Thrilled to have found this fabulous web site to help clear the air so to speak as it comes to mattresses. My wife and I currently sleep on a Thermorest mattress, but we are soon to move and we both feel that a new option would be nice to have. I have read this web-site extensively, and really enjoyed the sections on both shopping advice and materials.
I am convinced to avoid large manufacturers and was uphold to a nauseating degree by a major distributor. My wife and I would like to switch to a split king (2 twin XL’s pushed together), and we were upsold to the point of $10564.00 I did not buy in and found this web site and an relieved to have found it!!
After the full review, I was surprised to have been convinced to consider latex after reading many blogs and forums on this site. We are sold in wanting to get a hybrid mattress with Latex top layer.
Now, I thought major manufacturers were confusing. I have found several smaller companies thorough the site, but was wondering if someone would consider taking a stab at what they might consider their “top 5” on-line companies to consider?? This would be in particular consideration for latex mattresses.
I have been beyond shocked when I compared the prices of major manufacturers and the price difference when comparing materials and construction with many of the on-line companies.
Unfortunately there really isn’t a meaningful way to put together a top 5 or even a top 100 because different people can have very different criteria and budget ranges and there are just too many unknowns, variables and personal preferences involved in choosing a mattress for anyone else to make specific suggestions either for a mattress or for a manufacturer or retailer (see post #2 here).
Having said that … the tutorial includes a link to a list of the members here that sell mattresses online (in the optional online step) that compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency and many of them make latex and latex hybrid mattresses that use different types and blends of latex that have a range of different designs, options, features, return and exchange policies, and prices that that would all be well worth considering.
There is also more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses.
If you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know about any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of that are local to you as well.
Wow! You are incredibly responsive and efficient. What a great find! I do understand your point in the number and certainly personal preference. It is such a huge list to narrow…even for latex. I did find the list of those “approved” by mattress underground so I will look through the various materials and see what I can come up with.
I will be moving to the Hanover, NH area and am hoping to secure new mattresses for us by July 12th or so if possible. If not, we will get by until a special order can be filled. The zip code is 03768-0044. Thank you in advance for your help and guidance during this process!
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area are listed in post #4 here.
There are several stores in fairly reasonable driving distance that carry latex mattresses that would give you a chance to test some different types and firmness levels of latex mattresses so you can get a better sense of how latex feels in person.
Thank you Phoenix! Again, I appreciate your feedback and guidance. I will look at the options you provided, but I am in a bit of a quandary as we will be moving East and we are hoping to have a bed on site when we arrive. Do you happen to have any similar retailers in Alaska where we now reside? We are in area code 99508. I would then be able to present with my wife in order to try the latex comfort layer option. I am still struggling between the all latex options and the hybrid types of mattresses (coil with a comfort layer on top). I am a stomach side sleeper, and my wife is primarily a side sleeper. I have read this site so much my wife thinks I have become a little too obsessed
Because of our time frame, I am considering the on-line purchase option. I have given a strong look to both Arizona mattress company as well as Brooklyn in AZ. Please let me know if you have any feedback in regard to local smaller retailers as in the VT list verses on-line purchases.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Anchorage area are listed in post #7 here and there are several latex options on the list that will give you a chance to do some testing on latex mattresses as well.
There is more about the different ways to choose the most suitable mattress (locally and online) that can help you assess and minimize the risks involved of making a choice that isn’t as suitable for you as you hoped for with each of them in post #2 here.
There is also more about the pros and cons of an online purchase vs a local purchase in post #2 here and this topic.
Thank you again Pheonix. I did read through the indicated blogs, and it does provide me with some trepidation surrounding the selection of a mattress on-line, but also helped me to realize that Unless I am able to pick out the exact same mattress and material on-line as I try in a retail store, it may not be beneficial. I am comfortable with a trail period and especially with the companies that are now willing to replace layers or beds up to 100 days. I do not mind going through a trial and error in the short term realizing that once we get it right, it will be a very long term investment in quality sleep.
Having said that, I looked at some options after clicking through most of the companies listed on your site. I have been able to get to narrow on-line options to Sleep EZ, Arizona Premium or Flo Beds.
I like the construction of the Flo Beds in terms of the V-Zone types of approaches in which the top layer is made up of latex in varying degrees of softness or firmness depending upon what area and range they are contacting the body. This seems key to side sleepers? My quandary is that they are significantly higher in price for two twin XL mattresses and foundations then are those of Sleep EZ or Arizona Premium. In addition, they also charge for shipping. They offer a foundation called a European foundation with a curved base. Do you have any feedback on that in terms of value and utility?
Anyway, the Flo Bed priced in this category with foundation is $1980.30 plus shipping to a total of $2109.84 and I must by two to make up the split king. The Sleep EZ is customizable in 3- 3" layers of either Talalay or Dunlap latex. They can be set up or moved to accommodate a sleepers choices. They do charge more for replacement layers than Flo Bed does and require a return of layers. Sleep EZ has a 90 day trial and Flo Bed has a 100 day trial.
My question: Do you feel that there is a big enough technological/material difference in the V-Zone approach to justify what would amount to be a difference of $1413.22 in my case? I know it is subjective in many regards, but in terms of comparing materials to materials: 3-3" layers customizable verses 2" upper layer, 3" medium latex layer all over a 3" soft latex layer below? I am trying to understand the price difference here and quantify benefit verses value.
You can see my thoughts about zoning in general in post #11 here and the posts it links to. You can also read more about the FloBeds vZone in particular in post #4 here. Zoning can certainly be very useful for people who have more challenging circumstances or sensitivities or body types that are more difficult to “match” to a mattress, or who have a history of having more difficulty in finding a mattress that works well for them. The ability to rearrange and customize the zones for each particular person is very unusual and makes the Flobeds zoning system somewhat unique.
You will find that some people do better in terms of PPP with a tension adjustable slatted base and some that don’t (or some that don’t notice a difference either way) depending on the specific mattress, your sleeping position, your body type, and how sensitive you are to changes in your sleeping system. It can certainly help with “fine tuning” for some people but there really isn’t a formula that you can use to decide whether it would be an improvement for you or not so without trying it in person under the mattress you choose, it will really be a matter of “best judgement” based on the specifics of your conversation with them. They will tend to have a bigger effect on thinner mattresses (generally less than 8" thick) than they will on thicker mattresses.
The only way to know whether any zoning system or set of tension adjustable slats would be beneficial for a particular person would be based on their actual sleeping experience.
Just for clarification … the vZone has a 2" convoluted top layer, a 3" vZone layer, and two additional 3" layers for a total of 11" of latex.
Unfortunately there is no way for me to know the answer to this because there is no way to specifically “quantify” the benefits so for some people the answer would be yes and for others the answer would be no and I have no way to know how someone will feel about their mattress when they sleep on it. A mattress is meant to perform specific functions and is much more than just a commodity where the value can be measured based on the price per inch of the latex, the price per yard of the fabrics, or the price per pound of natural fibers. To me the most important part of the “value” of any sleeping system is how well you sleep on it (followed by how long you sleep well followed by all the other parts of your personal value equation that are important to you) and how well you sleep is affected by the specific design of the mattress and not by the amount or cost of the materials inside it. In other words the “commodity value” of a mattress will have very little to with the most important parts of the “value” of the mattress in real life.
Choosing a mattress based on the price per inch or price per pound of the raw materials would be similar to choosing between two suits of clothing or two pairs of shoes that used similar materials based on their cost per pound of material rather than on how well they fit, how they look, how they feel when you wear them, and if you hadn’t tried them out in person what your options would be if they don’t fit as well as you hoped for.
Just to put it in perspective … a difference of $1400 over only 10 years of use works out to less than 40 cents a day. If there was a noticeable difference in one mattress over another that I believed would have a positive effect on how well I would sleep on it then it would certainly be well worth it to me if I could comfortably afford it. Of course if I didn’t believe it would make a difference then it wouldn’t but these are questions that can only be answered based on your conversations with each of the manufacturers you are considering and on “informed best judgement”.
That was a wonderful way of summing it all up. Thank you kindly for all of your help and advice. You must have a degree in counseling?? thank you for holding my hand through this decision! I will keep you posted on how things go!
