Talalay Latex on Coils: 4" (EcoCloud), 3" (Saatva Hybrid), 2" (Birch)? Other?

[NikkiTMU]

Hi turnstyle.

Welcome to our Mattress Forum.

Thanks so much for your kind words and observations. You’re not wrong. Many of the popular mattress review sites tend to have ulterior motives in their reviews and recommendations. We are glad you-ve arrived here!

I’m a 5’9" 150lb male. Have always slept on traditional coil mattresses. Think of myself as a combination sleeper (mostly side and back), I don’t like getting hot. I’ll share the mattress with a smaller partner (5’2 120lb female) also a combination sleeper. I’m a somewhat light sleeper, and do tend to wake up when partner moves around.

Thanks for sharing this. I’m not sure how many of our resources you’ve had a chance to look through so far, but you may be interested in our article on sleeping positions. In general terms, your preferred sleeping positions clash with each other a little in terms of support needs. Side sleepers tend to need comfort layers that are a little thicker and softer. In general, a good starting point for an adequate comfort layer for a side sleeper is 3" and then depending on weight, body shape, preferences, and the firmness of the support layers, to go up or down from there. Most side sleepers will fall in the range of from 2" -4". Where it pertains to back sleeping…a thinner top layer tends to work a little better. A good starting point for a back sleeper is 2" of softer material on top of your mattress and then increasing or decreasing from there.

To my thinking, a talalay latex comfort layer, on coils with a more-supportive coil perimeter, and with generally natural materials like cotton and wool, seems appealing. (However, I do also understand this isn’t the optimal setup to dampen motion from other sleeper.)

I can see you’ve got a general aversion to foam mattresses due to their tendency to “trap” you as they warm up as you sleep. They can be great for motion isolation, but as you’ve stated, not everyone is a fan of the self-described “stuck” sensation. It looks like you’ve got a good idea of your preferences when it comes to a mattress, which is a very important part of the mattress selection process! It is obvious you’ve been giving a lot of thought to what may be your best set up.

I noticed you’ve also been chatting with Ken at Arizona Premium about a potential DIY setup. Based on the research you’ve already done, a DIY may be a great option to pursue! You’ll be able to tinker with a DIY or custom option in a way a “ready made” mattress won’t generally allow.

The Winkbed, Saatva, and Birch (at first glance) appear only to differ in the thickness of their Talalay comfort layers. Would you be able to provide additional specifications (like the ILD of the various Talalay layers and, if possible, the coil height/gauge/count each mattress uses). It’s hard to make a meaningful commentary on these mattresses without that information. If you already have those specs handy and want to do a little compare/contrast on your own with regards to whether they’d be a suitable option for you, I’d recommend you take a look at our Mattress Durability guidelines and compare the information.

Also, you mentioned that you think the 4" of the WinkBed would be your favorite option. Is this based on any sort of previous sleep experience or previously owned mattresses/mattress testing?

I think all the review sites drove me a bit insane, because everything seems to get a similar good review.

Ah yes. Review sites and making a decision based solely on reviews can be problematic as reviews lack specific information about all the variables that can contribute to the suitability of a mattress (like details about the person and the mattress) that would make them more meaningful/accurate. I’d suggest reading about the dangers of making a purchase based on reviews here.

Looking forward to hearing more from you soon!