Is FBM legit?
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I've noticed several posts in here about people having good dealings with foambymail. Since I am looking to purchase a latex mattress i decided to give them a call due to the unbelievable pricing compared to every other site on the internet. After spending a good deal of time on their website I picked up the phone and spoke to a real person. That was good. I have done my due diligence in researching latex mattresses and feel I know a lot about them. The first question I asked received an unbelievable respose- Do you use fire retardant chemicals in your covers? Answer- We realize we have a compliance issue and are working to resolve it. So I guess I don't need to send them my doctors prescription for a non-treated mattress like all the other law abiding manufacturers require. Not that I'm complaining but blatent disregard for the laws of our country definately concerns me. Technically, and I know this because I spoke to another manufacturer about it, the feds can come in and make the recall every single mattress they put out that did not meet the strict fire-retardant standards set forth almost 2 years ago by our government. Anyone who has bought a mattress from this company should check the law label for a statement that says it complies to something called TB-1633. That's the law the feds passed a few years ago requiring all mattresses to be tested for flammability issues. The next major issue I addressed based on the info presented on their website was " who is the manufacturer of your all natural talalay latex"? Answer- It comes from Europe. OK, again I have done my due diligence in this department and with Dunlopillo Foam going out of business Sept. of last year, there simply is only one manufacturer in the world making all natural talalay latex and that is Latex International right here in the good old US of A. So what gives foambymail? Are you deliberately trying to fool and an unassuming public into thinking the second rate latex you exhibit on your web site is the real deal? Or do you have no clue what you are doing? People, look around the internet and the picture they show of a zoned latex core ( which is supposed be that of all natural talalay) is really nothing more than run of the mill Dunlop foam which, in my opinion, feels nothing at all like all natural talalay and is also considerably cheaper. Even the toppers they are selling depict a picture of rolled goods which again is typical of Dunlop foam. My talalay topper has exactly 5/8" between holes center to center and it's #22 ILD. Although I can't verify without purchasing, theirs looks much greater than that and is more like the much cheaper Dunlop foam. Do your research and ask yourself how they can be so much cheaper than everybody else? This always throws up a red flag when I'm buying online. Believe it or not, sometimes you do get exactly what you pay for. This message was modified Apr 29, 2009 by porchdog
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Re: Is FBM legit?
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porchdog wrote: I am looking to purchase a latex mattress Noting your Phoenix location . . is Central Plastic still selling 5.5" Talatech latex 33 ILD cores? No prices are currently listed. |
Re: Is FBM legit?
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I recently purchased from them. Their latex is really low end compared to LI. I ordered a firm 6" mattress (supposed to be 33-38 ILD) and a soft 2" topper (supposed to be 20 ILD) They both feel about the same. If I had to guess I would say ILD of 26 Obviously the mattress is way too soft to provide any support. I'm quite certain it is a talalay latex, but it must be seconds or a very low end manufacturer. I compare that to the other half of my king sized bed which is all LI latex. It is a huge difference. You win some, you lose some. In this case I lost. Some day I will upload photos and you will be amazed..... This message was modified Apr 29, 2009 by MequonJim
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Re: Is FBM legit?
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Gary - First of all, I think you should stop mincing words and tell us how you really feel :) Just want to add that I like my FBM mattress. I think I got an excellent deal on a good product. Contrary to what you claim, my latex is not junk. It may not be the highest quality in the world, or perfect, but it's comfortable and compares favorably with the other latex I have seen and felt. But here again, I'm not an expert like you, so only time will really tell how it holds up. Maybe I'm being fooled! I see the post from Jim above and he can't feel any difference in softness in his soft topper and firm core. That's too bad. That's not my case and I have a soft topper and medium core and there's a noticable difference between them in feel. Anyone who looks at the FBM web site should be able to tell that marketing and design is not their strong suit. The pictures they use in their ads look to me like just industry shots they've borrowed. They are not representative of what they're selling. My bed setup is here if you want to see what their latex actually looks like. I bought this last Nov. At that time they said everything was from the USA, so that is different now, the Europe origin. I know this concerns some people but my main concern is that its comfortable, reasonably priced and is decent quality. So far it seems to be. Bill This message was modified Apr 30, 2009 by BillB
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Re: Is FBM legit?
| Thank you for sending me the photos. You have just verified my claims! I am looking at dunlop processed latex. Not natural talalay as they claim. Talalay is extremely refined and I am looking at numerous imperfections consistent with dunlop latex. The coarseness of the edges further proved my claim. Natual talalay does not look like that either. |
Re: Is FBM legit?
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Gary, I really don't know what type of foam FBM is selling, and I don't really care as I don't have a dog in this fight. What I don't appreciate is the way you are downgrading dunlop latex. I chose a dunlop kit bed from a reputable manufacturer after comparing both types of latex. I dare say 50% of the people who read these messages either don't appreciate the "jiggly" feel of talalay or have a concern for talalay longevity as compared to dunlop. I do wonder why you have chosen to attack FBM.....you are, perhaps a competitor Sweet dreams back at you, Philip |
Re: Is FBM legit?
| I assure you I am not a competitor. Where on their site does it say they sell Dunlop foam? It doesn't, they sell Talalay. At least that's what they want you to think. Did you specify Dunlop foam when you ordered or did you believe you were getting talalay as advertised and are now realizing you recieved Dunlop? At least that's what they want you to think. You have completely skirted around the issue of non compliance with federal regulations. That bothers me also. I just don't like being mislead. No dog here. |
Re: Is FBM legit?
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Gary, As I explained, my bed did not come from FBM. We CHOSE dunlop as we feel it is the BETTER product. Many people are looking for a less expensive, but still latex, alternative to Flobeds, SleepEz, Savvy Rest, etc. FBM appears to offer such an alternative. Why the need to rain on these peoples' parade? Philip |
Re: Is FBM legit?
| Time to rein it in here folks. This is a place to share ideas but personal attacks will not be tolerated. |
Re: Is FBM legit?
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I'm not sure why Gary is attacking FBM without ever seeing/feeling their product in real life. Maybe he's one of those people that needs justification for paying more. I was apprehensive about ordering from them seeing how lame their website is and their vague answers. The other thing that makes it even tougher to pull the trigger, is all mattresses are way over priced even FBM foam if you really think about what you are getting, it's just a block of foam not some high tech electronics device. But I took the plunge anyways, figured I'd learn my lesson the hard way if it sucks. I just recently ordered their 2" core to make sure I like it then ordered the 6" latex core after I was satisfied with what I received. It's definitely not perfect and personally I don't care as I'm not putting these things on display and I'll never look at the foam again for a long long time. I don't care if it's all natural(smells natural) or mixed or even if it's made here, it'd be nice if it was made here but I'm not willing to pay 2x the cost for that assurance. All I care for is it's comfortable, it does the job I need it to do, and it feels even better with 1,000 dollar bills as a mattress topper. If you need specs and data to earn smug points with your friends then FBM is not for you. |
If I get half the life span from this FBM foam versus the name brand stuff I'll still be happy as I'll still be ahead by a couple hundred bucks if I have to buy a second set. All I can say is this FBM mattress set I put together is way better than the old Sealy mattress it's replacing and it's cheaper. A win in my book.
Re: Is FBM legit?
| I'll address the compliance issue. As a former business owner who complied with regulations, permits and licensing requirements for food service, tobacco products, beer, etc., I appreciate porchdog's comments about FBM's noncompliance with fire retardant regulations. I had wondered about this myself and it's probably one reason for FBM's low prices. To this I would add: a low marketing budget (one of the cheesiest web sites I've ever seen), miniscule budget for packaging materials (cardboard packing boxes look like landfill rejects), and a small variety of latex densities. Having spent about six months researching latex mattresses, I have learned that many mattress companies attain compliance by using a barrier system such as a wool filled mattress cover, since wool is a natural fire retardant. Some companies, as porchdog noted, require doctor's prescriptions to sell nontreated mattresses. While legal, I consider it a CYA ploy to enable most people to skirt the regulations. Had FBM offered a wool filled cover at an upcharge, I personally would have paid for one. Maybe this is an alternative they are looking at to become compliant. Nevertheless, I remain extremely happy with my purchase from FBM, which I described in a rather long-winded post earlier this week. As for the latex being dunlop rather than talalay, I don't have the experience to make a judgement about this. The latex I received had imperfections that appear to be only aesthetic in nature and were promptly hidden under a nice cover. I received excellent service from FBM and prompt receipt of a well-priced, high-quality product that fit my budget. |