Pheonix,
First off, great site! The amount of information and transparency you provide into the mysterious world of mattresses is truly incredible. On top of that, the personal support you provide through your mattress forums is remarkable. As someone who is constantly researching purchases on the internet (stereos, TVs, autos, skis, you name itā¦), I donāt think I have ever seen anything like your site in terms of the unbiased, fact-based commentary and educational value.
I have made a small donation in appreciation of your efforts! The entertainment value of the Essentia thread alone was worth it! Itās just too bad they bailed on the discussion so early as it was just getting interesting! (link here for anyone interested)
Now, on to more important thingsā¦
After some pretty extensive research on your website, I went out for my first day of shopping today. It was pretty short - the time for shopping has to be fit in between work and the hectic schedule of two young kids (which is why I need to improve my sleep!). I went to Soma as itās close to where we live and I had about an hour at the shop before they closed for the day. For what itās worth, I spent my time talking with Christina (sp?), and she was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I mentioned your site and she knew you instantly. I also put another couple who were in there shopping onto your site! But I digressā¦
I spent my time focused on two mattress brands - the Green Sleep mattresses and the Sleeptek mattresses. Not for any reason other than a quick tour of the other models - Natura and one other - didnāt seem as comfortable on first pass. Also, given this was my first shopping trip, I decided to focus on fewer brands and instead test the various models in their range to try and narrow down my personal preferences.
The models that I found I liked most were (layers listed from bottom to top):
Sleeptek Euro 3: 6" firm and 4" soft layers ($4,100 King Size)
Sleeptek Euro 4: 4" firm, 4" med, and 2" soft layers ($4,500 King Size)
Green Sleep Gulden: 1.5" firm, 3" medium, 1.5" soft, and 2" soft ($3,700 King Size)
All models were full latex mattresses. I didnāt get into the exact layer details due to time, and also just trying to figure out my tastes without getting too caught up in the technical specs.
I do have some questions for you that came out of today:
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Construction
I was extremely impressed with the construction quality of both brands of mattresses. I was surprised to see how they were put together. For both brands, the various layers are wrapped in an organic cotton covering. The combined layers making up the mattress are then put into a zippered/removable wool/cotton quilted cover. Is this standard construction? I got the impression from some of the reading here and pictures on websites that the layers would be in direct contact with each other and possibly even bonded together. -
Layers
I get the differential/progressive construction of the Sleeptek mattresses. However, I am confused by the layering in the Green Sleep matresses where they often have 4 layers (S, S, M, F as an example). I know from reading your site that 2 - 2" soft layers will be softer than 1 4" layer. Is this all they are trying to do - play with the softness/firmness of the layers without actually changing the type/ILD of the latex? -
Pricing
Any thoughts on the above pricing for a King size mattress would be appreciated.
I am going to try and get out to Dormio this week to try out some of their mattresses. I also have Chris at Dream Time and Ideal Mattress Ltd on my list. I donāt see myself expanding beyond this as I am pretty time constrained and would like to get something ordered asap. If you have any suggestions for Toronto (and yes I have gone through your list in detail), that you feel should be given consideration beyond these. My thought is that I would like to go factory direct, but I was certainly impressed with the products I saw today and would like to make sure that I stay in that range of quality, but maybe improve on the value factor.
Thanks again for the great website and forums!