San Francisco Latex advice needed: Foam Order vs Bay Bed & Mattress?

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hi Phoenix,

First, thanks so much for the work you have done on the mattress underground website! I have a basic question for you - which store should I buy from, foam order vs bay bed & mattress? I live in San Francisco so Foam Order would be much easier.

Here is some background. I am preparing to buy my first latex mattress. My wife and I are overdue to replace our boxspring/coil. I am a sprawler sleeper, and we have young kids and a dog that visit us in bed sometimes, so we will be switching from CA King to Eastern King. Doing that also gives us the option of having two XL twins instead of a full king on some of the layers, that seems like what we need because I (165lbs, 5’10") am a side sleeper needing medium to soft for my hips and shoulders, while my wife (190 lbs, 5’8" ) prefers something a bit firmer.

We started a Nest Bedding, we really like John and both the Q3 Nest Bedding Latex Mattress and the Latex Bliss mattresses that he has. But his choices won’t allow us to have the split mattress with differing firmness, and it seems like we can also save some $ by going with one of these other two, FoamOrder here in San Francisco or Bay Bed & Mattress in Santa Cruz.

I have not yet settled on what we want for our various layers, but the idea of having at least 3 layers is appealing because it leaves open the option to re-arrange to find that perfect mix of firm/soft. Generally speaking, I preferred the feel of the mattresses that have a Talalay top layer.

I am OK with the idea of blended latex, especially if where there is evidence that it is more durable.

My wife has asthma and a dust mite allergy. We have never taken any preventative measures with our current mattress but we will be trying to maximize protection on this one.

I also visited FoamOrder and spoke briefly with Alan. I only heard about their Dunlop latex that comes 100% from trees, but from what I saw on your website it may be possible to get Talalay from them, too?

The one concern that I have about FoamOrder is that they say that they have seen mold growth issues under their all-natural dunlop latex mattresses, because of that they recommend using a bed with slats, not a platform. The bed I have ordered has slats, so it is compatible, but I am still concerned about this as a possible issue, and don’t like the idea that we couldn’t switch from slats to platform if we wanted to try for a firmer base as we figure out our preferences. They also recommend avoiding any dust mite covers that cover the whole mattress (all 6 sides). The last thing I want to find is that there is mold growing underneath a bed that we spent this much $ on!

I would prefer not having to go to Santa Cruz, but if I can line up my order with Dan by phone and maybe visit once for a test ride/in-person double-check, I’d definitely be willing to consider it.

From what I have read of your commentary on the site, it seemed like your favorite choice for latex among the choices for San Francisco is Bay Bed & Mattress.

Do you think I should just start my conversation with Dan at BB&M? Or is it worth it to give a first try with Alan at Foam Order?

Thanks in advance for whatever input you can provide!

Very Gratefully,
Mike

2

Hi LatexLoon,

Only you can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to make specific recommendations or suggest a specific mattress or combination of layers or materials based on specs (either yours or a mattress), health conditions, individual circumstances, or “theory at a distance” (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). I can certainly help you narrow down your options by avoiding the worst ones and with “how” to choose or act as a fact check but not with which specific mattress, company, or manufacturer to choose.

Foam order has a range of latex mattresses available while Bay Bed and Mattress specializes in pocket coil/latex hybrids although they make all latex mattresses as well. The choice between different types of mattresses or components would be a preference choice rather than a better/worse choice. There is more about innerspring support cores vs latex support cores in post #28 here and the posts it links to but the most reliable way to know which type of mattress you tend to prefer will be based on your own testing and personal experience.

Bay Bed also has Talalay latex while Foam Order focuses more on Dunlop (although they do have some Talalay available). There is more about the differences between Talalay and Dunlop in post #7 here but this is also a preference choice rather than a “better/worse” choice.

There is also more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses.

Neither one would have any lower quality materials or weak links in their design so you could focus more on the suitability and value parts of your choice.

This would generally depend on several risk factors combining together for this to happen but you can see my thoughts about solid surface support systems vs slats in post #10 here.

While allergy encasements can be part of a strategy to help deal with more severe dust mite allergies (and there are some that are quite breathable so this wouldn’t be an issue) … if you don’t have significant allergies then I would lean towards a mattress protector vs a mattress encasement as well. There is more about dust mites and allergies in post #2 here and about mattress encasements in post #2 here and about the pros and cons of different types of mattress protectors in post #89 here.

I think it’s always a good idea to call first before visiting any retailer or manufacturer … even if they are local … so you can get some sense of the types of mattresses they have available and the type of knowledge, service, and transparency that you can expect when you go there and then you can decide who to visit based on the results of your phone conversations.

These are the types of “should I” questions that only you can answer but if I was in your shoes I would at least talk with Bay Bed and then decide how you feel about making the trip.

You’ve probably seen this already but the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the San Francisco area are listed in post #2 here.

Phoenix

3

Hi, I’m new to this forum and found this thread through a search. I just moved to Berkeley and am looking for a new mattress. (See my post here: https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/having-trouble-finding-a-suitable-mattress)

I just made a stop by Bay Bed and Mattress, where I found Body (sp?) extremely helpful. After trying out several of their models, I found the medium version firmness of their firm “Elegance” model to be a great fit for me. They also are not too far out of my price range at $1099, which I think is worth it for a bed that feels divine and is fairly modular.

The other company I’m seriously considering is Nest Bedding, which I believe had a store in the North Berkeley area. I tried a medium firmness Alexander Hybrid through a reseller, and thought it was a little soft. They are normally a bit out of my price range at $1300 for a Queen, but today it seems they are doing a $200 off promotion.

Unfortunately, I have a bit of a time crunch in that I want to get a mattress before I start school on Monday (I currently don’t have a mattress), and in that I’m currently unable to visit the Nest store because I’m on vacation down south. I’m hesitant to buy a Nest without trying it out, and if I were to buy the Bay Bed I would want to pick it up on my way back up to Berkeley to avoid a $100 delivery fee.

With this in mind, what are the main differences between the Nest and the Bay Bed and which would you recommend?

4

Hi fearful_jesuit,

I am so sorry I didn’t reply to this post.

I know you were in a time crunch, are you still looking? Did you pull the trigger? Is there anything else I can help you with?

Let us know if something else comes up. Thank you again for posting.

Sensei