complex combinations of specs that can take many years of experience to understand how they all interact together.
For some people that have a great deal of experience in the industry or who design mattresses knowing the ILD information of the layers in a mattress can be helpful or even essential for business or design reasons, the ILD of a material is only one of many variables that determines how soft or firm the materials or a mattress “as a whole” that uses it will feel (see here) and ILD numbers are not comparable between different materials or in many cases between different versions of the same material anyway (see post #6 here).
For most people knowing or finding out unnecessary specs can be overwhelming and for those that do know a little bit about foam specs they can often tend to make choices based on specs alone or believe that they know more than they really do (for example making choices based on foam density or ILD alone when these are just two of many variables that can affect the feel and performance of a mattress). Too much information and too little information can both result in poor choices. In many cases mattress manufacturers don’t provide the ILD of their various foam layers because they are well aware of the risk of providing too much information to a customer and understand that for most people it would be more misleading than helpful. While knowing the quality specs of a mattress that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress is an important part of making an informed choice … knowing the “comfort specs” of a local mattress isn’t nearly as important as listening to what your body tells you with careful and objective testing.
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … I don’t make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
There is more about the 3 most important parts of “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
While there are certainly some cases where a more costly mattress that is similar to others in a lower budget range may be “worth it” for a particular person that isn’t price sensitive and that has specific criteria, needs, or preferences that aren’t available or that they aren’t able to find in lower budget ranges and in some cases like this a mattress that is in a much higher budget range could still be a good “value” choice for some people … in general I would need a compelling reason that clearly indicated there was “enough” of a difference in “real life” between the Vinyasa and other mattresses that may also be suitable in terms of comfort and PPP and would be just as or more durable to satisfy yourself that any higher cost was justifiable and that you weren’t being “influenced” by marketing stories or the belief that higher prices mean a “better” mattress.
They would be the best source of information about any of the materials and components in any of their mattresses. I believe that they are “all latex” mattresses with wool quilted cotton covers but the current description on their website doesn’t specify the type of materials they are using in the comfort layers (it just says “natural materials”) and only says it has a natural latex core (which doesn’t specify the type of latex) so I would make sure that you find out the information here about any mattress you are considering before making any purchase.
If they are “all latex” mattresses then they would certainly be a very durable choice that was at least as durable if not more durable than the Vinyasa but I can’t speak to whether it would be a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP.
If you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial then you already have all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible choice but I’d certainly be happy to answer any specific questions you may have along the way,
Just in case you haven’t seen it yet … the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Ft Worth/Dallas area (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply) are listed in post #4 here.
Phoenix, thank you for the information. After a few more trips to Urban Mattress and to a few other stores, I did indeed end up purchasing the Vinyasa Firm. It arrived yesterday. It sure is a big difference from the memory foam. I even slept cooler.
I’ll post back to this thread after a few months to let you know what I think after it’s been broken in.
Thanks again for the invaluable resources you provide!
Luke
Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you ended up deciding.
If you confirmed that it’s the 5th generation version with the higher density polyfoam then you certainly made a good quality and durable choice and since I’m also assuming that you are comfortable with the relatively higher price you paid and that for you it represents good “value” … congratulations on your new mattress as well :).
I’m looking forward to any additional comments and feedback you have the chance to share once you’ve had the chance to sleep on it for a little longer.