Hello TMU. I’m looking for advice on my next steps for a new mattress.
I’m 52, 275lb, side sleeper. I’m married but sleep alone with a pillow between my legs. Knock on wood, I’ve had little to no extended back, shoulder or hip pain in my life.
I’m moving from the south to the DMV soon. There aren’t a lot of shopping choices where I live now, so I tried out a latex (Talalay) mattress to convince myself I wanted to get rid of my old pillow-top spring bed instead of moving it, and I’m going for it. In the DC area I will be able to shop SleePare in Tysons and Avocado Green in Georgetown.
I’m currently intrigued by Sleep EZ and I assume I would go for a 3" Talalay over 2 Dunlop layers (M/M/F). I don’t know how to try out this configuration without buying it, but hopefully my DC shopping will give me more insight.
Fwiw I’m also considering an adjustable power base, so although I might prefer a full mattress, I believe I’d need to get a queen to use one.
TMU, am I overlooking anything at this point? In two weeks I’ll be on a compact schedule, sleeping on an air mattress, so if you can help me avoid making mistakes then, with research or ideas that I can work on now, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!
It sounds like you’ve been doing great research and have also done some in person testing, which is a very valuable data point in your mattress shopping!
I haven’t heard of SleePare, but I am sure you’ll have a good testing experience with Avocado Green. Sleep EZ beds are also great. Have you used the tool on their site to get a custom configuration for your weight/height/sleep needs? I believe you can do so by selecting their organic mattress.
Nothing glaring comes to mind. Is there something specific you’re looking to get from your mattress in terms of pressure relief?
I have fear of buyer’s remorse, and can bog myself down in analysis paralysis. I honestly feel like I’d be “fine” with an Amazon bargain or national brand pillow top, but I know they’re just not as good as what’s available. So the pressure point I’m looking to relieve is whether I’m spending my money wisely, on the right choice.
Hello injera, welcome to the Mattress Underground!
Trying out mattresses is a good idea to get the configuration of Dunlop and Talalay -trying different combos will give you more clarity on what you want. I also wanted to mention that you don’t necessarily need to get a queen size to use an adjustable bed. I know Malouf and Leggett and Platt make full-size adjustable beds as well as queens. Best of luck to you in your search!
Why are you looking for a mattress if dont have any pain? Im not sure what “south of the DMV” means. Where are you moving to?
I was disappointed by Avocado. But see if you like it. Sleepare is an incredible store. I went to Sleepare LA. They have all the Bed in a Box mattresses.
I am moving from the south (American South) to the DMV (DC-Maryland-Virginia) metro area.
I decided to replace my current mattress based on its age, and since I’m moving. I’m excited by all of the new possibilities since I last shopped for a mattress, but also intimidated.
Thank you for the feedback about your experiences with the Avocado and with SleePare. I’m looking forward to trying out a lot of options. Did you end up buying through SleePare? It’s great that they offer the ability to try so many online store mattresses. I wonder how many people buy through them vs. online after trying them out.
I didnt buy anything through Sleepare, but I will visit again. You can try 30 online mattresses in your visit. Id never do that by actually buying and returning 30 mattresses.
My stand out mattress (nonSleepare) is King Koil Pure Bliss Latex in Brook (Firm) or Genesis (Soft). I like the Brook. Look for a KK dealer in your area.
100% Talalay latex. Phenomenal!!!
I wouldnt toss your old mattress. You might be sorry. You might like the old mattress more than the new one. Never trash a favorite. You have no pain. Thats great!
This advice is really solid. I was thinking this move would be a good opportunity to throw out the old and bring in the new, but if I just move the old bed, it will give me more time to shop in my new location. And I can always discard the old bed there. Thank you for this perspective.
Hi Injera,
I think what John is trying to say, and if he isnt, I would suggest it, do not throw your old bed away until you have slept on your new mattress choice for a good month or two provided you have the room. This is not just an opportunity to have a longer time to search for a new mattress. Some older mattress, despite being old, were simply made better than a lot of what is being pushed out there today. Many of the trusted members who manufacture their own mattresses, still use the same quality materials and methods of manufacturing that they did 50, 75 and 100 years ago. Many of the big name brands that dominated the last 100 years, have not maintained the goal of producing the same lasting level of product that they used to. That is why you should proceed with caution. I am not saying dont buy a new mattress. A new one may be even more comfortable than the old one, plus when you get a new home, it is exciting to have new updated furniture, dishes, bedding and a new mattress. But of all the things you will buy, you will be sleeping on your mattress 6-8 hours a day, every day, for years. If you happen to buy something that doesnt work as well as your old one, you dont want to suffer why finding a replacement for the replacement. If you have a spare room, to hold that old mattress, take advantage of that, it literally may be less of a pain in the neck to hang on to it, if you have the room, than if you toss it when you get the new one and the new one does not turn it out to be quire right.
Good luck on your search.
Norm
This is true. The excitement and opportunity to have a new bed was one of the drivers for my decision. Based on John’s and your advice, I think I’ll keep the old one and use it while I shop. Although it will be a little difficult to keep the old one around after purchasing the new one, it will be doable for a while, and makes perfect sense, especially if I need to do any returns or exchanges.
Thanks for the great advice.
Keep the old mattress. Give yourself more time to shop for new one. Try old vs new mattress for a few months. The new mattress may indeed be better……or not.
I am in the world of bicycle racing. Ive bought many new bikes. Ive learned to never get rid of old bike while getting a new bike. Often, the new bike is not better than the old bike. One time I sold my favorite old bike for almost nothing. Then I wanted that old bike back and I couldnt buy it because it was no longer made. One thing about old bikes/mattreses….you know them thoroughly….and usually like them. I understand the allure of a new bike/mattress and “out with the old and in with new!” and “stop holding on to old things”, but it is wise to hold on to you old mattress for a bit longer. Especially since you have no pain!
Never get rid of an old bike/mattress til you knoe the new one is good. Ask me how I know!
Try Avocado (Dunlop latex) mattress to see if you like Dunlop. You probably wont like it. If you dont like Dunlop, you might not like SleepEZ. Maybe SleepEZ can do 100% Talalay.
Next is the 100% Talalay latex. Seems fluffy and contouring to me. Try King Koil Pure Bliss Latex Brook or Genesis. I found the Brook to be most outstanding mattress ever. Only downside was zero adjustability. Medium talalay latex. Try in your area because KK is a national brand. Try Posh and Lavish too (Dunlop and Talalay).
This leads me to Flobeds Vzone. 100% talalay latex. With Vzone, soft latex is great for shoulders, but bad for lower back. Or medium is bad for shoulders and great for lower back. What do you do? Enter the VZone. Zone latex layer. Now you can have soft at shoulders and medium for lower back (top layer only). Hypothetical here, but Im equating KK Brook to Flobeds.
Im hypothesizing here (havent tried it myself because Im not rich).
King Koil Pure Latex Bliss Brook = Flobeds (100% Talalay) KK had medium 100% talalay with graphite infused medium Talalay. What ever was in that mattress……it felt magical…supportive and conforming like a lemon meringue pie white souflee frosting with that “floating on a cloud” feel.
Posh and Lavish latex (Dunlop base with Talalay topper) = SleepEZ The talalay topper felt great. Wasnt very impressed with Dunlop base layer.
The only way to know for sure is to order all 4 mattresses. Retail brick and mortar prices where $5700-$7000 and online was $2800-$3400. Online is a tremendous value. With Flobeds, you can adjust any layer at any time as you get older or gain or lose weight.
