PU versus latex foam
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Hi all, first time poster here. I have read quite a few posts on the board since finding it but have not seen a thread on this subject in the Highlighted section or by some limited searching. Nor have I found information in the buying guide. And I have not seen any threads on PU foam beds, only latex foam beds. Latex is hard to find where I live (Calgary) but I'm willing to go mail order to try it if it's really worth the effort. I might be in the market for a new mattress set or just a new mattress and keep the existing foundation. Or I might just add a topper to my existing mattress set (15 year old Sealy Posturepedic Presidential contractor/hotel Plush) if I can confirm that the springs and foundation are actually still OK and likely to last another 10 plus years. Either way, I'd like to know more about PU versus latex foam. There is a small mattress manufacturer in town that I visited today and discovered this company does not subscribe to latex. I like what I'm hearing from this company. Their prices are fair and they don't offer any higher priced S brand type mattresses. They sell quality and crafsmanship. And I do like that they are strongly suggesting I just get a topper instead of a new bed. And I do have a loaner PU foam topper from them which I will be trying. On to the PU versus Latex debate. I was told that first of all latex will dry out over time in a climate such as Calgary (arid, low humidity) and PU will not. That's one thing I have not read before and was wondering what others know about this subject. And I believe that I read that latex durability is generally (humidity extremes aside) better than PU foam. Is that the general consensus? And this company is backing this statement by using only a higher quality PU foam. A 3 pound PU foam I believe. It has a 21 year warranty (I'm not sure what the fine print of the warranty is yet). And surprisingly they state that the comfort quality of PU is just as good as latex. They say the two foams are different, but latex isn't necessarily better any any way from a comfort point of view. Just different. And they say they can come very close to the feel of latex by layering different densities of PU foam. So I have basically been told that latex is not as durable (in Calgary) and there is no performance (from a comfort point of view) reason to go with latex. So what do you think about PU versus latex? Am I getting good information or am I missing some facts? If there are some real benefits of latex over quality PU foam then I will explore latex outside of my city. Thanks, Bryan |
Re: PU versus latex foam
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Natura is very good about disclosure. They give specific amounts of wool, they give the content of the latex, all the layers of the mattress. The only part they are non specific on with some mattress is exactly how much cotton batting is used. They even list the chemical fire retardants used (if any). Basically they are the only larger company that gives this much info about their products. They list all of their mattresses on their website and the names of the mattresses are the same every where you go. S Brands make things very challenging because although they provide their dealer with specs, the dealer can with hold this information or manipulate it since the names of these mattresses vary from one place to another and the only way to call their bluff is to buy a mattress and cut it open. The only thing they lack comparitivly to some build it yourself mattresses is the specific ILD ratings of the latex itself. It is important to know that ILD ratings though are a very american thing, its technically an out of date system for measuring resiliency now. It should be measured in IFD which basically no one is providing specs on anyway. Im not trying to say that Natura is the 'best' and that you should buy them over something customizable anyway, but to compare them to S brands in anyway is simply not realistic or fair. Fact of the matter is that Natura is free advertising for these smaller companies because they create awareness in the marketplace for this type of product and they do it on a very large scale. They are the measuring stick that most latex brands try to beat in some way shape or form, whether it be better customization options due to having smaller overall volumes and the ability to tailor each mattress to the customers specific needs (I really do applaud flobeds for this, because its a small number of people that will need to go this route but they are really good at it), or simply by trying to beat them on the pricing. Bottom line though is that if Natura didn't exist there would be a lot less good latex options available from other companies today, and a lot more people out their sleeping on cookie cutter types of mattresses that are really only sold via marketing, and not because they solve any one particular issue for a person, pressure relief, durability, breathabilty and tempurature balance, allergy concerns, chemical sensitivities, ecological responsibility. |
Re: PU versus latex foam
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http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/reviews/pure-green-series/546-0-1.html This is the only poor review I could find on this site about Natura. Its from the "Green" series which I already outlined the content. Natura lists the content on their website. Clearly the dealer did not have a clue what they are talking about. Because if they had done any research they would not have recommended it to this customer since you can tell from the review that natural content was at the tops of their priority list. There is also a reason why even though I carry natura I do not carry the "green line". But no where does Natura list the content of this mattress as being 98% natural. I can guarantee this is something the salesperson claimed and then later covered up by playing ignorant. As with any mattress you buy, you have got to find a reputable dealer that knows what they are talking about. This customer and the dealer are clearly confusing the words "Green" with "natural" as those are the beds that they advertise the natural content being listed in the high 90's. They are fully committed to being ecologically responsible, all their PU foam is soy content (hey at least they are trying). But in any mainstream bed I would challenge someone to find a "greener" product at the price points they hit with that series? This person paid $1400 dollars and expected the product to be all natural, that is simply an unrealistic expectation that the dealer gave them. Even look at flo beds, they don't have anything in that price range (for a queen set), they start a fair bit higher than that and the natural content wont be much higher, but it won't have any PU foam. |
Re: PU versus latex foam
| I agree with Budgy on Natura mattresses. I have been researching their mattresses and they do tell you what is inside of them. Try finding any info worth a darn on an S mattress. |