First I would like to thank all of you for your advice and great information. I have been reading for days, and finally decided to join since I am still unsure of what to buy for my bed.
I have been leaning towards latex as a comfort layer, but I was wondering about the use of coils as a base layer instead of foam. I have seen some beds that use a coils and then they use 2-4" of latex. How does using coils affect things? I live in Arizona, and I have tried some out, but I still can’t decide. When I try them, they all feel good, but I am concerned about heat. Will the coil base models be cooler?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Hopefully you’ve had the chance to read the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for that are involved in each of them and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability, durability, and value.
The type of support material or components in a mattress would be a preference and a budget choice but not necessarily a “better/worse” choice. Innersprings and latex and polyfoam can all make suitable and durable support systems in the right firmness. There is more about innerspring support vs latex support cores in post #13 here and in post #28 here and the posts it links to.
Polyfoam is less resilient and responsive and somewhat “stiffer” and less “springy” or “bouncy” than latex (or an innerspring) but it can also make a good support system for those that are also a little more restricted in terms of their budget or for those that prefer how it feels over other types of support materials or components. There is also more about an all latex mattress vs a latex/polyfoam hybrid in post #2 here.
Most of the “feel” of a mattress when you first lie on it comes from the upper layers but the deeper layers will also contribute to how a mattress feels as well especially when you move or “bounce” on the mattress and the mattress is compressed more deeply. There are hundreds of different types of innersprings with different firmness levels and response curves that are used in conjunction with hundreds of different combinations of materials on top of them so there isn’t a single “feel” for innerspring mattresses that you can use to compare them to other mattresses because these types of comparisons depend on the specifics of the design. The same is true for mattresses that use polyfoam or latex support cores so the only way to know how two mattresses compare and the differences you would feel between them (which may not be the same as someone else would feel if they compare the same mattresses) would be based on your own careful testing and personal experience.
As long as the quality and durability of the support core meets the durability guidelines here … I would choose between them based on careful testing and based on your preferences and budget and what you can actually “feel” on the mattress “as a whole” when you test them rather than on a predisposition towards thinking that one is necessarily “better” than the other.
While it’s not possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person or know for certain how two mattresses will compare in terms of temperature regulation because there are so many variables involved and there is no standardized testing for this … there is also more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.
In very general terms the upper layers and materials of a mattress or sleeping system that are closer to your body (including the mattress cover and quilting, your mattress protector, and the sheets and bedding you use and what you wear to bed) will have a bigger effect on sleeping temperature than the deeper layers or components of a mattress and while it’s unlikely that most people would have temperature regulation issues with a latex comfort layer regardless of the materials or components underneath it … “in theory” an innerspring would have more airflow and so it could be a little more temperature regulating in some mattress designs even though I doubt that most people would notice much difference if the upper layers that were closer to your body were the same.
You are very fortunate to live in Arizona because you have some great quality/value options available to you including several of the members of this site
Thank you for your thorough answer! I really appreciate your time helping me. Do you know about a mattress model made by RS/BB called Mallory? I tried that one, and some others as well, I was wondering about the construction of it in comparison to some others available here.
There are some comments about the Mallory in this topic. I don’t know all the specifics of the materials and components inside it (other than it appears to have 4" of Talalay latex on top of an innerspring with a polyfoam quilted cover) but there is enough information in the topic to know that there aren’t any lower quality materials or “weak links” in the design.
I don’t have any personal experience on the Mallory so I can’t make any meaningful comments about how it would feel to me compared to another mattress that I also haven’t tried in person much less how it would feel or compare for someone else that may have a very different experience on the same mattresses because these types of comparisons are very subjective and different people will have different opinions about how two mattresses compare to each other based on differences in their body type, sleeping positions, preferences, and individual sensitivities.
There is more about the different ways that one mattress can “match” another one in post #9 here but when you can’t test two mattresses in person to compare them based on your own personal experience then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
