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Hi there, I am looking for some advice on choosing between 2 mattresses. 1st a little history. I owned an Englander latex mattress for about 5 years. After the 4th year, it developed uncomfortable body impressions, just under 1.5" deep, so it didn't qualify for the warranty. So I went shopping for a new mattress 9 months ago. Sales person tried to get me to look at latex again, but I would have no part of it after my experience. So I went with a Sealy Posturpedic firm innerspring. It felt great for about 3 months, and now it too has very uncomfortable body impressions. The store has agreed to let me use their one time comfort exchange even though it is beyond the time limit. They carry the Sealy Embody line, which is a layer of latex ontop of a high density poly foam core. The one we are interested in(and the one we can afford) is the Inspiration. It has 3" of latex and 7" of the poly foam core. After my comfort exchange, I will have to pay another $1200 to get it. The other mattress we are considering is the Ikea Elsjford. It is 5.5" of synthetic latex, super firm, and no poly foam core, just latex. It is $599. I have read good things about Ikea latex mattresses. There are almost no reviews of the Embody line from Sealy because they are new. The Spring Free line had fairly good reviews, but they are no longer available here. So my question is......3" of natural latex ontop of 7" of poly foam or 5.5" of synthetic latex. The biggest thing we want to avoid are body impressions, and the poly foam core on the Sealy makes me nervous. Any help would truly be appreciated. Mike |
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In very general terms ... the overall feel and comfort of a mattress is going to come from the top 6" or so. The ability to support and keep your spine aligned will come from the bottom 6". Obviously there are great variations here depending on the materials used, density and properties of any foams used, and construction and thickness of the mattress. Some mattresses are so thick that I question the real effect of any of the layers on the bottom. The layers in the middle will play a kind of "dual role". What most people feel when they are in a store is the top 6" or so (depending on many factors). You can test how well the mattress keeps your spine aligned (supports) through some of the methods I and many others have mentioned in other posts on the forum but most of what you are feeling in the short time you lay on a mattress in a store is the upper layers. What you will feel when you lay on a mattress for one or many nights will almost always be different to some degree from what you felt in a store. The reasons for this are partly the support layers and the "longer term" comfort that comes from proper sleep position and movement and partly the "conditioning" that alters perception when you are comparing many different "feels" and being somewhat overwhelmed by trying to remember and compare something so subjective .... and the "influences" you are subjected to along the way. In some ways it may be easier to tell how a mattress will feel for many nights through research than it is through actually testing and trying to turn such a subjective experience into an objective one. Obviously a combination of research and personal experience is the best. Having said all of that, I would talk to all three of the people who represent your (non Costco) different options and get a sense of how what they said fit your circumstances. You will get a greater sense of trust in your own judgement when several people say the same thing and you will also get a sense of the differences in opinions and how they may apply to you. I can't imagine that the Ikea is 40 ILD but I have no experience with it. You clearly like a firmer feel. Just don't forget that "firm" does not necessarily mean support. It also does not mean that the upper few inches of a "softer material" cannot lead to a firm mattress. Just take a look at the "firm" or even "ultra firm" mattresses sold by the 3 "S" companies (and others of course) and you will see softer foam in the upper couple of inches. Without that you would be sleeping on "wood". If you haven't already, it may be worth going through step one of what I posted earlier in real world experience just to confirm that you really do like firm in the upper layers of your mattress. Clearly with your size you need more "firmness" in the middle and bottom ... but don't do yourself out of the comfort you want as well in the belief that "sleeping on a rock" is your best option ... or that you can't have both. Phoenix PS: Ikea classifies the Elsfjord as a medium and it is also 5 zoned (usually zoning in the material itself is not that big a variance) so with both of these it is not what most people (or at least ikea) would call firm and I doubt it is 40 ILD even in the firm part of the zoning. Having said that, because latex has different qualities and resilience from other foams, it generally will feel a little firmer than other foams ... even though this too depends on many factors. This message was modified Oct 20, 2010 by Phoenix
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With almost every question someone can ask about mattresses, the answer will include "it depends". Of course if you then ask "on what does it depend", the floodgates are open to both the truth and all the baffelgab that bombards the whole search for the perfect mattress. Once you have reasonably accurate answers to "on what does it depend" you are in a much better position to buy a mattress and fit the different constructions and materials to your own personal circumstances. I would guess that it would only take a few hours of research on this forum to know more than the typical mattress salesman ... and anyone can do this from their own home. Even with a few hours of research though, very few people really believe that they already know more than most of the people offering the opinions they will be subjected to ... and yet they do. It is not hard to tell the "tone" of spin from the "tone" of knowledge and experience. Pointed questions about the source of their information or the specifics of a material will often separate them. When you hear the "tone" of knowledge and experience and the same information is being confirmed by several people you have a much greater likelihood of "getting it right". Phoenix |
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I have a funny story to tell about this that happened some time ago. I was calling and talking to a lot of people and asking some pretty specific questions of course ... and questioning the answers I got with equally specific questions ... including saying things like "that's strange because a lot of people don't seem to believe what you just told me ... are you sure?" I would then tell them a different opinion I had gathered and see how they dealt with it. Well one guy I was talking to on the phone (that offers a layered latex mattress at a good price but has been rarely mentioned on this forum thank goodness) said to me out of the blue "what do you do for a living?". I went "huh". He repeated his question. I asked him why he wanted to know and he proceeded to ream me out and in effect told me that I was a bum that had nothing better to do than research mattresses and that I would probably do better in life if I actually "went to work and made a living". There was even more derogatory comments in his tirade but you get the gist. The funniest part was that I hadn't even answered his question. I think he had a problem with some of the questions I asked and some of the information I had that contradicted what he wanted me to believe (laughing). Needless to say I didn't and wouldn't buy anything from him ... at any price. Phoenix This message was modified Oct 20, 2010 by Phoenix
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Just to make sure we are looking at the right mattress, here is the link to the Elsjford:http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80139970 It is listed as most firm. This is the Erjford: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60109592 listed as firm. I'm not sure where you found the the Elsjford is medium firm, although I have seen other people on one of the forums refer to it as that also. It is definately not medium firm, it is about as firm as anything I have tried. |
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It came from here http://www.ikeareviews.net/bedroom/sultan-elsfjord-latex-mattress/ and is the same mattress. It is probably the "most firm" of their mattresses but this is relative. A feeling of firmness is also dependent on many things ... and I personally would not put this mattress under anyone but a child or a very light adult. Synthetic latex is the "worst of the best". In general synthetic latex lacks the "resilience" of a blend or natural latex ... even though in a blend it does add "compression resistance" to the natural material according to the research I have read. The overall "feel" of blends or natural (combination of comfort and support and the ability to conform) is better. This mattress is also so thin that part of it's "firmness" would come from the thinness itself and it's feeling would be much more dependent on what it was placed on. I would at least consider the Erfjord (f and j reversed from your post) because it is a blend (high content of natural latex) and is thicker. I wouldn't consider the elsfjord. In WW ll, when natural rubber was not so easily available (to the allies anyway), they used a lot of SBR (synthetic latex) by necessity and they found that overall it did not have the same combination of desireable qualities of the natural material. Of course there has been a lot of research done since then. When Sealy first came out with their synthetic latex cores ... it was being touted as "the highest quality available" and as "state of the art". Interesting that they don't seem to be using them anymore and that they are now "glowing" about more natural versions of both Dunlop and Talalay. Phoenix This message was modified Oct 20, 2010 by Phoenix
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REDDOG1970 wrote:
This is the problem I am having with this whole thing. I called and spoke to Shaun at Sleepez yesterday. I like everything he said. He actually spoke nicely of the Sealy Spring Free line of latex, but did not know the quality of the Embody line. I am definately leaning toward the Sleepez mattress, and I'm trying to tell myself that even though the Embody was the most comfortable bed I have tried, it might not stay like that based on the core of the mattress. I understand that for the same money I can get a mattress that is 100% latex from Sleepez and better quality. My problem is that I can't try it out first, and that is difficult for me. Many other latex beds I have tried with the exception of the Ikea Elsjford where too soft. We have considered Costco but i'm afraid that the Costco bed would be too soft as well. Shaun said the Ikea has about a 40 ILD....Costco is quite a bit less. Still debating.
Mike The Ikea would certainly be a cheap alternative if you like it. I think you said it is all synthetic, which I would not be too excited about (never tried but supposedely the worst of the latex options). You can probably get one of the thinner Sleepez to keep the cost down, because sounds like you don't need it very thick or soft. This message was modified Oct 20, 2010 by sandman
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Phoenix, Does that person you are refering to have some pretty hilarious videos on the internet where he tells the world what latex is? Mike |
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No that's another one ... probably a cousin or something (laughing). Phoenix |
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I still can't believe I posted a link to that guy. I swear on everything sacred that it was an accident (laughing). But I guess that anything that gets a good laugh is a good accident. Phoenix |
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Phoenix, I saw in one of your other posts that you like the Pure Latex Bliss mattresses at Sleepys. There is a Sleepys very close to me. Now I was getting close to deciding on ordering from SleepEZ, so I was wondering if you or anyone else would rate one of these over the other. The Sleepys looks to be a little more expensive, but if it is better I would consider it since it is a 10 minute drive. Mike |