Both are $800 for a queen size, which is the stretch of my budget. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which mattress is an all around better fit and value? Below I’ve listed what I want in a bed:
Plushness. I’m moving from an old worn out pillow top that has a “cloud” like feel to it (which is a plus) but is starting to act like a sinkhole (which is a con). I want to keep the “cloud” properties while keeping all the pros of the support of latex as well.
Natural Latex. From what I’ve read, Natural latex has a more enveloping feel (sleeping “on”) to it than synthetic.
Value (obviously )
Longevity - As a young adult moving out, this will be my first “new” bed. I know a mattress is not something to skimp on, so I’m splurging in a way, so I would prefer it would last.
-Natural Materials. Wool batting/cover and natural latex is a plus but not absolutely essential.
Here are some concerns/questions:
-Is all latex (a la Spindle) the way to go?
-I feared the 7" Spindle would be too thin, but with myself weighing in at 160 lbs., will this be okay?
-I’m having trouble finding the exact specs for the Natural Dreamfoam - but I’m pretty sure it has wool batting and uses natural Dunlop Latex. Is this model a significant upgrade from the Standard Ultimate Dreams? If not, I’d consider buying that one instead, as $800 is the max I am willing to spend.
-I will be moving soon to Chicago and have seen many recommendations for Quality Sleep Shop in LaGrange. They carry latex offerings. How do they compare in value/quality with Dreamfoam and Spindle?
Thank you so much in advance!
Edit: I also haven’t ruled out the Tuft and Needle, which appears to be a great value. Albeit on the firm side, with a wool or plush topper, would this be something to consider?
I’m getting $600 for the dreamfoam. The poly base is not that great and will wear out sooner than the all laytex spindle. The talalay might have more of the cloud feeling though.
Spindle will work with you to get the comfort level right. It would be the longest lasting. They use a continuous pour dunlop latex which supposedly feels like a cross between talalay and regular dunlop.
Tuft and needle would not have the cloud feeling. They use quality foam and have a great return. Still wouldn’t last as long as the spindle though, but it is half the price. If you then buy a topper, you could start to pass the price of the dreamfoam.
The laytex in the dreamfoam should last a while, but I don’t know if the polyfoam would last as long as the tuft and needle.
Lots of apples, oranges, and bananas.
Read the articles and tutorials, try out some talalay and dunlop beds. Call the sellers at dreamfoam and spindle and see what they would recommend.
Ah, so Spindle only uses Dunlop latex (natural and synthetic)? No Talalay offerrings? When saying it feels like a mix between Talalay and Dunlop, are you referring to their natural or synthetic options?
And just to clear up some major confusion, is the Talalay in the Standard Dreamfoam blended or 100% natural? Because I will probably want a lower ILD (plushness) I have read that a blended Talalay is preferable to natural, durability wise.
It doesn’t have to last thirty years. But preferably 5-10
I’m all open to suggestions for a plush Talalay with wool batting and cover if there’s anyone that makes one!
Both of these are great quality/value and neither one has any weak links in the mattress.
They are both completely transparent and will give you any specific details you are looking for when you talk with them about their mattresses and your firmness choices but as jankdc mentioned they are very much apples to oranges in their design.
The Dreamfoam Natural latex mattress uses a 3" layer of 100% natural Dunlop latex in the comfort layer and has a 2 lb polyfoam base layer with a polyfoam and wool quilting. You can choose the firmness of the Dunlop comfort layer but there are no exchanges possible after a purchase.
The Spindle Blue Shoal (natural version) uses two layers of 100% natural Dunlop and you can choose the firmness of both layers and there is also the option to exchange a layer after a purchase to fine tune the mattress based on your experience. It also has a polyfoam quilted cover without the wool (although they provide wool as an option if you request it).
The specs are listed above (but I would still talk to them to make sure they are correct). The base foam is higher density than the “regular” Ultimate Dreams (which uses 1.5 lb density) and there is also wool in the quilting (which can help with temperature regulation although it’s unlikely either one will sleep “hot”). The regular Ultimate Dreams uses blended Talalay latex which I would treat as being equivalent quality/durability as 100% natural Dunlop (see post #6 here about the different types of latex) and the choice between the different types of latex would be a personal preference. Post #7 here has more about how Dunlop and Talalay compare in terms of “feel” but your own personal testing or experience is really the best way to know which one you would prefer.
[quote]-Is all latex (a la Spindle) the way to go?
-I feared the 7" Spindle would be too thin, but with myself weighing in at 160 lbs., will this be okay?[/quote]
This would really depend on your preference, which one you feel best about, which one is the best match for you in terms of PPP and the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. When you can’t test a mattress in person or haven’t tested something similar locally … then more detailed conversations with the online retailer or manufacturer is perhaps the most important part of your choice. They know more about their mattresses and “matching” them to different body types and sleeping positions based on “averages” than anyone else.
They are also a member of this site which means that like Spindle and Dreamfoam (and the others you’ve mentioned) I believe they compete well with the best in the industry.
This is also a great “lower budget” choice and while it wouldn’t be as durable as the other two and would probably be firmer because of it’s thickness (depending on the firmness choices you make with the other two) … it’s would also make a great choice for a lower budget. Once again the best way to get some sense of what it may “feel” like to you is a more detailed conversation with the manufacturer.
Spindle gives you the option between mostly synthetic or 100% natural Dunlop made by Mountaintop foam. Their Dunlop is made on a belt using a continuous pour process, is 7 zoned, and can be made in softer versions (like Talalay) than most Dunlop that is made in a mold so it would be available in similar softness levels to Talalay. (Note: Spindle is now only using 100% natural continuous pour Dunlop and wool quilting in their mattresses)
Just to add some melons to the apples, oranges, and banannas post #21 here includes the members of this site that sell online and there are several of them that sell Talalay latex mattresses with wool quilted covers but they would probably be out of your price range. Arizona Premium here uses wool in the quilting but they use Dunlop latex which has been fabricated with “pillows” on the top surface to make it softer. While I’m at it SleepEz also has an 8" latex option here that uses Dunlop layers and a polyfoam quilting layer and they also have a 6" (with two layers of 100% natural Dunlop) and an 8" all latex mattress here (which adds 2" of 100% natural Talalay to the 6" version) that both use a stretch knit unquilted cover and also have component layers that can be exchanged after a purchase.
Any of these would make a great choice and you would be making a final choice (see post #2 here) between “good and good”. Which one is best for you really depends on all the objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. There are really no “mistakes” with any of them in terms of quality or value but I would strongly encourage to talk with any of them that you are seriously considering rather than rely on pages on a website or specs to decide.
Both natural and synthetic, because Mountain top continuous pour method is a little more advanced than the traditional dunlop method.
I’d assume blended because of it’s price.
I’d like Phoenix’s input, but my understanding is that Spindle would get you there. If we keep with the premise that a mattress is only as good as it’s weakest link, then T&N may actually be more durable than the Dreamfoam.
[quote=“jankdc” post=31433]
I’d like Phoenix’s input, but my understanding is that Spindle would get you there. If we keep with the premise that a mattress is only as good as it’s weakest link, then T&N may actually be more durable than the Dreamfoam.[/quote]
I’m wrong here, The dreamfoam that Phoenix linked to has the better polyfoam base. They also have one that has a 1.5lb polyfoam base that is for sale for $600. Stick with the $800 version.
Wow! What a fantastic, helpful community. Thank you everyone for the very helpful advice!
Phoenix, when you say that Spindle’s continuous pour of Dunlop can be made to feel like Talalay, are you referring to both their natural and synthetic? Because after watching the video of Dunlop vs Talalay I really feel like Talalay is the better option as far as plushness goes, and if a lower ILD of natural Dunlop (or even synthetic) is on par I’d be willing to side with Spindle. Right now with my personal value equation, “feel” is more important than natural materials, so if synthetic continuous pour can feel like natural Talalay I’m all aboard. And when you say that they offer wool quilting that really opens me up to this particular mattress.
I also saw a post where you referenced Quality Sleep Shop’s sister company “My Green Mattress”. I’m seeing many natural latex offerings there, but I can’t tell if they are just innerspring with latex topper and wool quilting. You referenced the Natural Escape model in one post, which was all natural latex, double sided with wool batting, but I can’t seem to find it on their website. Most of their models reference spring count, etc. So I’m unsure. Is there anything from MGM that is within my personal value equation and budget? If so, I could always go in the store and try it out for myself :cheer:
It doesn’t feel like talalay but it can be made in a softness level equivalent to talalay (with both the synthetic and natural). Talalay would still be “springier”. Neal works with it on a daily basis in all the combinations they provide (and he is also familiar with Talalay and other types of Dunlop) so he can tell you more about how they compare.
They have a different lineup now including a latex/pocket coil hybrid and a “custom build” option but with the wonders of the wayback machine you can see the details of the old Natural Escape model here.
Your personal value equation is about all the parts and criteria of a mattress purchase that are important to you not just price so only you can decide which one is the best “value” but their website has the prices for their mattresses so you can check to see if any of them are in your budget. With a quick look on their site though it seems like their Pure Echo series (cotton, cotton/wool, and latex enhanced) include mattresses that are inside your budget range. Their sister company would also likely have mattresses in your budget range but a phone call can give you more specifics (I don’t keep track of all the prices of all the mattresses the members here or other manufacturers or retailers make outside of the information on their websites).
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