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I was almost ready to pull the trigger on latex pieces from foambymail to build a DIY mattress (my thread on that: http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/advice-needed-my-diy-all-latex-project/19004-0-1.html ). But I've continued to pour through old posts. In so doing, I ran accross Phoenix's posts mentioning http://latexmattressshop.com/index.php/ . Other than Phoenix's mention, there isn't a lot of info here or folks that seem to have their mattresses. I am amazed by their prices for what you get and am now thinking this is a better way to go for me. I realize that going this way, you lose the ability to tweak, but I wasn't looking forward to that anyway. They do offer a complete 60 day money back guarantee. I would love to hear more opinions about the Brooklyn Bedding latex line and latexmattressshop as a company. If all is on the up and up, I would also like help selecting which of their mattresses might be best for my wife and me. Repeating our sleep bio info. from my other thread: me, I'm 6'0" 170-175lbs, 38 y.o., mainly a stomach sleeper but usually flip to my back at some point during the night. My wife is 5'0" 110-115lbs, 36 y.o., mainly a stomach sleeper, but also flips to her back some. We both occasionally deal with low back pain usually brought on by our workouts. I am considering the Allure Plush 10" (http://latexmattressshop.com/index.php/comfort-level/allure-latex-plush) or the Fascination Pillow 12" (http://latexmattressshop.com/index.php/comfort-level/fascination-latex-pillow). The top layer can be selected as soft, medium, or firm. I am thinking medium would be the way to go on that since medium-firm is typically best for low back pain sufferers. With the 10% off coupon I received from signing up for their e-mail list, I can get the 10" Allure with matching King foundation for $1,371.60 with free shipping. The 12" Fascination with foundation would be $1,632.60. I am thinking the 10" Allure might be the way to go. This is basically how I was planning to setup my DIY project. Just the 3 foam pieces from FBM were going to be $1,215, and the return guarantee was subject to shipping being charged both ways and a 25% restocking fee. The 12" pillowtop looks really nice, but I'm worried it may be too soft for us as stomach sleepers. I'm also not clear about what is in the pillowtop since the diagrams on the construction for both mattresses list the same materials in the top. I will call to find out about this. Now, I realize a big difference in the latex in these setups is Dunlop while the FBM latex is Talalay (though both are 100% natural). Considering that the top layer can be chosen as soft, medium, or firm, do you think the Dunlop would be too firm for us? I do like the feel of a solid bed. Also, though there is little info here on the Brooklyn Bedding line, someone commented that the 8" version was too soft for them. I do worry some about the FBM pieces as the comments seem to be that their ILD ratings are inconsistent. Bottom line - are one of these two options from latexmattressshop a better call than doing a DIY mattress sourced from FBM? If so, which model do you think would be better for us? Many thanks! I continue to be amazed at the wealth of information on this forum. This message was modified May 22, 2011 by TheLTFM
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sleepswithcats wrote:
There are lots of policies not mentioned on the web site. Like what happens after 60 days? And can you swap layers if you are not happy with firmness? I would be more likely to take a chance if the store were local and returning the mattress would not cost a huge amount of money. But $1000 is a lot of money and I would like to feel like I had seen enough reviews to know I was not making a mistake. From reading this forum, I would not hesitate to purchase from Sleepez, Flobeds, Savvy Rest. I have seen enough people talk about experience with these companies. Other companies have been mentioned, but as they would all be mail order for me, I don't see sufficient savings to justify risk. I haven't considered DIY, but there seem to be several places where you can buy foam and covers. I've looked at the web sites for some of those vendors and they seem to be reasonable and state their policies up front. Perhaps I am different than most people, but I am nervous about web sites that lack basic information. I want to know what I am buying. Every mattress I have tried out felt great, even the spring mattresses. What you really want to know is what all of these mattresses will feel like 5, 10, 15 years down the road. And you can't be assured that the model made 10 years ago is the same as the one made today. Most of the reivews here are for new or relatively new mattresses.
This message was modified May 23, 2011 by need2sleep636
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I understand about the budget being a constraint. Personally, I don't think that site has enough information to make a well informed decision. dunadan has already made two purchases to correct for comfort. It always a bit depressing to see people spend a lot of money only to have to spend more to correct problems. Maybe the better way to look at this is what it might cost if you don't get it right the first time. Perhaps dunadan can tell us why he didn't return the mattress or exchange a layer? |
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sleepswithcats wrote: Perhaps dunadan can tell us why he didn't return the mattress or exchange a layer? |
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need2sleep636 wrote: Sleepswithcats does bring up a good point about the warranty beyond the 60 days and I plan to ask them about that. However, I don't put much stock in long-term warranties as companies tend to always look for an out. |
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dunadan wrote: It is a sealed enclosure, I was referring to the Comfort Zones. You just have to lay on it properly to take advantage of the different comfort layers. Having to lay on it properly scares me a little bit as I've never thought about a proper way to lay on a bed. Is the feel that noticable that there is a wrong way to lay on this bed? Are you a stomach, side, or back sleeper? |
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TheLTFM wrote: Sleepswithcats does bring up a good point about the warranty beyond the 60 days and I plan to ask them about that. However, I don't put much stock in long-term warranties as companies tend to always look for an out. |
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Having to lay on it properly scares me a little bit as I've never thought about a proper way to lay on a bed. Is the feel that noticable that there is a wrong way to lay on this bed? Are you a stomach, side, or back sleeper?
I'm a side and back sleeper. With the zones you would want to lay on it in a way that your body (head, shoulders, back, small of your back, rump, legs etc.) are seated in the proper zones. It's not really that much of a problem. If you sleep with your head a few inches from the headboard, most people will be okay. From what I understand the vast majority of adults pretty much have the same torso length, it's the leg length that differentiates our heights. I found myself in the beginning inching my way one way or the other to get the best fit, but it's no big thing. I can see some people preferring it and others not wanting to be bothered or just not liking it, so take it into account before you buy this mattress. Even with free shipping on returns, it's gonna be a hassle to rebox this beast back up and send it back.
JW |
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Just wanted to report here what I found out when I talked with LatexMattressShop today. I spoke with a guy who was very helpful and seemed very knoweldgeable as well. On the 6" core, they build these with either 38 or 32 ILD natural Dunlop. The next 2" is customized to the purchaser based on their prefernces and can be Talalay or Dunlop. The Talalay is Talatech from LI (their blended Talalay product) and can be chosen in 19, 24 or 28 ILD's. If you go with a 28 ILD that could also be chosen as Dunlop. He basically admitted that the 7 zone sleep system is more marketing than anything. There is a 7 zone topper out there made from Dunlop by Latexco (http://store.mattresses.net/3-inch-latex-mattress-topper.html ), so I'm thinking if you go with Dunlop you might get this type layer. I did not confirm that with him. I'm guessing if you go with Talalay for this layer, you won't get the 7 zone system. I'm wondering if dunadan has this layer in Dunlop and that is why he found the mattress too firm. dunadan, do you happen to know the ILD's of your layers and the type of latex used? The next 2" is listed as quilted natural wool and natural latex. He said that they are not using wool in there except in the more expensive green options which they aren't really making anymore. He said the quilting has a "little" latex, some fire retardant batting, and the bamboo fabric top. He said this layer finishes 1.5" - 2". I am somewhat disappointed by their not using wool in this layer. For me, he recommended that I not go with the 12" pillowtop model since I am a stomach sleeper and back pain sufferer. I appreciate the restraint from upselling. He recommended the 38 ILD Dunlop core + a 24 ILD Talalay topper for my setup. He confirmed that their 60 day return period does cover shipping both ways. However, there is no warranty whatsoever after the 60 days. He said with this being an all latex mattress, there wasn't a need for a warranty because of the durability and at this price point they just weren't going to provide that. This is not a deal killer for me as I posted above. He mentioned that they experimented with doing a removable core/topper mattress setup similar to others, but didn't like how that went. He also mentioned that to him, latex pieces that are glued together feel slightly different to loose stacked pieces. Any of you guys experience anything like this? He confirmed that they are the sister company of R&S Mattresses, the Phoenix local reailer with multiple stores. I have some comfort in that to have as many locations as they have, they must be doing a fair volume and they have maintained an A+ BBB rating. All in all, this is still an option for me, but I'm not sure the bang for the buck is as impressive as I first thought. 6" of Dunlop + 2" of blended Talalay are not exactly high end components. And the quilted layer is not as impressive as I first thought. Any reactions from the group on this info? This message was modified May 23, 2011 by TheLTFM
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Since I have been vocal on this thread, I'll weigh in here. By not accepting any returns after 60 days, they cut on costs of returning, trading, etc and pass the cost savings on to the customer. I don't know what other online vendors do with returned latex. Afterall it is a mattress and there are lots of laws around what you can do with a "used mattress". Undoubtedly, there is some cost with making it available for resale and this cost is built into the original purchase price. LatexMattressShop avoids that hidden markup. I think this is reasonably priced for what you get and has reasonable quality latex. If you read other websites carefully, they have the same issue: a 10" bed is 8" latex and 1.5" of top, rounded up to 10". I think the dunlop core and talalay top is common configuration. Isn't that what the Habitat Furnishings 8" latex mattress is? Did you ask if LatexMattressShop offers swapping after purchase? Probably not. It's not clear what the top 1.5-2" consists of. A little latex, a little wool, bamboo fabric.... What exactly does that mean? Seems like an 8" bed with something on top. As for advice on which way to go? Warranties, smorranties. But I think you are buying an 8" mattress here. A fair comparison to FBM is 6" dunlop with 2" dunlop/talalay, an enclosure. I don't know if enclosures have wool quilted into the top or not. You have a difficult decision to make and there seem to be tradeoffs. Sorry, I don't have a recommendation to make. I'm happy that my skepticism lead to more information. How far back did you dig in the archives to look at DIY mattresses? And I'm sure there are other people who have done DIY latex mattresses. Did you check some of the sites that have lots of DIY instructions? You might find some useful information there. www.instructables.com is one such site; there are probably more. This message was modified May 23, 2011 by sleepswithcats
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