Small differences between latex options - HELP my head hurts! :)

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
1

New here as a member, but I’ve been reading A TON of the info here for awhile now.

We have pretty much zeroed in on doing a latex mattress. I’ve read through mountains of info here about latex options and also read the 5 steps article, etc. Now we are starting to zero in on WHICH latex mattress to order online (the all latex options available locally are very expensive).

The small differences from one online latex retailer to another are making my head spin! Can anyone help/confirm that these are the main differences between the mattresses we are considering at this point?

Flexus Comfort
They have dunlop only for cores; talalay is just for top comfort layer. It looks like the cover is very thin on these, right? Seems like this may be the best value if we decide to mix dunlop/talalay, though we might like a more cushy cover. Or guess we could always do a mattress pad or topper later if we want a cushy layer?

Spindle Mattress
Seems like the best value if we decide to go all Dunlop, but fewer options to customize. Comfort layer swap is a little pricier and they don’t really accept returns. What is the cover like - does anyone know how thick/padded it is? Having trouble telling from what they say on website.

Arizona Mattress
Seems like best value if we decide to go all Talalay and they offer the choice of organic or blended at different price points. I’m confused about the covers - are there two options? A bamboo vs. a cotton option? The pics make it seem that way. How do the two covers compare in thickness/cushion/quality? Also, these are 2-layer mattresses 6" core and 3" comfort layer - as opposed to all the others we are considering having a 3"/3"/3" construction. What are the pros and cons of two layer rather than three layer, when the finished product is about the same overall thickness (9-10")?

SleepEZ
Getting a little more expensive for what seems to be same product, but they do have more options of combining dunlop and talalay in any configuration we like and it’s all natural latex, right, no blends? They seem to have very easy/straightforward exchange and return policy. Their cover seems to be thicker/cushier than others - is that true? Does it have thicker wool layer in it?

FloBeds
Their basic blended talalay mattress seems like a pretty good value, comparable to the others above. But it seems like their main differentiator is they have a 4-layer option that costs a little more. And they have the blended vs. organic option, but their prices on the organic are really pushing our limit. They also have the vZone option, but we don’t want to spend that much and figure we could always add a topper later if we have the need to modify/customize the feel at that level. Is there anything else that differentiates FloBeds from the others above? What is the cover like? It looks like pretty standard quilting, not thin but not thick either.

Am I catching all the differences here or what am I missing?

We need a king and are still working out exactly what comfort layers each of us needs for each side, but our thinking is that we prefer to be able to customize and also one of us is VERY picky about mattress feel so we’d like the option to be able to swap layers later if necessary.

We also haven’t decided if we prefer the feel of Dunlop vs. Talalay or a blend.

And one thing we do not want to do is pick a company that’s hard to deal with on returns or layer exchanges, since there’s a decent chance we may need to do this.

All that’s what led us to narrow to the retailers above.

Also if it helps, the two models we mostly liked the feel of at Urban Mattress are Dunlopillo Retreat and Prana Vinyasa. (NOT considering buying these, just trying to gauge the feel we prefer.) But we need to test drive some more this weekend.

There is a place here called The Clean Bedroom and they sell Savvy Rest. We plan to go there to try out some different combinations of layers in their showroom to start zeroing in on what exact layers work best for us.

Does anyone have insights based on all of the above?

Thanks!!

2

Also, Phoenix, I am totally aware that you cannot make recommendations of one retailer over another - that’s not really what I’m looking for here.

We just want to make sure we’re detecting all the differences between the products they sell (types of foam, configurations of layers, cover thicknesses, etc.) I know it’s a fine line.

All of these retailers seem really great to work with and we will end up picking based on mattress specs once we figure out what those exactly are.

3

Just to add to my own conversation :wink: now that I realized the local store sells Savvy Rest I’m wondering if there are certain configurations we should make a point to try based on our general preferences/statistics (below). Both of us are in our 40s.

Sleeper 1
male, 170 lbs., 5’8"
side and back sleeper - snores if on back and hoping new mattress can help encourage more side sleeping
Sleeps deeply and doesn’t move around much. Claims to prefer softer feeling mattress comfort layers, but then always has low back pain after sleeping on soft hotel/guest beds; current main complaint about our mattress is discomfort due to body impression in the wool pillow top layer (it’s a 15 yo S&F innerspring - so yeah, it’s way old and we can easily do better!) Hates the IKEA guest bed we have, which is a firm foam with a 2" latex topper (one of their more expensive toppers). Likes daughter’s Sealy innerspring plush that has 1" memory foam on top.

Sleeper 1 tends to like memory foam, but sleeper 2 hates the sinking feeling of memory foam and how long it takes to reshape when moving.

Sleeper 2
female, 120 lbs., 5’3"
side sleeper, sometimes stomach
Tends to prefer overall firmer support in a mattress, but with a nice cushy soft topper to reduce pressure points especially on shoulders. Light sleeper and moves a lot when sleeping. Allergy sufferer (especially dust/dust mites). Has suffered from chronic neck pain/tension (ever since a surgery 20 years ago) and headaches, so needs really solid alignment support. When we travel, a too hard mattress causes bad pressure points on shoulder and hip; a too soft mattress sometimes causes neck pain to worsen, though the type of pillow actually tends to matter more than the type of mattress. Sleeper 2 is actually fine with the current old bed, but no body impression on that side; ok with the IKEA guest bed described above though it’s a little too firm; also finds the Sealy described above very comfortable.

4

Hi cprice88,

I don’t have any personal experience with any of these mattresses so I can’t speak to any differences between their covers but each of them would be able to provide you with more specific information about the details of their covers when you talk with them on the phone that can help you compare them. I can make some comments about the different options each of them have available though.

[quote]Flexus Comfort
They have dunlop only for cores; talalay is just for top comfort layer. It looks like the cover is very thin on these, right? Seems like this may be the best value if we decide to mix dunlop/talalay, though we might like a more cushy cover. Or guess we could always do a mattress pad or topper later if we want a cushy layer?[/quote]

They offer 100% natural Dunlop in their bottom layers and blended Talalay for their top layer in a number of different configurations. They range from their thinnest mattress which has two 3" Dunlop layers to mattresses that have two 3" Dunlop layers with either a 2" or a 3" Talalay top layer to their thickest mattress which has three Dunlop layers and a 3" Talalay top layer.

[quote]Spindle Mattress
Seems like the best value if we decide to go all Dunlop, but fewer options to customize. Comfort layer swap is a little pricier and they don’t really accept returns. What is the cover like - does anyone know how thick/padded it is? Having trouble telling from what they say on website.[/quote]

They use 100% natural continuous pour Dunlop in all the layers in their mattress. The continuous pour latex they use comes from Mountaintop and is available in firmness levels that are as soft as the softest Talalay layers which is unusual for Dunlop latex.

[quote]Arizona Mattress
Seems like best value if we decide to go all Talalay and they offer the choice of organic or blended at different price points. I’m confused about the covers - are there two options? A bamboo vs. a cotton option? The pics make it seem that way. How do the two covers compare in thickness/cushion/quality? Also, these are 2-layer mattresses 6" core and 3" comfort layer - as opposed to all the others we are considering having a 3"/3"/3" construction. What are the pros and cons of two layer rather than three layer, when the finished product is about the same overall thickness (9-10")?[/quote]

They have a wide range of mattresses that include options for 100% natural Dunlop latex with a Talalay comfort layer, an organic Dunlop mattress, and mattresses that include all blended or 100% natural Talalay. They generally have a 6" core layer with different firmness and thickness options for the comfort layer. The wool quilted bamboo cover is part of the upgrade from a blended Talalay mattress to a 100% natural Talalay mattress. They can also provide customized options that aren’t listed on their site.

[quote]SleepEZ
Getting a little more expensive for what seems to be same product, but they do have more options of combining dunlop and talalay in any configuration we like and it’s all natural latex, right, no blends? They seem to have very easy/straightforward exchange and return policy. Their cover seems to be thicker/cushier than others - is that true? Does it have thicker wool layer in it?[/quote]

Their mattresses that include a wool quilted cover include the option to choose 100% natural Dunlop, blended Talalay, or 100% natural Talalay in any of their layers. They have the option for either two 3" layers, Two 3" layers and a 2" comfort layer, Three 3" layers, or four 3" layers. They also have a number of other options besides their mattresses that have a wool quilted cover that you can see here along with all their current special prices listed on the same page.

[quote]FloBeds
Their basic blended talalay mattress seems like a pretty good value, comparable to the others above. But it seems like their main differentiator is they have a 4-layer option that costs a little more. And they have the blended vs. organic option, but their prices on the organic are really pushing our limit. They also have the vZone option, but we don’t want to spend that much and figure we could always add a topper later if we have the need to modify/customize the feel at that level. Is there anything else that differentiates FloBeds from the others above? What is the cover like? It looks like pretty standard quilting, not thin but not thick either.[/quote]

They are a little more costly than the others for the same thickness but they are also a little different from the others because they include some options that that the others don’t have including a convoluted top layer (although they provide the option for a solid layer as well for those who would prefer to switch it out) and they also offer their vZone mattress that has customizable zoning which is also unique. They offer the option to choose between blended Talalay (from Latex International) or 100% natural Talalay (from Radium).

There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and there is more about the differences between Dunlop and Talalay latex in post #7 here but the best way to decide which type of latex you tend to prefer would be based on your own personal testing or experience.

There is also more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses.

I think your next step would be to talk with each of them and ask them any of the questions about their mattresses that are important to you because a more detailed conversation is one of the most important parts of an online purchase.

[quote]Just to add to my own conversation :wink: now that I realized the local store sells Savvy Rest I’m wondering if there are certain configurations we should make a point to try based on our general preferences/statistics (below). Both of us are in our 40s.

Sleeper 1
male, 170 lbs., 5’8"
side and back sleeper - snores if on back and hoping new mattress can help encourage more side sleeping
Sleeps deeply and doesn’t move around much. Claims to prefer softer feeling mattress comfort layers, but then always has low back pain after sleeping on soft hotel/guest beds; current main complaint about our mattress is discomfort due to body impression in the wool pillow top layer (it’s a 15 yo S&F innerspring - so yeah, it’s way old and we can easily do better!) Hates the IKEA guest bed we have, which is a firm foam with a 2" latex topper (one of their more expensive toppers). Likes daughter’s Sealy innerspring plush that has 1" memory foam on top.

Sleeper 1 tends to like memory foam, but sleeper 2 hates the sinking feeling of memory foam and how long it takes to reshape when moving.

Sleeper 2
female, 120 lbs., 5’3"
side sleeper, sometimes stomach
Tends to prefer overall firmer support in a mattress, but with a nice cushy soft topper to reduce pressure points especially on shoulders. Light sleeper and moves a lot when sleeping. Allergy sufferer (especially dust/dust mites). Has suffered from chronic neck pain/tension (ever since a surgery 20 years ago) and headaches, so needs really solid alignment support. When we travel, a too hard mattress causes bad pressure points on shoulder and hip; a too soft mattress sometimes causes neck pain to worsen, though the type of pillow actually tends to matter more than the type of mattress. Sleeper 2 is actually fine with the current old bed, but no body impression on that side; ok with the IKEA guest bed described above though it’s a little too firm; also finds the Sealy described above very comfortable.[/quote]

Only you can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to know which type of mattress design or materials would be best for you based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or theory at a distance (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

When you are testing mattresses locally I would avoid trying to guess which combination of layers may work best for you “in theory” ahead of time and decide on the combination of layers and types of latex that are the best match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) based on careful testing and personal experience and on what your body tells you.

There is more about the different ways to choose a mattress (either locally or online) that can help you make the most suitable choice and identify and minimize the risks involved with each of them in post #2 here.

All of the mattresses you are considering are certainly high quality and good value choices and there are no lower quality materials or weak links in any of them. They are also all members of the site which means that I think highly of all of them and I believe that they all compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency.

Once you have narrowed down your choices to to a list of finalists that are all choices between “good and good” and if at that point there are no clear winners between them then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a suitable choice and post #2 here can help you make a final choice based on your local testing and experiences or online conversations with each of them, your confidence about the suitability of each one, the options you have before and after a purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix

5

Thanks for the helpful reply. So we tried a bunch of mattresses today and have zeroed in on 3 that we like. Our plan is to go back and try them again on another day to see if our impressions are the same.

One of them is an OMI (Organicpedic) bed that’s way out of our price range and if we settle on that one we would end up purchasing something comparable online. It is probably our favorite of the three.

It’s the OMI Duo with all talalay, three 3" layers and we liked it with firm on the bottom and soft-soft for the top two layers.The top layer also was convoluted, though not sure how important that is. But it is $8,000! The sales guy said they also offer the OMI Duo “promo” (?) which is made with dunlop latex, but when I asked if it would feel similar he gave me a really confusing non-answer.

So that said, I’m wondering if there is any way to figure out which of the others (from my earlier post) offer latex layers with the same/similar density to OMI?

The other two beds we liked a lot were:

-Pure Bliss Beautiful, which appears to be all blended Talalay in 3 layers 6-2-2 but they don’t seem to publish density data on the layers. As you probably already know, this one doesn’t allow changing of the layers.

-Evolve 10" latex (they said this is a local company) and it is all blended dunlop latex, sewn inside the cover so no changing of layers. For that reason, it is also cheaper than the OMI and Pure Bliss, but in the same range as all the online options for Talalay, so our leaning is toward ordering online. Anyway, they provide all the data on their label and it said: 6" 36lb core, 2" 28 lb support layer, 2" 19 lb comfort layer.

From what I read here, it seems we may want to steer away from blended dunlop, but that’s the one product where we could get real data about the density of the latex. The density numbers do not translate from dunlop to talalay, do they?

They had only one Savvy Rest to try out so we are also thinking about visiting another store where they may have more Savvy Rest on the floor.

6

Oh, also, Phoenix, have you heard of beds made out of mineral oil-based gel? We accidentally happened upon a store called Intelligent Sleep where they sell some proprietary gel thing layered with latex and pocket coils.

Apparently they also do sleep consulting (for insomniacs and such) and get a lot of doctors and chiropractors referrals.

They were extremely comfortable, but we had never heard of anything like this, so we are skeptical.

7

Oh, I just figured out the OMI (Organicpedic) mattress we were liking is the Duo with all talalay, three 3" layers and we liked it with firm on the bottom and soft-soft for the top two layers. Edited other post to reflect this.

8

Hi cprice88,

[quote]One of them is an OMI (Organicpedic) bed that’s way out of our price range and if we settle on that one we would end up purchasing something comparable online. It is probably our favorite of the three.

It’s the OMI Duo with all talalay, three 3" layers and we liked it with firm on the bottom and soft-soft for the top two layers.The top layer also was convoluted, though not sure how important that is. But it is $8,000! The sales guy said they also offer the OMI Duo “promo” (?) which is made with dunlop latex, but when I asked if it would feel similar he gave me a really confusing non-answer.

So that said, I’m wondering if there is any way to figure out which of the others (from my earlier post) offer latex layers with the same/similar density to OMI?[/quote]

There is more about the different ways that one mattress can “match” or “approximate” another one in post #9 here but the only way to know for certain that two mattress will feel the same is if they both contain the same types and blends of latex, all the layers are the same thickness and firmness, and they both have a very similar cover (including any quilting). Once there are differences between any of the specs between two mattresses then “approximating” a mattress based on specs can become much more difficult and the most reliable way to know how they would compare for any particular person would be based on your own side by side testing and personal experience because different people can have different opinions about how closely two mattresses with differences in their designs and components compare to each other because body type, sleeping positions, and individual sensitivities can also play a role in how they feel and compare.

Each of the manufacturers you mentioned would be the most reliable source of guidance about which of the options they carry would be closest to the OMI configuration that you tested (or any other mattress where you know the accurate specs) although they may not be the same because of differences between their covers and also because the convoluted topper would be a little softer than the same layer in the same thickness and ILD that wasn’t convoluted (there is more about the effects of convoluting in post #2 here). It would be very helpful if you knew the ILD of the latex layers in the OMI Duo because otherwise they would need to guess and the effective ILD of the OMI “soft” or “firm” layers may be different from the ILD of the soft or firm layers that are carried by other manufacturers.

The density of Talalay latex isn’t as important as the ILD if you are making firmness comparisons. With Dunlop latex ILD will also be a reasonable way to compare them but in some cases the ILD of Dunlop isn’t available or isn’t listed accurately or they can sometimes be tested differently so in these cases density may be a more effective comparison for the relative firmness of 100% natural Dunlop layers (see post #6 here).

You can see the ILD of the blended Talalay latex in the Pure Latex Bliss mattresses (including the Beautiful) in post #2 here.

[quote]-Evolve 10" latex (they said this is a local company) and it is all blended dunlop latex, sewn inside the cover so no changing of layers. For that reason, it is also cheaper than the OMI and Pure Bliss, but in the same range as all the online options for Talalay, so our leaning is toward ordering online. Anyway, they provide all the data on their label and it said: 6" 36lb core, 2" 28 lb support layer, 2" 19 lb comfort layer.

From what I read here, it seems we may want to steer away from blended dunlop, but that’s the one product where we could get real data about the density of the latex. The density numbers do not translate from dunlop to talalay, do they?[/quote]

Comparing the ILD for different types or blends of latex may not be as accurate as the comparing the ILD (for Talalay) or density (for 100% natural Dunlop) of the same type and blend of latex. Like all latex … blended Dunlop is a very durable material (as long as there isn’t a high percentage of filler in the latex) but it may not have the same elasticity and resilience or be quite as supportive as latex that is 100% natural rubber. It is also a high quality material.

This would be Intelligel which is a buckling column gel. You can read more about this type of material in this article and in post #2 here and post #2 here and the posts and topics they link to. A forum search on Intelligel (you can just click the link) will also bring up more information and feedback about it as well.

Phoenix

9

Yes, that is the hard part. There appear to be only two local retail stores that offer a variety of pure latex options in their showrooms and the only brands they carry are OMI (Organicpedic), Savvy Rest and Pure Latex Bliss, in addition to the one local Evolve option we discovered yesterday.

Those brands are just way beyond our budget.

The Evolve is only $2100 for king, but we have reservations about it being blended dunlop, plus can’t find any info about the company that makes it online, but I’ll ask more of the retailer when we go back.

We are pretty sold on the durability and the general feel of latex, as well as the long-term health/eco benefits of it, but we really need to stay between $1,500-3,000 for a king. It seem like that is easily doable with the online retailers - the challenge is to try to get close to what we liked that we have tried in person.

On the plus side, my spouse and I both actually liked several of the latex beds even with slightly different “feels” and I was surprised to find the two of us also seem to like the same ones and the same firmness/softness levels - so at least we’ve got that going for us. :slight_smile:

Thank you for the additional info!

10

Hi cprice88,

[quote]And those two brands are just way beyond our budget. We are pretty sold on the durability and the general feel of latex, as well as the long-term health/eco benefits of it, but we really need to stay between $1,500-3,000. It seem like that is easily doable with the online retailers - the challenge is to try to get close to what we liked that we have tried in person.

On the plus side, my spouse and I both actually liked several of the latex beds even with slightly different “feels” and I was surprised to find the two of us also seem to like the same ones and the same firmness/softness levels - so at least we’ve got that going for us. :)[/quote]

For most people there would be a range of mattresses that would make a suitable choice so it wouldn’t be necessary to match another mattress exactly although a “very close approximation” may be more important for some that are closer to the “princess and the pea” than the “I can sleep on anything” end of the sensitivity scale.

Most of the better online manufacturers and retailers will do a very good job of helping to “talk you through” the options they have available based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you and their experience and guidance in combination with a mattress that can be “fine tuned” by rearranging or exchanging layers will generally have a high percentage of success.

Phoenix

11

Two new pieces of information:

We found a small, family-owned mattress store that carries one additional brand of talalay latex beds.
www.austinmattress.net
We will attempt to visit this store within the week.

He says the beds are made by Royal Sleep in D/FW area. Phoenix, do you know anything about Royal Sleep or their latex beds or this retailer? He says they are sewn shut, not customizable or adjustable.

Also, after being told this I did a google search and am realizing Dallas, Houston or San Antonio might have more choices of beds we could try and buy in person. All of those are cities we visit sometimes. Should we consider a bed buying road trip? :slight_smile:

12

Specs

Royal Touch Latex is the brand name.

Princess Touch 10" Latex Mattress
4" 26 lb comfort layer
6" 36 lb core
bamboo organic cotton cover
“100% All Natural Talalay latex” is the claim

Kings Touch 12" Latex Mattress
two comfort layers of 3" 26 lb
6" 36 lb core
same cover

They do show a cross section in the photo here:
www.austinmattress.net/#!latex-mattresses/c6a8

They also have something else that’s a 10" with a soy HD core and talalay on top. We are avoiding the soy core, plus it’s not that much cheaper anyway.

13

Hi cprice88,

Austin Mattress is one of the options or possibilities that are listed on the Austin list here (which also includes the San Antonio list).

The Dallas list is here and includes some comments about Royal Sleep (City Mattress Factory) along with some of the other manufacturers and retailers there.

The Houston list is here.

In terms of quality/durability … a mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label. Most manufacturers make a range of mattresses that range from lower quality and less durable choices to higher quality and more durable choices so the name of the manufacturer is less important than whether a mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of PPP and the quality and durability of the materials inside it. There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in the this post which I linked in a previous reply that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses but it comes down to testing for suitability, checking for durability, and then comparing your finalists for value based on the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix

14

Hi cprice88,

[quote]Princess Touch 10" Latex Mattress
4" 26 lb comfort layer
6" 36 lb core
bamboo organic cotton cover
“100% All Natural Talalay latex” is the claim

Kings Touch 12" Latex Mattress
two comfort layers of 3" 26 lb
6" 36 lb core
same cover[/quote]

These are all high quality materials and there would be no weak links in either mattress.

So called “soy based foam” is just polyfoam that has replaced a relatively small percentage of one of the two main chemicals used to make the polyfoam (the polyol) with a polyol that is derived from soy oil (see post #2 here). It would be closely comparable to other types of polyfoam that are the same density range. I would want to know the density of any polyfoam in a mattress.

There is also more about latex/polyfoam hybrids vs all latex mattresses in post #2 here.

Phoenix

15

So Royal Sleep and City Mattress are one and the same?

And is it safe to assume Royal Sleep all talalay mattresses are of good quality? How else would we assess the quality other than just making sure it truly is all talalay (which it appears to be)? How do we compare the quality of this company’s talalay to the other online retailers?

We totally understand this and it has been repeated. That is why we are trying to find more local options that we can see and test in person that are in our price range. This Royal Sleep/Royal Touch brand is in our range, though it’s still a little more expensive than what appear to be online comparable quality from online retailers.

It seems like we will end up with IRL finalists and online finalists that meet our personal value equation in all objective/measurable ways. But the online ones seem like they will be a better value price wise. We are ok with some risk of having to return/swap pieces of the mattress, but we’d like to get as close as we can to understanding the right thing to order in the first place.

I talked this morning with SleepEZ and Flobeds. SleepEZ said they are very comparable to Savvy Rest in feel, other than the cover, so he said the Savvy Rest we try locally would feel a little more “tight/firm” b/c they have a woven cover. That was very helpful to know. He was not really able to compare with OMI (Organicpedic).

16

Hi cprice,

Yes (see the names at the top and bottom of this page)

It’s never “safe” to assume that any mattress uses high quality materials until you find out the specific type and quality of the materials inside it (see this article) but if the only material inside a mattress is Talalay latex and there are no lower quality materials or components inside it then all Talalay latex is a high quality and durable material and there would be no weak links in the mattress regardless of the name on the label.

All manufacturers have access to the same types and blends of latex which they can choose to use in their mattresses and in the case of latex the type and blend of the latex is the information you need to know to make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and there is more about the differences in “feel” between Dunlop and Talalay latex in post #7 here but the best way to know which type of latex you tend to prefer would be based on your own personal testing and experience. If the type and blend of the latex is the same then they would be directly comparable in terms of quality and durability regardless of the name of the manufacturer that uses it in their mattress. Of course there is a wide range of different latex mattress designs and firmness levels so if the materials are the same in two mattresses it doesn’t mean that the firmness or feel of the mattresses would be the same because one may have softer or firmer layers in their mattress than the other.

Once you have narrowed down your choices to to a list of finalists that are all choices between “good and good” and they are all a good match for you in terms of PPP and there are no “weak links” in any of them and if at that point there are no clear winners between them then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a suitable choice and post #2 here can help you make a final choice based on your local testing and experiences or online conversations with each of them, your confidence about the suitability of each one, the options you have before and after a purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix

17

We are ONLY looking at mattresses that are latex in all layers. The only ones mentioned in my previous posts that aren’t all latex were some of the ones at Urban Mattress b/c that was our first trip and we wanted to get a feel for other things to compare.

So we aren’t looking at anything with “weak links” I don’t believe.

I tried to go to The Clean Bedroom today and it seems they have gone out of business! It must have been fairly recently.

Austin Mattress no longer sells Restonic, only Royal Touch as far as all latex.

Sleep World does not have any latex mattresses in the Austin showroom and they no longer manufacture mattresses here in Austin at all. I just hung up with someone at their Houston facility and he said all of them are now made in Houston and that’s the only place to try out their all-latex mattresses.

So as far as where in Austin to try and buy an all-latex mattress, we are really just down to only retailers:

Austin Natural Mattress with 4 brands: Savvy Rest, OMI, Pure Latex Bliss, Evolve (local)
Austin Mattress with 1 brand: Royal Touch

Mentioning this in case it someone else trying to figure out where to go.

18

So our final options seem to be:

Evolve 12" all blended dunlop, around $2100, fully encased, no changing of layers - PPP feels good, but concerned b/c don’t have a lot of info about the blended dunlop

Royal Touch 10" all blended talalay, around $2700, fully encased, no changing of layers - it seems fine for Posture and Pressure Points, though as far as Personal Preference it’s a little firm and we maybe would end up buying a topper

SleepEZ 1000, $1900, blended talalay - can’t try in person

Pure Latex Bliss Beautiful, blended talalay, $3800 (maybe can haggle a bit) - PPP feels good, but above what we would like to spend

This is tough.

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Hi cprice88,

Thanks for all the updates on the Austin list … I appreciate it :slight_smile:

One of the forum members here visited them in Austin in late December and they were still open (see here) so it must have been very recent. They are also no longer listed on the Clean Bedroom site and I’ve removed them from the Austin list.

they still list Restonic which would be a good “possibility” … just not their latex models.

They didn’t have a local store at all after the ownership changed (see post #29 here). Have they re-opened a local store in Austin now (just not with latex)? If you can confirm this I’ll update the description on the Austin list to mention that at least some of their mattresses are once again available to test locally.

I’ve updated their listing as well including their non latex options.

Any type or blend of latex would be a good quality and durable material relative to other types of foam materials and any mattress that is “all latex” wouldn’t have any weak links in terms of durability.

Pure Latex Bliss mattresses have MAP pricing (minimum advertised pricing) and there are some dealers that sell them for this but dealers are allowed to sell for less as long as they don’t advertise it and they are certainly available for less than their suggested retail prices. If you do decide on one of their mattresses there are some PLB dealers that will ship across the country listed in post #32 here that you can call to use as a pricing reference point for any “negotiation” and I would start by giving Jeff a call at Matt-To-Go who is one of the members of this site.

You are certainly looking at some good options and when your final choices are “tough” and there are no clear winners between them then it usually means that you’ve done some very good research :slight_smile:

Phoenix

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Yes, sorry, to be clear I was only talking about stores that have ALL latex options.

Hmm, for Sleep World, actually now that you ask, I’m thinking back on the conversation and am not 100% clear about if/where they have an Austin location. He said something that made it sound like they have one, but that it doesn’t have the all latex. Now I’m second guessing how I interpreted it. Maybe he meant all the mattresses are in Houston. I’ll post back if I can figure out the answer.