"Major" Brands Sealy Optimum?

Phoenix,
Roy here, looked at several mattresses in Mobile,Al. area. Like the Jamison TLC collection ā€™ Lady Lark ( 2" soft talalay, 2" more talalay, 6" firm talalay, 2" supportive base form) and also in same collection ā€™ Gold leaf ( 2" soft talalay, 2" more soft talalay, 7" Ultra-Premium High Density, Famous Hotel Foam Core). Whatā€™s your opinion on these. I can get the Lady lark for $1,999.00 vs $1,550.00. You think itā€™s worth the extra 450 dollars for the Lady Lark when comparing materials on both? Appreciate your input. Roy

Hi rgd53,

From a quality point of view both of these use good quality materials and there are no ā€œweak linksā€ in either of them.

From a ā€œvalueā€ point of view ā€¦ most mattresses made by the same manufacturer and sold at the same retailer would have similar value across the lineup based on the cost of the materials and components. The main difference is in the support layer where one uses mostly latex which is a more costly material and the other uses polyfoam.

You can read a little more about some of the differences between an all latex mattress (and I would put the Lady Lark in this category in spite of the 2" polyfoam layer on the bottom) and a latex/polyfoam hybrid (such as the Gold Leaf) in post #2 here.

The Lady Lark would certainly be ā€œworth itā€ based on the quality and cost of the materials themselves (latex is a higher quality material even than good quality polyfoam) but whether it is worth it to you personally would depend on your own personal testing and on any differences that you feel between them and whether you preferred one mattress over another in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). Each personā€™s perceptions, preferences, and Personal value equation may be very different from the next and the criteria and tradeoffs that are most important for each person can vary widely.

Phoenix

PS: You had a duplicate post so I switched them both to the same thread.

Hi Phoenix,

I am looking for a new mattress and have to say the process has been overwhelming. I was going to go with a ā€œname brandā€ until i came across your site. I live on Long Island, NY. Can you recommend any places where I can get a quality mattress that I will have for a long time. I have been looking at the memory foam mattresses, mainly the Sealy Optimum line. Looking for something med firm to firm. Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thank you
craig

Hi craigb75,

Hopefully youā€™ve already read it but in case you havenā€™t then post #1 here has the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice.

The better options Iā€™m aware of in the Long Island area are listed in post #4 here.

Phoenix

I went to www.xtrememattress.com/ and seemed to like a mattress there. It was a king sized mattress that the guy claimed was a latex core with 3" of natural plush latex on top. The bed was called tranquility and seemed cheap at $1399. He claimed that the bed was made by the Amish. Have you heard of these amish beds? If so how is the quality. Seems thatā€™s thereā€™s no real way of telling whats in the bed except taking the guys word for itā€¦

Hi Vik,

You can see some of my comments about Extreme Mattress and some comments about Dutch Craft (which is an Amish manufacturer that they carry) in post #4 here and in post #29 here.

There is also more about the most important parts of the ā€œvalueā€ of a mattress purchase in post #13 here.

Outside of careful testing for PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post ā€¦ the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is knowing the type and quality of all the materials and layers inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label.

If you can provide the specifics of the mattress you are considering (see this article) and post them on the forum Iā€™d be happy to make some comments about the materials or let you know if I can see any potential weak links in the mattress.

Phoenix

Ok thanks for the help. It seems that Dutch Craft has gotten some decent reviews.

I called dutch craft and they said the particular bed i was looking at was 88% polyurethane foam pad and 12% blended polyester fiber batting (poly fiber 56% rayon 44%) latex foam. She then verbally said it was two inches of talalay latex and that to her knowledge they donā€™t use any dunlop.

Opinions?

this is the 4922 - Romance - tranquility plush

Hi Vik,

Unfortunately the specs you listed are incomplete and arenā€™t specific enough for me to make any meaningful comments about the mattress.

If you can provide the information listed here and post it on the forum Iā€™d be happy to make some comments about the quality of the materials or let you know if I can see any obvious weak links in the mattressā€¦

Phoenix

I really like what Iā€™m reading about latex at Brooklyn Bedding. Is there a comparable mattress co. That sells latex mattresses that I could lay on to try the feels of it? Is it similar to foam?

Hi Giddy,

While there probably wouldnā€™t be a mattress that feels the same because the designs would be different, there are usually some local retailers or manufacturers that carry latex or latex hybrids that would give you the chance to test different types and firmness levels of latex so you could get a sense of what it feels like in general.

If you let me know your city or zip code Iā€™d be happy to let you know about any of the local options or possibilities Iā€™m aware of.

Phoenix

We are in the 30824 area. We have some tight time constraints in getting a new mattress so I will have to shop locally.
Thanks for all your suggestions!

Hi Giddy,

When I posted my last reply I didnā€™t notice that you had already asked and I had already provided you with a link to the better options or possibilities Iā€™m aware of that are close to you in my earlier reply here :).

Phoenix

Thanks, Phoenix. I added the area code because we actually are west of Augusta and I thought that there would be something on the Atlanta side.

Hi Giddy,

The forum lists usually include the area within a radius of about 50 miles so the Augusta list would normally include the better possibilities Iā€™m aware of in the Thomson area as well but there is also another list that is centered around Athens, GA here which has a couple of ā€œpossibilitiesā€ in the Thomson area so Iā€™ve also added them to the Augusta, GA/Aiken, SC list and Iā€™ve also added one more possibility in Martinez which carries Jamison mattresses although Jamison didnā€™t know if they carried any of their latex models. It would be a good idea to call any of these before you go there to confirm whether they have any latex mattresses on their floor.

Phoenix

Just purchased a Southerland Symphony luxury firm mattress. It was hard the first few nights, but molded to my back and feel lots of support. I am concerned that the middle of the king bed feels like a hump there. The brochure that came with the mattress said that indentions would form as the mattress adjusts. We have only had it a week. Does this sound normal?

Hi Giddy,

Iā€™m not sure if you mean the middle going across the mattress or the middle going from head to foot (in the middle of each side). If itā€™s the first it could be the lumbar support layer in the mattress and if itā€™s the second then it would most likely be connected to the foundation you are using under the mattress which could be firmer in the middle where the two twin XL foundations come together than it is on each side.

This is a ā€œnormalā€ caution that is often used to ā€œconditionā€ people to the possibility or even likelihood that any lower quality or softer comfort layers may soften or break down prematurely. While some small degree or minimal softening or impressions would be normal ā€¦ it shouldnā€™t happen to any large degree with a mattress that uses good quality materials in the comfort layers.

If you can find out the specifics of the materials inside your mattress and post them on the forum (see this article) Iā€™d be happy to make some comments about the quality of the materials inside your mattress and let you know if I can see any weak links in the mattress that could soften or break down and form virtual or visible impressions that were ā€œtoo deepā€ too quickly. Based on the description here (which doesnā€™t include the layer thicknesses or the foam densities) ā€¦ the quilting and comfort layers of your mattress could easily contain more than ā€œabout an inch or soā€ of lower quality/density foam that could be a weak link in your mattress and could result in premature softening and impressions.

Phoenix

Polyurethane foam 78%
Latex foam 10%
Visco elastic foam 10%
Polyester fiber 2%

Hi Giddy,

Unfortunately this is the information from the law tag and it doesnā€™t include anything about the individual layers or the quality/density of the materials in the mattress so itā€™s not particularly useful. The information you need to identify any weak links or lower quality materials in a mattress is in this article.

Iā€™m still not clear about the direction of the ā€œhumpsā€ you were feeling in your mattress. You would be able to tell if they were coming from the foundation by putting your mattress on the floor to see if you could still feel them.

Phoenix

Iā€™ve tried to get the info from the company but havenā€™t heard from them yet. The hump goes from the head of the bed to the foot. I still have 80 days to determine if this is a good mattress for us.

Hi Giddy,

This could be coming from the foundation under your mattress.

I hope they provide the information you need and if they do you are certainly welcome to post it on the forum and iā€™d be happy to make some comments about the quality of the materials.

I would consider any mattress purchase without this information to be a high risk purchase.

Phoenix