About 2 months ago I started a search for a new king sized mattress and this site has been an invaluable resource in my search. Not only does Phoenix provide an exhaustive wealth of information, I also gained knowledge from the members themselves and in the experiences they went through in trying to find that “perfect” mattress. I had decided early on, that if and when I too had finally found that perfection, I would share my experiences on this forum for others. I am a bit of a research nut and I won’t go into everything that entailed over the last 2 months, suffice to say I encountered “paralysis by analysis” after just the first week.
Like so many people, my husband and I were sleeping on a too old and failed mattress, complete with our individual craters. I started looking at the familiar innerspring mattresses by Serta, Simmons, etc. but those mattresses just don’t last - why do they fail and is there something better out there?
I started out on a website called Sleepopolis, which led me to You Tube review videos. This is where I found a video by Sleep Essentials, explaining the virtues of a latex mattress and from there I discovered Mattress Underground and my search was taken to a whole new level. It became clear to me that a latex mattress was something to research more, but in NE Ohio there are virtually no local manufacturers except Mattress Warehouse. They produce an innerspring mattress with a thin layer of latex and some other polyfoam for the comfort layer. I wanted to stay away from any foam except latex, even memory foam, My memory foam topper was great at first, but it started to break down and was too hot and difficult to move around on. I found Sleep Design near Dayton. They sell the Berkeley Ergonomics latex mattresses. A 2 hr. drive away and they were a little more expensive, but definitely what I was looking for. There is a small manufacturer in Toledo called Sleep Tite, that makes an innerspring with a latex top and they will customize it for you, but again a 2 hour drive away and they wouldn’t deliver to my area. I finally found a Savvy Rest dealer in Kent and we were able to actually test out an all latex mattress. The salesman quoted us an excellent price, well below the online price for Savvy Rest, so this was a contender. For online dealers, I had narrowed it down to SleepEz and Flobeds. Also, being just my personal preference, I had decided on 100% natural Talalay over Dunlop after extensive research into the properties of each, and testing both at the Savvy Rest dealer.
Once I had pretty much decided on an all latex mattress, the hardest part was deciding what firmness levels would be best for us, complicated by the fact that I was not comparing apples to apples since the ILD’s are a bit different for SleepEz and Flobeds firmness levels. For example, the SleepEz firm is rated at a 39 ILD and Flobed’s firm is a 32 ILD. Both SleepEz and Flobeds have an online “calculator” to help you determine firmness levels. Neither seemed to be based on one’s BMI however, as changing your height didn’t change the recommendations at all. It is based on basically your weight and sleeping preference and/or your sex. We are not petite people - I am 5’11" ,180# and my husband is 6’4", 210# so I knew we needed and wanted something on the firm side. The problem is that I sleep on my side and stomach. Side sleepers need a bit of cushion for their shoulders and hips and stomach sleepers need firmness for lower back support. I will also add that we are both in our late fifties, so we have the usual creaks and cracks in our bones that go along with aging bodies. My husband was the easy one in all of this. He can sleep on just about anything, but does prefer something on the firmer side. I called both companies with various questions and both had wonderful customer support and were very friendly and knowledgeable. I was leaning towards Folbeds as I liked their 2" of soft latex on the top of the 3-3" layers. I figured that combination would give me a little extra cushion for my arthritic shoulder. They told me it was around a 14 ILD (which I knew was probably too soft for us) but they would put really anything in there - say a 24 ILD, not convoluted, if I preferred. In the end, I decided to go with the Sleep Select 10" from SleepEz., mainly for the value it offered. I then ordered a 2" 23 ILD 100% Talalay topper from Mayer’s Bedding (found on this website and the best price I could find anywhere) So, I essentially got the 3x3" plus 2" of latex, at a price point I’m happy with. I also bought a new a new wood foundation from US Boxsprings, again found on this site and the best price, and their slats are <3" apart.
The order from SleepEz came quickly and the whole bed was easy to set up and the foundation was easy to assemble. So, we started out with XF/F/M for my husband and F/M/M for me. I figured this would give us a good variety to work with if changes were necessary. We were still waiting for the 2" latex topper to be delivered. From the very first night, my husband slept like a dream. None of the usual tossing and turning and getting up at 3am. and no morning aches anywhere. He also loved the latex noodle pillow from SleepEz .(I kept my down pillow) For me however, the two layers of medium were not so good for sleeping on my stomach. I woke up with that ache in my lower back, as usual. I gave it a couple of more nights, but I ended up stealing one of my husband’s firm layers so I would have F/F/M. This was much better for my lower back, but it was pretty hard on my shoulder. We tried a couple of other configurations but I had decided we really needed to wait for the topper to come and see what that would do. When the topper came we put it on. So now my husband is on XF/M/M and I’m on F/F/M . The topper is a 23ILD and I knew putting it on this configuration would be way too soft for both of us, and it was. We sank down too much and the worst was how hot we slept, a problem we didn’t have before. I ordered an XF exchange layer from SleepEz the next day. Also, since the topper wasn’t encased in with the other 9" of latex I knew I had to do something to help dissipate some heat. I replaced our waterproof mattress protector with a wool and cotton one from Foam Sweet Foam, replaced my heavy sateen sheets with lighter 100% cotton sheets and replaced our heavy winter (poly-filled) comforter with our 100% cotton summer weight quilt. We received our exchange layer, so now we have XF/F/M on both sides and the 23 ILD topper and we have finally found perfect. The extra firmness stops us from sinking down too much with the topper, it’s firm enough for stomach sleeping and the topper gives me just the right amount of extra cushion I needed for sleeping on my side, and we’re not sleeping hot anymore. I have also ordered a bamboo and cotton topper cover from Sleep Like A Bear to give the topper more protection than just my mattress protector. It’s been a little over two weeks now and I just can’t say enough about how comfortable we are and how much better we’re both sleeping. It involved a lot of research and a little bit of trial and error, but it was all well worth it. And a big thanks to Phoenix and the other members of this forum, couldn’t have reached this point without you.
Hi Bliss03,
Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed description of your mattress shopping process, and most of all, congratulations on your new mattress! :cheer:
You described very well the managing of your expectations with a component mattress system, and as you stated, with your research your first configuration gave you a base from which to work. Additionally, you pointed out quite well how the sleeping temperature environment can be altered with the changes in mattress protectors and sheets and other top-of-bed products that you made. Very well done!
I’m looking forward to any future updates you’re able to provide, and any configuration changes that you may make as time goes on.
Phoenix
Your review was very helpful~thank you!
Three quick question: Did your SleepEZ mattress fit your US Boxspring exactly? And did the fabric covering match? (they seem to in photos). Lastly, you chose the Select 10" + a 2" topper instead of a Select 13". What influenced your decision on this? (We are debating between a 10" and 13").
Thanks again (-: