Shopping for new latex matress experience

New poster but I had read the material provided prior to going on my first trip shopping. I would like to share my experience before asking the question.

The owner/sales rep was very knowledgeable in sleeping habits and materials. He gave a long presentation about the importance of good sleep in our health. He took us to an extremely comfortable adjustable bed and mattress and give some examples of the impacts of side sleeping and why sleeping in zero gravity position provides a much better nights rest. As a result I had never considered an adjustable bed and now I am reasonably sure that has become a key component of the upcoming purchase.

When showing the actual mattress, he said he gets it from California but was not detailed on the company. He did demonstrate how heavy the foam was and compared it to other beds. The concept he was explaining is the dense foam is better for durability. He also has said he has never had one of the mattress returned. He makes a package with latex pillows, bedding, down blanket. Price for the package was high but I’m not opposed to the investment if I believe it is good value. I also do not mind paying a premium to the local store if his prices are pretty reasonable. I do not want to offend this owner as he put a lot of time and effort trying to educate me on this purchase so I want to proceed delicately.

So all that being said, he are my questions:
Is a denser foam in fact high quality and more durable than a lighter foam?
Is it appropriate to ask more about the manufacturer of this product so I can try to do some comparisons of his product?
He lists a package price but not by components, is this normal and is it appropriate to ask for a itemized list?

Thanks for any feedback,

Steve

Personally I would like to know about the manufacturer, and since you are the one spending money on this investment there is no shame in asking. I have no experience about the rest so i cannot advice you on anything else

In memory foam and polyfoam mattresses denser foam is certainly more durable and Phoenix has some guidelines posted in the tutorial to make sure you are getting high quality foam that is durable and won’t break down prematurely.

It seems you are looking at latex mattresses which are different in that the density of them does not determine the durability but rather the firmness or feel of the latex. You would still want to find out who is making the mattress and the detailed specs to make sure there are no weak links in the mattress that would cause premature wear. There may be lower quality polyfoam in the comfort layer that could cause problems with durability

Hi boyersj,

Jermy4’s comments are right “on the money” :slight_smile:

The link in the tutorial that has much more information about all the variables that can affect durability and the useful life of a mattress relative to each person is post #4 here and the posts it links to.

Post #13 here and the posts it links to has more information about the most important parts of the “value” of any mattress purchase. As you can see I would make sure that you know the specifics (type and quality) of all the materials and components inside the mattress.

It’s certainly appropriate to ask and it should also be on the law tag but the type and quality of the materials would be a more important factor in the quality/durability of the mattress and making meaningful comparisons with other mattresses than the name of the manufacturer.

I would always make comparisons between “mattress only and mattress only” based on the quality and merits of the mattress on a suitable support system in the flat position. Adjustable beds are more of a “commodity purchase” and since they all perform similar functions choosing an adjustable bed is more about “features vs price” comparisons than choosing a mattress which has many more variables involved. There is more about choosing an adjustable bed in post #3 here and the adjustable bed thread that it links to. If you can’t find out the price of each individually then I would look for the same adjustable bed and deduct a reasonably low price for that adjustable bed from the price of the set and use this to make meaningful “value” comparisons with other mattresses.

If both the mattress and the adjustable bed that are sold as part of a “set” turn out to be the best “value” for you on an individual basis then of course it can also make sense to buy them together as a set but I would be cautious about comparing “set” prices to “set” prices because it will make meaningful comparisons for each of them much more difficult.

Phoenix