Zenhaven Mattress

[phoenix]

Hi sunyata,

First off I have really enjoyed reading your site. It is very generous of you to be so thorough and informative, not to mention all the individual attention you give people. Very rare in this world and I can only assume that what drives you is a fairly single-focused fascination with mattresses, essentially making it a hobby.

Thank you for your kind words. And what may have started as a hobby is now my full-time job.

I was wondering what you thought about the Floyd foundation. I recently purchased it (I have not gotten it yet) but it looks very, very sturdy (is close to 100 lbs).

I’m not personally familiar with the Floyd platform bed, but everything they do seems to be focused on the minimalist component-style concept using birch laminated layers with a honeycomb core. They list a conservative estimate at 600 pounds for the weight capacity. If you decide to get one feel free to post your thoughts here.

I am thinking about the Zenhaven, but am first going to try out latex mattresses at some of the stores you recommended here in the Denver area, and talk with the people there as well.

Your personal testing we be a very good indicator if latex is “for you”, and be sure to get specifics on the materials used in any mattress you test to help you classify your preferences.

I also e-mailed Winkbeds about your “slight concern” about the 1.5# poly-foam. I was particularly concerned since their softer Winkbed essentially just adds another inch of foam to the comfort layer, making it 3", when you said anything over 1" is questionable.00 They said that although this site raises a lot of legitimate issues with mattress quality, your concern is hypothetical and they selected the poly-foam mix in question precisely because of it’s durability.

My normal recommendation would be a product using 1.8 lb polyfoam (see this article and this article). The guidance I offer is based upon thousands of hours of research, information from the Polyurethane Foam Association, and most importantly talks with foam pourers and experienced fabricators with decades of experience whose advice and feedback I trust.

Regarding Winkbeds, you can read more about them in the Simplified Choice category in post #2 here. My comments specifically from that thread:

Slight caution because of the top 2" of 1.5 lb polyfoam which is “not bad” but is more than the guidelines I would normally suggest. Winkbeds is one of the few innerspring or “coil on coil” mattresses in this category. My only caution here is that they use 2" of 1.5 lb polyfoam in the top layers of the mattress and while this is “not bad” and is better than most of the mainstream mattresses in the industry which tend to use thicker layers of the same or even lower quality/density polyfoam … it is also “on the edge” of the guidelines that I would normally suggest which is “no more than about an inch or so of lower quality and less durable materials in the upper layers of the mattress” so I would add a “slight” caution here relative to durability. There is also more about them in this topic . They also offer a unique coolControl base that may be used with their mattress that circulates air into the mattress and can adjust the temperature in a 12 degree range, and can be adjusted differently on the left and right side of the mattress.

Of course, there are many variable involved in predicting the durability of a mattress, as outlined in much more detail in post #2 here. But in the end, density is the greatest tool to help consumers gauge the durability of the materials contained within any mattress.

Phoenix