TORONTO MATTRESS SEARCH

I found the following mattress at Costco and wanted to get your feedback on it (I understand that you’re not a fan of the big name manufacturers, but thought I would get your feedback on the components of this Sealy product):

Sealy® Posturepedic® is designed in conjunction with leading orthopedic surgeons to give you the best possible support. Sealy®’s Posturepedic® PROBACK™ CoreSupport Center™ provides Ergonomic support for the back in the center third of the mattress where 60% of the body’s mass lays without intruding on the comfort of the mattress. Also enhanced with ProGel memory foam which allows you to sleep cooler. Sealy®’s PROBACK™ CoreSupport™ Center Motion Stabilizer is a unique motion absorbing component across the entire mattress surface reduces the inherent bounce of the innerspring, creating a deep down supportive ‘just right’ feel. Sealy®’s Titanium Posturepedic® PROBACK™ coils provide 20% more support than competitive comparisons through the addition of Titanium alloy which is 2X stronger than steel.
Features:
700 Posturepedic® Posturetech™ Coils
Handmade mattress (+/- manufacturing variance of 2.5 cm (1 in.) on the crown height of the mattress)
PROBACK™ CoreSupport Center™ featuring ProGel memory foam
Sealy® box spring
Made in Canada

PROBACK™ core support:
2.5 cm (1 in.) PROBACK™ Stabilizer pad
1.3 cm (0.5 in.) PROBACK CoreSupport Center™ featuring ProGel memory foam
PROBACK™ Support Insulator

Comfort quilt layers:
5.1 cm (2 in.) StayTrue™ foam
7.6 cm (3 in.) StayTrue™ foam
StayTrue™ fibre

Deep down comfort layers:
3.8 cm (1.5 in.) Supersoft StayTrue™ foam
0.64 cm (0.25 in.) StayTrue™ foam

Price is $500 for a queen set.

Any feedback would be appreciated. There are a couple of smaller manufacturers that I have been told about: Homeline & LifeCare - any info about them?

Hi paperman,

Hopefully you’ve had the chance to read the tutorial post (the link is in the top right corner of the page) which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Post #4 here also has some of my thoughts about buying a mattress from a big box store like Costco.

Unfortunately the “specs” you listed don’t include any information about the quality of the materials in the mattress (which is fairly typical of major brands who don’t normally provide this information to their customers).

Outside of how suitable a mattress is for your specific needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) … a mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality of the materials inside it and without knowing this you would be making a completely blind purchase with no way of knowing anything about the quality or durability of the mattress you are buying. This would be a very risky purchase because in most cases the biggest reason that a manufacturer doesn’t provide this information is because the quality of the materials are low.

Post #4 here has more about the information and specifications you would need (or I would need) to make any kind of meaningful assessment about the quality and durability of a mattress, identify any weak links, and to make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses. I would completely avoid any mattress where this information isn’t available to you unless you are comfortable with a very high risk purchase or the durability or useful life of a mattress isn’t an important part of your personal value equation (such as a mattress for temporary use or for a guest room that is only used occasionally)

While it’s not likely you will be able to find it out … if you can provide this information and post it on the forum I’d be happy to make some comments about the quality of the materials inside it.

Some of the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Toronto area are listed in post #1 here.

Phoenix

Thanks for the useful information. I’ll need some quiet time to digest all this and then start contacting some local manufacturers.

Does anyone have any recommendations regarding a Toronto based manufacturer?

Just wanted to add that there are probably many many local futon shops and such that get from from Vita Foam in Toronto (as there is a factory there).

Hi Paperman,

There is a link to a list of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Toronto area at the end of my previous reply in this thread :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix:

I came across the following option and would love to get your opinion:

Natura Trailway Bed on sale from Costco - Natura is based in Toronto according to their website, but couldn’t find any other reviews about them: http://www.naturaworld.com/category/contact-us/:

he Trailway Mattress fulfills your desire for healthy, rejuvenating sleep with lush helpings of natural ingredients. The Talalay latex layer and supporting plant-based foam core work together to cradle and cushion your body for a deeper, more restorative rest. This mattress has a luxurious Aloe Vera ticking that nurtures your skin, while the cozy, NaturaWool™ lining wicks away moisture to maintain a fresh, dry sleep environment.Quilt
Aloe Vera ticking
1 kg (2.3 lb.) Pure NaturaWool™ fibers create millions of air pockets that ensure an insulating layer of dry, comfortable air next to the skin. This layer buffers the body from extreme cold or hot air, maintaining a comfortable temperature at all times.
2.5-cm (1-in.) Plant-based quilt foam

Core
5.1-cm (2-in.) Talalay latex – medium
Talalaly Latex contours to the body’s natural curves while its ventilated open cell structure promotes air circulation and reduces moisture buildup
15.2-cm (6-in.) Plant-based foam core is durable and long lasting

Hi paperman,

Natura used to be an independent manufacturer of a wide range of mattresses that specialized mostly in latex or latex hybrid mattresses (such as the one you are looking at) but they went bankrupt and were bought out by Spring Air / Sommex which have since split and Natura is now part of Rev Sleep which is owned by Sommex. They lost a lot of market share because of delivery issues before and after the bankruptcy but this seems to have been resolved.

They use good quality materials but tend to be in a more premium price range compared to other similar mattresses made by other manufacturers. A forum search on Naturaworld or on Natura Sommex (you can just click these) will bring up more comments and feedback about them and a google site search on natura will bring up even more.

Outside of testing a mattress for how suitable it is in terms of PPP, the most important part of a mattress purchase is to make sure that you now the quality of all the layers and components in a mattress (especially in the upper layers which are normally the weak link of a mattress). Without this there is no way to assess the quality/durability of a mattress or make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses.

In the case of the Natura Trailway the layers from top to bottom and my comments are …

2.3 lb wool quilting: which is a good quality material and would help with temperature regulation although it will compress a little and become firmer over time (which is a normal part of the way that wool performs).

1" polyfoam quilting: This is within the guidelines I use of “around an inch or so” of polyfoam quilting and wouldn’t affect the durability of the mattress.

2" Talalay latex: They don’t say whether this is 100% natural or blended Talalay but either way it would be a good quality material (I would suspect it’s blended). I would want to know the blend though because it can help you make more meaningful comparisons with other mattresses.

6" plant based polyfoam core: This is just polyfoam (you can read more about so called plant based foam in post #2 here) but they don’t provide the density of the polyfoam which I would want to know … particularly with thinner comfort layers where the support layers will be subject to more wear and tear.

So assuming that the support core is 1.8 lb density or better this mattress wouldn’t have any obvious weak links but like most of the Natura mattresses they are in a more premium price range than other mattresses with similar designs that are available to you online.

You can also see my thoughts about buying from Costco or other big box stores in post #4 here.

The “bottom line” is that it is good quality and would be a better choice than many mainstream mattresses but you could probably do better in terms of value for this type of latex hybrid mattress.

Phoenix

Thanks for your feedback, Phoenix:

I called the manufacturer, Natura and spoke to a very helpful person. She indicated the following:

Talalay is blended - 30% Natural & rest is synthetic - supplied by Latex International
Polyfoam core - density is 5 LBS

My other choice is the Dreamstar Omega with the following specs:

Support System
Coil Style 2.2 lbs high density ; Soy Bio foam
Edge Support 360° foam encasement. A firm seating edge
Support Base & reduces motion transfer across sleep surface

Comfort System
Insulation 3/4" comfort layer
Primary Upholstery 1" ultra foam comfort layer
PT Upholstery All natural latex 2"

Quilt Package
Ticking & Quilt Pattern Soft organic bamboo fabric; 1 - 3/4" premium ultra foam and
hollowfill fiber to keep the mattress warm in the winter and
cool in the summer

The main differences I think are:

  1. the Latex: 2" Natural for Omega vs 2" Blended (containing only 30% natural) for Trailway, in which case Omega is better?
  2. the Density of the foam - 2.2 lbs for Omega vs 5 lbs for Trailway, in which case Trailway is better?
  3. Quilting - difficult to compare

Any thoughts?

I just came across the following link that shows very negative reviews about Natura’s products:

Thanks and best regards

Hi paperman,

Talalay is blended - 30% Natural & rest is synthetic - supplied by Latex International: This would be the “standard” Talalay blend and is a high quality and durable material (it would probably be a little more durable than 1005 natural Talalay).

Polyfoam core - density is 5 LBS This is almost certainly wrong and is in the density range you would normally find in memory foam … not polyfoam (see my comments in post #17 here)

The 2.2 lb polyfoam (Soy bio foam) support layer is a good quality/density material but the support layer isn’t generally the weak link of a mattress.

I would want to know the density of the other polyfoam layers because there’s more than “about an inch or so” (there is 3 1/2" in the upper layers) which means that they could become a weak link in the mattress if they are in a lower quality/density range. The latex would be a good quality material but I would also want to know the type and blend of the latex.

You can read more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here.

I don’t pay too much attention to mattress reviews … especially if there are just a few (see post #13 here) because they don’t include the specifics of the mattress or the other parts of the sleeping system or their personal circumstances that could be the cause of any issues they are experiencing. All manufacturers have access to the same materials so I would be much more interested in knowing the quality of the materials inside the mattress. Almost every manufacturer will have some negative reviews … justified or not … and if you went by this there would be very few if any manufacturers left to purchase from.

Phoenix