This is a very impressive site and community. Phoenix - you are a depth of knowledge. I wish I knew as much about anything as you do about mattresses. Well done.
The situation:
My wife and I are both side sleepers (90% of the time)
I am 6’4" and weigh 290, she is 5’8", 150 lbs
We have a King sized bed on an existing fram and box spring (which we would likely re-use)
We have concerns about the warmth typically associated with memory foam
We love the idea of getting a mattress for $800, but understand that might not be the best decision for the long term
We’d like to spend $1000-$1800 max
We are switching from a 12 year old innerspring
We think we want latex or a latex hybrid
I think because I’m a big guy we likely need a thicker latex layer and/or a firmer mattress
We (I) am sick of researching mattresses. My god the info is endless.
There is more about an all latex mattress vs a latex polyfoam hybrid in post #2 here (and the post it links to) that may be helpful.
There is also more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here and the posts it links to as well.
Finally there is more about all the variables that can affect durability and the useful life of a mattress relative to each person in post #2 here and the posts it links to (although you may want to skip this part because two of your three choices would be very durable).
At your weight I don’t think that 1.5 lb base foam with 3" of latex on top of it would be a suitable choice and both of the other two options you are considering would also be less risky in terms of PPP because they both have options to rearrange or exchange the layers if your initial choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped while the Ultimate Dreams doesn’t.
When you have eliminated all the worst options and are down to finalists that are a choice between “good and good” (which you are) then post #2 here has more about making final choices based on your conversations with each of them and all of the objective, subjective, and even intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. Neither one of your finalists would be a “mistake” and both of them would be a much better quality/value choice than the large majority of the mattresses that are sold in the mainstream industry.
Thanks again. Is there anything else that you can think of at or below this price range online that has 6+ inches of latex to compare with the Aloe Alexis… Or an alternative for a fully latex model?
How about latex mattress manufacturers in the Minneapolis area, where I live?
Again… I don’t see any reason to pay more than what I’ve posted above.
The tutorial post includes this link to the members of the site that sell online and many of these make latex and latex hybrid mattresses with a wide range of designs, options, features, and price ranges. I don’t know specific prices off the top of my head so you would need to check their websites to see which of them meet your specific criteria.
Some of the lower budget latex and latex hybrid mattresses (under $1000 with mattress only in queen size) are also listed in posts #3 and #4 here but this wouldn’t include all the options in your budget range which is a little higher.
The better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Minneapolis / St Paul area are listed in post #2 here.
I forgot to mention in my last reply that this may not be a good idea. If you have a box spring that has springs inside it then most foam mattresses (polyfoam, memory foam, latex foam) will generally do best with a rigid non flexing foundation rather than a box spring. There is more about the types of support systems that are generally suitable for different types of mattresses in the foundation post here (and the two links in the second paragraph). If you do decide to re-use your foundation (which would probably be risky after 12 years with higher weights sleeping on the mattress) then I would test it very carefully to make sure that there are no soft spots or sagging (see post #2 here) and I would also make sure that your box spring wouldn’t void the warranty for the mattress you decide to purchase.
