First off, this site provides a ton of very useful information and is an invaluable resource. Thanks to all that contribute and participate.
I have to admit - having not bought a mattress in several years, the newer features and all the information is overwhelming. I am in my 40s and have owned several mattresses in my life and can’t say I’ve ever been completely happy with any. I’ve generally accepted sagginess and early breakdown as just nature of the beast. After reading this site and the forums it seems I don’t really need to accept that. I’ve mostly bought mattresses at the local small shops.
I’m having trouble locating what I think I want. I am 6 ft 260lbs and my wife is 5 ft 3 140 lbs. What I’ve found with the mattresses I’ve owned is that they breakdown and become uncomfortable within a short time - 2-3. After a couple of years, they get saggy, painful and very unsupportive with a lot of pressure points.
Reading this site makes us think that Latex is a good choice for us. However, after trying some in stores - in general we like the support of an innersping with quality latex comfort layers. About all we can find locally is the King Koil xtended Lift line.
I am looking for a whole set in king - mattress, foundation and frame - suitable for heavier people. What I don’t care for about King Koil is the lack of specific information on the layers and construction. They have a short video about it but in stores and online there is little specific detail which makes me question them.
I reviewed several of the manufacturers - but not all - of the underground members and I don’t find much selection of a combo latex and innersping.
Can anyone suggest a place / manufacturer or other info/questions based on above?
Just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place I would start your research is the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best choices.
The King Koil (Comfort Solutions) XL line generally uses higher quality and more durable materials than their other lines (you can see an example of one of their XL mattresses here with my comments) but a mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality of the materials inside it so without knowing the specifics of each layer there is no way to make meaningful assessments of a mattress or make reasonable comparisons with other mattresses.
Higher weights will soften and breakdown any material or component faster than lower weights so the durability of the materials and components becomes especially important … especially in the upper layers of a mattress which are generally the weak link of a mattress. There is also more information in the first part of post #2 here about ways that can help accommodate a couple that has very different body types or specific needs and preferences.
Bay Bed and Mattress is a member here that specializes in customized pocket coil / latex mattresses that have individual components, can be shipped across the country, and can include a side to side split construction.
I don’t keep a record of individual mattresses that may be available in each area but if you let me know your zip code or city I’d be happy to let you know of any possibilities I’m aware of in your area.
It isn’t so much that we have different preferences. We both like firmness and support.
We tried the all latex and felt even the super firm were a little too soft for us. We liked the king koil xl, but with the heavier weight I’m concerned it won’t last that long.
Some of the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Milwaukee region (including New Berlin) are listed in post #2 here.
These are common preferences but firmness is also subjective and relative to body type (higher body weights will generally feel a certain foam as being softer than lower body weights) and different body types generally need different designs or combinations of firmer and softer areas or layers of the mattress to provide good alignment compared to lighter body types. In other words it can take different types of materials and mattress designs to provide the same level of firmness and support for different body types and sleeping positions.
This uses 5" of latex over 5" of polyfoam (the density isn’t disclosed) so in terms of durability (not necessarily performance or feel) it would be in the same range as another latex mattresses that used blended talalay in the same firmness level in the top 5". It would be somewhat similar to the Aloe Alexis here except the Aloe Alexis uses two separate 3" layers of Talalay latex (6" instead of 5") that can be chosen individually for firmness and can also be further customized after a purchase by re-arranging the layers or exchanging them. It can also be purchased in king size in a split layer design (different firmness levels on each side). It also has a more costly quilted cover that includes wool over the latex which would give added temperature regulation vs sleeping directly on the latex for those where sleeping temperature was more of an issue.
You can read more about the factors that can affect durability and the useful life of a mattress in post #4 here but the comfort layers are usually the weak link of a mattress and latex is more durable than polyfoam (even good or high quality) so the flobeds all latex designs or a mattress with 5" or 6" of latex would generally have the advantage in terms of durability over a mattress where the top layers were polyfoam.