Split or solid comfort layer?

Please forgive me if this was answered in a previous post. I did do a search but didn’t find an answer, but there were over 20 pages on a search of ‘split’ in titles.

We are looking at buying a latex mattress in a Cal King size. My wife is 5’10" and about 140# and I am 6’4" 240#. I am disabled and facing my 6th back surgery. My wife has fibromyalgia but is more active than I am. We are both side sleepers. We both visited Sleep EZ and tried a few of their pre-made split configurations and found them pretty comfortable. I figured we would go back and see if we can try other layer combinations.

I also visited 4 other local manufacturers or latex specialty stores since then and found Sleep EZ and Arizona Premium Mattresses to be the most helpful, educated and adaptable. In reading this forum I am trusting that they are good and reputable companies. Another one I may be interested in is Flobeds with the convoluted topper, but they aren’t local and we wouldn’t be able to try it beforehand.

All that said, I am wondering if the mattress would be more comfortable, and stable, with a solid comfort layer instead of a split top comfort layer? We would still have different middle and bottom layers (bottom 2 layers if we should get the 13"). I just picture the top layers separating even under the mattress cover. Would you suggest the 13" over the 10" or is that overkill for our sizes?

Any suggestions and/or guidance would be appreciated. We are gun shy since we bought a Tempurpedic (on 5 year no interest terms) but returned it because Karen could not tolerate the smell. My eyes were burning a little also. The month we had it we slept in the same room only 2 nights. Since we had them pick up our old mattress we are still in separate rooms with Karen in a bed and me on the floor.

As I said, we are a bit (a lot) gun shy with our Tempurpedic experience. At least we will be able to appreciate a new bed that much more when we finally get one.

Thanks,
Doug & Karen

Hi krnndug,

Both of them are manufacturers that were invited to become members of this site which means that I think highly of both of them and I believe they both compete well with the best in the industry in terms of quality, value, and service.

There are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for me or anyone to know what would be most “comfortable” for you based on theory that could be more accurate than your own personal testing and experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here) but there is more information in post #2 here about the pros and cons of split layering that may be helpful. Your weight difference would make you a good candidate for split layering. There is also a little more about couples that have a larger weight difference or different needs and preferences in the first part of post #2 here.

Neither of you are in a weight range where you would likely “need” 12" of latex but you may prefer it or may prefer the greater number of fine tuning options that goes with more layers. Like all other preference choices … there isn’t really a better or worse and I would make this choice based on your own personal testing and preferences (see post #2 here).

Phoenix

Thanks for the reply and all the information you provide. What are your thoughts regarding the v-zone of the floebeds? I am sitting looking through their website right now and it seems nice, but is it more than what we need?

Thanks,
Doug

Hi krnndug,

Zoning can be very useful for people who have more challenging circumstances or sensitivities, 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. There is more about zoning in this article and in post #11 here.

There are many types of zoned layers or mattresses but the key with zoning is that the zoning scheme is a good match for the individual person because zoning can be both detrimental or helpful in terms of PPP.

The advantage of the vZone is that the zoning scheme can be customized so it can be fine tuned for each individual person and this adds a layer of customization to a mattress that is unusual to find. For some people the extra cost or potential additional complexity may not be worthwhile or something they feel they would need but for those whose history, circumstances, or body types indicate that they could benefit from it then it would be well worthwhile considering and I would certainly talk to them about it to get a better sense of how it would fit your own individual circumstances and preferences.

Phoenix

Don’t you ever sleep :slight_smile: Thanks a lot for your help. Now to pull the trigger.

Doug

Hi krnndug,

Not nearly as much as I’d like to since I started the site … but when I do I sleep well :slight_smile:

Good luck with your final choice. You are looking at some great quality/value options and I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding.

Phoenix