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 āname 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 youāve already read it but in case you havenāt then post #1 here has the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice.
The better options Iām 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 thatās thereās 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 āvalueā 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 Iād 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 donāt use any dunlop.
Opinions?
this is the 4922 - Romance - tranquility plush
Hi Vik,
Unfortunately the specs you listed are incomplete and arenāt 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 Iād 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 Iām 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 wouldnāt 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 Iād be happy to let you know about any of the local options or possibilities Iām 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 didnāt notice that you had already asked and I had already provided you with a link to the better options or possibilities Iām 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 Iām 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 āpossibilitiesā in the Thomson area so Iāve also added them to the Augusta, GA/Aiken, SC list and Iāve also added one more possibility in Martinez which carries Jamison mattresses although Jamison didnāt 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,
Iām 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 itās the first it could be the lumbar support layer in the mattress and if itās 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 ānormalā caution that is often used to āconditionā 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 shouldnāt 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) Iād 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 ātoo deepā too quickly. Based on the description here (which doesnāt include the layer thicknesses or the foam densities) ā¦ the quilting and comfort layers of your mattress could easily contain more than āabout 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 doesnāt include anything about the individual layers or the quality/density of the materials in the mattress so itās not particularly useful. The information you need to identify any weak links or lower quality materials in a mattress is in this article.
Iām still not clear about the direction of the āhumpsā 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
Iāve tried to get the info from the company but havenāt 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 iād 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
Hi, I am in the market for a new mattress and am wondering if you could help. Our preferences seem to narrow down the range of options in a natural way, so might be a rather simple answer. And yes, I understand that I might not like that simple answer 
We like very firm mattresses. To the point where there is usually one or less mattresses at a B&M store that would even potentially be of interest. Everything is too soft. We like sleeping āonā the mattress, so the upper layer needs to be rather thin and the base under it has to be very solid/firm.
I bought the #BME and it was not nearly firm enough for us - ended up returning it.
Price is not really an issue. Firmness, quality of materials, build quality - are our priorities.
We tried Zuzu at a Sleepyās the other day and it seemed close to what would work for us, but a) just ācloseā, not āitā and b) I just read in these forums that Zuzu is not a great thing quality-wise.
Any advice would be highly appreciated!
Alex
Hi AlexK,
I switched your post into a new topic of its own with a more descriptive title.
Iām guessing that you purchased the BME firm version and Iām sorry to hear that it wasnāt firm enough for you.
I would also suspect that if it wasnāt firm enough for you that most of the other āsimplified choiceā mattresses that are sold online wouldnāt be firm enough either because you are probably in a very narrow range relative to your firmness preferences that would represent a percentage of customers that was too small for most online companies to target.
While I can certainly help with āhowā to choose ā¦ Itās not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first āruleā 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 āmatchā for you in terms of ācomfortā, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will āfeelā to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or ātheory at a distanceā that can possibly be more reliable 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).
Iām not sure what youāve read since you found the site but just in case you havenāt read it yet ā¦ the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure youāve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best āmatchā for you in terms of ācomfortā, firmness, and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesnāt turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the āvalueā of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well he will sleep), durability (how long he will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the 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 doesnāt turn out as well as you hoped for).
There are also no āstandardā definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer. Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like āmediumā for someone else or even āsoftā for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they ārateā a mattress as well (see post #15 here) so different people can also have very different opinions on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science.
Given that your firmness preferences are somewhat unusual I would probably suggest considering a local purchase or at least local research may be a good idea so that you can test a mattress in person to confirm that itās āfirm enoughā for you.
If you do decide to purchase another mattress online then some of the thinner component mattresses that use firm latex from top to bottom may also be worth considering. There are also some thinner futon mattresses that are in a much firmer range that may be worth considering as well that also have the benefit of being in a lower budget range.
The mattress shopping tutorial includes this link to a list of the members here that sell mattresses online (in the optional online step) and many of them sell latex and latex hybrid mattresses that use different types and blends of latex that have a wide range of different designs, options, features, firmnesses, return and exchange policies, and prices that would be well worth considering.
When you canāt test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help ātalk you throughā the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and āfeelā of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best āmatchā for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the āaveragesā of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about āmatchingā their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences or to other mattresses that they are familiar with than anyone else.
A good online retailer or manufacturer will generally suggest a mattress that they honestly believe has the best chance of success based on the information you provide them when you talk to them on the phone because this is in both your own and their best interests but at the end of the day the only way to know for certain whether any specific mattress is a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) will be based on your own careful testing and/or your own personal experience so if you canāt test a specific mattress in person then the options you have available after a purchase to either exchange the mattress or individual layers or components or return the mattress for a refund (and any costs involved) would generally become a more important part of your personal value equation just in case a mattress you purchase doesnāt turn out as well as you hoped for.
If you let me know your city or zip code Iād also be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities Iām aware of in your area.
Phoenix