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My order of 6" latex base from FBM arrived, and I thought I'd post some quick pictures of the latex itself. I guess I have to conclude that FBM latex quality is pretty inconsistent from one order to another, possibly depending on the latex source at the time of ordering. It seems that hmattress was pretty lucky with his mattress as pictures in this thread show: http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/foambymail-mattress-quick-pics/10789-A-1.html In addition to the standard irregularities that I expected, my core has also shown some tears (a few seemingly repaired, others not). Here are some examples: Those two look like they were ripped and then fixed somehow. There are two or three more similar seams that I didn't take pictures of.
Similar seam and a corner tear. This tear is about 1" deep and 4.5" long. Shallow tears on the surface - there are quite a few of those throughout. I'm not sure yet what to do. On one hand, I went for the cheaper option so I didn't expect it to be perfect quality uniform latex. But tears do make me worried - if they keep expanding, this mattress may be retired much sooner that the ten years I was hoping to get out of it. Any comments from the mattress experts on this forum?
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jasesun23 wrote: I have purchased 3 1 inch latex topers from FBM. Price is great, delivery time is very good, and customer service is helpful. However after sleeping on them for 2 months I question their quality. I have two medium layers with a soft layer on top. After some time I began to notice that I was sinking lower in the middle than in the sides. I thought the coil system I used might sag in the middle but after careful inspection the toppers seem to be of inconsistent firmness. The soft topper is not nearly as firm in the middle section as on the sides. It’s almost like the latex was not mixed or set correctly. If i run my hand over the middle area it is bumpy. If I push down on a dime sides area it is firm then the next dime sized are right next to it is very soft and almost less dense. Don't know if this is because it is only one inch thick but i do not feel that problem on the outside areas of that layer. The two medium density layers I have also have this inconsistency but not as bad. I contacted FBM and told them of the problem. After some discussion the lady told me all the layers she was looking at had this problem and they would have to discuss this with the manufacturer. She told me I could only return the soft layer as the other two were over a month. I could of fought this but I had to keep the other two layers to be able to sleep. I reallyI need 3 inches of latex foam above my springs as two is just not soft enough. I think i would of been better off with one 3 inch layer instead of three 1inch pieces. I can't recommend FBM latex toppers until they fix this problem with their manufacturer. I am going to try to see if I buy one 3 inch layer if they will refund me the other two 1 inch layers. However the bigger pieces I see look like they are ripped and in pretty bad shape. The price of FBM seems almost impossible to beat but the quality may be the reason why. I also love sleeping on the latex. The feel of the latex with just a cotton sheet over it is the most comfortable bed I have slept in. What you are describing is many times what separates the low end product from the high end. Not only is the manufacturing process less refined on the low end, but so is the quality control process. Even if the manufacturing process is identical, a low end manufacturer will have less stringent tolerances and less sophistacated inspection equipment and will simply let more junk out of the door... to be sold to markets where price is more of an issue that quality. I deal with this all the time with molded plastics, metalwork, wire harnesses, etc. because our purchasing dept. went with a low quote instead of a quality manufacturer. I guarantee you a company like Latex International throws away (or sells to low end distributors) plenty of rejected product because it doesn't meet their standards of quality. This is a case where you get what you pay for. |
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Are the FBM latex products sold with the proviso that they are blemished, seconds, damaged, or otherwise defective either cosmetically and/or functionally: brown spots, large voids/holes, tears, density fluctuations, highly irregular grid holes varying in placement/depth/etc., etc? I'm new to the group and have looked through various pics of the FBM latex folks have received, although probably fine for DIY'ers, much of it does not look like the type of product a respected mattress manufacturer would incorporate into his product line. FBM looks a little like the luck of the draw. If I go latex, I too will need to go with a cost conscious solution.
This message was modified Sep 8, 2010 by Lovegasoline
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