Soft Latex Sleep EZ 13000 Mattress Still Too Hard - Had to Return, Now What?

[phoenix]

Hi Uncle Jim,

I’m sorry to hear your mattress didn’t work out as well as you hoped and I’m glad that you had the foresight to order a mattress with a good return policy.

After pouring over this and other websites I decided that a latex mattress was the way to go. While spending last winter in Florida we went to City Mattress and tried out their Pranasleep 100% Latex Mattresses. Very nice mattresses with $8,000 - $10,000 price tag. Store literature stated that latex was 100% talalay from Latex International. Store was very tight lipped on construction and the best we could get out of them was that mattress was medium firm and about 13 inches thick.

You can see the layers in many of the Prana mattresses on the Jordans website here. As you can see, all or their “all latex” mattresses use at least 2" or more of polyfoam in the top layer of their mattresses so the surface feel would come from the polyfoam rather than latex. You can read more about the Pranasleep mattresses in post #3 here and in post #2 here and in post #3 here and a forum search on Prana (you can just click this) will also bring up more information and feedback about them as well.

Given that I knew enough about latex manufacturers by this time and the fact that their prices were out of the question, I knew that Sleep EZ and others used International Latex in their mattresses.

Their “default” Talalay latex is actually from Radium not from Latex International but they are very similar and they will provide LI Talalay on request (although they “suggest” the Radium).

Unfortunately was no plush feeling for the top layer and after sleeping on it for a couple of weeks my wife was waking up with her extremities falling asleep. My side also lacked any plushness. Given that we were already soft over soft there was not any layer adjustments we could perform and she was not getting the pressure relief she needed. Given the price of the mattress we were not very happy and decided to return it.

While your combination would certainly be “inside the averages” that would work well for the large majority of people … not everyone has the same needs or preferences or is “inside the averages” which is why a good return policy can be important for those few who don’t do well with an all latex mattress. Hopefully the previous comments will help explain why they were different from the Pranasleep (outside of any differences in the thickness and firmness of the layers inside each which can also make a significant difference between how two mattresses compare) because the surface layers are a very different material.

Now we were back on our original old bed and it is now creating problems for my back and we have to get a new mattress soon I still believe that latex is the best mattress, but I do not know how to achieve the plush top layer that will provide more pressure relief. [/b]Admittedly we are getting older (68 and 72) and we like more softness but we still need support. I am hesitant to get a memory foam mattress as I think I would just get a different set of problems, smells, temperature effect, etc.

Most latex manufacturers would be very hesitant to put thicker layers of polyfoam in the top layers of their mattress because it could be a weak link in the mattress but you could also buy a latex mattress and add a 2" - 3" polyfoam topper that would “approximate” the polyfoam in the Prana although it wouldn’t be the same because it would be a separate topper rather than quilted into the cover and there would also be some differences in the firmness and density of the polyfoam as well … all of which would make a difference in how they compared.

I am now considering a Flobeds mattress given that the top layer of their mattresses consists of a 2.5 inch convoluted latex foam and an adjustable zone top layer. Unfortunately there is no way to know if this will work aside from getting advice and ultimately trying it out. Flobeds does has a good layer exchange program and return policy if that is necessary. Do you think this will get us what we want or is there something else we should try?

There is more about the difference between their convoluted latex top layer and a non convoluted layer in post #2 here (in reply to question #4) and in post #12 here but it is still latex so it would “feel” different from a top layer of polyfoam. While different people can have a very different experience on the same mattress, when you can’t test a mattress in person then a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced manufacturer or retailer would be the best source of guidance about how their mattress would “feel” to most people based on the “averages” of their customers that are similar to you.

Flobeds also has a hybrid latex mattress with a 2.5 inch soy memory foam top layer and all latex layers below. Is this a good alternative in your opinion or is it a waste to buy talalay latex as a base and then add a memory foam top?

While the choice of materials is always a personal preference and there is no right or wrong in any combination of layers that any particular person may prefer … a 2.5" layer of memory foam on top of latex will feel very different from either sleeping more directly on latex or from sleeping on several inches of polyfoam quilted to a cover. The only way to really answer these questions about how any combination of layers will feel for you with any certainty would be based on your own testing and/or personal experience.

If you let me know your city or zip code there may also be some local options that may be worth considering that you could test in person and I’d be happy to let you know about any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.

Phoenix

I’m glad that you registered as a member of the forum as well because if you do decide to order a mattress from one of the members you will qualify for the bonus or discount that they provide to the members here that have posted on the forum.