Mattress Forum

I've had my SleepEZ 10000 which is three 2.8" layers of blended talalay latex in a cover with some wool in the top.  This all latex is much more resilient than the cheap top batting and foam in the Stearns and Foster.  Some will say, must have Dunlop or all natural latex.  I just went with SleepEZ's recommendation - they like talalay for their bed and the vast majority of it is a blend of synthetic and natural latex.  I like the bed - it is plenty supportive and I could see it lasting a long time.  I think it sleeps a little bit warmer than the Stearns and Foster, but not much.

This latex bed has also led me to the euro slat bed base which I slept on last night.  It's pretty good!  And adjustable in the hips and shoulders region.  I got the bed base from Ikea for $80 + tax.  Ikea stuff is not junk in my opinion.  It is well engineered and a good value for the price.  One could also get a motorized slatted bed base for only $300 !  That's a smoking bargain ! And that adjusts at head and foot.

Maybe I'm getting off track ........

Yes, all latex can fully support you, for real.  Latex is known as 'the good stuff' in terms of foam.  

Lastly, the only places I know to sample all latex are at alternative stores, 'organic' or natural mattress type of stores.  You may or may not have any in your area.  I just know the first time I tried an 'organic' latex + wool/cotton cover bed, I was blown away.

Just keep in mind some 'latex' beds are just maybe a couple or few inch layer of latex.  Example is Serta Vera Wang latex collection.  Some of them are probably alright, but I hated the price they wanted.  Didn't like the Simmons natural care - mattress too high.  I don't like mattresses much over 10" height.

The thing with the layered all latex in a cover is it is somewhat more 'do it yourself'.  You have to place the layers into the cover.  But you can zip open the cover and see exactly what's going on inside.  The somewhat more expensive outfits doing this are - Savvy Rest, Flobeds, few more.  An easier priced outfit is SleepEZ.  They've been around many years. 

I can tell you the owner of SleepEZ is very nice.  Really.  I called last Monday, said the wood foundation wasn't going well, can I return it.  Shawn said, no problem, we'll credit you back, which they did.  And ... said, no need to send the foundation ($190) back, do what you want with it.

I called him yesterday, said, I'm using the foundation again, so I should pay for it.  Shawn says, don't worry, we just want you to be happy and of course we'd like a good review when you are.  Told him about adapting euro slats onto foundation.  He was interested to learn about that and see a couple pics of it.   Bottom line, super nice.  All of them.  Great customer service, Really.
 

I also went to Bloomingdales and tried all the Kluft mattresses (10k-30k) and luckily I didn't like any of them at all.  Way too firm and of course the sales people were really snotty.  

Hey Neiman,

I had an Aireloom latex bed and it was horrible. Felt great in the store and then within 6 months in sank like a ship where my hips were. Serious horrible lower back pain. Bad customer service from them directly. I got lucky when I complained alot to my cc company and got a full refund. These are low quality beds imo - do not buy no matter how much you like them in the store. They don't make them like they did 20 years ago. I had a Spring Air I bought in 1989 that was made with coconut fibers in it and it was the most amazing bed. The times have changed and all the S brands are just pure crap like you hear on this forum. It's true and it includes the Aireloom's too. I like springs with my latex too and here's some great options for you:

You mentioned custom comfort - perhaps you are in the oc. If so go to the Ergo bed store in Irvine off Jamborree and look around http://www.ergocomfort.com/. They carry some great beds. Custom Comfort is okay but I find their beds too hard and they are not an open bed system and for what they are charging I believe there are better options. 

Also European Sleep Works http://www.sleepworks.com/ is up in the bay area and they have an assortment of nice beds too that Ergo carries a few under their Silhouette name. ESW has a great return policy if you don't like it you can return it. Ergo does not have a good return policy even though it is ESW's bed. Go figure. The same bed sytem at ESW is about $500 cheaper than at Ergo. I guess they need to make a profit somehow. ESW's beds are made in Ontario by Berkely Ergonomics - that's the parent co. You can google them and get more info. These are what I call an open bed where you can change out the latex and springs if it is too firm or too soft. You can also get a topper mattress with latex with these beds. Both the mattress and the topper have zippers to change out the components.

The Natural Mattress Store http://thenaturalmattressstore.com/ is also in the bay area and has good quality beds too. These are also open beds that let you customize the feel with different spring gauges and soft, medium, or firm latex. Steve owns the stores and is great to work with.

One more to consider is McRoskey http://www.mcroskey.com/ in San Francisco - they have a new all latex and wool bed that looks interesting.

Take a trip up to the bay area and sample some of these beds if you realy want to get a great bed. Or just go over to Ergo and get seduced by the Carpe Diem beds they have. I think the ESW beds and the natural mattress store beds can be very similar to the CD beds in the right combination and you will save $10 - 15,000 from what you will spend on the CD beds.

Best wishes, and I hope this is helpful!

 You wrote "I got lucky when I complained alot to my cc company and got a full refund".   That is great...your right, you did get it lucky.  With all the disclosures about no refunds its amazing you were able to get a refund.  Did you send the bed back to the company and then your CC company gave you a refund?  How did it happen? 

Yes i live in Orange County.  

I think you are mistaken in assuming an all latex mattress will be too mushy.  It will depend on the type of latex you get.  Believe me if you got 9" of firm to extra firm dunlop latex, I doubt you would say it is too mushy.

What you may want to consider is buying a latex you can customize and exchange layers and/or return if you don't like(sleepez, flobeds, etc.) .  Sleepez would definitely be cheaper than your Aireloom option and I am pretty sure it will last longer since it will be all latex.  For most people this is a good option, because it is very tough to get the right feel without sleeping on it.

Some people just don't like the feel off all latex for whatever reason, so it is possible it won't work.  Maybe you are one of those or maybe you just have not tried a latex one that is firm enough.

Another option is the Costco which also sells a poly / latex combo.   That will be much cheaper and they have a 100% return policy.   The disadvantage is that you cannot try it out first, so  a bit of a hassle if you end up not liking it.    I returned one that they delivered and picked up and it did not cost me one cent.

Hey Neiman,

They issued a refund and the mattress store picked it up. I complained alot! Wrote a couple long letters and called several times. It was a pretty big hassell but I did get results. I'm a good cc customer so I think that made a difference. But again I was one of the lucky ones this usually does not happen.

Costco is a nice option as stated above as they will take mattresses back. The flobeds and sleepez folks will too. Both very nice to deal with. I tried their beds and they weren't for me. Return was easy with them - it's just hard to get it all packed up to ship back. Since you in in the OC go over to Ergo and start there. They have a nice selection of quality beds and you'll get a good idea of what's available in a quality bed.

And another bed store that has gotten some good press is Bay Beds up in Santa Cruz http://www.baybed.com/  They can customize a bed too with their open system. I think they do use latex and some poly but since you can replace it it's not that big a deal if it softens up too much over time. They sell a couple different spring sytems too and they will ship it down to the OC for you and their prices are very resonable.

Enjoy your options!

Thanks to everyone who is hangin in there with me.  I just dislike every bed i try except the darn Aireloom (called Victoria Gardens).  I can't stand a firm bed or memory foam...i like one that is super springy and soft.   

Then you will fall in love with the Carpe Diem beds ... enjoy your adventure!