Tried a Savvy Rest, but just doesn't feel right.. where now?

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
1

My wife and I dropped by Green Living today (as listed in your Dallas/Ft. Worth local retailers thread) to try out the Savvy Rest three-layer latex mattresses as well as Sleep Experts for their full line of memory foam (everything from Tempurpedic to their house brand). We’re coming from a 6-year old $800 innerspring mattress from Sears that seems to be getting worse and worse. So, we’ve had enough and looking for a replacement. She got a Tempurpedic memory foam pillow and likes it, so suggested we look at memory foam beds. I liked the idea of memory foam but also intrigued about the positive things I read about latex. We both agreed that we liked the latex over the memory foam.

We tried three different configurations of the Savvy Rest, but didn’t walk away with a definite feeling of which combo we liked best. We’re both about 30, no back or injury issues and 75% side/25% back sleepers. I’m 165lbs, 5’9", average frame. She is 120lbs, 5’4", average frame and normal hips.

Here is what we tried and how we thought and felt (order is top/middle/bottom)

Soft Dunlop/Med Dunlop/Firm Dunlop
Felt comfy, but a hair on the firm side. We quickly disregarded it when we got on option #2.

Soft Talalay/Med Dunlop/Firm Dunlop
Got some good ooo’s and ahhh’s comparing how much softer the Talalay felt. We both immediately said we really liked how soft it felt; however, after a few minutes we both got a similar sensation that our hips were sinking in a little too far.

Soft Dunlop/Soft Dunlop/Firm Dunlop – She liked this one the best. I thought it was the softest but also knew it was a bad idea having the comfort layer too thick. I was nice and didn’t say anything at the time.

Now that we’re home to digest some of it, we definitely know #3 would be a bad move. I really liked the idea of having Talalay on top (based solely on the general consensus that it’s “better” for various reasons) but I can’t help shake the idea our hips may have been sinking in too far and being sore when we wake up in the morning. All of this actually leads me to believe the first option may have come the closest to a good fit for us as we really had no big complaints but didn’t fall in love with it. We both understand our perceptions are likely going to be out of whack after coming off of an inexpensive and worn out innerspring.

Of course, budget is of concern and I’d like to keep it under $1200-1500. I’m most interested in going a DIY route and purchasing the individual layers from sleepez, matteresses 24/7 or another retailer with a membership to this site.
My biggest questions are: Would there be a benefit to going with a 4-layer design? I can’t help but wonder how an all Talalay med/med/firm/xfirm would feel?? Or maybe an all Talalay med/firm/xfirm and add a 1-2" 19 IDL layer if it’s just not soft enough up top. And/or doing some fine tuning with various covers and pads, although they aren’t cheap so I’d hate to buy a stretch cover only to find I need to buy a $300 wool cover to make a small adjustment, or even the additional cost of a new cover to allow use of an additional 1-2" layer. Uuuugh, so many options and not sure what the next step to take is.

2

Hi dfwjeff,

I’m not sure exactly what the ILD’s of the Savvy Rest are but “averages” say that with your height/weight and sleeping positions you would probably be fine with a S/M/F. Having said that … I would also pay serious attention to your personal testing experiences because they can be much more accurate than theory.

I should also mention that there are some other very good manufacturers in the Dallas/Ft Worth area and it may be a good idea to include these in your testing because they may have a mattress that is “just right” and they also have good value. It’s always less risky IMO to buy a mattress that you’ve tested if there is good value available in the area because this bypasses the types of questions and “theory” that can lead to this type of uncertainty. It may be worth calling them to tell them about your experiences and see what they suggest.

If you do decide to go with a “choose your own layer” mattress … then the best advice would come talking with each manufacturer you were considering and letting them know your experiences with the Savvy Rest and asking them what they would suggest. You certainly seem to understand all the different factors involved so you are in a good position to have a meaningful conversation with them and their suggestions would be much more accurate than mine (they know every detail of their mattress, they may have more insights into how their mattresses compare with Savvy Rest, they know best about the effects of their different covers, and they also have a large customer base that has purchased their specific mattresses that they can use as a reference point).

My sense is that for most people … M/F/XF would be too firm for your height/weight and sleeping positions. Because of your budget concerns I would also probably focus on getting as close as possible with the initial configuration rather than “designing in a topper”. If anything … if you wanted it firmer then I would probably tend more towards M/M/F (if you were going with a 3 layer mattress).

You could also choose a split layering that was different on each side so you could test various configurations (especially if you had 3" layers") and then do a layer exchange when you had decided on a “best” final version on both sides. this could be S/M/F on one side and M/F/XF on the other (if you really did want to test this configuration). This way you could each test various options such as S/F/XF or M/M/F etc.

If you did decide to add an additional 2" topper, there would be no need to buy a new cover because the topper would go on top of the mattress (as long as it had its own cover).

At this point though … I don’t think that “theory” would give you any more valuable information than you already have or know and I would tend to talk with the manufacturers themselves on the phone to decide on a configuration which gave you the best odds of being what you wanted (if you decide to go with the “risk” of an online purchase). At this level of fine detail … theory that only includes the latex layers and not the effect of the cover or more specific knowledge of the specific ILD’s that may be available from each manufacturer will tend to be more confusing than helpful IMO because it will take you down the road of “paralysis by analysis”.

Once you are “outside the averages” … then they are the best sources of information about the options that each may have available.

Phoenix

3

Phoenix, thank you for the lengthy reply.

Because of both of our hip sinking concern, what do you think of this path: instead of a 3" soft comfort layer, how about starting with a 2" soft talalay/3" med tal/3" firm tal. I’m thinking there are a few possible outcomes from this:

1 - With the combination of a slightly thinner soft layer and slightly more lively medium talalay (compared to medium dunlop middle layer), shoulders still feel good, it reduces the hip sink enough that our hips feel great and problem solved with a little money saved.

2 - We find all along that our initial hip concern is actually because we’ve been sleeping on a crappy bed and our bodies just weren’t use to sleeping on proper support, but find the 2" soft comfort layer is a little too firm all over so we add an extra 1" soft layer and move on down the road as happy as if we just started with a 3" soft top layer.

3 - The 2" eliminates hip sink, but just a little too firm on the shoulders. Corrective actions include:
. 3a - Add 1" soft layer to satisfy shoulders but at risk of allowing too much hip sink again, OR
. 3b - Add 1" medium layer under the top soft layer that may or may not soften up shoulders enough but hips still feel good, OR
. 3c - Using two twin XL layers laid sideways, add 1" medium layer to bottom half of bed to reduce hip sink and 1" soft layer to top half if the shoulders require the softness. The twin xl’s would require minor trimming to fit on the eastern king. This would also eliminate any layer gaps in the middle of the bed.

I tried searching for zoning different areas of the bed like this but didn’t find much. Any thoughts?

4

Hi dfwjeff,

I think your logic is “impeccable” :slight_smile:

The thinner top layer would create a firmer surface where you didn’t sink in quite as much while the talalay lower layers would allow for slightly more sinking in and softness and will “help” the comfort layer more compared to the same ILD with Dunlop.

The only thing where “theory” may not quite match reality though is that the ILD’s may not be quite the same between manufacturers which would make a difference and latex … especially Dunlop latex … doesn’t come in exact ILD’s at the best of times anyway so ILD matching is approximate.

As you mentioned … the thinner top layer also leaves you with more options if it isn’t quite right with the addition of various types of toppers (probably 1-2" depending on type) based on your specific experiences on the base mattress. I would leave the choice of which topper is best (if its needed at all) until after you have had some consistent sleeping experience on the mattress that can give you better guidance about the type of adjustments or fine tuning that may be necessary.

I doubt that the complexities of zoning will be necessary but if you are willing to take on the challenge of some mattress design then the only thing I would be careful with is where the zones begin and end. In general … the middle third of the mattress would need to be firmer while the upper and lower third would normally be softer (rather than a half and half split). Most of the heavier hips and pelvis area and the shoulders would be in the upper half of the mattress if you did a zoning split in the middle and if you are doing a two zone mattress then the softer zone shouldn’t go beyond a couple of inches above the belly button or near the bottom of the ribcage.

Another option would be a tension adjustable foundation (you can read about them in the foundation thread here) which are usually more expensive but there is a lower cost version here which can also provide some fine tuning options which can allow the shoulders to sink in a little more if necessary.

Phoenix

5

It seems as though reasonably priced 1" and 2" toppers are harder to find–do you have any good sources for these two thinner layers? I have emailed mattresses.net and mattresses 24/7.

Also, are there any advantages or disadvantages to having an xfirm layer in the bottom of the mix? I would be interested in adding this layer if there was a comfort/supportive advantage OR or help fill a loose mattress cover.

Until Ikea gets our desired bed frame back in stock the mattress will likely sit right on our wood floor–is this an okay location? Once we do get the bed frame, is it okay to put it on a solid piece of wood as opposed to slats?

6

Hi dfwjeff,

Some of the best sources for a latex (or other) toppers I know of are listed in post #4 here.

This would depend on what you were comparing it to and what the intent of the Xfirm layer was. the lowest layers have the least effect on the feel of the mattress but if you used Xfirm instead of firm then it would be slightly more supportive. If you added an Xfirm layer to the bottom of a mattress and increased it’s thickness … then the extra layer would be softer than the floor and the mattress would be slightly softer and the thicker layers would compress a little more gradually (the mattress would have a more gradual compression from soft to firm with compression which can be an advantage with greater weights). As you mentioned it can also help fill a loose mattress cover but if this was the only intent I would probably use very firm polyfoam.

It’s not ideal in terms of ventilation and humidity control but for the short term it should be fine. I would put a blanket or something on the floor under it for protection though to prevent soiling or stains and I would make sure it had a mattress protector over it.

My personal opinion is that slats are a better surface for a mattress but there are differing opinions about this. Post #7 here has more about this.

Phoenix

7

I reached out to several venders and figured I’d post their responses:

Mattresses 24/7 - I asked if they offer 1 and 2" thicknesses of their talalay latex toppers.

[i]I sell only the 3" layers.

While I know 1 and 2 inch layers are sought after by people…I believe those thicknesses are too thin to offer the contour capability that the 3" layers afford and I for that reason I sell what I believe is most effective for my customers.

Valerie

  • mattresses247[/i]

Savvy Rest - Straight from savvyrest.com, I asked what their IDL ranges were

[i] Hi Jeff,

Below are the ILD ranges.

Thanks
Todd

ILD Ranges:

Soft Dunlop: 22-30
Medium Dunlop: 31-39
Firm Dunlop: 40 and above

Soft Talalay: N2 Soft 20-24
Medium Talalay: N4 Medium 30-34
Firm Talalay: N5 Firm 35-40+
[/i]

Mattresses.net - I requested the thickness and IDL of their bare toppers as well as if they have 1" variations available. I found the answers to thickenss and IDL on another page after I emailed them.

[i] These are 2" #22 toppers. We do not carry 1" toppers.

Thank you,

Ken Hightower
Arizona Premium Mattress Co.
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[/i]

Dreamfoam Bedding - I requested if 1" and 2" thicknesses are available. I also ordered some shredded latex pillows from him a few days ago after trying them out at the Savvy Rest store, at about a third of the price. By far the best respone, not because he has what I’m looking for but he didn’t dismiss my request and seems most interested in getting the business.

Hello,
We can make those toppers for you. We have 19, 24, 28, 32, 36, and maybe even 40 ILD latex.
Do you want each topper covered or just the latex itself?
Thanks
Chuck
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I sent a request for price quotes back to Chuck at Dreamfoam Bedding and once I get that back I’ll know where I’m going for each part of the mattress and I’ll post later the what, where and how much.