Just joined the forum 5 minutes ago. I must say, I have never seen this level of dedication by a forum owner. Thanks for all your hard work!
I spent about an hour here, just browsing some content, but haven’t read through your main pieces yet. From what I’ve seen here and from SLTD, full latex is basically the way to go. And it looks like natural latex is best, but also quite expensive, and that blended natural/synthetic is very close in performance, but much more affordable. Am I getting this right?
I know you don’t like to make recommendations because everyone has different needs/preferences. But I think many things can be objective. I think support probably is, or should be more important than comfort - obviously it would be great to have both. Anyway, I’ll do some more reading, but ultimately would love to have some input. If it helps, I’m male, mid 30’s, and 5’9" - 170 lbs.
Welcome … and thanks for the kind comments. I appreciate them
There is a lot of information here but the first the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly 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 “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own 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 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 (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here relative to your weight range … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article).
Each category can include hundreds or sometimes thousands of different mattresses with different designs, different “feels”, different characteristics, and different firmness levels. Every individual layer and component in a mattress (including the cover and any quilting material) will affect the feel and response of every other layer and component both above and below it and the mattress “as a whole” so each mattress category will generally include some mattresses that will be a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP and others that use the same type of materials and components and are in the same category may but have a different design or firmness level that may be completely unsuitable for you to sleep on … even if it uses the same general type of materials and components that would be just as durable.
Latex would certainly be the way to go for those that prefer the feel and performance of latex more than other types of materials or mattresses but for those that don’t then other materials and other types of mattresses would be a better choice.
Any type or blend of latex (either Dunlop or Talalay and made with synthetic rubber, natural rubber, or a blend of both) is a high quality and durable material so the choice between them would also be more of a preference and a budget choice rather than a “better/worse” choice. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and more about how Dunlop compares to Talalay in general in post #7 here but once again the best way to know which type or blend of latex you tend to prefer will be based on your own testing or your own personal experience.
“Support” is often misunderstood because the goal of a “supportive” mattress is to keep the spine and joints in good alignment and this requires the type of contouring support that allows some parts of the body to sink in more (softer) and some parts of the body to sink in less (firmer) and this will vary on an individual basis based on body type and sleeping style. There is more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support/alignment” and “comfort/pressure relief” and “feel” and how they interact together.
For most people that are in reasonable health the alignment of your spine and joints is the most important factor in how well and how deeply you will sleep followed by pressure relief followed by your own personal preferences but I would agree with you that all of them are important.
While good alignment is certainly more objective … there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here) and the “lack” of any alignment related “symptoms” of pain or discomfort when you sleep on it.
In its simplest form … choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …
Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.
Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.
Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
