My husband and i are looking for a new mattress. 16 yrs together and we have been through 3 spring mattress, so i think we are done with those. We have looked at memory foam, air chamber (sleep comfort - i wont even discuss getting one of these) and Latex. he is tall, 6’6", 260lbs, sleeps all over the place, back side and stomach - depending on exhaustion level. me - 5’10" 200lbs, side and back sleeper. we both work on our feet - i am a chef, he is a baker. Our backs are always killing us and our shoulders and hips as well. I will spend the money if i have to, but i dont want to have to do it every 5 years. We looked at the icomfort series (for $1600) - which we loved - until i read your posts - so not so sure now…I sleep like i am on fire, so the tempurpedic is out. We have tried the simmons comforpedic(for $1600) (the luxury firm - their most firm) and the sealy comfort-pedic (for $2100) - which i really liked both of them, but i have no knowledge about their construction quality or whatnot. I have only the sales rep’s info…which is only so valuable. we have also tried the restonic latex accord - their firmest (for $2000). and i am still not sure! as my husband pointed out, once we found the firmness we liked - they all kind of feel similar! but i know its really about the longevity of the mattress…we have to have a california king, due to my husbands size…so i was wondering if you could point me in the right direction and maybe let me know of anyone in our area (louisville, KY) as a local producer…thanks!
also, what do you know about Tranquility Latex Mattresses? Are they worth the look?
Hi JillandBrian,
Can I come and visit you? It might be worth the 2400 mile trip to spend a day or two in your household 
In a more serious vein … with heavier weights the quality and durability of the materials becomes very important. It is especially important to make sure that there is little to no lower density polyfoam in the upper layers of your mattress so seeing a spec sheet for a mattress becomes very important. The weak link of a mattress will determine it’s durability and low density polyfoam in the upper layers is almost always the weak link of most mattresses.
If you go in the direction of memory foam … it would be very important to know the density of the memory foam and avoid anything that is less than 5 lbs density. Bear in mind too that memory foam will soften in he first few weeks so make sure that it is not already bordering on being too soft. Memory foam will also sleep hotter than other foams especially latex. I would hesitate to use memory foam at all in your case because it is the least supportive of all foams. Memory foam mattresses use memory foam over a more supportive material (usually high density polyfoam) and having the thinnest possible layers of memory foam that adequately relieves pressure would be better than thicker layers if you do go here because thicker layers of memory foam can allow your heavier areas to sink in too far and cause back issues.
In most spring mattresses … the weak link is most often in the comfort layers over the springs rather than the springs themselves. low gauge innersprings in the range of 13 or under (12.5 is normally the thickest) can be very durable and strong.
Here are the local factory direct manufacturers I know about …
http://www.wisebuyingmall.com/bandybedding or http://www.bandymattress.com/ Owensboro, Louisville, Bowling Green, Glasgow. Local factory direct manufacturer who makes a range of mattresses that use high quality materials including latex hybrids (no all latex at this point). I have talked with both John (the owner) and Ryan there there and was impressed with their openness and transparency and the quality of the materials he uses in his mattresses. they are what I call mattress people and they would be well worth a visit.
http://www.bowlesmattress.com/ Regional factory direct manufacturer that produce their own and Lady Americana mattresses. They make a wide range of mattresses and are quite open about the materials they use. They do make “mostly latex” mattresses but they use 3" of super soft 1.5 lb poly under the latex. They say people prefer the feel of this but I would be a bit hesitant with these models even though they do have good value. Their other models use 1.8 lb polyfoam. Their HD series looks very strong and has latex over a firm offset coil which I would include in your testing.
https://www.furniturerow.com/ Regional factory direct manufacturer which makes a range of mattresses in including traditional innersprings and two “mostly latex” models. They don’t make a memory foam mattress. I would tend to focus on their own brands rather than the major brands they also carry.
Find an Original Mattress Factory Store Regional factory direct manufacturer with an outlet in Florence, KY. they make a full range of innerspring, a latex mattress, and two memory foam mattresses that use good quality materials and have good value.
These next are retail outlets that may be worth including in your research (providing they can provide their customers with the details of the layers in their mattresses).
https://www.burdorf.com/ Retailer in Louisville. List that they offer Pure Talalay Bliss, but some of the mattresses listed on their web site are no longer produced by PTB, so you’d want to call to confirm availability. I talked with Babs there and she was very open and helpful.
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Retail outlet in Louisville. List that they offer Pure Talalay Bliss, but the mattress listed on their web site is no longer produced by PTB, so you’d want to call to confirm availability. They also carry Symbol which is a smaller national brand which can offer some better value mattresses. They were very open and helpful when I talked with them on the phone.
https://www.bedzzztogo.com/ Retailer in Louisville. Symbol
http://theisshomefurnishings.com/ La Grange, KY. Restonic latex, memory foam, and innersprings.
http://www.affordablemattressesandmore.com/ Retailer in Elizabethtown, KY. Carries Pure Talalay Bliss, Restonic and mLily (along with Serta and liquidation mattresses which I would avoid).
There are quite a few outlets locally that carry Restonic which makes some mattresses in their Healthrest line including latex and gel memory foam that may also be worth including in your research.
https://www.mattressandmore.com/ Various Louisville area locations. Restonic.
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Louisville. Englander.
Hope this helps … and feel free to post more if you come up with questions along the way. I would take your time and make sure that you are satisfied both with the pressure relief and support and most importantly the potential durability of any mattress (based on knowing what is in it) before you buy it.
Phoenix
what are your thoughts on bragada and Bowles? both factories are very close to my house. I emailed Bragada to see if I could tour their factory. If you buy direct from their factory, are prices usually negotiable?
Hi raqdiantchild,
You can see some comments about Bragada here. My thoughts about the quality of their individual mattresses would depend on the densities of the foam layers so I would make sure you can find this out before considering them (see this article). Outside of making sure that a mattress is a good match for your body type, sleeping style, and personal preferences (preferably using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post) … a mattress is only as good as its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label. I removed the reference to 4 and 5 lb memory foam in their description in the Louisville list because I don’t know if this is still current.
You can see some comments about Bowles Mattress in post #3 here and a forum search on Bowles (you can just click the link) will bring up more comments and feedback about them as well including comments about the quality of the materials in some of their mattresses.
Most factory direct manufacturers and better retail stores will sell their mattresses at their best price every day of the year and their prices aren’t generally negotiable. I would tend to treat negotiable prices (and “major” sales that are generally fake and happen on an ongoing basis) as a red flag. You can read more about “negotiated” pricing in post #6 here.
Phoenix
Any recommendations closer to Lexington KY?
Hi Dustin Cropsboy,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum!
Subject to first confirming that any retailer or manufacturer on the list that you wish to visit is completely transparent (see this article ) and to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here … some options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Lexington, KY area are listed in post #3 here.
Phoenix
Thank you. I’d just discovered Wildcat but have not been there yet, and the only place I’d seen locally advertising latex mattresses was Healthy Back.
Hi Dustin Cropsboy,
You’re welcome.
Yes, Healthy Back has what effectively a “private label” line of latex mattress from Pure Talalay Bliss (PTB). In essence, their Serenity is the PTB Pamper. Their Essence is the PTB Nature. Their Elegance is the PTB Beautiful, and their Pristine is the World’s Best Bed.
Phoenix