Second Time Mattress Buyer - Where to look for longevity?

[phoenix]

Hi Epos7,

I received my Malouf Encase Omniphase pillow covers. They don’t have a crinkly feeling, which is good. They don’t allow for much air movement, which changes the way the pillow feels. When you lie down on the pillow, the air is slowly forced out of the pillow encasement, making the pillow compress a lot slower than without it. When you release pressure from the pillow, the encasement slowly sucks air back in, so the pillow expands a lot slower than it would otherwise. I’m not sure if I like this

Yes, their polyurethane H2PRO layer, while permeable for air, certainly isn’t as breathable as a tight weave from something like a natural fiber. This can be an issue with different polyurethane films, depending upon their micron pore size and thickness. One thing you can do, which of course defeats the whole purpose of a complete encasement, is to leave the zipper open slightly, but you’ve probably already figured that out. It is possible that this will even out a little more with a few more washings.

They’re also huge. I ordered the queen size and they’re much larger than my queen size pillow, and I have to roll the ends up to fit them inside a pillowcase.

The pillow industry is odd. While queen pillows are generally in the 20" x 30" range, these sizes aren’t adhered to as strictly as mattress size guidelines. And of course there are different thicknesses of pillows, so many brands, like Malouf, defer to a larger sized product to accommodate anything that might be termed a “queen size pillow”, and also to hopefully allow for some flexibility if the pillow used is shapeable, such as a down or shredded latex product.

I’m sorry for your delays with FedEx. They did issue service warnings because of the weather in Memphis on the 6th and 7th, which did impact deliveries across the entire US. With that being said, I’m glad that Sleep On Latex reacted proactively and is sending you out a new mattress on Monday. It’s always nice to hear about good customer service like this. I’m hoping that UPS is able to get your new mattress to you asap.

Phoenix

[Epos7]

Thanks Phoenix. I must not have checked FedEx | System Down on the 6th and 7th, as I never saw the warning you are referring to. Nevertheless, the tracking information on the mattress hasn’t been updated since it left Chicago on the 6th, and it hasn’t had a scheduled delivery date since the 11th. I do not believe it is delayed, I think they lost it, as evidenced by the lack of tracking information and their inability to tell either SleepOnLatex or me where the mattress is or when they expect to deliver it. It’s possible the shipping label was damaged in transit or something along those lines.

I tried your suggestion of unzipping the pillow protector halfway, but as I have to roll the ends of the pillow protector up to fit in the pillowcase, it didn’t make much difference. I may still get used to it, or as you say it may become more air-permeable through a few more washes. It does seem there is a degree of trade-off between protection and comfort. I’ll be interested to see if I notice the same issue with my mattress encasement when my mattress arrives. Even with the encasement on, I think the new pillow setup is an upgrade over my old worn out pillow.

[phoenix]

Hi Epos7,

Those service alerts are usually sent to shippers, so it’s normal that you may not have seen them. Regardless, your guess about the item having been “lost” or in a claim area missing a label is probably as good a guess as any.

Regarding the pillow protector, you are correct, there can be a tradeoff to comfort versus protection, just like a mattress protector. Another way you can try the “unzippering” of the pillow encasement is to “roll up” the end of the encasement that doesn’t have the zipper (like a toothpaste tube from the bottom) and that way the zippered end that is slightly open will be directly against the pillow. I know it’s a workaround, but maybe worth a try.

Hopefully your new mattress will arrive soon!

Phoenix

[Epos7]

Well, no luck with FedEx.

The mattress was originally scheduled to be delivered last Wedesday, 1/11. I stayed home to wait for it, but it never showed up. At 4pm on 1/11 the delivery date changed to “pending” where it stayed until yesterday, 1/16. SleepOnLatex had been planning on shipping a replacement mattress yesterday via UPS, as it appeared FedEx had temporarily lost the original, but yesterday the original FedEx shipment was scanned back into the system with a scheduled delivery date of today. Given this new information, SleepOnLatex decided to hold off on sending the replacement. FedEx put it on a truck for delivery this morning.

I spent another day waiting at home for FedEx. Two FedEx trucks drove past my house this morning. One of them stopped to deliver another package I had ordered, but no mattress. At 4pm the delivery date was changed to “pending”, again. I called FedEx to ask what the heck was going on now, and they assured me it would still be delivered today, before 5pm, they said. I told them last time the delivery date was changed to “pending” it never showed up, but again they assured me that was normal and it would arrive today, as it was on the truck for delivery. 5pm came and went, and no mattress, so I called FedEx again. Don’t worry, they said, we deliver until 8pm, and it’s still on schedule to be delivered today.

At 6:45 the delivery date was changed to tomorrow.

Delays are unavoidable sometimes, but FedEx is really bad about keeping track of what the status of a shipment is, and it leads to a lot of frustration.

SleepOnLatex had promised to express ship a replacement mattress via UPS if FedEx missed their delivery date for a second time, so I have decided to take them up on this. I contacted FedEx and told them to return the mattress to sender. I may have to wait a few extra days now, but at least I should get a more solid delivery date or some forewarning if there is a delay, so I can plan accordingly.

Sorry to vent, hopefully I’ll be sleeping in comfort soon enough.

[phoenix]

Hi Epos7,

I certainly understand your frustration with FedEx. It really is an amazing thing with the millions packages they ship a day that things get to where they are supposed to go, but of course it’s always frustrating when your package is the one that gets delayed. And of course especially frustrating when you take time out of your schedule to await a delivery that doesn’t arrive on time.

I’m hoping that your mattress arrives today and that your delay yesterday was just due to it being toward the end of the run and they weren’t able to get it to you by 8pm. Otherwise, I think your idea of contacting Sleep on Latex again and asking for the re-shipment vis UPS if things don’t arrive today is certainly reasonable, as they have already offered to do so.

Maybe when this is all done you may wish to pen a nice constructive letter to FedEx regarding your experiences. It certainly couldn’t hurt.

Fingers crossed - keep us updated.

Phoenix

[Epos7]

As noted in my previous post, I had called FedEx on Tuesday evening to request that the package be returned to sender, as FedEx had repeatedly missed the delivery date and it was a week late at that point. FedEx confirmed that they would accommodate this request, and provided me with a reference number which I forwarded to SleepOnLatex. I requested that SleepOnLatex send a replacement via UPS as they had promised.

On Wednesday morning the tracking information did not indicate that FedEx had turned the original shipment around, so SleepOnLatex contacted them as well, and were able to get it returned to sender. The tracking information was updated to reflect that it was returning to sender. Later on Wednesday SleepOnLatex shipped a replacement via UPS as they had promised.

I came home for lunch today (Thursday) and FedEx had just delivered the original shipment to my house. The package had a note on it that the recipient (me) had changed their mind and requested that it be delivered on Thursday rather than returned to sender. I didn’t make this request, so it is all very confusing, additionally because FedEx told SleepOnLatex that they do not deliver in my area on Thursdays.

So the good news is that I have a mattress! Initial impressions are positive! The bad news is that the UPS shipment was for naught, and now SleepOnLatex is going to attempt to have that shipment turned around. Hopefully that will be easier for them than it was with FedEx.

I’m looking forward to my first night’s sleep on the new mattress, and am planning on ordering a second pillow as I really like the first. I’m a little worried about the foundation I have the mattress sitting on. As you pointed out, that is not the ideal foundation for this type of mattress, and I believe I am seeing some sagging in the center of the mattress I think due to the foundation not providing enough support. It’s also possible this is an optical illusion due to the mattress cover and sheets bunching up a little bit in the corners. I put a 6’ straight edge on the mattress, and I can’t say definitively that it is sagging, but I think I’ll try to move quickly on my plans to build a new bed frame.

I like this design from Viesso, and think I could emulate it pretty easily:

https://www.viesso.com/buden-bed.html

I like that it appears to be assembled from three main pieces which can then be separated to make transport easier. The three pieces look to be the headboard unit, and the two halves. I also like that it provides a lot of storage. I like the open storage in the foot of the bed, and would likely add a drawer to each side, and maybe put a hinged top on the headboard unit so it could act as a storage chest.

This picture shows the frame with no mattress on. You can see where the slats would be installed:

https://photos.smugmug.com/Kirei-Bamboo/Residential-Kirei-Bamboo/Bedrooms-Kirei-Bamboo/i-PWvKL76/0/L/buden_coffee_angle_cmyk-L.jpg

Viesso makes theirs from bamboo. I have a large stack of walnut, and a large stack of madrone, so I’d go with one of those hardwoods.

[phoenix]

Hi Epos7,

I came home for lunch today (Thursday) and FedEx had just delivered the original shipment to my house.

You knew this Was going to happen, didn’t you? You just knew it! :silly: Well, congratulations on your new mattress arriving!

So the good news is that I have a mattress! Initial impressions are positive! The bad news is that the UPS shipment was for naught, and now SleepOnLatex is going to attempt to have that shipment turned around. Hopefully that will be easier for them than it was with FedEx.

It should be easy enough to recall.

and I believe I am seeing some sagging in the center of the mattress I think due to the foundation not providing enough support. It’s also possible this is an optical illusion due to the mattress cover and sheets bunching up a little bit in the corners.

It certainly could be the covers “settling in” a bit, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get started on a new foundation.

I like this design from Viesso, and think I could emulate it pretty easily:

That’s a very nice looking foundation. Remember to keep your slats 3" or less in spacing.

I’m looking forward to your feedback on your mattress and also photos of your completed foundation.

Phoenix

[Epos7]

I wanted to follow up now that I’ve had the mattress for a couple of weeks. First of all, the sagging I thought I was seeing is just due to my covers being tucked under the mattress, raising the corners a little bit. I still plan to build a new foundation soon.

Over the last couple of weeks the mattress has either become a little softer, I’ve acclimated to it, or some combination of the two. I’m very happy with the mattress. Likewise, the pillows from SleepOnLatex are great. I’d give both 5/5.

I’m not very happy with my Malouf Encase Omniphase pillow protectors. I have the zippers completely open, but even then they are not very breathable. Without the Malouf covers, the SleepOnLatex pillows spring back instantly. With the Malouf covers on, it takes 5-10 seconds for the pillow to return to its original shape. The pillow also takes some time to compress with the Malouf protectors on. As I mentioned in an earlier post, they are also way oversize leaving a lot of fabric bunched up under my pillowcases. I purchased the queen size protectors for my queen size pillows. If anyone is considering these protectors in the future, I’m guessing their standard size would be a better fit for a queen pillow. Given their resistance to air flow, size, and price, I’d give the Malouf Encase Omniphase pillow protectors 2/5. Unfortunately I am past the return window, but I may look to replace these in the future or just go without as pillows are much cheaper to replace than a mattress.

edit - I have since found that the problem is not so much the size of the Malouf protectors, but the size of my Brooklinen pillowcases. The Malouf protectors are only slightly oversized for the pillow, but the Brooklinen pillowcases are 3" too short, and cause the pillow to scrunch up inside the pillowcase. This, in turn, makes the Malouf protectors appear way too big, but they are not.

The Malouf Encase Omniphase mattress protector has a similar effect, but it is less noticeable than the pillow protectors. It makes the mattress feel more ‘dead’ and less responsive. I feel good about having the protector on the mattress as it should block 100% of any dead skin cells, oils, spills, etc. I also have a dust mite allergy, so I appreciate the peace of mind there. I’d give the Encase Omniphase 3.5/5; 5/5 for protecting the mattress, 2/5 for changing the feel of the mattress.

I am sleeping much better on my new mattress and pillows and very much appreciate the information available on this site which aided me in my decisions.

[phoenix]

Hi Epos7,

I wanted to follow up now that I’ve had the mattress for a couple of weeks.

Thanks for taking the time to reply and give us an update on your mattress.

First of all, the sagging I thought I was seeing is just due to my covers being tucked under the mattress, raising the corners a little bit. I still plan to build a new foundation soon.

That’s good to know. It’s amazing how such simple things can manifest themselves into something different.

Over the last couple of weeks the mattress has either become a little softer, I’ve acclimated to it, or some combination of the two. I’m very happy with the mattress. Likewise, the pillows from SleepOnLatex are great. I’d give both 5/5.

I’m glad you’re sleeping well and adjusting to the mattress (and the mattress is of course “adjusting” to you as well).

I’m not very happy with my Malouf Encase Omniphase pillow protectors. I have the zippers completely open, but even then they are not very breathable

I’m sorry the pillow protectors aren’t working out as well for you, and I’m sorry none of my suggestions worked either. If you end up replacing these, you may wish to look into something using natural fibers with a smaller micron size (< 10 microns or so) without the polyurethane film.

The Malouf Encase Omniphase mattress protector has a similar effect, but it is less noticeable than the pillow protectors. It makes the mattress feel more ‘dead’ and less responsive. I feel good about having the protector on the mattress as it should block 100% of any dead skin cells, oils, spills, etc.

I’m glad the mattress encasement if working out better for you.

I am sleeping much better on my new mattress and pillows and very much appreciate the information available on this site which aided me in my decisions.

You’re very welcome, and I’m glad your mattress finally showed up! I’m looking forward to any future updates you might have or different protectors for the pillows or mattress that you might try.

Phoenix

[Epos7]

Thanks Phoenix! I’ll keep your suggestion for natural fibers in mind if I go shopping for new pillow protectors.

One more note - I’m really happy with my Brooklinen percale sheets., however their pillowcases are on the small side. In fact I think I was wrong about the Malouf protectors being too big. The protectors are only slightly oversize, but since the pillowcase is about 3" too short, the pillow gets scrunched up inside and makes the protector seem too big.

[phoenix]

Hi Epos7,

That’s the funny things about pillow dimensions – the sizes are more “guidelines” than true standards. Where a queen mattress is 60" x 80" and that’s what everyone produces, the queen pillow “generally accepted” dimensions are 20" x 30" and you’ll find quite a bit of variation from that. Overall, I’d rather have pillowcases and encasements that are a bit oversized to not create too taut an environment that detracts from a pillow’s ability to conform.

Phoenix