I live in Lexington, Kentucky and am in search of mattress stores within a reasonable distance that will provide good options and knowledgable people. Any suggestions?
Hi lovesleep,
Some of the better options and possibilities I’m aware of n the Lexington area are at the end of post #3 here.
I also wouldn’t take anything for granted about knowledge levels at any retailer. Some salespeople or retailers may be more knowledgeable and others not so much and some may carry some mattresses where they can’t provide the layering details and have others where they can. In other words I would consider them on a mattress by mattress basis and I would always focus on the ones where the retailer can provide you with all the layering details and pass on the ones where they can’t. I would also work with a salesperson who can explain the quality of the materials in a mattress to you without using their favorite “marketing stories”. If you have read the post that’s linked after my signature in each post I make and read the overviews and guidelines it links to … you will be able to tell the difference between a more knowledgeable salesperson and one who isn’t.
Phoenix
Thank you so much!
Hi,
With the help of this wonderful website, I think I have narrowed my talalay latex mattress decision to 2 choices, and am wondering if you have any advice to point me one way or the other. My choices are as follows:
-
Pure latex bliss natural “nutrition” mattress - 100% talalay latex, manufactured by Latex International, 11" mattress height (5" talalay latex pressure relief, 6" talalay latex support core), OekoTex certified latex, ActiveControl Climate Control Phase Change Technology in the cover and top latex layer.
**I would most likely purchase this mattress from a local store that you suggested - Wildcat Mattress in Nicholasville, Ky. I am meeting with them on Sat. to discuss prices for this mattress in a king size. The retail PLB price for this mattress is $3,899. Wildcat Mattress would deliver, assemble, and remove my current mattress. -
Brooklyn Bedding 10" total talalay latex mattress - customized firmness level, OekoTex certified latex, Top to bottom layers as follows: natural bamboo cover, 1" natural chemical free wool, 3" talalay latex comfort layer, 6" talalay latex core layer. The integrated perfect top design would allow me to unzip the cover and exchange the comfort layer if needed. They say I have 120 day trial to test out the comfort layer and can exchange if need be at no cost.
**I would order this mattress online. The price quoted for a king size was $1,899 plus 5% off plus two free talalay shredded latex pillows. I would obviously have to assemble this myself. Brooklyn sells a 14" genius high rise bed frame for this mattress, which sits 14" off the floor (eliminates need for box spring) and offers storage underneath for containers 13" high. That seems like a nice perk.
Purchasing a mattress from Brooklyn appears to be much cheaper, but to be fair I have not heard from Wildcat mattress what their price is - the owner said he would match me whatever price I found elsewhere. I have researched a variety of companies that sell talalay latex mattresses (that you recommended in other posts) - mattress.net, customsleepdesign, mygreenmattress.com, cozy pure, flobeds. But Brooklyn stood out to me in my comparison of online retailers. Oh yeah, I am not interested in a talalay latex hybrid.
Do you have any suggestions? I am running out of time/patience researching and feel like I am ready to making a purchase. It’s a lot of money, though, so I want to make as informed decision as I can. By the way, I weigh 115 pounds and am a side sleeper, if that makes any difference.
Thank you!!
Hi lovesleep,
I may be able to help you with how to choose but what to choose depends on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you because each person can define value in very different ways.
Both of your choices use the same type of latex so from a quality perspective they are very similar and neither mattress has any obvious weak links in terms of durability. The Nutrition has an additional 2" of latex compared to the Total latex mattress so from this perspective the Nutrition has a slightly higher cost of materials but the Total latex also has a cover that is quilted with wool so it has more “value” in this part of the design. Given the significant price difference it’s certainly clear which of the two has the better “material value” since any difference in the cost of the materials in the Nutrition certainly doesn’t account for the difference in price although MAP pricing is usually not the best price available for the PLB mattresses … it’s just the best price that can be advertised (and as you mentioned your choice may also depend on the final price for the Nutrition although their offer to match prices may be based on finding the same mattress for less).
The material or commodity value of each mattress though is only part of the value of a mattress purchase and there are many other parts to value and other tradeoffs that may be important when you are making final choices. This includes your confidence about the suitability of either mattress in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences), how well you believe your testing will predict your long term experience, the level of risk with each choice that you believe you are taking, your recourse if you make a choice that is less than ideal, and any of the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of a mattress purchase that are important to you besides the price or material value alone.
I think in most people’s terms it would be easy to say that the “value” of the Total Latex Mattress is much better and it has better exchange options as well but the importance of personal testing and your confidence that it will predict your long term experience is also an important part of any purchase and part of the “value” of a local choice. It really depends on whether the substantial price difference (assuming that’s what it ends up being) is worth any additional risk of an online choice, what the final difference in price (with a mattress only comparison) turns out to be, and which side of the price/risk tradeoff you feel best about.
Phoenix