SleepEZ latex one month mattress review

[dndndn]

[quote=“Clawdia” post=27410]
I do so like the feel of the latex, but between the cold and the discussions I’ve seen lately with you and dn talking about Latex Green Dunlop possibly not being as soft as it claims to be, I’m getting close to wondering if I made a mistake not spending six months or a year dithering about which mattress to buy, like so many others have.[/quote]

Ohhhh no, don’t go get all caught up in the theory! the latex green Dunlop is every bit as soft as you’ve been sleeping on, probably softer as it breaks in, regardless of the ild specs. Don’t let the theory/specs cause you buyers remorse!

[phoenix]

Hi Clawdia,

Ohhhh no, don’t go get all caught up in the theory! the latex green Dunlop is every bit as soft as you’ve been sleeping on, probably softer as it breaks in, regardless of the ild specs. Don’t let the theory/specs cause you buyers remorse!

A big ditto to this many times over. I wouldn’t let it cause you buyers remorse or use specs to choose a mattress unless there was no other alternative.

Phoenix

[DahliaM]

So far I’ve tried jersey sheets, different layerings of blankets and even an 800 fill goose down comforter, and I’m waking up at night every time I move out of my warm spot into an area where I’ve not been sleeping and it feels as though I’m moving onto a refrigerated space. I even told my daughter I wanted a set of flannel sheets for Christmas, which in the past have been the exact opposite of anything I’d even think of wanting.

I just wanted to chime in, because I used to have to crank the heat up to 70 and pile on 4 or 5 blankets, before I got flannel sheets last winter, and I love them so much. You might like flannels more than you think! They are so cosy.

I also have a wool comforter, which is a lovely option for warmth and temperature regulation. I am not sure, though, if your 800 fill goose down comforter would be even warmer than wool - that sounds pretty luxurious.

[dndndn]

[quote]
I also have a wool comforter, which is a lovely option for warmth and temperature regulation. I am not sure, though, if your 800 fill goose down comforter would be even warmer than wool - that sounds pretty luxurious.[/quote]
Technically, 800 fill isn’t a measure of warmth. It’s more a measure of the quality of the down. It’s definitely not a measure of the quantity of down. The higher the fill, the better the down. That said, a ‘summer weight’ 800 fill duvet will have a lesser quantity of down and will sleep cooler than a ‘winter weight’ 800 fill duvet, which has more of the down in it. Wool, if I recall, needs 4-5 times the weight to equal down in terms of insulating power (warmth)… But by no means is it impossible. Example. A very thick wool duvet can easily sleep warmer than a very light duvet containing 800 fill down.

800 fill down is a high end premium down fill.

[Clawdia]

@"DahliaM" post=27419

[quote]So far I’ve tried jersey sheets, different layerings of blankets and even an 800 fill goose down comforter, and I’m waking up at night every time I move out of my warm spot into an area where I’ve not been sleeping and it feels as though I’m moving onto a refrigerated space. I even told my daughter I wanted a set of flannel sheets for Christmas, which in the past have been the exact opposite of anything I’d even think of wanting.

I just wanted to chime in, because I used to have to crank the heat up to 70 and pile on 4 or 5 blankets, before I got flannel sheets last winter, and I love them so much. You might like flannels more than you think! They are so cosy.

I also have a wool comforter, which is a lovely option for warmth and temperature regulation. I am not sure, though, if your 800 fill goose down comforter would be even warmer than wool - that sounds pretty luxurious.[/quote]

DahliaM - I’d be hard pressed to think I could find anything more luxurious than these goose down comforters - I hit a sale at Pacific Coast a few years ago and bought one, which was the top of their line at the time (I don’t think they make quite an equivalent now even, oversized, 800 fill, and a 700 thread count cotton cover) - and when it came there was a 25% coupon in the box if I wanted another - and since the sale was still on, I bought the 2nd one. They don’t even leak down.

I’m glad to hear you like flannel - my daughter ordered me a set of flannel sheets for Christmas last night.

Phoenix, dn - I hear you guy, loud and clear. I think it’s just hard for me not to worry that anything/everything I do will somehow turn out to be a mistake. I know the mattress is soft - but, like dn, I’m after that extra 5% of whatever that would equal perfection. This “princess and the pea” routine does get old . . .

One thing that does tell me the mattress is a good fit for me is that for years I would go to bed at midnight and lie there and read my Kindle until 3 or 4 am - these days, I lie down and get comfortable and I’m lucky if I’m still reading by 2 am because I get so comfortable, even lying on my back, that I fall asleep with the Kindle or iPad in my hand and the light still on. That bed is actually the only place in the house I can get comfortable - the sofa has seen its better days, but I’m trying to wait until January sales to replace it with a couple of comfy recliners for me and my husband.

Just saw your post, dn - edited this to add that my down comforters are considered (or at least were advertised as) winter weight. You’re spot on about what fill means regarding down, though.

[phoenix]

Hi Clawdia,

Is it considered that I’m sleeping directly on the latex if there’s a bamboo/cotton encasement and a CozyPure organic cotton mattress protector, as well as a jersey bottom sheet, between me and the latex mattress? That’s the current set-up.

While it’s not “directly” it’s about as close as you could come with a mattress cover, protector, and sheets. A wool layer in between you and the latex will be much more insulating than cotton or bamboo and would insulate you from the temperature of the latex more than what you currently have I would think. It seems that it’s the temperature of the latex itself that is causing the issue (somewhat like sleeping on a waterbed that wasn’t heated at all would drain heat from your body) rather than the temperature of the air inside the bedding so it seems that something more insulating in between you and the mattress may be a more effective solution so that you are more insulated from latex that is “cold” from the room temperature.

Does your LaNoodle mattress pad seem like something that would add warmth? I’ve noticed my LaNoodle pillow gets a bit warm, but rarely requires flipping in the night.

No … it wouldn’t be nearly as insulating or temperature regulating as wool. The lanoodles wouldn’t “trap” air in the same way as wool

[quote]I’ve always hated electric blankets (sweat city, for me), and I checked out that temperature regulating mattress pad you referenced - looks like it would certainly go a long way to changing the feel of the mattress.

Everywhere I look, I see as many negatives as positives (usually more, but I’m not liking the cold).[/quote]

I think that everything is always a matter of tradeoffs and it can sometimes be difficult to know which side of a choice ends up being more important. Overall though wool is probably the direction I would lean towards because it “feels good” as well as regulating temperature.

I personally think that wool is a better choice under the body than down because it can maintain more loft and resilience under compression and down is generally more suitable over the body when maximum warmth with the least possible weight is the goal.

Phoenix

[Rosenthal311]

Saw this post and figured I should quickly add my thoughts on my SleepEZ 10,000 latex mattress. My wife and I purchased the mattress a little over two months ago and sadly are about to return it. We really wanted to like it and were so excited to finally order it after months of shopping around. We even took the time to try layered latex mattresses at SavyRest (where they were priced almost double SleepEZ) and we both thought we were going to love it. I should note that SleepEZ has been great thus far. They have wonderful customer service and let us exchange one of our layers but despite my wife sleeping on Extra Soft, Soft, Medium and myself on Soft, Soft, Medium, we both find the bed extremely uncomfortable. My wife has been having lower back pain (and its unlikely the bed is too soft as she is 5 feet tall, 100 pounds) and I have been having a ton of pain in my shoulders and my arms have been going numb at night. I am around 5’9" 160 pounds and we are both slide sleepers but despite the soft layers the bed does just not feel soft to us.

So I would say that you have nothing to lose by trying to a bed with SleepEZ (other than 100 bucks and a bit of a pain in the butt to send it back) and maybe latex is just not for us? For what its worth, my wife’s parents also have the 10,000 and they love it.

Has anyone had a similar experience with their Latex Mattress or any recommendations? Unfortunately we now have to find a new mattress in the next few weeks so we want to make sure we get it right this time. We are now considering the SleepNumber P5 or some of the mattresses from Original Mattress Factory. I am a bit hesitant to spend all that money with SleepNumber but my parents have one and have loved it for years and I also really like the idea of being able to adjust the firmness. The Original Mattress Factory seems like a great spot and I would prefer to buy from a direct manufacturer. They seem to have a new line of hybrid mattress that look pretty interesting (serenity). Does anyone know anything about these? The specs looks like they have some good high quality materials (see below).

If anyone has any thoughts on OMF or the SleepNumber P5 please let me know. I really hope we get something we like this time and would love some additional input.

Hopefully some of my info is helpful. Thanks

The Serenity and Serenity Plush have padding on one side only and cannot be flipped.
High Density Foam Core
High Density Memory Foam Topper ~ 8-14 ILD, 4.7-5.3 lb/ft3 Density
High Density Memory Foam Topper ~ 10-16 ILD, 7.6-8.4 lb/ft3 Density
Polyurethane Foam Topper ~ 15-21 ILD, 1.8-2.0 lb/ft3 Density
Talatech® Talalay Latex Dual Comfort Foam Topper – 16-22 ILD, 2.75-3.25 lb/ft3 Density
Talatech® Talalay Latex Dual Comfort Foam Topper – 21-27 ILD, 3.00-3.50 lb/ft3 Density
Air-Flow Layer
FR Knit Sock
Knit Cover

[Clawdia]

Thanks, Phoenix - that’s the conclusion I keep coming back to today as I’ve thought about it.

Do you have any suggestions as to wool I should consider? Never having been a wool person, I’m somewhere way on the wrong side of ignorant about what/which/where when it comes to the material.

[dndndn]

@clawdia,

They usually rate wool fill quantity based on how many grams per square meter (gsm) or oz per square yard (oz).

I’ve tried several variations of wool, including

• st dormier (tiny amount of wool) 250 gsm
• pre-compressed / quilted wool in my mattress case (quite a bit of quilted / compressed wool) 1000 gsm
• 3" wool topper (lots of wool) 1800 gsm

The precompressed / quilted wool in the mattress case isn’t as warming as a more lofty topper, I’ve found.

In the topper I got, 3" of wool is a lot, and while it slept warmer / nice, 3" could be overkill. Half of that, and perhaps less, in the right application might be enough for warmth and have fewer of the drawbacks I suspect you’d be concerned about (lumpy appearance as wool creates nest around you). For that matter, the st dormier might be enough even.

Like everything else bedding, there’s organic vs natural, usually inside cotton. Merino wool is common, but some say it compresses easier than some other kinds which are rougher. Sometimes you’ll find alpaca wool toppers, which have no lanolin which is what people who are allergic to wool often react to. Crescent Moons Duvet / tmasc have a few options in that way.

Personally, I’d try the flannel first… Although Christmas is some ways away!

To experiment you might consider trying a wool duvet, or even a poly fill duvet, and fold it in half and try that under your mattress protector. That might give you some sense as to how a topper of that thickness might feel (more reliably so with a wool batting duvet).

If you were really experimental, you can get raw wool batting that comes in a size quite convenient for bedding from shepards dream. The price is good for eco wool, and they have 2 thicknesses. On the not so good side, since you’re allergic to it, handling raw batting might be less good… But you could possibly put a layer under the mattress protector, although I have no idea … Raw batting might just make a mess so if you try this, note that it’s totally unproven.

[phoenix]

@ Clawdia,

Do you have any suggestions as to wool I should consider? Never having been a wool person, I’m somewhere way on the wrong side of ignorant about what/which/where when it comes to the material.

There are different species of wool and each one produces a different type of wool with different properties. I’m certainly no expert here but I had some great conversations with some of the manufacturers that are listed in post #3 here and they are great sources of more detailed or technical information about wool products and toppers.

My first “rule” about any material is to talk to the experts

@Rosenthal311

I’m sorry to hear about your experience but as you mentioned SleepEz has great service for those few who don’t do well on their mattresses.

Both of you have layer combinations that are much softer than the “averages” would normally indicate which could be part of the “symptoms” you are facing. Sometimes the “feel” of latex can be deceptive because it has an unusual combination of softness and firmness as it compresses more deeply but of course each person’s preferences are different.

I am a bit hesitant to spend all that money with SleepNumber but my parents have one and have loved it for years and I also really like the idea of being able to adjust the firmness.

FWIW … you can see some of my thoughts about airbeds in this article. I would make sure you know the quality/density of the comfort layers which are normally the weak link of a mattress in terms of durability.

The Serenity and Serenity Plush have padding on one side only and cannot be flipped.
High Density Foam Core
High Density Memory Foam Topper ~ 8-14 ILD, 4.7-5.3 lb/ft3 Density
High Density Memory Foam Topper ~ 10-16 ILD, 7.6-8.4 lb/ft3 Density
Polyurethane Foam Topper ~ 15-21 ILD, 1.8-2.0 lb/ft3 Density
Talatech® Talalay Latex Dual Comfort Foam Topper – 16-22 ILD, 2.75-3.25 lb/ft3 Density
Talatech® Talalay Latex Dual Comfort Foam Topper – 21-27 ILD, 3.00-3.50 lb/ft3 Density
Air-Flow Layer
FR Knit Sock
Knit Cover

These are all high quality durable materials and there are no weak links in the mattress. I think the new version of the Serenity is even better than the one it replaced and has more options available. They would be a good quality/value choice if they were a good “match” in terms of PPP.

Phoenix

[buttercupbetty]

Sometimes I’m not sure where to reply to these treads :huh:

Clawdia,

I’m a newly converted HUGE fan of wool. Have you seen this Mercola video?

- YouTube

We just bought this 1.5" topper. I believe it has around 16lbs of raw wool in it (E King):

http://www.woolenmill.com/sections/Natures_Comfort_Wool-Filled_Bedding/Natures_Comfort_Mattress_Pads_(King)__Standard.php?id=603&category=64&subcategory=0&subsubcategory=0

I am already sleeping much better after just 2 days.

Good Luck!

[Rosenthal311]

@Phoenix

@Rosenthal311

I’m sorry to hear about your experience but as you mentioned SleepEz has great service for those few who don’t do well on their mattresses.

Both of you have layer combinations that are much softer than the “averages” would normally indicate which could be part of the “symptoms” you are facing. Sometimes the “feel” of latex can be deceptive because it has an unusual combination of softness and firmness as it compresses more deeply but of course each person’s preferences are different.

I am a bit hesitant to spend all that money with SleepNumber but my parents have one and have loved it for years and I also really like the idea of being able to adjust the firmness.

FWIW … you can see some of my thoughts about airbeds in this article. I would make sure you know the quality/density of the comfort layers which are normally the weak link of a mattress in terms of durability.

The Serenity and Serenity Plush have padding on one side only and cannot be flipped.
High Density Foam Core
High Density Memory Foam Topper ~ 8-14 ILD, 4.7-5.3 lb/ft3 Density
High Density Memory Foam Topper ~ 10-16 ILD, 7.6-8.4 lb/ft3 Density
Polyurethane Foam Topper ~ 15-21 ILD, 1.8-2.0 lb/ft3 Density
Talatech® Talalay Latex Dual Comfort Foam Topper – 16-22 ILD, 2.75-3.25 lb/ft3 Density
Talatech® Talalay Latex Dual Comfort Foam Topper – 21-27 ILD, 3.00-3.50 lb/ft3 Density
Air-Flow Layer
FR Knit Sock
Knit Cover

These are all high quality durable materials and there are no weak links in the mattress. I think the new version of the Serenity is even better than the one it replaced and has more options available. They would be a good quality/value choice if they were a good “match” in terms of PPP.

Phoenix

Phoenix,

Thanks for the additional info on the serenity. My wife and I are planning a trip down to Richmond tomorrow to visit OMF and hopefully find our replacement mattress. Are there any other OMF mattresses of note that are high quality and something we should strongly evaluate? We did lay on their Latex Mattress, which had a much different feel than the SleepEZ due to the additional polyfoam. Are these OMF latex Mattress high quality?

Really appreciate any additional info on OMF from you or anyone else that has experience there.

Thanks!!

[phoenix]

Hi Rosenthal,

Are there any other OMF mattresses of note that are high quality and something we should strongly evaluate?

I don’t know the specifics of their mattresses but they are generally open and transparent about the materials inside them and they tend to have better quality/value than most major brand mattresses in similar price ranges.

Any mattress … regardless of the manufacturer … is only as good as its construction and the quality and suitability of the materials and layers inside for a particular person and budget range. If you are looking at any of their specific mattresses and post the specifics of all the layers on the forum I’d be happy to share my thoughts about it or help you identify any potential weak links in the mattress. The information you would need is the thickness of each layer, the density of any polyfoam or memory foam, and the type and blend of any latex. Overall though, smaller local or regional manufacturers like OMF are usually a better source of quality and value than most mainstream choices.

We did lay on their Latex Mattress, which had a much different feel than the SleepEZ due to the additional polyfoam. Are these OMF latex Mattress high quality?

They use blended Talalay (the same as the SleepEz regular line) which is a very high quality material. The “surface feel” would be different with the polyfoam quilting vs the more costly wool in the SleepEz but the comfort layer and the support layer underneath will be what provides you with most of the pressure relief and alignment. They also show their mattresses on an “active” innerspring which will also change the feel of a mattress vs a non flexing foundation.

While the quality of the latex materials is good and the thickness of the polyfoam quilting is inside the range of around an inch or so that I would consider to be OK … I would make sure you do some careful and objective testing for PPP because you may have a tendency to choose a mattress that is too soft which may feel good in a showroom but it may not feel nearly as good when you wake up in the morning after sleeping out of alignment (which is the most common cause for lower back pain and sometime for joints that are outside of their neutral range of motion as well). The SleepEz mattress would probably have been softer than the Savvy Rest you tested as well (Savvy Rest doesn’t have super soft). Each person is different of course and “averages” don’t apply to all people but I thought I would share a caution for when you replace the mattress.

Phoenix

[SallyS]

I can’t imagine sleeping on my Talalay topper without more wool layers.
The wool is a great regulator - indeed. Our bed is never cold: a fleece topper, and flannel sheets - all topped with a wool comforter. We use wool pillows also, never cold and never hot.
I’ll never have down again - wool really has been wonderful.

[buttercupbetty]

@SallyS:

What type of mattress cover (encasement or ticking) do you have? Is your wool fleece topper right on top of the mattress? Do you put your sheet right on top of the fleece? Or did you add another mattress protector?

I’m trying to get a sense of how much layering others do

[Wavycat]

I bought a sunbeam heated mattress pad from macy’s. Down comforters never keep me warm. I am a cotton and wool blanket kind of gal. We live in MN so during the winter the room gets quite chilly. Even when our bed was first delivered and it was ninety plus outside I didn’t feel like it slept hot at all. At that point I was using a Lands End all cotton mattress pad. I have found that they key for me is to not have any polyester fill in my quilts or mattress pads. When my husband first had chronic pain we got a cuddle ewe mattress pad and it was great for a couple years and the got lumpy.

[SleepDeprived]

Since my last post we’ve done a few things with our mattress, still don’t have it quite “right” but we’re pretty close. You have to try things and give them some time before you know, sometimes.

First, we researched slatted frames and built one to place on top of our platform, for the sake of raising the mattress and adding ventilation. Unfortunately, we hated the feel of it. I could feel the lumpiness of the slats through the mattress and slats necessarily have some give to them, which makes the mattress saggy. We couldn’t stand it, so we just faced the fact it was a fail, and decided we’ll just have to take the risk of mold and stay with a solid platform. We keep our bedroom warm & dry so hopefully we won’t have any issues. So we built a ‘bunky’ type of platform to add on top of ours in order to lift the mattress up a few inches. Having hated the saggy feeling of the slatted one so much, we built this one really solid, lol. In fact, so solid the mattress became more firm than it originally felt and we ended up putting our 3" memory foam back on it again. That worked pretty well and we thought we had it good but after while we realized it does cause some alignment issues and we need a thinner one.

The foundation a mattress is on makes a huge difference to the feel of a mattress. My feeling about latex is that it follows every contour of what is under it and transfers the feel to the surface.

Costco was advertising a 4lb memory foam that comes in 2, 3 or 4" thickness so I ordered the 2" figuring, if it is no good I can always take it back to Costco. The 3" memory foam we have was from Costco and is really good quality but they do not carry the same manufacturer anymore, this new one is Serta. Well, we got it and it is no way comparable to the first one we bought. It’s so soft, you bottom out right through it. I was looking at the reviews on Costco’s site and noticed other complaints, a few saying that they weighed theirs and measured it and no way is it 4lb. So we did the same with ours and found the same; according to our calculations it is only 2.7lb. So that is going back.

So, now I am back in the market for a quality, dense memory foam topper. I plan to try 2" since our platform is firmer now. I’m looking at a few possibilities, any recommendation which would be better for a person using a heated blanket?

Sleepwarehouse.com has the Sensus 5lb running $285 for Cal King. Foamorder.com has a 5.3lb called “posture sense” which is very reasonable, 2" only $138, but is it Certipure? Myluxurymattress.com has a 5.3lb which would be $265 for a split Cal King, this one is Bayer. The only higher density I’ve found in stock anywhere is a 7.3lb memory foam at Restava, but California King in only 1" is $500- maybe it would be worth it but that is an expensive experiment.

I noticed one description saying the Bayer memory foam is “lively” - does that mean it is going to be jiggly like the latex? I don’t want anything like that! I want something dense that sensations can just die into. Any suggestions are welcome.

A couple comments about previous posts- I wish I could use wool, I’ll bet it works great. We have a flannel fitted sheet from CuddlEwe which is awesome, this is my second one from them, the first one lasted years. Really good quality. We also have a baseboard heater in our bedroom so we can keep it warmer than the rest of the house- that is one of my favorite things.

[phoenix]

Hi SleepDeprived,

Thanks for the update and your comments and insights

Costco was advertising a 4lb memory foam that comes in 2, 3 or 4" thickness so I ordered the 2" figuring, if it is no good I can always take it back to Costco. The 3" memory foam we have was from Costco and is really good quality but they do not carry the same manufacturer anymore, this new one is Serta. Well, we got it and it is no way comparable to the first one we bought. It’s so soft, you bottom out right through it. I was looking at the reviews on Costco’s site and noticed other complaints, a few saying that they weighed theirs and measured it and no way is it 4lb. So we did the same with ours and found the same; according to our calculations it is only 2.7lb. So that is going back.

Is this the topper you ordered? It’s frustrating enough when you can’t find out the density of a topper but it’s even more frustrating when the density is listed incorrectly. I’ve seen several examples of this on the Costco website. I’m curious because you mentioned it was made by Serta but Sealy purchased a minority interest in Comfort Revolution and this is the only topper I could see that was available in a 2", 3" or 4" thickness and was listed as 4 lbs.

I noticed one description saying the Bayer memory foam is “lively” - does that mean it is going to be jiggly like the latex? I don’t want anything like that! I want something dense that sensations can just die into. Any suggestions are welcome.

You can see a video here about the 4lb and 5 lb Bayer memory foam and there are also more about the Sensus and Aerus. “Lively” would be relative to other memory foams that have a slow recovery because it would be anything but “lively” compared to other types of fast response foams such as latex.

Foamorder.com has a 5.3lb called “posture sense” which is very reasonable, 2" only $138, but is it Certipure?

They are Chinese manufactured but they are apparently now CertiPur certified (see post #10 here). They should be able to confirm this to make sure.

Phoenix

[SleepDeprived]

[quote=“Phoenix” post=30254]

Is this the topper you ordered? It’s frustrating enough when you can’t find out the density of a topper but it’s even more frustrating when the density is listed incorrectly. I’ve seen several examples of this on the Costco website. I’m curious because you mentioned it was made by Serta but Sealy purchased a minority interest in Comfort Revolution and this is the only topper I could see that was available in a 2", 3" or 4" thickness and was listed as 4 lbs.[/quote]

Yes, that is the one. I’m sure you are correct, Phoenix, I thought I remembered the paperwork saying Serta but most likely I mixed it up with Sealy.

You can see a video here about the 4lb and 5 lb Bayer memory foam and there are also more about the Sensus and Aerus. “Lively” would be relative to other memory foams that have a slow recovery because it would be anything but “lively” compared to other types of fast response foams such as latex.

Thanks, Phoenix! That is great to hear. We are going to go with the Bayer, the return policy is great with MyLuxuryMattress and the description sounds like what we’re looking for. Thanks for your input!

[phoenix]

Hi SleepDeprived,

Thanks for the clarification

I wanted to make sure so I could link to your post if other members here were considering the same topper.

Phoenix