I have now spent more time researching a new mattress than any other purchase in my lifetime. The more research I do, the more rabbit holes I fall down all with no more understanding of which is the best mattress for me.
I started with Mattress Firm and bought a top of the line Sterns & Foster that lasted about 8- months before it became so uncomfortable it was worthless. Upon starting my research I learned that I should stay away from the Mattress Firms of the world because of their mark-up, same bed/different model # scam and high pressure sales technique. I was told the retail mattress industry is a scam.
So I stated to research online reviews and was quite taken with all the positive comments about the online only companies. Only to find that online bed reviews are a new marketing channel for the mattress companies where former Wall Street Execs make more more money doing bed reviews than they earned in annual bonuses.
Next I found a few websites that purported to be independent; Consumer Reports, The Old Bed Guy, Sleep Like The Dead and The Mattress Underground. Now having spent time each on these sights the confusion has reached epidemic proportions.
The Old Bed Guy - Claims Consumer Reports testing methods are outdated, The Mattress Underground is beholden to its paying membership and Sleep Like the Dead uses aggregate data form all those sites with the fake reviewers.
The Mattress Undergound- Claims The Old Bed Guy is in cahoots with Charles P Rodgers and that they are truly independent, even though they are supported by bed manufacturers and retail bedding stores.
Consumer Reports Testing- Can only review so many mattresses and you have to pay them to see the results.
I feel like I am standing in quicksand trying to make a decision over a stupid mattress all because I don’t want to pay $2,800 for another mistake.
I commend you for your fortitude and determination in trying to get to the bottom of the mattress industry scam. I also know that one can over-research and obsess and run the risk of not making a decision.
That said, I find myself debating about going back to Bloomingdale’s this weekend to purchase a bed during their President’s Day sale. I purchased a Shiffman bed , their own make, from this Dept. store many years ago, after speaking with a knowledgeable and experienced salesperson who claimed he slept on the same make of bed himself. Shiffman mattresses can be turned over, which certainly prolongs the life of the bed. The bed itself is well made, and did not break down as described by many of the writers (did not sag in the middle , and to this day the sides are also pretty firm. But the bed is old by industry standards (14 years!) and I have been noticing backaches. I only hesitate to purchase another Shiffman as the feel of the mattress was never as comfortable as when I slept on Stearns and Foster.
I too have done too much research, and read that Stearns and Foster do not last very long in relation to other mattresses. I only thought about returning to Blooomingdale;s based on my experience with my current mattress, plus having had other positive experiences purchasing furniture in the past from this Dept store. If trust is the issue, they can be trusted to do the right thing by their customer.
Someone named Joe mentioned purchasing a mattress from the company that supplies Doubletree hotels, but never wrote back to say how he went about this, despite other writers who expressed interest.
Question: Can the administrators from this website contact Joe for follow-up? (I don’t stay in hotels that often, but have had very good nights’ sleep in the more expensive hotels. Or is that because I am on vacation? LOL
IF anyone else can comment on specific mattress manufacturers that supply high-end hotels, that would be very helpful. Thanks very much!
I know it can be confusing tying to select a mattress, especially with so many sites and voices telling you “what” to choose, as opposed to “how” to choose. There’s unfortunately no possible way for me to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
While you may not prefer to shop at a store like Mattress Firm because of the reasoning you mentioned, that would be your own personal preference (and I wouldn’t concur with the advice you were presented that the mattress industry is a scam), but the reason I generally recommend avoiding places like this is because of the products that they offer and the general lower level of quality of componentry in those products. The major brands offers at stores like this such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (along with the major retailers that focus on them as well) regardless of how they may feel in a showroom along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).
There are quite a few people making good incomes running mattress review sites. I personally have no issues with anyone making a good income. The issue I have is that many of these “review” sites are really just “revenue” sites where they know little about mattress componentry, quality or materials, which is what consumers need to know. There is more information about this in post #11 here and in posts #4 and #6 here.
You’re free to do a forum search on any of the other sites you mentioned for a more accurate representation of my opinions and the facts reasoning for those opinions, but that’s not the purpose of this site. The goal of the site has always been to provide information about “how” to choose a mattress that provides the tools and information that will make the quality and value of a purchase self-evident so that each person has the knowledge and information to be able to assess the suitability, quality/durability, and value of a mattress purchase for themselves based on their own unique needs and preferences and criteria regardless of what anyone else may prefer or recommend and without having to “believe” anyone. It’s the difference between helping the members here learn “how” to choose vs telling them “what” to choose based on preferences or criteria that may not be relevant or meaningful to them or in many cases may not be in their best interests (or the difference between giving someone a fish or teaching them how to fish).
Your comment about “impartiality” has been asked on many occasions … and so it should be from time to time. The short version of the reply is in post #2 here. A longer version is in post #64 here and in post #37 here.
In addition to the first article on the front page of the site … you can read a little more about why I started the site in post #404 here and some of the history that led to it in post #4 here.
The site itself has always been transparent about the source of it’s income and it’s listed in the services link in the top menu (the one that says "how we survive)
There is also a “somewhat hidden” donation link and my comments about donations in the submenu link that I added because of many requests (see post #7 here)
There are currently 53 manufacturing or retail members of the site. This is a very small percentage of the hundreds of manufacturers and retailers that are mentioned throughout the forum in various lists around the country but these members are the sole source of income for the site. I would guess that they represent about 10% or so of the mattresses that are purchased as a result of the information in the forum and on the site. In other words I point to value or even “possibilities” wherever I find it, regardless of membership here.
One of the most important goals of the site has always been to be fact based and to promote full disclosure so that anyone can validate the information for themselves and not have to “just believe” anyone (including me). A manufacturer or retailer being endorsed here is something that is earned. I’m not in the business of selecting mattresses for people, but I instead endorse businesses and manufacturers who have the heart of a teacher and provide products using higher-quality materials. Claiming that being supported by businesses of this type tarnishes the wealth of objective information covering a broad variety of brands and topics presented here (most who are not members here) would be cynicism.
Any project which has been a 12 - 16 hour a day project for over 6 years without a day off yet of course needs an income to survive and I’m grateful that the income is now at the point where basic survival is no longer an issue … even though it took some time (over 2 years) and the emotional and financial support of family members to get there.
So it was time once again for someone to ask the question and hopefully it’s been answered for you and others who may be curious. It’s nice to see that this time it was asked in a spirit of what I hope is curiosity and a tone of respect instead of being part of a personal attack which has been the motive behind it on several previous occasions.
The answer to this is quite obvious – trust yourself. If you learn about the quality of different componentry, this will set you up for your best chance at success as far as durability goes, but aside from that, only your own careful personal testing will be the ultimate guide to telling if you like a mattress or not.
My advice would be to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
While as I mentioned earlier nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
In the end, you’re always free to take information from any source to make up your mind, and in many cases you might take a little bit from “here and there” that makes sense or resonates with you. But to answer what I think is the overall theme of your post, I’d put a lot more stock into YOU and more emphasis on learning about mattress materials. While this site is one of the best resources you’ll find for that information, whether or not you procure that information here or elsewhere is immaterial. I just recommend that you acquire that knowledge.
While I don’t share your opinion of the mattress industry being a scam, I certainly can share the frustration that many consumers face when trying to find objective information about the materials within a mattress from many brands, or educated and helpful comfort consultants to assist them through the process. And analysis-paralysis can be a real problem in learning about any product, which is why I recommend reading the information here like you would a good book, referring back to different areas over time and not attempting to memorize everything.
I’d advise caution with reading too much into the “discounts” offered by many retailers during sales events on holiday, especially the “50%-60% off” claims. Instead focus upon the final price you’re being asked to pay.
Just to be clear, I think you’re referring to a model that Shifman makes exclusively for Bloomingdales, as opposed to Shifman being Bloomingdale’s own make. Some brands will produce “exclusive collections” for larger retailers, which may be anything from mattresses with different componentry compositions to mattresses using special ticks (covers) with different names.
As a general rule, I’d advise against using as a reliable indicator of the appropriateness of a mattress for yourself whether or not a salesperson has it at their home. I am asked this often, and my advice is to not use my preference as guidance for anyone else.
All things being equal, a two-sided mattress certainly have a longer comfort life than a one-sided counterpart using the same materials. The key of course is to keep up with your rotations and take advantage of that ability to flip the product as well as rotate it.
I’m glad your mattress has held up well. Shifman makes a wide variety of products, some using better materials than others. I’m glad the one you chose worked well for you.
An older mattress certainly can contribute to backaches, but of course may not be the only cause of your pain. With that being said, you have benefitted from quite a few years of use out of your current mattress.
I would be very cautious about store/brand shopping in general because you are buying a specific mattress, not the brand, and most manufacturers have access to the same or similar components and materials. Many manufacturers make a wide range of mattresses that can vary from lower quality and less durable materials to higher quality and more durable materials in a wide range of prices. The name of the manufacturer or store on the label or the price of the mattress won’t tell you anything about whether a specific mattress is suitable for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP or whether there are any lower quality materials or weak links in the design that would affect the durability and useful life of the mattress. There is more about the risks of brand shopping in post #5 here and post #12 here.
Unfortunately, the major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors, and these materials will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay, which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely regardless of how they may feel in a showroom (you can’t feel quality or durability) along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here). The current Stearns & Foster mattresses are very different from the old line of 20+ years ago.
Many people prefer to do business with a particular store where they have a history as an important part of their personal value equation. Even so, you’ll want to make sure that you learn the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
I’m sorry, but I don’t contact members personally to ask for their input, but you’re certainly welcome to do so via the forum if you desire.
When you’re sleeping better at a hotel, it’s more often than not an indicator that your current mattress is in poor condition, as opposed to the appropriateness for you of the specific mattress you tried at the hotel. Some people certainly do prefer a firmer innerspring product, which is commonly what is found at hotels. And it may be because of what you said - that you were on vacation!
Most hotels purchase mattresses via the contract bedding divisions of mattress companies. These mattresses will tend to be on the firm side, with extra plushness derived from the top-of-bed products the hotels use. These mattresses don’t tend to use higher-quality componentry, as hotels have to change them out quite frequently due to use/abuse. Hotel chains often “brand shop” and can switch from one manufacturer to another depending upon the price quoted. Even if you found out the specific model of mattress that a hotel used and it was available to you (a new revenue source that some hotels have recently started to exploit), I wouldn’t recommend purchasing one of these products unless you knew all of the information I linked to earlier in my reply about what is inside of the mattress.
Thank you for your very, ahem, thorough response to my question. My post was more of a cathartic cry for help after spending 3-months of daily research trying to find a mattress that offers quality & value and won’t breakdown in a few months, rather than a dig at you. However, as a consumer I will always have a fair amount of skepticism about sponsored sites and their impartiality. Call it a character flaw!
Unfortunately, we live in a very rural area which makes trying out all the different mattress types impossible. I’ve read most of this posts you recommended, but without the opportunity to test things in person to “trust myself” I do need to seek some external recommendations so that I can better focus my search.
Let’s say I was intrigued by natural latex as a component of the bed, and I’ve already read your pros/cons on natural latex. Let’s also say that I’m concerned about material breakdown and ending up sleeping in rut as I am currently with my S&F mattress.
Should I look at a 100% latex mattress or hybrid latex/innerspring?
How thick should the Latex layer/s be?
Recognizing that foam will breakdown over time would it be best to buy a firmer foam that will break down to a medium firmness?
I’ve read the differences between Dunlop and Tallalay, but still confused about which should be the top layer and which should be a support layer. Would this be different in a 100% foam mattress vs. a foam/ innerspring hybrid?
Not Sure stats are important,but happy to provide some additional info if it will aid in recommendations,
Me Spouse
175 lbs 110 lbs
Back/Side Sleeper Back Sleeper
Back/Neck/Shoulder Pain Neck/Shoulder Pain
Middle Age Middle Age
You sound just like me. research, frustration, more research, more frustration.
I finally opted for a mattress(Best Mattress Ever) based off the “Simplified Choice Mattress”.
Why?
In nut shell, it gave me specs on materials used from an individual that I’m sure knows more about mattresses than anyone you will find at a store trying to sell you one.
I believe any mattress is a gamble but the knowledge I gained from this site makes me believe I made an intelligent decision.
Will it work out? Who knows. What I do know is I am confident that if I walked into any big box store and asked to see a mattress that had the same specs as the mattress I purchased, I would have paid a ton more.
Hah – there is a lot of catharsis on this site! :lol: Quite often people are looking to vent just as much as they are looking for information. No worries at all!
There is nothing wrong with being skeptical, and with so many misleading sites in this industry I advise you to be so. As I mentioned in my earlier reply, put your faith in good objective information to give yourself the best chance at success.
If you provide your zip code I’ll see if I am aware of any alternatives closer to your home.
That’s a popular question, and in the end, like so many things, it comes down to personal preference, and price. There’s quite a few differences, including the response rate, resilience, ability to customize, airflow and price, just to name a few things. I have more details about the differences between a latex support core and an innerspring support core in post #28 here.
The overall thickness of a mattress is more a by-product of the mattress design itself (see post #14 here). As far as individual layers, latex is usually found in 1"-3" layerings, with 2" and 3" being the most popular.
You are correct that all foams break down over time. With polyfoams, a higher density foam will be more durable and generally maintain more of its support factor over time. Latex foam will tend to be the most durable and consistent over the useful life of the mattress. There’s a little more about choosing a mattress based upon “predicting” a change in softness in post #2 here. While it contains information that you may have already read, there is quite a bit of information contained in this thread (and the posts it links to) about latex durability.
While this ultimately comes down to personal preference, it is common for many people to prefer the Dunlop in the deeper layers of a mattress, for its higher compression modulus (firming up faster), and Talalay latex in the upper layers, for its more buoyant feel. But this is a general statement and there are those who prefer Dunlop over Talalay in the uppermost layers.
I want to thank you for your very through and helpful response, and I certainly feel more enlightened than when I started out. After determining my budget, I narrowed my choice between Asteria and Shifman line of mattresses at Bloomingdales. Asteria was softer, sink-in feel, less movement, whereas Shifman had more of a springier quality. I took my time trying out but limiting number of mattresses I did lay down on, based on discussion and advice of knowledgeable sales person.
I opted for Shifman mattress after all, firm, with inner spring construction and largely cotton components (although not handmade, the mattress can be turned seasonally to promote longevity.) I decided to follow your advice and compare quality of the individual components, ( which were most likely to break down over time sooner than late,) along with feedback from salesperson (s) and other customers who were also taking their time with this large purchase.
While tempted by what was promoted as “special purchase” or “clearance” prices, I decided to stay within my budget. On the half-price sale, I debated as to whether spending $3500 (after tax) on a mattress set would provide me with immeasurably better sleep than $2000 (after tax,) and I decided the answer was no.
Also opted to purchase store’s own warranty, which permits me to exchange within 3 months for small fee.
( At my age I am less concerned about 20 years warranty LOL… as was the case with some mattresses. I am fascinated by wild prices being charged, and paid, to own KLUFT. Amazing comfort, but way over the top prices. Is this the Mercedes Benz or Lexus of mattresses? Perhaps a status thing…
I also decided, after reading what others have written here, that if the feel is a bit firm, I can always supplement with mattress topper. At least that is my current thinking. (If I decide after living with the bed a month or so that I made a mistake, then I can switch.)
So thank you for helping me to make what I feel was a careful, informed decision, and get past paralysis!
You offer a great service, and I again want to say THANK YOU!
Congratulations on your new mattress purchase! :cheer: I hope you’re able to share some feedback on it once you’ve had a chance to sleep on it for a while. Hopefully you were able to get the detailed meaningful specifications about the componentry within the Shifman, as there is no detailed information on the Bloomingdale’s web site.
You are quite welcome. I’m glad the information here on the site was helpful to you. Thank you for the compliment.
Hi Hammer,
When you are going to chose mattress retailer, you should follow the below tips-
Understanding your needs:
At first you should settle the size, type and brand of mattress, you are looking for.
Ask your friends:
You may know someone who already have gained experience about the process that can help You to find a good mattress retailer for you to shop. But you should not rely them only.
Visit the company website:
Visit the retailers site, you are thinking of buying a mattress from them. You should check - do they have a professional looking website? Search for something that says FAQ or customer support, in order to get an idea of the retailers exchange, return, and cancellation policies etc.
Google the mattress retailer name:
You should google the retailer name to get an idea of what customers thinking about this mattress retailer and also check if there are any governmental actions against them.
Consult with a good salesperson:
An excellent sales professional is a consultant who is working to help you finding the right mattress that suit for you. They will be asking you to get an idea what is your actual needs and then based on your needs, they will help you to select the right mattress for you.
Getting everything discussed in writing:
It is important to get everything in writing. Keep Writing down the names of the mattress and the item number of everything you are taking from them.
Test the bed before sign up:
When it’s handovered, be sure you are getting what you ordered for - like the name of the mattress and the name of the model. Inspect the bed for any dirt, tears, rips, stains, burns, or holes etc. Make sure of having it’s law tag also.
You just proved that, like the title of this thread, Its difficult to trust anyone in this business. You provide the same information provided here on TMU and then direct me to your website which purports to provide the BEST mattress reviews. Your site is nameless and faceless and appears to just collect reviews and information from other sites, recycling it so you can earn revenue as an Amazon.com affiliate. Get that shit outta here! And people wonder why I have trust issues!
As Hammer pointed out (accurately and eloquently ), your post (which I’ve deleted) was promotional, contained poor advice, and linked to a website for your own benefit – violations of the rules of this forum. Any further posts of this type will result in your posting privileges being revoked and your account being suspended.
We found a mattress store 2-hours from our house that had some latex mattresses so we drove up this morning to try them out. The showroom was an old barn with no heat and was pretty dirty so not the best environment to try out a matttress, but the owner was incredibly helpful and appeared to be very honest about his inventory pointing out the advantages & disadvantages of each mattress.
We liked the Pure Bliss Talalay Nature and Nutrition mattresses the best from a firmness and comfort standpoint and found the Dunlop mattresses too firm for our liking. This was surprising to us as we had obtained samples of both Tallay and Dunlop and thought the firmness of the raw Dunlop seemed to be more to our liking, but in the mattress it felt totally different.
Knowing that those two mattresses seem to be in our sweet spot are there any other latex mattresses anyone would recommend we try?
I’m glad you had a chance to try out a few different latex products. It’s always best to do your own personal testing, as you found it it’s more accurate than being able to touch foam samples (although those can be quite useful as well).
Both the Nature and Nutrition are all Talalay mattresses. The Nature uses a 6" core of 36 ILD, with 2" of 28 ILD and 2" of 21 ILD above that. The Nutrition uses the same 6" 36 ILD core, with 2" of 19 ILD above that and 3" of 28 ILD Talalay on top of that. The upper layer in each mattress uses the paraffin wax ActiveFusion phase change material. The cover is a 98% polyester, 2% elastin mix, and under the cover there is a FR layer that fits like a mattress pad over the latex layers to meet flammability requirements.
If you’re looking to approximate those comforts, there are some online options with component style systems where they can approximate quite closely the mattresses you tested locally, often at a more competitive price. Many of the members listed in post #21 here are very experienced and knowledgeable and specialize in providing the type of help and guidance on the phone that can help you make good comparisons to the Pure Talalay Bliss line, with a wide range of latex options. I believe that all of them compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency. While it’s not possible for me to maintain a listing of all of the latex options available nationally, those site members would be a good place to start your research. You can also do a simple search for Talalay latex mattresses for more options.
If you have more specific questions, please let me know, but hopefully that helps get you started with your comparisons.
I’m glad you had a chance to try out a few different latex products. It’s always best to do your own personal testing, as you found it it’s more accurate than being able to touch foam samples (although those can be quite useful as well).
Both the Nature and Nutrition are all Talalay mattresses. The Nature uses a 6" core of 36 ILD, with 2" of 28 ILD and 2" of 21 ILD above that. The Nutrition uses the same 6" 36 ILD core, with 2" of 19 ILD above that and 3" of 28 ILD Talalay on top of that. The upper layer in each mattress uses the paraffin wax ActiveFusion phase change material. The cover is a 98% polyester, 2% elastin mix, and under the cover there is a FR layer that fits like a mattress pad over the latex layers to meet flammability requirements.
If you’re looking to approximate those comforts, there are some online options with component style systems where they can approximate quite closely the mattresses you tested locally, often at a more competitive price. Many of the members listed in post #21 here are very experienced and knowledgeable and specialize in providing the type of help and guidance on the phone that can help you make good comparisons to the Pure Talalay Bliss line, with a wide range of latex options. I believe that all of them compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency. While it’s not possible for me to maintain a listing of all of the latex options available nationally, those site members would be a good place to start your research. You can also do a simple search for Talalay latex mattresses for more options.
If you have more specific questions, please let me know, but hopefully that helps get you started with your comparisons.
Phoenix[/quote]
Thanks for providing the ILDs on the Pure Talalay Bliss beds, that will be very helpful as we look to compare and contrast the different offerings.
I went through all the dealers listed in Post #21 referenced above, and searched for a few others, and created a spread sheet on the different mattresses, manufacturers and policies of the ones that seemed like they could work for us… I am happy to send the spreadsheet to anyone currently considering a latex bed.
To be honest, there is not a huge price difference and in some cases many of the 100% Natural Tally beds from online dealers were significantly more expensive than the local Pure Bliss dealer. The real differences were in the ability to swap out layers and in the return policies. Which, while they add potential additional cost, is a nice security blanket if it turns out we can’t tolerate the mattress.
That being said, I read in those blogs where having infinite choice in layers may not be all its cracked up to be and can leave you feeling like maybe the fixed mattress would be a better choice. I also note that we have only tried pure talalay and pure dunlop and have nowhere within driving distance to try a blend of the two or a foam over an innerpring mattress so we are still flying a bit blind on the different latex combos/hybrids.
Sooooooooo, when I look at all the information I have to date here’s what intrigues me.
100% Natural Tally
10-13" Mattress
Split King Mattress
Ability To Swap Out Layers
Reasonable Cost to Swap Out Layers
Returnable Mattress
Free Shipping
Using the above as my base case the following mattresses seem to rise to the top.
SleepEZ King Organic Select Sleep
FlexUs Comfort King Natural
Just to be clear, as I didn’t provide this information in my previous reply to you, the Talalay is blended (not 100% NR) in the Pure Talalay Bliss product, for the sake of comparing.
Those are both good choices and certainly worthy of your consideration, IMHO. Three other members who also offer 100% NR Talalay in some sort of a system (but I can’t speak if their pricing/policies best suit your personal value equation) would be FloBeds, Foam Sweet Foam and Sleeping Organic.
Just to be clear, as I didn’t provide this information in my previous reply to you, the Talalay is blended (not 100% NR) in the Pure Talalay Bliss product, for the sake of comparing.
[quote]Using the above as my base case the following mattresses seem to rise to the top.
SleepEZ King Organic Select Sleep
FlexUs Comfort King Natural[/quote]
Those are both good choices and certainly worthy of your consideration, IMHO. Three other members who also offer 100% NR Talalay in some sort of a system (but I can’t speak if their pricing/policies best suit your personal value equation) would be FloBeds, Foam Sweet Foam and Sleeping Organic.
Phoenix[/quote]
I didn’t know that the Pure Talalay Bliss was not “Pure Talalay”. Perhaps I can sue them for false & misleading advertising.:cheer:
I looked at the 3 others you mentioned and based on the spread sheet I created here is how they stack up to the two I am considering. Feel free to correct me if I have something incorrect.
FloBeds- Second most expensive mattress
Don’t offer Free shipping
More expensive layer swap out fees
FoamSweet- Most expensive of the 5
Most expensive layer swap out fees
Sleeping Organic-More expensive layer swap out fees
Shortest trial period
Confusing & contradictory return and swap out policies
The pricing depends upon the models and configurations you are choosing. While they charge for layer swap outs, their Goldilocks Guarantee is unique in that they will offer discounted layer swap outs for 20 years, and for $75 (plus $20 shipping) in the first 5 years (up to two layers at this price). You don’t have to return the layers you don’t like, which can be useful as you test out various configurations. They choose not to build shipping into the price of their item (shipping is of course never free), and for a queen mattress is estimated at $99.00 from their facility to New York (as an example).
Pricing again would depend upon which specific model you are comparing. You’re allowed a one layer exchange within 90 days for a $99 deposit. You are responsible for the return freight fees back to FSF, and your deposit is refunded once they receive your exchanged layer in good shape.
They have a 100 night layer swap out plan. There is a $100 deposit to initiate a layer swap out, less a $65 fee for the first layer swap out to help cover shipping. For a second layer swap out (you are allowed two full layer swap outs in the first 100 nights) you will be responsible for the entire round trip shipping fees. Once you receive your new layer, you must return your old layer to them within 30 days in order to have your deposit refunded. While the way the layer exchange plan is presented is a bit confusing, I didn’t find anything contradictory.
All of these companies offer at least a 90 day trial period for swapping out layers, and each have their own unique features of their plans. There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons if you’re interested.
Well after waking up Tuesday in the middle of the night with a sore back, neck and tingling in my right arm, I placed an order for a new mattress. We purchased a 13" his/her split Latex mattress form Flexus Comfort. James was very helpful with recommendations and patiently answered all of my wife and my questions. The bed should be here at the end of next week so I will keep everyone updated on our adventure.
