Would like critique of buying strategy for Latex Mattress (Sleep EZ's 10,000 series)

[phoenix]

Hi Adidas,

It’s been a while since you posted here … and welcome back

That’s a lot of questions so I’ll keep my replies to each of them brief. Some of them would be preference choices or “best judgement” choices rather than better/worse choices.

I am in Tampa, FL and would like some feedback from all of you on my philosophy and buying strategy.

I know you’ve seen this before but just for reference the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Tampa area are listed in post #143 here.

I originally assumed that getting a organic latex would be the best bet but from digging in a bit more on the forum and other places it seems that all natural latex mattress may be a better value and have a very similar outcome due to the process being the same but with organic mattresses you just pay more for the assurance of a certification. Is this correct or is there more to it ? I would be willing to pay more but only if theirs a significant difference between the two.

There are different levels of organic certifications that include the raw materials, the latex cores, and the mattress as a whole (see post #3 here) but in terms of the latex cores or layers there would be very little difference between 100% natural Dunlop and 100% natural Dunlop that has an organic certification (see post #6 here). There is no organic Talalay but there is also 100% natural Talalay. All of the latex you are likely to encounter (either synthetic, natural or blended rubber made with either the Talalay or Dunlop process) would be certified by either OekoTex or EcoInstitut using the same or very similar testing protocols so by any objective standard would be “safe” materials.

Split mattress: I am 6’3" 200 lbs and my wife is 5’6" 125 lbs. We are both mostly side and back sleepers. It seems that we would benefit from different component layers to maximize the P’s. Given everyone’s experience can you recommend an average layer configuration based on the our stats?

There are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved to choose or recommend a mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress) and the most effective way to choose the layers or components that are best for you are either your own careful and objective testing using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post or a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced online manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and will know more about their own specific mattresses than anyone else (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). What works well for one person (even if their body type and sleeping positions are similar) may not work as well for another.

Dunlop vs Talalay: This is mostly based on personal preference correct? Any advice on the best use of each for our specific stats?

Yes … this would be a preference choice rather than a better/worse choice. There is more about the differences between them in post #7 here but the best way to know which one you prefer would be your own testing. It really does boil down to personal preferences since both types of latex can be used successfully in suitable firmness levels in either comfort or support layers.

Layers: Is there any reason why 3 layers would not be advantageous for our situation?

More layers that can be rearranged or exchanged allow for more customization both before and after a purchase so it would have an advantage over a 2 layer mattress in terms of fine tuning or adjusting the feel or performance of a mattress if the extra degree of customization turned out to be necessary or desirable. There would would be little advantage if a two layer mattress was a either a good match for you or the degree or customization that was possible with less layers was “enough” for you.

Mattress preference: As of now I am leaning toward Sleep EZ’s 10,000 series. I like a lot of the other brands but it seems the value Sleep EZ brings is hard to pass up. Can anyone recommend a similar bed with equal value?

There are many factors that are part of the “value” of a mattress purchase and each person’s criteria for value may be very different. The tutorial post includes a link to some of the members of the site that sell online (in post #21 here) that compete well with the best in the industry and many of them make or sell latex mattresses with a wide range of options, features, types of latex, and price ranges. Which of them is the best value for you would depend on which one you believe would be the best match for you in terms of PPP and all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Sleep EZ: I have read many times that Sleep EZ’s materials and quality are one of the best and can be compared to Savvy Rest, FloBed and other high end latex dealer/manufacturers. Is this still the common consensus?

Yes … SleepEz offers blended Talalay, 100% natural Talalay, and 100% natural Dunlop in different combinations and choices of firmness levels and covers (quilted or unquilted depending on the model you are considering). They would be directly comparable to any other manufacturer that used the same types and blends of latex.

I know in some other posts people were saying that other latex dealers were critical of Sleep EZ’s latex source. Have you found any truth to that?

I’m not sure which posts you are referring to but their sources for Talalay include the only two manufacturers of Talalay latex in the western world (Radium or Latex International) and their source for their 100% natural Dunlop is Latex Green which is high quality manufacturer of 100% natural Dunlop that would be the equivalent of other reputable manufacturers of 100% natural Dunlop.

What is everyone’s opinion on Sleep EZ’s coverings?

They have different covers depending on the model of their mattress that you choose but they are all high quality covers. They would be comparable to other high quality similar covers used by other manufacturers although there will always be some differences between the covers they use and the covers used by other manufacturers. You can see some comparisons here and here for example about SleepEz’s wool quilted cover and the Savvy Rest wool quilted cover. I believe Savvy rest uses a heavier cotton twill in their ticks which is very high quality but is a little thicker and stiffer and may take a little longer to break in.

Temperature: I’ve read on and off how some people feel hot while sleeping on latex. Is this a normal phenomenon or am I confusing this with memory foam?

While latex in general is the most breathable and most temperature regulating of all the foam categories and memory foam in general is the least (and is generally the type of foam where there will be more comments about sleeping warm) … any foam material can insulate to some degree and sleep warmer than natural fibers (which are more breathable than any type of foam). Whether any mattress sleeps warm for a particular person would would depend many factors (including the person themselves) including the softness of the latex (how much you sink into the mattress), the type of cover and quilting materials over the latex, the type of mattress protector you are using, and the type of sheets and bedding on the mattress. There is more in post #2 here about the factors which in combination with each other can affect temperature regulation. In most cases, sleeping too warm is not an issue for most people with a latex mattress.

Buying strategy: We are planning on going to a Savvy Rest retail store (2-3 hours away) and trying out some of their configurations. According to the advice of people from this forum Savvy Rest’s layers are similar to Sleep EZ’s. Have you found this to be correct? It sounds like Savvy Rest does’t give out ILD but we should be able to narrow down our layer preference based on the scaling system of soft, firm, ex. firm etc? Once we do that we can talk to Sleep EZ and narrow it down even further? Is there anything else that you all can add to this to help make the comfort selection easier so that we have the most data to bring to Sleep EZ?

I think most people seem to agree that they would be reasonable approximations of each other yes. You can see the rough ILD range that Savvy Rest uses in post #2 here (this was when they were using Talalay from Latex International but it would likely be similar to what they are currently using from Radium). They have firm, medium, and soft layers and SleepEz has X-firm, firm, medium, and soft.

Sleep EZ’s bases: Are they of the same value or is there a more inexpensive but good quality alternative?

I don’t know the specifics of how they compare based on any personal experience but the SleepEz foundation would certainly be a suitable choice for a heavy all latex mattress and has spaces between the slats that are less than 3". There is more about foundations in the foundation post here.

Talking to sales people is fine but getting neutral and unbiased information is what makes a good decision…good.

While they are certainly there to sell mattresses … the “best” salespeople will educate and inform more than “sell” and will put your best interests above their profit. In most cases they will also be able to provide more accurate and specific information about their mattresses than anyone else.

Phoenix