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Hi All, First post here! I just discovered this forum and it's nice to see a group of knowledgable people helping each other out with something as difficult as mattress shopping! We've been looking at all types of mattresses and found we don't like Tempurpedic, like the Sleep Doctor - Dr. Breus all latex bed (know anything about this bed - type of latex, will it get body impressions, etc.?), and like the Sealy / Simmons innerspring with latex topper beds. But, I like the idea of an all-latex bed, yet they're pricey, I don't know what type / quality of latex is used in these and whether it will hold up, and I hear horror stories (user reviews) of the mattresses developing cavities / body impressions that lead to people sleeping in a valley... I want to avoid that! Anyway, I'm intrigued with the comments here about things like SleepEZ 10,000 beds where you can customize the latex layers and adjust as needed (but still kind of pricey) as well as the idea of building our own bed as many have done (again, to customize our bed to fit our needs, make sure we're getting good quality latex that will last, and also hopefully save some money). But, I have no idea what I'm doing and would need a lot of help. Can you guide me in this process? We'd like to stay below $2,000, but can go up a bit if necessary. I think I'd like my mattress right in the middle for firmness / softness, and my wife would probably like a bit more soft (I'm 5' 11" and weigh 150). I have some low back pain and not the greatest posture. Little pain with my wife, but she doesn't sleep well.
As an alternative, are there good, reasonably priced talalay latex mattresses we could consider that won't have the cavity issues? Unfortunately, no IKEA, no Original Mattress Factory, and it seems like a lot of the others are online only so we can't try them out. I'd be nervous to try it (and people seem to think they're too firm in user reviews), but there's these E.C.O. Natural Latex mattresses for cheap at Overstock - $750 - but no returns accepted. We have a 14 year old innerspring queen mattress (Serta - medium-firm) that's due to be upgraded and we're getting a king bed this week (no mattress yet!), so anything should be an upgrade. Thanks in advance for any help! Take care, --Kyle This message was modified Sep 20, 2010 by kyley
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I agree with the previous poster - try to keep your old mattress until you are reasonably satisfied with the new one. The quality can vary quite a bit with FBM. Although, some is just visual imperfections which might not affect use. Also, there seems to be some dispute over the firmness levels they quote. Some say the soft is firmer than 20ILD (and possibly not even talalay latex). It is generally agreed here that Latex International makes high quality talalaly latex (blended and 100% natural). If you want to use FBM, it is probably best for the base and intermediate levels. However, I might suggest you only get 2" of the medium and at least 2" of softer. I am not sure how firm you want it. Most sidesleepers seem to want something fairly soft on top - like 2-3" of memory foam or soft latex (20 or less). I don't really trust the soft FBM, but might work for you. Sleeplikeabear has the best selection for 1-2" various firmness of blended and 100% natural talalay. I think blended is a fine product, one user here says that it is all he will use now. I would also note that the 6" base level will be a heavy unwieldy thing (not sure what size you are getting). 2 3" pieces might be better. Shipping back a Sleepez mattress (not sure about foundation) is a hassle, but probably not as expensive as you think. It will come in several UPS boxes. I shipped back a 11" queen layered mattress for a little over $100. Not sure about the eggcrate. There are some latex ones out there as well. There a fairly recent thread on that. Your old box spring might work if pretty firm, but I doubt it at 14 years old. You could put a board over it as a temporary fix, but not the best long term solution (lack of breathing). The issue you may encounter is that you might need some trial and error to figure out what you want. Plus you may want to customize both sides. Or you may want to return the whole thing. Dealing wiht those issues are part of what you pay when you buy from Sleepez or one of the others. |
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Thanks. We will keep the old mattress b/c we're upgrading from a queen to a king :) We're putting the queen in our guest room. I had no idea if getting the eggcrate was a good idea or not - I guess probably not (just saw someone else was getting it). I don't have a problem sleeping on my current mattress, my back pain is more from sitting at a computer desk all day than issues with the bed, etc. We're looking at a latex bed just because we're upgrading to a king, and we think we could have a more comfortable night's sleep (perhaps less tossing / turning), and my wife does have some issues sleeping but I don't think it really has much to do with the bed. I did see a thread with pictures of damaged foam from FBM - that does cause some concerns - I guess it depends on if it's just cosmetic. I went to Latex International - I guess they don't sell to consumers, but they supply SleepLikeABear, FoamSource, etc. Those sites all look pricey. Maybe SleepEZ is the best value (even though it's still well above my target of $2k). Can anyone confirm if their talalay latex is good quality? SleepLikeABear does have a lot of options too choose from (enough to make my head spin!) :) I think you may have a good idea in getting the cheaper FBM for the base (I don't see an option for 3" firm though - so probably 6" or nothing?). I also thought about the E.C.O Talalay Latex from Overstock.com - 8" firm for $650. Then get a layer or two from SleepLikeABear? Here's what I'm thinking:
Here I'm not much better (pricewise) than SleepEZ, but maybe I'd get a better mattress pad, maybe better top two layers, perhaps not as good on the bottom layer? What do you think? As an alternative to the 6" Firm FBM, for the base, I could do:
Think the 3" Talatech would be a better choice than the 6" FBM talalay? Thanks again, This message was modified Sep 21, 2010 by kyley
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Not sure if you read this thread about FBM purchase. Seems like it worked okay. Here is another. If you search on FBM latex and go back in time, you might find other information. You may want to start with less, like the first 9" or so and then try to decide what you need from there. The hard part is getting the top comfort level right for both of you, but once you have 9" or so you may be fine or decide you need more. I tried the Celsion once and did not really notice it stayed any cooler than the blended. It felt cooler when initially laying on it, but warmed up just the same. One poster found it made there innerspring cooler, but they put it on top and were not comparing it to other types of latex. So, hard to say if it is worth the benefit. So, you would be adding twin XL pieces on top? 2 of those will be slightly less wide than a king? This message was modified Sep 21, 2010 by sandman
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| kyley, wh are you wanting the SleepEZ foundation? I bought one because I needed Twin XL and couldn't find one locally without waiting, but if I were to do it over again, I would probably get something else. My twin xl came in 3 sections. |
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Hi Guys, Thanks, good info and good info in the FBM threads. Sandman, I wasn't sure on the size to get. Thanks for pointing that out - I need Twin XL - not Twin! :) cynicaljones, I hadn't looked into the foundation much yet. What do you not like about yours? I just found what looks like the same foundation on Amazon.com here and here for about $80 less :) I also found these steel mattress platforms for only $195 shipped with good user reviews (but maybe a lot of people are reviewing it as a guest bed option) - similar one for $220 at SleepLikeABear. Anyone know much about them? Here's another wood one for $225 shipped. What platform / foundation would you recommend? Thanks again, --Kyle |
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What I don't care for about mine is the three sections thing. That was not what I was expecting when I ordered. It was probably too much money for what it is and I would probably have done better by waiting for a good platform bed or something. Plus I also got a lousy metal frame to put it on, which is part of my problems with it. That metal frame has been mentioned by people on this forum (myself included), and there are some who do not recommend it. |
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Hi All, I'm close to making a decision (at least, I *need* to make a decision)... Can you help with that decision? First of all, which would you suggest - 9" of higher quality latex or 11" with more than half of that being from FBM?:
Price is about the same either way. With the first option I get everything from the same source, but would 9" be enough? Next, I have to decide the firmness of the layers... My wife will want it a little softer than I will. I'd like it fairly soft at least on top. What should we go with for the layers (we're side sleepers, I weigh about 150, my wife a bit more)?
What do you all think? Sorry for so many questions. Thanks for your help, --Kyle This message was modified Sep 24, 2010 by kyley
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As others have posted and in my personal experience FBM has some questionable latex. They are by no means a bad company. My experience in ordering with them was very positive except for the latex quality. They have the cheapest price by far. Shipping was free and only took a week. Customer service (lauren through email ) was very helpful in talking about the problem i was having and returning one of the items (within 30 day return policy). Funds were back in my account 2 days after I shipped it back. The main issue and the most important is the latex quality. I ordered 3- 1 inch pieces of latex. The latex is not of even consistency. It is more dense in certain areas then others. A dime sized piece would be firm to touch when you squeezed it then right next to it you could squeeze the whole inch of latex with barely any pressure and your fingers would touch. This was throughout the whole latex piece. If more soft dime sized pieces were in one area then that whole area was much softer then say the outer edges which I noticed were much firmer and more consistent. I wonder if the problem was because it was only a 1 inch thick piece of latex. But I believe the 1 inch pieces are slices of a larger 6 inch piece. It would be less noticeable in a 6 inch piece but I assume it would have similar problems. Also consider I could of received a bad batch of latex. You are just taking a bigger risk by ordering with FBM in my opinion. After sleeping the past month with only 2 inches of latex I've concluded I would like the additional inch of latex that i returned. Lauren (FBM employee) checked the whole warehouse for a 1 inch piece that was more uniform and did not have the problems I mentioned but could not find a piece. She said to try back in a couple months to see if the new lot was better. For there prices and only the 1 extra inch I need I will still order from them. If I had to do it all over again I'd get one 3 inch topper from one of the more expensive companies mentioned on this site. If you do order from FBM i suggest you call them and ask them to look around the lot for the best piece they can find. Tell them you'd do not want to go through the process of returning it if it is in horrible condition. Tell them you have seen pictures of very poor pieces of latex on this site. Good Luck |
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Thanks for sharing your experience, jasesun23. If I buy from FBM, I'm only buying the lowest level. But if it isn't uniform and part of my back sinks in more than others, I'd imagine it won't be too comfortable? Anyway, my bigger concern is whether this foam would end up sagging more or not lasting as long as a quality foam from Latex International? I guess the real question though, is whether I should get the FBM to get 11" of latex or get it all from SleepLikeABear (Talatech) to get 9" of foam for about the same price (in other words, is 9" enough?) Although I have to admit, I'd save about $450 if I went with FBM entirely for the mattress - and have 12" of foam (3" soft top, 3" medium middle, and 6" firm base). The questionable quality has mostly scared me away - particularly from the top layers. What do you guys think about the ILD ratings for us that I mentioned? The numbers just don't mean much to me :( Would 14 / 28 / 36 be soft enough for my wife? Would 24 / 28 / 36 be firm enough for me (I want it somewhat soft too)? Take care, --Kyle |
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I'd say go with sleep like a bear. I have no experience with them but if money is the main issue of picking one of the other, what is 450 over the lifetime of the bed. Say minimum the bed last 10 years. Thats 45 extra a year. Which equals one inexpensive dinner a year or in NYC 3 drinks. I honestly think FBM with it imperfections will break down more quickly. And right away if you have alot of those soft spots you will sink lower then other areas. This is my logical opinion but I have no proof. I could tell right away that on the edges of my bed were more supportive then the middle. I removed the 1 inch soft layer soft layer of latex and it improved. I though it might be the springs but after testing out the spring I concluded it was the latex. The two 1 inch layers of medium I have are not as bad but still have those inconsistencies I spoke of.
As far as which IDLs to get and layers that is a whole different game. You could decide on exactly what you want from sleep like a bear and after sleeping it be miserable. Then buyers remorse will set in and you'll kick yourself for not getting FBM and saving money. The more you read the more you see how expensive this process can get. |