Mattress Forum

If you cannot try a bed before buying it, at least make sure your retailer has a no-hassle comfort guarantee or exchange policy.  This is especially important for latex core mattresses, for the reason previously explained.

Jim

At least the inflatables can be adjusted for firmness.  That was the biggest concern my bride and I had in our quest for the perfect (for us) mattress - ability to adjust firmness.  What feels good initially or at a particular time in your life might not feel quite as good over a bit of time plus whether innerspring or foam there is always a degradation over time - no surprise as nothing lasts forever but it is a valid concern that as mattress materials wear the characteristics change - softness or firmness - depressions can develop and etc.  Since all manufacturered products wearout or fail or change over time we decided that an important component of a buying decision should be initial cost compared to the realistic time that a mattress could be expected to keep its' original comfort characteristics before wear affects quality of sleep/rest/comfort.

In the end we chose to have a guarantee of no possibility of depressions or spring failure plus the guaranteed easy ability to adjust firmness plus the amazingly low cost with a 20 year warranty and so we bought another waterbed mattress and the latest one we purchased a few weeks ago continues the trend of waterbed better engineering better firmness and better wavelessness which when combined with a three inch form topper has created  - to us at our age - and we are older folk - a soft comfort level feel yet perfectly supportive and perfectly firm for my bride's back conditions that we simply could not find with either springs or foam with the added comfort of gentle heat if we want it at whatever temp we prefer.  You might be surprised to learn that waterbed mattresses are now available in a dual sided configuration so that each side can be separately adjusted for firmness which could be important with the different size and weight of you and your spouse.

Not trying to hijack your Latex thread but if you haven't included hardside waterbed in your research you might want to take a peek.

Final thought - if you expand your online research to a Google for "mattresses for obese" you will find there is a lot of information and options for those fok that are a bit taller/larger/heaver. 

One example of a informative website is www.absolutecomfortonsale.com which has different makes and models of spring and foam mattresses for people in the weight range of you and your spouse which can be an important consideration re how long a mattress will last as weight and gravity are the biggest contributors to wear and failure of innerspring and foam type mattresses.

Best of Luck on your quest - hope you find your dream sleep platform as we have found ours!!

These mattresses you asked about all have one thing in common. We call these S Brand mattresses even though the name starts with A and E. These so-called latex mattresses almost all have a little bit of  latex in them covered by a lot of PU foam and then they play up the word "latex" in the marketing as the public is somewhat aware that latex can be expensive, long lasting and comfortable.  They will have a nice luxurious looking pillowtop that feels wonderful while laying on it in the store. Beware. What will happen to these pillowtops, is that they will form a rut in time. Somtimes just a few months, sometimes a few years, but they will form this rut because the pillowtops are made of cheap polyurethane (PU) foam that breaks down from the compression of your body over time. The cheaper the foam used, the faster it will break down. Don't buy these. They will be expensive, but not long lasting or comfortable in the long run. I am not kidding.  Find the real thing. It is out there. Test it out and see what you think and how you feel laying on it. You want to be as close to the latex as possible, ideally with just a thin mattress pad between you and it. From your post, you will need a firmer mattress on the whole than a smaller person, but a lot of this depends on how you sleep (side, stomach, back)

About ordering online - Do your homework.... Read more posts.  Search the forum. It's a lot to digest and does take some time.  You cannot get it all in a day or two. Be patient and wait until you feel comfortable about making a good decision. When you are confident about the product, you'll feel OK to order online.

Poster Jim is right about one thing. Some people do not like latex. It doesn't provide enough support for them in the lumbar region. They are usually better served with a good inner-spring mattress if they can find one. Some people just don't like how it feels. It has a springiness to it that really has to be felt to be sure it will work for you.  So it is not the end all in mattresses. But please do not base your opinion of it from a typical S brand latex mattress.  These feel nothing at all like the real product. You will have to search this out in your area, but it is there to be found if you look. Try it out first.

Off soapbox now....

My post was entirely reasonable, and there's nothing wrong with telling someone to try a bed before they buy it.

Just to correct your misinformation, Sealy's SpringFree mattress has a latex foam core, not polyurethane.  Also, companies like Aireloom are not and should not be lumped together with the "S" companies.  E.g. Aireloom does not use the same cheap Leggett & Platt coil springs used by all of the "S" companies, they use much better (time-tested and truly natural) comfort layer materials (cotton, wool etc), and in their midrange and high-end lines, latex is properly put *under* these other materials.  In some models it serves just as a support layer, not a comfort layer.  So a categorical claim that "you want to be as close to the latex as possible" is also incorrect.

Hey Cameron, have any of your customers who bought Talalay latex mattresses told you that they woke up with the absolute worst backache of their lives and can't sleep on the thing no matter what they do, 'cause quite a few posters on this Forum have had that reaction. Talalay latex is not the be-all end-all of bedding materials. In fact there is no one sleep surface that suits everyone's preference or orthopedic requirements.  Some people will do better on Dunlop latex because it is denser and more supportive at softer ILDs than Talalay.

I can only really tell my own experience of things, which is what I attempt to do most of the time.  And that's what I will do in the future - and it will be limited to mattress talk.

Bill