Got my foam layers from SleepEZ
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I got my foam today. Haven't tried laying on it yet. Took some photos which I will post tomorrow probably in this thread. Not entirely thrilled with the firmness and quality of the latex. One of the pieces has a fair amount of imperfections and the other piece has a glued seam all along the vertical length of the twin, about 2 and 1/4" in from the edge. It's a very hard seam from the glue and I think if I were to lay on it I would feel it, even under, say, a wool topper. If it were a King size I could understand the need for a glued seam, but a twin? Seems a bit sketchy to me. Also, this following problem is not at all SleepEZ's fault, unless what they are selling as a 32ILD is nowhere near that, but I already had a piece of 3/4"-1" latex that I estimated to be about a 24ILD. So I ordered a medium Talalay 1" thinking it would be better for support. But the one I got from SleepEZ seems to be just as soft as the one I have already; so either I estimated wrong (most likely) or they sent me something on the very low end of "Medium" (listed at their site as 32). So I would not have bought that piece had I known it was going to be pretty much exactly like the piece (actually I have 2 like this) that I already have. This is the piece with the seam as well. The Dunlop piece seems a LITTLE more firm than that and is 1.5" so it may work for me. Also it is exactly 1 and 3/4 inches thick not 1½, so that is good in my case, I think. However, I do think they should be more exact on their site about the thickness. Could be that someone really wants exactly 1½ inch, not 1 and 3/4 inch... I mean, why not describe it on the site as it is? I'll try sleeping on the Dunlop 1 and 3/4" natural "Medium" ILD tonight and see how it feels and report back with a "first night's impression" tomorrow probably. Also I'll post the photos of the imperfections and get you guys' and girls' opinions on whether or not it is within the realm of acceptable or not considering these are not discounted prices. And just fyi, this is the first latex I ever bought that did not come compressed. It was just rolled and covered in plastic in a big box. Maybe they only compress the bigger pieces...? This message was modified Jan 27, 2010 by jimsocal
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Re: Got my foam layers from SleepEZ
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Jim, If you are happy with less foam and you never sleep on your side then I can see how less is better for you. For me I can't go less than 3", really have to have 4" or more, but then the back hurts, sides are happy though when side sleeping; but then it depends on density of foam, and also your spring mattress coils. Mine is an oldie but goodie and I don't know what type of springs this Spring Air flippable bed has, but it was one of the firm ones. Maybe Budgy or someone who knows more about the coils can tell us what the old Spring Air mattresses had. I never did understand the differences, and guess I never will, LOL. But that has to make differences for each person too. Then the factor of men vs. women shapes, weight, age and physical ailments makes all our mattress selection/choices different. I thought you decided the wool made your mattresses firmer, or do I have you confused with someone else. I understand if you don't want to mess with returns, it is a hassle. But if you are happy and don't feel the glued piece I guess keep it. I agree about paying 2/3 less and taking a few flaws, and paying more and expecting more. The last piece I got from O-stock (latex) didn't have any flaws, and was softer. Then the other one had flaws, some worse than others, but acceptable for the price. Then the factor of grab bags you may get a firm one, or a soft one. Not ideal for some people, but for me it is giving me choices to swap pieces around. If you don't like the Dunlop one you may want to return it, but I think you have to pay shipping back. Your comment that the 28ILD felt like a 32 (I think that is what you said) I agree. I have a 26ILD, and I got decent size samples from Sleeplikeabear,and the 28 and 32 felt so similar I couldn't tell the difference. These were LI talalay. Also, I agree about the sizes they should say what they are. O-stock says 1 1/2 and it was. When you talk to Sleeplikeabear they do tell you it is actually less than 1" or less than 2" I believe. I wish you the best in getting the mattress comfortable. It is a constant work in progress for those of us that have aging bodies (aren't we all?) and have body aches from physical problems. This message was modified Jan 29, 2010 by Leo3
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Re: Got my foam layers from SleepEZ
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Thanks to all for the comments and good wishes. Leo, I do sleep on my side. But there really are no "hard and fast rules" it seems in which mattress configuration will work for someone. There may be some general rules, but then it's all up to individual bodies and minds I think... I think whoever said that springs are "equivalent to about 6-9" of foam base" is about right... I think the most important layer may be that top 2-3" of foam! But of course bases do matter too... It's all VERY complicated for those of us who cannot just "fall asleep on anything"... I'll write more about your reply tomorrow. Gotta do some stuff before bed... |
Re: Got my foam layers from SleepEZ
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sandman wrote: Congratulations Jim, hopefully it will continue to work for you! So, it looks like you have 2.5" of foam plus the wool topper over springs. That is good information for people to know. It sounds like most of your foam is medium to medium/soft. It seems like most people configure the all latex mattresses with 6-9" of pretty firm base with 2-4" of soft to medium on top. I guess springs might be somewhat equivalent to 6-9" of pretty firm latex (with a different feel of course). Can you return the dunlop (even without any flaws)? I think Sleepez told me that the toppers could be returned withing 30 days, but it is possible there was a misunderstanding. I would be curious if you liked the dunlop with a softer piece (or 2) on top of it. Sandman, the guy on the phone told me there are no exchanges on layers, only if you buy a mattress; this is what he told me when I first called to inquire about their shipping and returns. I feel quite certain that I will not like the Dunlop with something soft on top, as the thickness and hardness of it will cancel the benefit of the springs in my experience. I may try it but I'm really afraid to because I don't want to have to wake up in the middle of the night and do a mattress adjustment. I'm like 90% sure I would not like it. All I can say is that if this is a "Medium" piece of natural Dunlop, I'd hate to try to sleep on a "Firm"! |
Re: Got my foam layers from SleepEZ
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Leo3 wrote: Jim, If you are happy with less foam and you never sleep on your side then I can see how less is better for you. For me I can't go less than 3", really have to have 4" or more, but then the back hurts, sides are happy though when side sleeping; but then it depends on density of foam, and also your spring mattress coils. Mine is an oldie but goodie and I don't know what type of springs this Spring Air flippable bed has, but it was one of the firm ones. Maybe Budgy or someone who knows more about the coils can tell us what the old Spring Air mattresses had. I never did understand the differences, and guess I never will, LOL. But that has to make differences for each person too. Then the factor of men vs. women shapes, weight, age and physical ailments makes all our mattress selection/choices different. I thought you decided the wool made your mattresses firmer, or do I have you confused with someone else. I understand if you don't want to mess with returns, it is a hassle. But if you are happy and don't feel the glued piece I guess keep it. I agree about paying 2/3 less and taking a few flaws, and paying more and expecting more. The last piece I got from O-stock (latex) didn't have any flaws, and was softer. Then the other one had flaws, some worse than others, but acceptable for the price. Then the factor of grab bags you may get a firm one, or a soft one. Not ideal for some people, but for me it is giving me choices to swap pieces around. If you don't like the Dunlop one you may want to return it, but I think you have to pay shipping back. Your comment that the 28ILD felt like a 32 (I think that is what you said) I agree. I have a 26ILD, and I got decent size samples from Sleeplikeabear,and the 28 and 32 felt so similar I couldn't tell the difference. These were LI talalay. Also, I agree about the sizes they should say what they are. O-stock says 1 1/2 and it was. When you talk to Sleeplikeabear they do tell you it is actually less than 1" or less than 2" I believe. I wish you the best in getting the mattress comfortable. It is a constant work in progress for those of us that have aging bodies (aren't we all?) and have body aches from physical problems. Leo3, yes I sleep on my side but for me, putting too much foam on top of the springs just feels like sleeping on pure foam (more or less) which is why I bought the springs in the first place: to get away from that pure foam feeling. So whenever I have tried putting 3" or more of foam on top of my springs I have not liked it. But yes, it depends on many factors - the main one being personal preference for whatever reason. I had previously determined that whenever I used my wool topper it made my mattress too soft and I'd get back pain from it. However I am using it again now for 2 main reasons: 1) I don't usually like the feel of pure latex. Before I had HR foam mixed in so I didn't need anything like wool on top 2) I do love the feel of that wool topper and the temperature regulation it gives me, so IF I can find a way to use it I prefer to use it Tonight I might try sleeping without it. As for paying shipping back for a return to SleepEZ, that would be the case if I just did not like it and negotiated a return or exchange. But in this case, since I can make the argument - and have photos to prove it - that it is a substandard piece, I think I can justify not paying shipping, especially since they already charged me $49 to ship something that cost them $19 to ship. I will make that argument... and I have a feeling it will turn into an argument. But a) the piece is thicker than they advertised and I really did want it thinner; b) it has more flaws than it really should have for a new piece; and c) it is much firmer than the other "medium" piece leading me to believe their labeling of it as a "medium" may be mistaken or at least not conducive to customer selection of the right firmness. I wrote them an email and sent the same photos above to SleepEZ and asked for a full refund on the Dunlop piece including they pay shipping back to them on what is essentially a defective item. I said that the alternative is that I ship both back to them and refuse the entire order with the credit card company. This message was modified Jan 30, 2010 by jimsocal
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Re: Got my foam layers from SleepEZ
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3rd night report: Well, it was not a fair test so I'll report it but take it with a grain of salt. I had to clean up our bathtub/shower yesterday because they are coming in to work on the sealing around it. It was embarassingly dirty/gunky so I spent about 2 hours of bending and reaching and scrubbing and so on, to get it clean. As a result my back got quite a work out and was too stressed to be able to sleep well, I think. I kept the exact same figuration as the night before (above). So it felt good when I got into bed, but after about 6 or 7 hours my back began to hurt. It did not hurt a LOT like when I slept on the Dunlop or - worse - when I slept on the old HR foam. Also, once I did wake up to use the bathroom (at about the 6th hour) I had trouble getting back to sleep - partly because the mattress felt uncomfortable but also because I had things on my mind. So I got up right at about 7 hours into my sleep, after laying there for awhile "trying" to sleep. I'll try the same configuration tonight just to see how it goes. |
Re: Got my foam layers from SleepEZ
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Jim, Yes, what work you did yesterday hurt your back bad, plus the stress of dealing of latex that you are not happy with affects your sleeping. I hope Sleepeze respond and take care of you. Sleeplikeabear was good to deal with, no I didn't order anything, but if I wanted talalay latex I would order from them. Their website says they will order natural latex for you, they only stock blended latex. Medium dunlop shouldn't feel like a rock I wouldn't think. But one of my latex pieces from O-stock feels like a rock, I believe it is natural latex; but since I have not seen anything else but Talalay for sure I know the other pieces are not talalay, they are either natural latex, or dunlop. Someone at the o-stock reviews thought it was from Latex Green, I don't know why they thought that. Anyway, you know it takes a few days to recover from doing back breaking work, so don't make any changes on the bed! I did that once forgetting I did back breaking work, and changed my bed. It was 88% good before, then I changed it and I am still changing it. UGH! |
Re: Got my foam layers from SleepEZ
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Right Leo. I have gone through that changing the bed thing when it was really only my back that was the problem, not the bed. Sometimes it's hard to tell... But unless the bed is KILLING me I generally do try to put up with it for a couple nights before I start making any major changes. Sometimes if I'm really hurting though, I'll make a minor change like adding or changing the very top layer, though, just in hopes of having a slightly better night... but I try to keep notes on any changes so if I find things not getting better I can go back to the last configuration that felt better... This time I'm letting it ride... Don't expect to hear from sleepez until Monday. I wrote them an email, sent photos, told them what I wanted to do, so we'll see. I have my guess how this is going to go but hopefully it will go well... Sure wish flobeds sold layers! I know with them it would be easy... But we'll see how sleepez resonds... |
Re: Got my foam layers from SleepEZ
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I strained my back cleaning the bathroom a couple days ago so I cannot expect a perfect night of sleep. The night before last was okay but not great. 4th night report: I left the mattress in the same configuration as the previous night, and I had a very good night. of sleep last night! I slept a pretty solid 8 hours, and then layed in bed for about another hour listening to the radio with my wife. So after that extra hour of laying down, my back did feel a little bit stiff and a tiny bit sore. But had I gotten up after having slept for 8 hours, it would've been fine. I am going to leave it for now... I am very tempted to try tweaking it just a LITTLE to add just a little more comfort with only a 1/2" of memory foam (I know; it's crazy; memory foam never works for me!) ... but I will leave it alone at least for tonight, maybe for a while... I'll try to keep it basically the same for at least a month. So all in all I am very happy with the FEEL of the Talalay I got from SleepEZ. Not happy at all with the quality of it, having a lot of flaws and all... In fact were it not that I were afraid of not finding another piece with this exact same feel, I would return the Talalay as well, just based on that ugly and poorly done seam down the vertical side. As to the Dunlop I am going to either return it or sell it. I find it hard to believe it is a Medium. It feels like at least a Firm and perhaps a VERY Firm to me; whereas the Talalay feels closer to a Soft than a Medium. In other words, I think it is misleading to call these both "Medium". I'm not saying they are intentionally misleading anyone, but I think it is just misleading. I would call the Dunlop a Firm and call the Talalay a somewhat soft medium. If I were them I would at least warn people that the Dunlop is much firmer feeling than the Talalay. I figured that to be true, but not to this extent. However, I owe thanks to whoever it was who said that it just might be that the HR foam I had, was the culprit in my mattress suddenly "not working" for me. This latex replacement seems to have solved the problem, and while there may be some tweaking to do - or not - this is at least in the right vicinity of where I want to be. Good news. This message was modified Feb 1, 2010 by jimsocal
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Re: Got my foam layers from SleepEZ
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The ILD is 32 right? On another post I mentioned the samples I got from Sleeplikeabear 32 felt just like my 26. Yes this was talalay blend, not natural like yours, but I think that 26 to 32 just isn't enough change IMHO. As for the Dunlop I have no clue why it is so firm for medium. You sound exactly, I mean exactly like me with my memory foam piece I keep slapping back on the bed for a while, then I take it off for a while, then repeat, and repeat...... Looking for that 100% instead of that 88% comfort I guess, LOL. Keep us posted. |
Re: Got my foam layers from SleepEZ
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Leo3 wrote: The ILD is 32 right? On another post I mentioned the samples I got from Sleeplikeabear 32 felt just like my 26. Yes this was talalay blend, not natural like yours, but I think that 26 to 32 just isn't enough change IMHO. As for the Dunlop I have no clue why it is so firm for medium. You sound exactly, I mean exactly like me with my memory foam piece I keep slapping back on the bed for a while, then I take it off for a while, then repeat, and repeat...... Looking for that 100% instead of that 88% comfort I guess, LOL. Keep us posted. The Medium latex is posted on the SleepEZ site as being 30-32 ILD but when I ordered it he seemed very careful to refer to it as "MEDIUM", not as "30-32 ILD". Not sure if that means anything. The piece actually has a MEDIUM sticker on it but I don't know if it's their sticker or from the factory. They have their "FIRM" latex designated as 38-40 and I swear, to me, this feels more like a 38 than a 30-32! I have owned a flobeds before so know something about latex. Maybe I am wrong in this case, but if I am, all I can say is that their 30-32 Dunlop natural feels more like a Talalay 36-38. As to trying to get that 100% comfort: Yes! Because I have felt it! I have had it on my friend's guest mattress, I have had it in a hotel... but those mattresses I have had 100% comfort on are never available to purchase! Old, or specially made... etc... I think this current set up is very close, so you can't blame me for thinking maybe I can tweak it a little. But I'm keeping notes so if I do get "off course", I can get back to where I was! "Leaving crumbs" so to speak! Right now I am realizing I still have a 1/2" of HR foam on the bottom layer and "I wonder what it would be like without that?"  But I'm going to stay with what I've got at least for another night or two... Stay tuned.  |