After weeks of research and local mattress testing I finally did it and purchased (on-line) the Sleep EZ Organic 13,000 with 100% Natural Talalay, split, Eastern King. It arrives on Friday. Customer service was awesome. I received my invoice via e-mail within minutes of purchase and UPS tracking information a couple of hours later. Shawn was very nice and informative during my phone conversation. I also got my Mattress Underground discount along with 2 free shredded latex pillows.
I will make sure to post more updates next week after my bed arrives. Thanks again to Phoenix and all the posters on this site for all of the awesome information! I’m relieved to have finally made the purchase but I have to say the research process was kind of fun and I know so much about mattesses now
As you know I think very highly of SleepEz and I think you made a great choice.
I’m looking forward to your feedback once you’ve received it.
I’m glad you enjoyed the process and you probably know more now than the large majority of the salespeople in the industry so if you ever need a new career then you can always sell mattresses
I wanted to come back and give an update on the bed I purchased from SleepEZ - 100% natural talalay eastern king split. First off I will say that the bed arrived super fast. I think I purchased on a Monday and it arrived on a Friday. It was easy enough for my husband and I to assemble but I think it would have been difficult for one small person to do alone unless you do not have to move the boxes very far. We also purchased the wood slatted foundation from SleepEZ which was also fairly easy to put together.
I will start off by saying that my husband loves the bed and his configuration which is from top to bottom, s, m, f, xf. He is 5’ 9’’ and weighs about 165. I am 5’ 4" and weigh 120 and have some disc problems in my lower back. We are both in our early 30’s. I tried every configuration possible for the bed and could not get the layers right. I would wake up with severe lower back pain throughout the night. I thought at first that I had went too firm as my side was from top to bottom m,f,xf,xf. So over the first few weeks i switched out layers with my husband and tried every configuration imaginable with no luck. I am convinced that the “push back” from the latex did not work well with my low back.
So I gave my husband his configuration back (which he greatly appreciated) and did some more research and decided to switch out my top layer with a polyfoam layer. I ended up purchasing a 3 inch twin xl HR lifetime foam mattress pad from A-1 Foam and Fabrics. I found this company mentioned on your site and had a great experience with them. Super fast shipping and what seems to be a great product. I took my medium 3 inch layer of latex off the top and switched it out with the polyfoam. It was cut exactly to size and fit perfectly in my mattress cover. I have been sleeping great ever since and am super happy - no more back pain! My final configuration from top to bottom is a Medium HR polyfoam on top of the latex which is firm, xf and xf. My side of the bed is now really, really firm but feels wonderful. I am also using the free shredded latex pillow from SleepEZ which at first I was indifferent to but now love.
To wrap things up I just want to say that I am still extremely happy with Sleep EZ and still 100% satisfied that I purchased thru them. I know that the majority of my bed is made of great material. I also love the fact that I can switch the layers out so if my polyfoam breaks down it will be easy and not too costly to just purchase another one. I’m hoping that the polyfoam I purchased is of good quality and at least lasts a couple of years. I plan to cut my extra layer of latex in half and make a bed for my dog so nothing goes to waste.
Again thanks for all the great information on this site and a big thumbs up from me on both Sleep EZ and A-1 Foam and Fabrics!
Thanks for the update and feedback … and it’s great to hear that you solved the issues you were having. It’s also great to see that you were open to a somewhat unusual foam replacement and it seems that your insights and “detective work” turned out very well.
Your feedback is also very interesting because it points to some of the more subtle differences between different foams.
While “pushback” is really a misnomer because foams “resist” and there is no “direction” to pressure (see post #2 here) … 100% natural Talalay latex is more point elastic (contours to the shape of the body) and has a higher compression modulus than polyfoam (it gets firmer faster as you sink into it more deeply) or even blended Talalay and these two properties may have been the underlying cause of the issues you were facing.
With the higher compression modulus and point elasticity it may have been more supportive (meaning more pressure) under the area where you have your back issues and this may have contributed to the pain you were having (there was more pressure or “support” under the lumbar than you were used to) and the polyfoam may be providing “lighter” support which works better for you.
The HR polyfoam is a good quality material (2.5 lbs) that will be very durable and the ILD in polyfoam would probably be reasonably close to firm Talalay (@ high 30’s ILD).
Thanks again for sharing your experiences and I’m surprised (and impressed) that you had the insight to think about giving HR polyfoam a try. Hopefully it may also help someone else that is facing the same issues as you were
You HR foam sounds very firm… I am also looking for a HR layer for the top of my latex mattress. I am not comfortable directly on latex.
Did you consider the softer 21 ild 2.3 density HR that they sell? Just wondering how you chose the firmness of your 3" top layer. Are you a side sleeper?
Can you tell me what mattress encasement you have from Sleepez? Do you sink at all into your side or are you completely resting on the surface?
I chose the HR polyfoam in an attempt to match the feel of my couch. Before I got my new bed I had an old Serta mattress that was causing me so much pain that I had been sleeping on my couch for approximately 6 months with very little back pain. Now trying to figure out exactly what type of polyfoam and firmness was in my couch was next to impossible (and believe me I did try but that’s another story, lol) so to be honest the choosing of the polyfoam firmness was really a shot in the dark. I am sure you have seen the different websites that sell the polyfoam and oh my gosh, they are so confusing, even more so than the latex research I did. I did know that from past experience I cannot sleep on anything too soft, no matter what the material, due to my back issues, so I decided to go with something firmer but really had no idea exactly what it would be like once it arrived.
It is hard to describe exactly what if feels like but it feels way different than the latex. I am mainly a side sleeper but do sleep on my back about 25% of the time. I never sleep on my stomach. When I am on my side I do sink in slightly to the foam - similar to the amount of my firm latex but the feel is different - it does feel more like I am laying on top of it rather than sinking in and feels more stiff compared to the springy feel of the latex. Again, I will say that it is really firm and would be hesitant to recommend my configuration unless you like a super firm bed. My husband hates my side of the bed and our 85 pound dog who sleeps with us also refuses to sleep on my side. I did notice that initially my shoulder area was slightly sore in the am and that’s when I tried the big shredded latex pillow (I was sleeping on a thinner memory foam pillow) and it picks up the top part of my body just enough to take the pressure off my shoulders and surprisingly does not hurt my neck like bigger pillows have done in the past. I also sleep with a body pillow between my knees for better alignment but have been doing that for years.
On a side note, if you do get the polyfoam I would recommend taking it outside and shaking it out first unless you are going to immediately put it in your mattress cover. It came in the exact same type of packaging as the latex did from Sleep EZ. We took it upstairs and unrolled it on the bed and I immediately laid down on it to test it out and got these little fibers all over me so we took it outside and shook it out and it was fine. There was no smell either which was nice. The encasement we have is the organic cotton one from Sleep EZ.
I can’t describe how happy I am with this bed now and hope that it continues to work for me. I know that anyone with chronic back pain can relate - it can be so annoying and frustrating! I have also really enjoyed the research process and am a tad bit obsessed with this site and enjoy reading other people’s experiences. Phoenix has such a wealth of information on here. It is really amazing.
I look forward to your final decision and feedback. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Once again I’m impressed with your thought process and with the feedback and insights you’ve shared
I certainly understand how overwhelming it can be to try and “imagine” how different materials, combinations, and specs will feel together and how difficult it can be to find meaningful reference points (such as your couch) that then have to be “translated” into the choice of materials but you seem to have the “knack” or the intuition that can be involved in making good choices and it seems that you were also open and not “locked in” to specific materials.
Whatever the reason behind your choice … I’m thrilled that you found a combination that is working so well for you!
Thanks ECUPirates, your post was very helpful. I agree that choosing polyfoam is a shot in the dark. You never know how it will smell too, lol.
I am fairly content with my setup for now so I’ll wait to see if I need to order a layer of polyfoam. I am sleeping on a 1 1/2" layer of polyfoam over 3 - 3" layers of latex. It helps a lot.
Can you tell me what brand and material your body pillow is? I use a regular pillow between my knees and thought I’d try a body pillow.
Also, is the Sleepez organic cotton mattress encasement the 4 way stretch one or the quilted with wool one? How do you like it?
My body pillow is just a basic polyester blend fill that was purchased several years ago at Parisians. I find that sleeping with the body pillow when I am on my side really helps with alignment and support - I actually take it with me when I travel as well. My mattress encasement is the wool quilted one. I like the cover but don’t really have much to compare it to. I also have a Luna mattress protector which has a thin waterproof barrier over it which I purchased from Amazon. I wanted to go with a more “natural” mattress protector but unfortunately I have to have something that actually protects against water and not just sweat. I can’t risk having the latex ruined, lol.
Hi Phoenix!
I have been back on your site recently looking for a budget friendly mattress for my guest bedroom. I ended up ordering from Nest - full, firm Love and Sleep Mattress . I got the 5% TMU discount. Will update once I receive it!
While here I thought I would give an update on my latex mattress from Sleep EZ I purchased a few yrs ago. I am happy to report that both my husband and I still love it. It looks and performs exactly the same as it did when we purchased it. It has even gone through a move.
I still have my same set up on my side, where I switched out the top layer of latex for the HR foam. The HR foam has not broken down one bit and has held up just like the latex.
Again, I wanted to say thank you for this site. I have chronic low back pain and it is hard to describe how much this bed has helped my back pain. Without the site I would have never even thought of buying a bed in layers and exploring different types of materials. Reading thru the site again brought me down memory lane and how much time I spent on this years ago but also how rewarding and fun it was! This time I took the easy way :). Will update when I get the Nest bed for my guest room!
Thanks for taking the time to visit again with a follow-up on your SleepEZ mattress. I’m happy to learn that it is still performing well for you.
Also, congratulations on ordering your new guestroom Love and Sleep mattress from Nest Bedding (and I’m glad you received your TMU discount)! :cheer: I hope it performs just as well for you as your SleepEZ mattress has.
