Mattress Forum

Manufacturers also are tucking layers of pricey latex or memory foam into their traditional innerspring lines, creating plush hybrid models. Yes, hybrid beds.

"It used to be rock-hard beds sold a lot," says Larry Miller, cofounder and president of Sit 'n Sleep, which has 18 mega-stores in Southern California. "Today we're selling a lot of plush beds with support, a lot of latex, a lot of memory foam, a lot of air products and new types of innersprings with latex or memory foam, or a combination of foams."

In 2001, 1 in 7 mattresses sold for $1,000 or more, according to the International Sleep Products Assn. By 2005, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the number had risen to more than 1 in 5.

Two trends are converging: advancements in mattress technologies and the aging of baby boomers who are willing to spend money on premium products.

"Around age 50, your body really starts to change in regard to sensitivity to pressure points," says Consumer Reports senior editor Tod Marks, who headed up the magazine's most recent report on mattresses. Changes can even be felt at age 40, he says. "That mattress you found comfortable 10 years ago may no longer be so comfortable. You may want more padding on top."

Doctors and bedding professionals used to think that a firm mattress was best for the back. Not anymore. Today, a combination of support and comfort is thought to be ideal -- whatever feels best to each person. And what feels best to many people, especially as they get older, is a mattress with a little "give." That's where specialty beds come in.

Viscoelastic and latex foam conform to the body's curves, absorb motion and ease pressure points at the shoulders and hips. Many in the mattress industry are especially excited about latex, which is pleasantly springy and feels cooler than memory foam. It also is naturally hypoallergenic and dust-mite resistant. "One of the reasons it's catching on is it's the best of both worlds," says Sealy spokesman David Mullen. Latex "reacts more like an innerspring, it reduces pressure points, and it gives you individual support."

Sounds like you had a good experience at FSF. I agree you get what you pay for, but Mattresses.net is also built by themselves by hand and they have a good reputation. The foam is all sourced from the same places (Latex International), so there is very little difference from manufacturer to manufacter on that front. The mattress I'm looking at is a Queen with 8 inches of latex and an organic cotton and wool cover.I may add an extra inch to the mattress for about $100 (ends up being about 10" total including wool batting).  I assume you're looking at a bigger mattress from FSF as a comparable mattress from them is closer to $2k. I suspect some of the price difference is just overhead for running your business in SoCal instead of Arizona. I may be in Anaheim in a couple weeks, so if I haven't bought anything yet I'll check them out.

MikeS,

Have you confirmed that ALL the latex sold by mattresses.net is from Latex International? I know they do sell LI products, but could not find on their website whether or not they ONLY sell LI latex. I also remember reading somewhere that dunlop sold by LI is imported and not actually made by LI, but that info may be outdated or incorrect. Please remember that there are distinct differences between talalay and dunlop foams too, so this is another thing to consider.

After taking into account all that information, mattresses.net does have some of the best pricing I've seen. I myself was torn between lowest priced option or high-end. The lowest priced option I found was mattresses247 on ebay who currently has three each 3" talalay cores (seconds) in your choice of firmness for $942 delivered in king size (they also have similar deals with a lower price on queen size). Throw in one or two 1" latex toppers from philmoresupply, a terry cloth encasement cover from FBM, and I could be in a king sized 10" or 11" latex mattress for $1200 to $1300. The high-end option was flobeds. Certified 100% natural talalay latex from LI inside a very nice organic cotton and thick organic wool encasement + a great core swap and return policy.

Mattresses.net kind of fit in between, so I never researched them too much. I would definitely find out what type of latex and the source of the latex quoted to you from mattresses.net so you are comparing apples to apples.

I'm looking at Talalay blended latex. The owner said they use Latex International to supply their latex. I'm following up with him to verify the blended variety is made by LI. I'm also checking into the cost of natural latex, but from the exhaustive (and exhausting) research I've done thus far it seems that the blend is more durable and longer lasting while still being relatively toxin-free (oeko certified from mattresses.net). 

I decided I didn't want to deal with the bottom end retailers like ebay based businesses and Foam By Mail. It seems there are some inconsistencies in those companies that don't really make it worth the low price to me. I also don't wan't to pay for a larger resellers marketing, showroom overhead, etc. so I like the idea of dealing with a direct manufacturer. Arizona Mattress (mattresses.net) is a direct manufactuer and offers a quality mattress at a reasonable price. There are other similar options, but they've been very helpful and offer a formula for the mattress I like. I could still be swayed, but I'm 90% sure I'm buying from them unless I find a similar situation locally.

Regarding the durability, there has been much debate on this topic. Do a search here for posts by budgy, as he has fairly strong opinions that natural latex is superior to blended regardless of what LI states. There haven't been any published unbiased studies comparing LI's tatlatech blend vs. their 100% natural regarding durability. The only evidence is what LI has published, and there is reason to believe that their published results may be geared more towards profit margin than actual science since their ultimate goal is to turn a profit.

Budgy did post this link from an unbiased source to support his argument that natural rubber is a better stronger product than SBR: http://www.elderrubber.com/material.htm - notice the differences in these three categories: Compression Set Resistance, Resilience (Rebound), & Tear Strength. NR beats SBR in all three categories.

Budgy also mentioned that there have been many 100% natural latex foam mattresses last for 50 years. Blended cannot say the same, only time will tell.

Here's a good video of one of those 50 year old Latex mattresses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjfQqDGJ1gI

I'm not saying that the natural is better than the blended, because I really don't know. What I do know is that at 41 years of age, this mattress I'm buying has a reasonable chance of lasting me for the rest of my life. It also contains no petroleum based products, and I'm hoping will be extremely comfortable. Lastly, It has a removable cover so I can switch out any part at any time.

They're just quoting LI, so I suppose you take that for what its worth. There seems to be anectodal evidence both ways and many people seem to not be able to tell the difference. I think my general feeling is it doesn't matter, haha, but I'm not super hard core about it being "all-natural" per se. 

My understanding of the 40 year old beds it they're all dunlop manufactured, so that also isn't apple to apples, but it is definitely part of why I'm buying a latex bed.

Ken at Mattresses.net got back to me. He said they use LI and Radium for latex. From what I can tell Radium is a reputable manufacturer as well. He said he prefers the Radium's overall quality slightly more. I think this jives with what I've seen Phoenix metion in various threads. Ken also told me there would be a $250 upcharge to make the bed out of natural talalay. I suppose I have to figure out if that is important to me or not, haha.

Thanks for the dialog. It is always helpful to talk through these things!

Regarding the fact that people can't tell the difference, that may be true regarding comfort, but everything I've read states that the natural talalay product from LI is denser and heavier in weight. Not sure if there is any correlation whatsoever, but denser PU foams have been proven to last longer.

Regarding the 40 year old beds, I'm more concerned with the materials used to process them rather than the technique. But your point is valid, not an apples to apples comparison.

I'm pretty sure mattresses.net is using Radium, since it is a less expensive product, and they're website states a 40/60 blend rather than the 30/70 LI uses. From what I've been reading, the LI product is noticeably better. If it were not the case, then why would anyone use LI's product when the Radium is cheaper?

I'm sure the mattresses.net product is fine, and you'll likely be very happy with your purchase. Another main deciding point on the flobeds for me was the promotion they just finished running of 15% off. Not sure if I would've splurged at their full price.

I haven't really seen any clear discussion of the quality differences. Can you point me towards them? Most of what I'm seeing doesn't point to either being better than the other.

If I remember correctly, I read it on a website of a high-end bed manufacturer. They stated that they switched to the LI latex over the Radium due to its superior consistency and higher quality. I did a quick search and came up empty. If I find the link, I will post it for you.

I also found a few comparisons of european talalay vs. LI, but to be fair when I went back and re-read them, they never mentioned that the european foam was from Radium. I may have just assumed that to be the case. I did find Phoenix's posts on this site, and bow to Phoenix's better knowledge, since Phoenix has obviously seen plenty of both.

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**** Edit ****- I spent some time looking for the link I mentioned, and cannot find it. It bugs me, because I know it mentioned Radium by name and stated that the LI Talalay was more uniform. It mentioned that the Radium Talalay had one side which was slightly firmer than the other, but not nearly as noticeable as dunlop. Also mentioned that LI has less surface imperfections. If anyone here knows the link I'm referring to, please post it.

I also think that FBM may have cast a bad impression on me regarding Radium as I understand that most if not all the foam they sell is from Radium. Theory has it that they're selling 'seconds', but no one has confirmed or denied this. MequonJim posted a comparison between the two, but doesn't mention if the FBM product was labeled as coming from Radium. There are very many posts here from FBM customers who stated their foam was labeled from Radium. Here's the link MequonJim posted with pictures of the side by side comparison: http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/foam-mail-latex-latex-international-latex-comparison/5314-0-1.html