First of all, thanks to Phoenix for hosting this forum. Lots of info here.
My wife and I are expecting. Just found out. So we’ve decided it’s time to ditch the 5 year-old $400 pillowtop.
We’ve pretty much settled on buying a Sleep EZ latex mattress. Now I’m wondering what the practical difference in comfort and support the 7000 vs the 9000 vs the 10000 is going to be. I realize these have varying inches (6 vs 8 vs 9 inches) of latex, but what is that going to translate into, comfort and support-wise? We’re on a budget, so if the difference between 7000 and 9000 (or 10000) is princess and the pea, we’d rather save some cash. On the other hand, it’s really important to me that my wife sleep in comfort during her pregnancy, so if it’s going to make a real difference we’re ready and willing to pay extra.
Some info on us:
Me: 6 feet. 185 pounds. 31 years old. Side sleeper. Prone to neck pain but basically in good physical condition. Likes a firm bed.
Her: 5’7. 140 pounds. 32 years old. Side sleeper. Good condition, newly pregnant. Likes a slightly softer bed.
There are some generic guidelines about different height/weight/body shapes here and some about different sleeping positions here which can give you some good information about the different layer thicknesses that may work best for you but they are based more on “averages” and in the end … nobody is really average.
These are only a starting point and would be more useful as general information or as a guideline to help you ask better questions when you are dealing with a manufacturer or for those who are buying a mattress online from an outlet that is less knowledgeable and doesn’t already know this information.
In the case of a manufacturer like SleepEz and other high quality manufacturers though … they already know this type of information and even more importantly they are familiar with every detail and component of their mattress (not just the latex layering) and how they interact together and with their huge database of customers with many different body types, sleeping styles, preferences, and circumstances. Even the seemingly minor details of a mattress can have an effect on how it performs and feels to a particular person and their more specific knowledge of their mattresses along with their customer database gives them a much greater ability to make more specific recommendations for a particular individual.
The more local testing you have done on mattresses that give you a sense of what you need and prefer in a mattress … especially if the testing is on similar materials with known layering … the more this information can help them to help you more effectively. The combination of some local personal testing which provides some reference points and the detailed knowledge of a manufacturer specific to their mattresses and the types of people who do best with them is always more accurate then the more generalized “theory at a distance” that the guidelines are based on or any suggestions I could make without a specific reference point and feedback about a mattress you have tried that used similar materials with known layering.
The different choices are less about budget than they are about suitability for different body types and sleeping styles and the layering possibilities and flexibility of design and customization they offer which may be best for each person’s needs (pressure relief and alignment) and preferences. The main difference between the 9000 and the 10000 is the thickness of the comfort layer and the pressure relief that is most suitable for each person. In your case being side sleepers the odds are good that 3" (meaning the 10000 mattress) would be the most suitable choice. Back sleepers may do well on the 9000 while those who were lighter (or children) or who preferred thinner firmer mattresses and were not prone to pressure points as much or needed less design flexibility would likely do well on the thinner 7000. Of course the layers can be further customized with different firmness choices in each layer and Shawn and Jeremy are very good on the phone at giving good recommendations (I would never do this through email because you will just get “generic” less detailed answers without the flow of a back and forth conversation) but the different models provide the basic framework that the various firmness choices can “fine tune”.
We picked the 9000. Soft, Medium, and Firm layers on both sides. Transaction was very smooth. Mentioned the Mattress Underground and got our 5% discount with no problem. Our mattress arrived within a 3-4 days of our ordering.
Very impressed overall. The quilted wool cover seems to be very high quality and has been great to sleep on. The bonus latex shredded pillows are also to our liking.
Only hitch is that we’ve found the mattress to be too soft. Our hips sink in a bit too much when we side-sleep. We tried swapping the layers but finally decided to send back the Soft layers for an extra helping of Medium firmness. So a word to the wise … if you know for a fact that you like your mattress firmer than most people, don’t be afraid to go for a firmer top layer.
[quote]So a word to the wise … if you know for a fact that you like your mattress firmer than most people, don’t be afraid to go for a firmer top layer.
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I think this is very good advice. Each person can have a very different sense of what is firm or soft and with latex in particular … because it is so elastic and so conforming … firmer layers can feel softer than they would with similar ILD’s of polyfoam. They are also rated differently than polyfoam so in an apples to apples ILD comparison between the two materials … latex will be softer.
SleepEz tends to recommend layers a little on the firmer side compared to what other manufacturers use (such as PLB which uses 19 ILD in their comfort layers) and while many will find it firmer than they are used to with the typical super soft polyfoam that is so common in todays mattresses … for many people (like yourself) a little firmer yet would be closer to their ideal.
More than anything this goes to show the value of having a layer exchange available and it’s always a good idea to build in a layer exchange into your “expectations” (and consider it a bonus if like the majority of people you won’t need it) … especially for those who as you mentioned know ahead of time that they are outside of the “averages” of other people.
Thanks again for your comments and good suggestion.
