Best King Hybrid Mattress with Split Firmness. Alternatives to SleepEZ, Nest Sparrow & Brooklyn Bedding

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
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Hello TMU team, I am looking for a King Hybrid Mattress with Split firmness. We are not interested in two Twin XL’s; we are looking for one mattress. We have tried the SleepEZ 360 hybrid but found that one of us does not like Latex, too much push back and not enough conformance or hug. Sleeper 1, who is not a fan of Latex, is 6 ft 215 BMI of 30, has shoulder pain issues, and is a side sleeper. Sleeper 2 is 5.4 inches tall, has a BMI of 27, is a stomach/side sleeper, and has lower back pain. So we switched to a hybrid mattress that uses 8-inch coils and 2 inches each of med firm MF and Energex. Sleeper one finds it supportive enough and provides OK pressure relief but would like something with a plusher feel (Like the ASH). We enjoyed the feeling of the Nest Sparrow (she liked it with a Med latex insert from the OWL) and Owl but have concerns about the springs. Sleeper 2 wants Frim. (Allswell 8-inch coil with 1-inch ploy form could be firmer). The only other split frim option I can find is the Brooklyn Bedding custom. Are there other mattresses I should be looking at? I am open to DIY if there is a Hybrid open. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I also hear that split firmness mattresses have a hammocking issue?

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Hi Seat15c.

It sounds like you’ve got quite the adventure ahead!

If you do a DIY, you could do a split memory foam/latex build atop coils and encased in the same mattress encasement. There shouldn’t be hammocking issues, but the difference in foam types could be an interesting challenge since memory foam does collapse more than latex. If you were both to sleep in the middle of the mattress towards the very edge of the split layers, I could see where the latex sleeper may roll slightly into the memory foam side. But the point of a king is to stay far far far away from the other sleeper, right? :stuck_out_tongue:

You can find a lot of the DIY components you would need here with the exception of the memory foam comfort layer.

For non latex options in a single (not two twin) set up…Brooklyn Bedding is one that comes to mind. I think Avocado Green may also be an option. Is the Nest not an option in terms of split capability?

NikkiTMU

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I have zeroed in on 3 options and would love your feedback

  • Brooklyn Bedding Custom
    NEST Owl Frim/Soft or NEST Sparrow and swap the comfort layer with Latex (Frim/Soft)
    Bay Bedding (local retailer) see bellow for build

Brooklyn Bedding Custom

The following is the information provided

Covering - .5’’
Comfort Layer - 3’’
Transitional foam - 1’’
Coils - 8’’ Zoned
Base Layer - 1’’

For the covers: You can choose between 3 fabrics for the cover of your custom-built mattress the options will not have foam woven into them.

Organic Cotton- a soft, breathable material that is naturally hypoallergenic and healthy to sleep on.

Recovery Upcycle- A elite top that uses Far Infrared technology to transform body heat into energy allowing your body to recover faster while you sleep. Great for athletes and those who are on their feet a lot.

Luxury Cooling- A fabric that is cool to the touch and draws heat out and away from the body while you sleep.

Organic Cotton- 86% Polyester 14% Organic Cotton
Octagon Cooling- 56% Polyester 42% PE 2% Lycra
Spartan- 90% polyester, 10% FIR modified polyester

For the Layers, we have the ILD’s but we do not have the PCF for any of the layers.

Here is the ILDs used in the latex for the custom build mattress:

Soft: 3" 19ILD Talalay Latex
Med: 3" 28ILD Talalay Latex
Firm: 3" 36ILD Talalay Latex

Below are the densities and ILD’s of the memory foam used:

Soft: 3" 4lb memory foam, 11 ILD
Med: 1.5" 2.5lb 10ILD foam, 1.5" 4lb 13ILD memory foam
Firm: 1.5" 2.5lb 30ILD foam, 1.5" 4lb 13ILD memory foam

Here are the densities of the foams used in the TitanFlex version:

Soft: 3" 2.5lb 10ILD TitanFlex foam
Med: 3" 2.5lb 20ILD TitanFlex foam
Firm: 3" 2.5lb 30ILD TitanFlex foam

The transitional foam and base foam layer are about 1’’ each. I do not have the PCF or ILD of these layers.
The total height of the Custom Mattress will be 13.5’’ tall.

For the coils, there is a total of 1032 coils in the King and they are zoned coils. The gauge for the zoned coils is listed at the Perimeter-13.5, Inner-16, and Zoned-14.75.

NEST

NEST Sparrow
NEST Owl

Surprisingly NEST is now less transparent than Brooklyn Bedding about what is in their mattresses, I have called and the phone support team is light on details, they do not respond to emails and the retail store gives inconsistent information. Being that they are a sponsor of the TMU maybe you have more info.

Bay Bed Hybrid latex

A transition layer is not needed. We use a fitted sheet to protect the latex from tearing on the coils.

The base layer is .75" of 1.7 density, 63 ILD foam as is the perimeter foam of the foam encasement.

Coils are from Texas pocket springs, 6" in height. The firm side is 13.5 gauge. Medium is 14.5 gauge.

The cover is Bamboo fabric, 1" poly foam 1.5 lb. density14 ILD, .5" dacron fiber.

The latex is a Talalay blend- 70% synthetic/ 30% natural.

Three 1 inch layers The firm is 44 ILD, the soft is 24 and the extra soft is 14.

Above I mentioned our preferences and height and BMI.

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  • My concern with the Brooklyn Bedding custom is the lack of a pillow top means I won't get enough pressure relief and the Talalay will not be frim enough for my wife.

    My concern with the NEST products is the Pillow top becoming matted and making the lifetime warranty useless (Needs to have a 1 impression) (Feel was pretty good)

    Bay Bedding felt great but no trial period to see if we really like it and no non-latex options if we don’t (The feel was great for both of us)

  • [/ul][b][/b]
    4

    Hi Seat15c.

    Thanks for the detailed specs! I can see that Phoenix has addressed your concerns about the Nest mattresses in your existing thread here.

    The Brooklyn Bedding mattress is within out durability guidelines, as you’ve likely already gathered. :slight_smile: Any concerns about the Bay Bed mattress are similar in the answer provided to you by Phoenix about your Nest inquiry.

    This is where testing can be very important. While we can help you break down durability of components and talk about relative feel, ultimately only you can feel what it is you feel on a mattress. My idea of too firm may be far too soft for someone else, etc.

    Have you previously only slept on pillow top mattresses? Is there a specific feel you’re looking for from your ideal mattress?

    NikkiTMU

    5

    Yes I have tried a pillow top

    I am considering the following two builds. I have laid on option A I am wondering if I swap the comfort layers between the two with the feel (firmness be significantly impacted) The foam is sourced from the same supplier.

    Will the combination of the three one-inch layers feel the same as the One 3 inch layer?

    Option A

    Covering 1.5"
    Cotton fabric, 1" poly foam 1.5 lb. density 14 ILD, .5" dacron fiber

    Comfort Layer - 3’’
    Talalay blend- 70% synthetic 30% natural.
    Three 1 inch layers firm is 44 ILD, soft 24 extra soft is 14.

    Transitional foam
    None

    Coils - 6’’
    13.5 guage

    Base Layer - 1’’
    1.7 density, 63 ILD poly foam

    Option B

    Covering 1"
    Cotton fabric, 1" Gel Memory foam 2.5 lb.

    Comfort Layer - 3’’
    Talalay blend- 70% synthetic 30% natural.
    One 3 inch layer 36 ILD

    Transitional foam .5"
    1.5 Lb. Poly Foam

    Coils - 8’’ Zoned
    Gauge for the zoned coils is Perimeter-13.5, Inner-16, and Zoned-14.75.

    Base Layer - .5’’
    1.5 lb. Poly foam

    6

    Any Feedback?

    7

    Hi Seat15c!

    So sorry I didn’t see your previous reply with the breakdown of builds.

    Yes, assuming the materials have an identical firmness. If you have 3 one-inch layers of varying firmness, it will differ in feel from the one 3 inch layer that is uniform in firmness.

    My preference would be for your Option B. I’m really curious how you came to the split 3" comfort layer method. Is this something that was recommended to you?
    NikkiTMU

    8

    The store suggested this: for the layered option, One side had 13.5 gauge coils, and the other has 14.5-inch coils.

    I was trying to understand if the difference in comfort layers and coils would significantly impact the support and compression feel? If so, how, Firmer, softer?

    9

    Hi Seat15c.

    I hope I am understanding your question (battling a bit of a headache today!)

    The lower the number means the thicker the gauge, and this typically creates a firmer mattress. So, if I’m understanding, the 14.5 side would be a bit softer and the 13.5 would be a bit firmer (12 being the firmest).

    NikkiTMU

    NikkiTMU