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Hello gals and guys, I'm shopping for a new mattress and even though I think I read a ton, I decided to consult with the community before making final decision. I always trust actual folks lot more than I trust companies pushing their product. We currently have spring mattress that was pretty expensive at the time we bought it (it was about 12 years ago I believe and we paid around $800 for it). It was good I suppose and it could still go for a while but I think it's time to make a change. It's become very heavy from all the dust accumlated in it (and who knows what else). I also have an upper back problem and I don't feel it's helping. I don't sleep well at all. I'm not sure if I should ttribute this to the mattress or it's just me getting older or it's something else. After doing some research, I decided to go with memory foam mattress. I first looked at TempurPedic of course but then I read reviews about how many chemicals they use and how bad it smells and how it's not really all that comfortable and I sumbled upon latex mattresses, which I didn't know existed before (yeah, I kind of live in a cave I guess). First thing I came across was Essentia. The web site is awesome and they have tons of material to read. They even have a store in NYC where I can visit (I plan to in about a week). But what alarms me a bit is their lack of accreditation and recognition. I also read they make some false claims about quality of their latex. Not sure if it's true or false or can at all be proven, but some of the things I read about them (couldn't find too much info which is also a bit alarming) has my red flags go up. But I will give them a fair shot nevertheless. I'm now looking at Zleep-EZ, Flobeds, SavvyRest, Natura in addition to Essentia. I think these are the major manufacturors? I want to be an equal opportunity shopper, so I hope I'm not missing anyone else. I like rather firmer mattress, but I don't want to sleep on a rock either. My wife prefers a softer one but she doesn't want to sleep in a puddle either. I'm looking at the budget of around $3,000 (give or take couple of hundreds). I think I'm looking for at least 10" thickness which would probably make for 4 layers of latex? I see that most of the companies have 90 days layer replacement policies, but I would like to avoid making a mistake and then having 1 shot to correct it. I sleep mostly on my stomach and my wife sleeps mostly on her side. I'm not sure what layers (as far as firmness is concerned) should be in what order though. I'm also not positive I understand if I need a pillow top. I understand it takes at least couple of weeks to get used to latex especially that we slept on spings all of our lives, but I would really hate to come away being dissapointed with the matterss after shelling out 3 grands. Any advice/help you guys can offer is greatly appreciated.
Regards, -Tony. |
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Tony_ wrote:
Regards, -Tony. If you exchange a layer with SleepEZ, the whole mattress would still be returnable within the 90 day trial period. This message was modified Oct 5, 2011 by slpngoc
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Tony_ wrote:
2) So the only reason you didn't like SleepEZ was because you were gravitating towards the middle of the bed after a while or was it something else? Thanks for alerting me that layers exchange will void return policy. I had no idea about it. 3) $1,600 for TP + $400 foundation + taxes would make it almost $2,200 where I live, whereas I can get this one http://www.sleepez.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/1_4_25/products_id/227/osCsid/54bat13vrokuef069cf6brhm61 which seems to be top of the line (I do hope it's natural organic latex and not heavily blended one) on SleepEZ for $2,300 flat (I assume they don't charge you for shipping and I won't have to pay taxes cross state).Of course this isn't all about the money and I would definitely pay extra for comfort. I will try checking out TP next Monday. Is their foundation also covered by return policy for 100 days? If you return the mattress, I hope you don't get stuck with the foundadtion. -Tony. 1) No. The blended latex would fall under the 'Latex mattress line'. That is either all natural Dunlop or blended talalay. The other option is the 'Organic latex' line which all natural talalay latex which has a premium price. 2) I'll try to describe best as possible. To me latex is 'springy' foam. You push on it and it pushes back, pronto. The mattress has a bouncy feel as when you go to get up, it kinda helps push you off the edge a little. Far as I can tell, I don't think latex molds around a body as much as memory foam. On my box spring, I did notice a bowing of mattress towards the center. When I layed towards the edge to test it, it was hard to lay there, felt a little off balance. Same on both sides. I just saw no advantage with the latex mattress over the Tempurpedic, overall less comfortable. The Tempurpedic has a very solid, stable feeling I like. I had a polyester type of mattress pad on the lates and also the cover has some quilted wool in it and the cover itself is a fairly thick cotton. Therefore, the feel of the latex / mattress surface was diminished. The Tempurpedic only has a superthin protectabed on it and fitted sheet, so I get to feel the memory foam a lot which I like. 3) If you didn't like a TP mattress set, you could return the foundation also. Retailer would be foolish to stick a customer with a foundation they don't want. The SleepEZ organic line I'm sure would be all natural latex (or 97% natural or whatever the highest they can make it). Keep in mind these layered latex mattresses are more DIY. You will unwrap and handle layers of latex to put it together or to move. Rolling them back up is a litte tough as I found out yesterday. Latex is very springy, strong foam. When you unwrap it, it will lay out immediately. It resists rolling up cause it's like a spring, especially the denser latex. This message was modified Oct 5, 2011 by slpngoc
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slpngoc wrote: 1) No. The blended latex would fall under the 'Latex mattress line'. That is either all natural Dunlop or blended talalay. The other option is the 'Organic latex' line which all natural talalay latex which has a premium price. 2) I'll try to describe best as possible. To me latex is 'springy' foam. You push on it and it pushes back, pronto. The mattress has a bouncy feel as when you go to get up, it kinda helps push you off the edge a little. Far as I can tell, I don't think latex molds around a body as much as memory foam. On my box spring, I did notice a bowing of mattress towards the center. When I layed towards the edge to test it, it was hard to lay there, felt a little off balance. Same on both sides. I just saw no advantage with the latex mattress over the Tempurpedic, overall less comfortable. The Tempurpedic has a very solid, stable feeling I like. I had a polyester type of mattress pad on the lates and also the cover has some quilted wool in it and the cover itself is a fairly thick cotton. Therefore, the feel of the latex / mattress surface was diminished. The Tempurpedic only has a superthin protectabed on it and fitted sheet, so I get to feel the memory foam a lot which I like. 3) If you didn't like a TP mattress set, you could return the foundation also. Retailer would be foolish to stick a customer with a foundation they don't want. The SleepEZ organic line I'm sure would be all natural latex (or 97% natural or whatever the highest they can make it). Keep in mind these layered latex mattresses are more DIY. You will unwrap and handle layers of latex to put it together or to move. Rolling them back up is a litte tough as I found out yesterday. Latex is very springy, strong foam. When you unwrap it, it will lay out immediately. It resists rolling up cause it's like a spring, especially the denser latex.
1) That link was actually for organic latex. They call it "Natural Organic Latex Mattress Queen 13,000 Select Sleep" and it seems to be top of their line mattress. The price is pretty steep, but it's not all that much more expensive than TP memory foam. I'd put them in the same category pricewise. 2) Could it be that you felt the latex mattress you got (blended tallalay) was springy was because it was...well...blended? From what I read...blended latex may have this characteristic as oppose to organix (well, 97% organic) latex? The more it's blended with syntetic latex the more "springy" it gets from what I understand? I will check memory foam in TP mattresses out, but I'm not sure I'm crazy about idea of a mattress "hugging" me from all directions. Could be a good feeling or could feel a little crrepy. I'll have to test it out. 3) Good to know the foundation is also refundable. I suppose whether they come and take it or you take it to the store yourself will depend on specific's store policy not necessarily TP return policy? Regards, -Tony. |
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Tony_ wrote:
1) That link was actually for organic latex. They call it "Natural Organic Latex Mattress Queen 13,000 Select Sleep" and it seems to be top of their line mattress. The price is pretty steep, but it's not all that much more expensive than TP memory foam. I'd put them in the same category pricewise. 2) Could it be that you felt the latex mattress you got (blended tallalay) was springy was because it was...well...blended? From what I read...blended latex may have this characteristic as oppose to organix (well, 97% organic) latex? The more it's blended with syntetic latex the more "springy" it gets from what I understand? I will check memory foam in TP mattresses out, but I'm not sure I'm crazy about idea of a mattress "hugging" me from all directions. Could be a good feeling or could feel a little crrepy. I'll have to test it out. 3) Good to know the foundation is also refundable. I suppose whether they come and take it or you take it to the store yourself will depend on specific's store policy not necessarily TP return policy? Regards, -Tony. 2) I really don't know how all natural latex would have felt here at home. This Cloud doesn't 'hug from all directions', it just feels really solid and still, especially on the heavy adjustable base (it weighs over 175 lbs!). I still think, don't go too soft on memory foam mattresses. It's easy to get drawn into the 12" Cloud Luxe which has a lot of memory foam. Don't sink too far into the mattress. I think it is best to go a little firmer. I like feel of the Cloud. I'm not crazy about the slow reacting, firmer foam on the Contour Select and Signature or the original bed or Advantage or Deluxe TP bed (both are discontinued). Memory foam mattresses are completely flat, no 'tucks' like on most conventional mattresses. I like a smooth surface. The latex mattress on box didn't feel as solid to me, harder to get comfortable. 3) Every mattress seller has trucks for pickup of delivery. Almost any customer wouldn't have a truck big enough to haul one. Plus they don't have mattress bags. Retailers often require a matching foundation for a mattress. I don't think you'd want to put a new mattress on an old foundation anyway. Maybe on a really good one if it's a good match. Tempurpedics must go on their matching foundation. I wouldn't put a Tempurpedic on a box spring, no way. FYI, see www.beddingcomponents.com Around here all of the S brand boxes are L&P 'semi-flex'(R) innards. Original Mattress Factory seems to use a different type of L&P box component, kind of like a spring. Springs could sag, so don't use them anymore. A few high-end mfrs still make true box springs like McCroskey, Kluft, etc... but they are rare and cost a fortune. Boxes cost over $1k. This message was modified Oct 6, 2011 by slpngoc
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I too wanted my latex bed to be as natural as possible. Three months ago, I decided on the Savvy Rest as I was able to get a discount (I spent $5k on bed and mattress). I would have purchased an equivalent SleepEZ if I had not gotten a discount. I was able to try the Savvy mattress at a local store. The Talalay was too plush for me and I went with Firm Medium Soft Dunlop 10" Serenity in Queen. The mattress feels a bit firmer than the one I tried in the store. I have it on <a href="http://www.amenityhome.com/furniture/reclaimed-wood-bedroom-furniture/amenity-muir-bed.html">this platform bed</a>. The mattress does not have any issues with feeling different at the edge of the bed. It feels perfectly flat no matter where I sleep. I replaced a waterbed so I didn't have a suitable frame/box spring to try with the latex. The mattress softened up a bit after 2-3 weeks making it really comfortable. I am very happy with my mattress. I think the base you use can make a difference in the feel of a mattress. |
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sleepswithcats wrote: .....I think the base you use can make a difference in the feel of a mattress.
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Just an update. I went to Essentia factory store in the city today. They had all of their mattresses on display of course. I tried all of them and quiet frankly, I felt no difference whatsoever. I'm not sure why and it could be me of course. I tried their firmest mattress and their softest and they all felt the same to me. I went to Macys the other day to get a feel for Tempurpedic mattresses and Essentia reminded me somewhat of TP. But while trying different type of TP mattresses in Macys, I could feel the difference as far as softness goes. Yes, it feels like Essentia has a faster responding foam (it is more springy than TD IMO) just like they advertise. Other than that the feeling is about the same. Essentia of course claims that their memory foam (note, they dont call their mattress "Organic Latex" even though they say it is made out of entirely organic latex but the process they use is different from making organic latex mattresses) is not harmful at all and contains no chemicals.They had a Columbus Day sale and $4,100 mattress was selling for $3,500...something. They told me I could return the mattress any time within 60 days period and I will only be on the hook for 9% of what I paid (so roughly $320). Their mattress has no layers, it's 8" solid block, so you cannot exchange layers for free. You can exchange the entire mattress, but...you're still on the hook for 9%. I found a store that has SavvyRest mattresses, so I wanted to check them out too, but I was stupid enough not to call ahead so they were closed for the Columbus Days (yeah, weird). I just want to lay down on a natural latex mattress and see what it feels like before I order something off the internet. Macys didn't have any of those. They did however have a mattress with inteligel which felt nice. May be I should try Sleepys? They have Dr. Breus, Sleep Options, and Pure Latex Bliss. I'm not sure I heard about any of these though. |
| FWIW, DH and I just bought a split king SleepEZ Select Sleep 10000 in the natural dunlop 2 weeks ago and are very happy. He is 5'8" 180 and I'm 5'5" 145. Although he prefers firm and I like cush, both of our layers are SMF. We used to have a 10-year old queen Serta Perfect Sleeper with pillowtop, but went with a larger mattress because he started twitching a few months ago. It got old really quick taking turns on the sofa. We definitely wanted motion isolation and as natural as possible. TP out of the question because of the chemicals and off-gassing. We are in LA and Foam Sweet Foam was too far to drive. Was slightly apprehensive purchasing a mattress online, but reading the rave reviews between SleepEZ and FloBeds, plus the return policy swayed us. Went with SleepEZ because they were less expensive and because we also shelled out extra $$$ for an adjustable base. Originally wanted 100% natural Talalay, but after "testing" an Aireloom Magenta and Chiffon at Sit & Sleep (yes I know no comparison) and talking with Shawn at SleepEZ, decided dunlop instead of blended or Talalay. If we had gone with Talalay, our layers probably would have been MMF. Since dunlop is firmer, SMF turned out to be just fine. Lucky for us we won't be swapping layers. |
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no company should ever label latex foam as organic. even if it is organically grown it does not exist as foam in nature, they have to add sulfur and zinc oxide to it (natural ingredients) to turn it into foam. The organic certification the USDA does on latex is on the hevea milk itself, not on the finished product. Tony; thank you for your comparo of the Essentia beds to the Tempur-Pedic. |
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No matter how you look at it Latex is organic. With the high end latex mattress over 95% of the finished product is organic. Blending it with bonding agents does not change the fact that latex is organic. Thats kind of like saying Only whole pataotes is organic and Mashed Patatoes is not organic because they added salts, other seasons and perservitives to it and it doesnt exsists in nature that way. It is misleading to say latex pushes back against you more then the tempurpedic does. The push back against you equaly. It is a battle between weight and gravity. If you apply 100lbs of weight to either foam you will sink until the foam provides 100lbs of resistance. Latex does recover to its original shape much faster then memory foam. Tempurpedic is designed to conform and recover very slowly. They are 2 different types of foam that have 2 compleletly different comfort levels. Some people do like the feeling of the mattress slowly comfoming around them and other dont like that feeling. Both Tempurpedic and Latex Mattresses are great products with excellent durabilty. Tempurpedic still hasnt been around quite long enough to say they last as long as latex mattress, but so far they are making a good showing. I have seen an 18yr old Tempurpedic that looked in very good shape for the age and was still a supportive mattress and I have seen a 30 yr old latex bed that was in just as good of shape as the 18yr old tempurpedic. Both beds were primary beds for 2 adults. Mixing Polyurethane foams with latex will typically shorten the life of latex, but will bring the price down considerably. One more thing is buying a mattress without a matching boxspring does not void the warranty. The warranty states "If it is not on a supportive foundation it will void your warranty." With that said if you do not buy a matching foundation most comapines (or atleast all that I know) will not offer a comfort exchange. So if you are not comfortable with the mattress they will not take it back, because it most likely will feel different on your platform bed or a different type of box spring. This affects only the comfort and not the warranty. |