So my wife and I have been researching beds for weeks, and Sleep EZ has bubbled its way to the top of our current picks. However, we’re trying to find recommendations one way or the other between the 360 hybrid and the organic latex, and there’s simply not really any at all out there that have side-by-side comparisons of comfort, longevity, shape retention, etc.
In addition, there’s a pretty big weight disparity between my wife and I; shes 5’4", 130lbs (side sleeper) and I’m 5’10", 255lbs (side/back sleeper). We’re trying to figure out which of the two models would be a better fit for us. On the one hand, we know the organic is more customizable, which seems good because of the weight disparity, but then again, every site we’ve looked at in out research has said that if there’s a heavy (>230lbs) sleeper involved, the hybrid’s the way to go due to the increased support of the springs. Can anyone give us some advice?
Lastly, this is bed frame/base we’re looking at getting for the storage space underneath: Zinus bedframe - the spacing on it is larger than the recommended 3 inches, so we were going to put down some plywood or pegboard over top; would this keep either mattress from breathing and/or cause mold issues?
Hi Saucy Jack and thanks for the inquiry! We actually DON’T recommend latex and coil hybrids for anyone over 230 pounds because it’s liable to lead to back pain due to a lack of support from the coils. Although we don’t get many returns on our Hybrids, most people that return them weigh 230 pounds or more and complain of back pain. As such, I would normally recommend our 10" organic latex mattress with soft Talalay over medium Dunlop over firm Dunlop for her side and medium Talalay over firm Dunlop over extra firm Dunlop for your side. The top Talalay layer should provide all the contour and pressure relief needed to avoid any pressure point issues and will add secondary support to the mattress. Secondary support is needed to fill in the gaps between your body and the mattress – back sleepers normally need secondary support to fill in the gaps between the small of their back and the mattress; side sleepers normally need secondary support to fill in the gaps between their mid-section and the mattress. If these parts of a person’s body aren’t supported by the mattress, their muscles will work throughout the night to hold these parts of the body up, and by the time they wake up they’ve got back pain. So the top 3" of Talalay latex will provide contour, pressure relief, and secondary support. The remaining Dunlop layers should provide all the support needed to maintain proper spinal alignment and avoid back pain.
Please keep in mind that our initial recommendations have a 90% success rate (we only have a 10% layer exchange rate and a 3%-4% return rate) so there’s a 90% chance that the above recommendation works perfectly for you. Also, please don’t let the terms “firm” and “extra firm” fool you, this should feel more like a medium mattress at your height and weight.
Regarding the foundation, anything solid and sturdy will work just fine, including the floor in fact. The only types of foundations you want to avoid are slatted foundations where the gaps are more than 3" apart or box springs (with actual springs in them) that are 5 years old or more. Latex foam is a naturally breathable, open celled product and a slatted foundation is not necessary for the mattress to sleep cool. A slatted foundation will enhance the breathability but certainly isn’t necessary because the mattress will breathe on all exposed sides.
Thanks for the very helpful reply; I do have a follow up question though:
Is there a particularly marked difference comfort/support-wise between the 3-layer and 4-layer latex mattresses, or is is more or less simply a matter of preference for say, mattress height?
For the most part, the 13" mattress isn’t better than the 10", it’s just taller. Customer choose the 13" mattress if they weight 300 pounds and up or just want a taller mattress. One other benefit is that the 13" has an extra layer that you can use to try different firmness combinations and adjust the firmness to a more minute degree. For example, in the 13" mattress soft/medium/firm/extra firm for her side. If she sleeps on this setup and wants it to be very minutely firmer, she can unzip the cover and rearrange the layers to soft/medium/extra firm/firm. Most customers don’t need to adjust the comfort level of their mattress to such a fine degree (although some do!). But those are really the only benefits to the 13" over the 10".
Also, what are the weights for each firmness (soft / medium / firm / extra firm) for a full latex layer? Just want to make sure we’re on the right side of our bed frame options weight-wise.
(Forgot to mention those are for a queen size, and also wondering about the weight of a 3-layer queen mattress cover vs a 4-layer queen mattress cover - thanks!)
[quote=“Saucy Jack post=90968”]Thanks for the very helpful reply; I do have a follow up question though:
Is there a particularly marked difference comfort/support-wise between the 3-layer and 4-layer latex mattresses, or is is more or less simply a matter of preference for say, mattress height?
[/quote]
SleepEZ obviously has a wealth of experience on the subject but I figured I would just add a few comments that might be helpful. I definitely agree that at higher body weights you’re much better off with latex layers than hybrid mattress designs (can result in alignment problems). The basic function of a mattress is to cradle the body while sleeping. The issue is that people come in all shapes, sizes, weights, preferences, conditions, sleep positions, etc. You are basically asking the mattress materials to account for all this so I would suggest the number of layers depends on your own specific circumstances. Since you are in the higher BMI range I’d suggest you’ll likely be alot more comfortable with a 4 layer mattress because it allows you more displacement (if needed…BMI, body shape, sleeping position, etc) and as SleepEZ mentioned you have more opportunities for fine tuning (which gives you a much higher likelihood of getting it just right for you). I would also make sure to get a mattress with a zippered top so you can tweak the two sides individually (I’d suggest to request split layers so each side can be tailored to the person) since you and your wife have very different BMIs (36.6 vs 22.3). Plywood over that bed frame would be a good idea since ideally you want to give the foam a flat base to prevent impressions (increases its longevity) whenever possible.
Thank you, everyone! Saucy Jack and I have decided to go with the advice of Sleep EZ and ordered the 10" Organic Queen.
We did change our minds on the bed frame. We instead ordered the Nomad from KD Frames and purchased the 18" legs (for more storage space underneath). We also purchased the center legs to give it additional support since our combined weights plus the weight of the mattress will be pushing close to the 600 lb limit (Yikes!) for the bed frame.
I’m super nervous since our decisions were based solely on online research and not testing the mattress ourselves, but I am excited about tossing our 13.5 year old mattress and box springs to the curb!
Hi All! We have have had our Sleep EZ 10" Organic Mattress and KD Frame for almost 6 months, and I wanted to give you all an update. We LOVE everything about our mattress and frame. I have done some traveling the last few months, and I have to say our Sleep EZ mattress has ruined me for all other beds. This is by far the best mattress I have ever slept on.
I am also trilled with the bed frame. It is solid and sturdy. Also, upgrading the legs to 18" was the perfect choice for us. We like higher beds, plus we have tons of storage underneath the bed.
Anyways, I just wanted to give an update and thank the Sleep EZ representatives for answering our questions and helping us make the right decision regarding type of mattress to buy. I also want to that Mattress Underground for this forum. We would would have never heard of or considered Sleep EZ without you all!
Hi Runner Girl and thank you so much for the feedback and thanks for the kind words! Please tell Saucy Jack I said thanks as well! I know your post addressed the entire forum, but I just wanted to thank you from our end! Also, please keep in mind that it’s typically a 15-20 year mattress, so if there’s anything we can do for you in the next 2 decades please don’t hesitate to contact us, we are always happy to help!
Considering building a bed with you guys, but was wondering what details you could share about the coils you use? The website mentions both the Bolsa Comfortcore and the Quantum Edge Elite pocketed coil. Is there a choice between the two? And what is the firmness/ILD difference between the two?
I’m trying to replicate a Naturepedic bed that I loved, which featured firm coils, and a soft dunlop latex layer.
Hi Alfie and thanks for the inquiry! I believe we just spoke on the phone, but to answer your question, the Bolsa coils and Quantum Edge coils are part of the same set of coils. The Quantum Edge trademark refers to the coils around the perimeter of the coil set (2 rows of coils around the edges that are firmer) and the Bolsa name refers to the inner (softer) coils that the sleeper actually lays on. I don’t have any ILD numbers on the coils, but the edge coils are 15 gauge and the inner coils are 16 gauge.