|
Hi Everyone, I think I over-researched and now am confused on which are the best natural latex beds (in my price-range). My ideal bed at this point is a triple-layered, 9” Dunlop set encased in a zippered organic wool & cotton cover. Below are some stores I've looked at along with some issues I have with them. I think this list will help others who are searching, and I'm also hoping that anyone with latex bed experience will be able to offer their feedback and expertise. Thank you! 1. Savvyrest: Seems like a great bed, but no return policy. Not with any of their vendors either. I can’t in good conscience drop that much money on a bed without the possibility of returning it. Also, their warranty only covers depressions that are 1 ½” deep or more. That seems like a lot to me, so I don’t have confidence in their beds. 2. Livefortomorrow.com: Seems to have all the organic qualities I like, but they use a 3” organic wool cover. 3 inches seems like a lot--won’t this take away from the benefits of Latex and potentially be way too soft? 3. Foamsweetfoam.com: Seems like a good business with all natural latex bed options. Good warranty (½“ depression minimum), exchange and return policy with good prices. However, wool and cotton cover is not organic. I’m wondering how important this really is. For eco and perceived health reasons, I prefer organic/no pesticides. 4 Flobeds.com: Also seems like a good business--similar to the above. But it’s Talalay latex and I wanted Dunlop. Mainly because I just can’t get around having a split mattress for my hubby and me. I mean…what eventually happens in the middle? Even with a thin layer on top, I feel like this is probably not the best way to go. 5. Cozypure.com: Not in my price range, but they brought up the issue of the layered “bedkits” not having a solid enough core of support. Cozy-pure’s beds always have a 7” core with layers on top of that. Is this a true concern? I would think three, 3-inch layers would offer good support, but is a 7” core better? 6. Greeensleep/Obasan/Sleeptek: Also seem like great beds, but they state a maintenance requirement of flipping/rotating the “inner plates” ever 4 months! I though the beauty of having a latex bed is that you don’t have to do this! This makes me concerned about the quality of their bed. Also raises that issue of a 7” core vs. thinner multiple layers. Are three, 3” layers of Dunlop or Talalay less durable than one 7” + 2”? 7. Natural Bed Store: Looks like a good bed but their wool is a washable wool bonded with silica or something….don’t’ know if this is bad, but I guess to be on the safe side I prefer pure wool. More importantly, Like Saavyrest, their warranty is a 1 ½” depression minimum, which raises my eyebrows a bit. Thanks for your patience if you made it this far. If anyone has any knowledge regarding any of my concerns or even just tips, your feedback is much appreciated! This message was modified Jul 14, 2008 by azba
|
|
jankdc wrote: You may want to also look at http://sleepez.com/index.htm. They have dunlop and have had good reviews here. I don't think that the covers are organic though. Thank you for the tip on Sleepez. I did rule them out because of the cover, but I suppose foamsweetfoam would be in the same category. |
| Have you considered Natura? They make some nice products. |
| The FloBed Latex Cores fit snuggly inside the mattress and with the topper inside the zippered up comfortable mattress cover, I can't tell that the cores are split. I love having split cores so I have more options as moving them around if I want to go firmer which I did after my car accident last year. Good luck in your search. Please let us know what bed you end up with. |
|
Hey, I've been researching Organic Latex Mattresses for a few months now, and I'm also undecided. Go to www.evo.com and search for items or use the top of their webpage to find organic mattresses. They give little leafs on a scale from 1-5 to rate how sustainable/green/eco-friendly the product is. If price isn't that much of a concern for you, I would suggest a "LifeKind" mattress or "Organic Mattresses Inc." They are both very good companies. LifeKind is really almost the gold standard of a completely chemical free all organic bed. The same goes with OMI. However, OMI mattresses are produced in an "Organic" facility. This means they only manufacture Organic mattresses in that building with NO synthetic chemicals present. In addition their workers are also non-smokers, don't wear clothes that have been dried with fabric softener and so on! I would probably go with either company, both have customizable options, including the 3 three inch layers of latex, which is what I'll be buying at some point too. Even though the Savvy Rest seems like a good mattress, I might save my money for a few more months to get an OMI or LifeKind. Just my two cents! LifeKind http://www.lifekind.com/ Organic Mattresses Inc.http://www.omifactory.com/ Good luck! |
|
jankdc wrote: You may want to also look at http://sleepez.com/index.htm. They have dunlop and have had good reviews here. I don't think that the covers are organic though. I too have overdone the research as we are seeking best king latex mattress with split removeable options (probably in Dunlop as we need firm for bad back problems) Currently, Savvy is in 1st place, but still fine-tuning.... According to my research one needs to be very careful, because blended latex is allowed to be called "natural"! SleepEZ sells both Talalay and Dunlop latex mattresses, but one of their pages says "we only use Talalay...." (see whole quote from their page below) Very confusing. There are only 2 methods used to process latex: Dunlop or Talalaly. SleepEZ uses the terms "Talalay" and "Standard" when they refer to the 2 processes? (see below for whole quoted paragraph) What is the reason for this different term being used when they are referring to the Dunlop method? (Unless it's a blended Dunlop and they are not allowed to call it Dunlop?) SLeepEZ uses "blended" Talalay (again, see below) But it's called "Natural"....are you confused yet? I am.... All experts agree that Dunlop is denser/ firmer than Talalay. SleepEZ is the only site I've seen that offers Talalay in "super firm" BUT the only way to get Talalay in super firm would be to blend in additives (like clay). I just don't see the need to add clay etc to Talalay to get "super firm" when you already have a very firm option with Dunlop. Maybe I'm missing something here but I'll take unblended Dunlop over blended Talalay to get the same result. I seek a company that offers unblended dunlop and unblended Talalay, so we can have the firmness of Dunlop for our support layers, and a top layer of medium Talalay. I am not a dealer, just a wanna-be latex bed owner, trying to sort thru all the b.s. that exists even for latex mattresses! So I will be asking a lot of questions when I call companies this week. So as far as organic goes, it really doesn't exist, but very close if you stick to unblended latex. Savvy offers an organic cotton cover with a small layer of wool quilted onto the cover. If you don't want body impressions at all, stay away from a 3" wool layer. The wool is actually a very good thing to have (do some more research) Unless you are allergic to it, but won't you be using a mattress pad over whatever cover you get? I will be as I like to wash mine every month. (most people put mattress pads over their mattresses & should do so even in the case of cotton-covered latex mattresses. If you ruin the cover, you'll need to buy new one and that's cost prohibitive imho) I hope you find what you want. I also hope we do! :) Right now, Savvy is at the top of my list - even with a no-return/exchange only policy. I'm still composing my master list. Forget where FLobed stands, but someone I think it's lower on my list, even with good return policy. Might have been their cover having fire retardant, but can't recall at moment) The below paragraph is from SleepEZ site at: http://sleepez.com/latex-faq.htm#difquality (if you've done research and then read all the info there, you will be more confused than ever! I am ) "Are there different qualities of latex? The quality of latex is dictated by two main factors (1.)the manufacturing process and (2.)the blend of natural and synthetic latex . Although latex has been the premium cushioning material for 60 years it was improved when we began to manufacture synthetic latex and blend it with natural latex. It enabled us to deliver a wider range of firmness and increase the life of the product. The two different manufacturing processes are the Talalay Process and the Standard Process. The Talalay process is more costly but delivers the highest quality latex with the widest range of firmness, and the longest lasting consistent comfort level. The mattress cores are produced in individual molds, and undergo vacuum, freezing, heating, and an extensive washing process to eliminate imperfections. With this process we can produce gentle soft latex mattress cores and latex pillows that will still retain long lasting comfort and durability. The Standard process has less steps in the production chain, and produces latex with a firmer less contouring feel. The standard process does not have the ability to produce very soft latex as does the Talalay process. The Talalay process produces latex from very soft to ultra firm We use only Talalay latex for all our mattresses and mattress toppers" This message was modified Sep 27, 2009 by catlover
|
|
Philip wrote: We purchased a Savvy Rest Serenity all dunlop king about 1 month ago. As we had to buy the bed sight unseen, we chose to order soft, medium, and firm split layers, in order to get more comfort options. It is also much cheaper to return a piece of foam 38x80' than a kingsize piece of foam should that be necessary (during the 90 day trial period). As it turned out, we are happy with the normal configuration of firm, medium, and soft (bottom to top). The split is not a problem for us, although I can't speak to how it will wear over the years. We felt that buying a bed over the internet is, at best, a "crapshoot". Of course, any warranty is only as good as the person selling the bed. Michael Penny, the owner of Savvy Rest has put a great deal of effort into creating a positive image. We felt that, should the bed prove to be less than advertised, we would, at least be able to tell the "world wide web" about our experience. At this point, we are really pleased with the purchase. Philip your configuration is exactly what I have in mind if I can't mix Dunlop with Talalay. I'm happy to read that you are pleased & hope we can make our decision soon! ALso nice to see that you included the process used for you latex mattress, and the layers you ordered. That really helps. Better yet, would be for all to give a little background on the reasons for choosing Dunlop over Talalay or the reverse. I have to assume most of us choosing Dunlop found via researching, that we will get the firmness our lousy backs are begging for.... |
|
After a very long and protracted ordeal I decided on Flobeds. The fact that they use only Talalay was one of my major concerns as well, as it would seem to me that Dunlop would give you a firmer feel. I will know a lot more by Tuseday, as the mattresses is to arrive tomorrow. One point I would like to make regarding nomenclature. The habitat website, which sells a very interesting mattress by the way, makes a very valid point about the word organic. Organic is just the wrong word to use as regards a full 100% natural latex product that is derived exclusively from the rubber tree. They say the proper word to use is "botanical" it makes sense to me that we need something to make it clear when a manufacturer is producing a latex product exclusively derived from the rubber tree. It is amazing how even this niche market of latex bedding can fall into the same conventions as the big S. brands. In the sense that confusing the buying public about what is actually in the mattress. If a person wants a 100% botanically grown product they should have terminology that makes it easy for them to know this. While I did not choose "habitat" because they have a very simplistic approach to latex mattresses that did not appeal to me, they do approach the subject in a very clear eyed and straightforward manner. Their website is one of the most informative out there. They have some good videos and a lot of good information. They use Dunlop as the foundation core. It is a 6 inch piece of Dunlop. They sell this piece of Dunlop as a mattress with a cover on it. They vacuum packet it and ship it to you. When you get it you unpack it, unseal it, and you have a bed. They also make the same six-inch Dunlop core with a 2 inch Talalay top. If this is not soft enough for you they make a third mattress with the same six-inch Dunlop core and a 3 inch Talalay top. This is all they sell. It's all glued together. If you don't like it, you can return it within six months and get your money back, minus $75 for return shipping. There is no exchange policy, only a return policy. That's the whole deal. I wanted a lot more flexibility than this so I chose Flobeds. This message was modified Sep 27, 2009 by eagle2
|
|
azba wrote: 1. Savvyrest: Seems like a great bed, but no return policy. Not with any of their vendors either. I can’t in good conscience drop that much money on a bed without the possibility of returning it. Also, their warranty only covers depressions that are 1 ½” deep or more. That seems like a lot to me, so I don’t have confidence in their bed Bottom line: ALmost ALL mattress companies have this 1 1/2" body impression rule, so this doesn't really bother me. however, good luck getting replacement if you do develop impression that qualifies. Mattress companies bend over backwards to find a reason to void your warranty, so just don't count on warranty working if this happens, with any company. If you buy Dunlop, as we are trying to do, rest assured that all research says this will not body-impress - not for 20 years. I also think Savvy is the only company that forces label certification on their layers so you can ensure you are getting what you ordered & placing controls on the mfr of th e latex helps quality control. (so I would think) |
|
azba wrote: 2. Livefortomorrow.com: Seems to have all the organic qualities I like, but they use a 3” organic wool cover. 3 inches seems like a lot--won’t this take away from the benefits of Latex and potentially be way too soft? If you can't get less than 3", don't buy this. You will be forced to buy whole new cover when it impresses down. ALso - is the wool organic & pre-compressed? Doubtful, as they would have to tuft it and there is nothing to tuft the wool to with latex underneath. My instincts say beware! (but they probably get a lot of business on replacement covers! ;) |
|
azba wrote: 3. Foamsweetfoam.com: Seems like a good business with all natural latex bed options. Good warranty (½“ depression minimum), exchange and return policy with good prices. However, wool and cotton cover is not organic. I’m wondering how important this really is. For eco and perceived health reasons, I prefer organic/no pesticides. Caution again about "all natural"....my research discovered that blended latex can be called "natural", so ask ask ask!! I wouldn't expect Dunlop to impress over 1/2", but I'd still ask if this is a "typo" (how convenient for them if it is a typo!) Do not buy a non-organic cotton/wool cover! There is fire retardant - usually boric acid powder. Don't let anyone tell you it's safe & they will! (one company told me they had to pay the government tens of thousands of dollars to get certified to eliminate the fire-retardant. The government knows that putting a wool layer passes all testing for fire-retarding, but they still force even smaller companies to pay this, which they can't. It's a real shame. Supposedly, a govt agent is sent to the plant & a flame test is done on the cotton/wool covered mattress, be it latex or innerspring. Any company that is selling cotton/wool cover that isn't "organic" has flame retardant chemicals & is trying to pull the wool over your eyes! (pun intended!) The ONLY reason for the wool layer is for fire-retardancy, but the wool does offer added benefits re comfort, absorbancy etc. If I wanted 3" of extra cushioning, I'd get a separate cover or topper & there are many choices out there; cotton, wool, latex...all can be organic if not sold with the bed as it's covering. If this company was really smart, they could possibly get around the "rules" by selling you the mattress components, and then shipping a chemical-free cotton/wool cover as a separate unit to anyone who is trying to avoid chemicals! (yes, a devious mind here, but that's why I'm a good researcher...I cover all angles in my head & questions shoot forth!) |