Mattress Forum

http://www.sleepez.com/

http://www.flobeds.com/

http://www.savvyrest.com/

http://www.mattresses.net/

http://www.cozypure.com/

http://www.purerest.com/

http://www.mygreenmattress.com/

http://www.baybed.com/

http://www.foamsweetfoam.com/

http://www.naturalbedco.com/

http://www.customsleepdesign.com/

http://thenaturalsleepstore.com/  (Their web has been down for about half an hour as of this posting so I called them and they know about it and are working on it)

There are many more outlets which all offer these same basic services of pre purchase customization, post buy layer exchange, advice and help, a good reputation/rating, good quality natural latex, and great value but this dozen are among the better ones. I would personally buy product from any one of these. Every one of these offers something the other's don't in terms of options, service, material, construction, or price (none of these are clones of another). Even here you will see quite a wide range of prices for very similar materials and construction. There is an even bigger list of more "traditional" custom manufacturers who will make and ship you a whole mattress to your exact specifications but of course without the more simple layer exchanges that are offered by all of these they involve more risk regardless of their value so I haven't listed any of these.

Phoenix

PS: I removed one link to an outlet that I hadn't talked to. They claimed to be a factory direct for Jamestown mattress however when I phoned Jamestown mattress itself, they said that they were no longer in business. I asked Jamestown (whose website was also down ... seems to be my day for that) if they would supply a "make your own" product with 3 x3" layers of latex and a zippered wool/cotton cover and a layer exchange if needed, and what would it cost, the girl I talked to said she thought so but that I would be better to talk to the owner who would be back on monday to get the pricing and any other details I needed. If the pricing, options, service, and any other research seems reasonable, I will include them back in this list except the link will be directly to them instead of a factory direct outlet. Jamestown mattress itself seems to have been in business for a long time and has several outlets http://www.manta.com/c/mm2ckc3/jamestown-mattress-co-inc

If you had to choose between the Flobed and the SleepEz, which would you choose and why?

Thanks-

Banaltra

Please be alerted to the single biggest scam regarding latex matts:  false claims of "100% Talalay" or "All Natural" or "Solid Latex" and so on.  One of the ways you can research a company that claims to use 100% Talalay Latex is to go to the only source for natural latex foam in the United States:  Latex International.  As of 2010, LI is the only manufacturer in the US that processes true natural latex rubber foam, period.  Here's their main page:

http://www.latexfoam.com/

Here's a page from their site which offers some of the name brands, including a few online retailers:

http://www.latexfoam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=74

Please note that this is not a comprehensive listing of makers/vendors, so if you find a vendor that you're interested in, you may wish to contact LI and verify that the product/s you're researching do, in fact, incorporate Talalay latex.  Beware of latex products manufactured anywhere other than in the U.S. or Ireland (KayMed).  Sorry to sound snobby about it, but if it's not made in the US or the UK, the quality control is pathetic, coarse fillers are often used, density and compression values vary throughout a given section of foam, etc.

It's a case of you-get-what-you-pay-for when it comes to real latex foams.  Wish 10 inches of Talalay were cheaper...  (Sigh)

Thanks for letting me participate here - good forum!

- Denise in Alachua, FL

Using LI's website to determine the quality of a mattress or the accuracy of a "natural latex" claim is only a small part of research that would be required and by itself would mean little since so many very good 100% natural latex mattresses don't use them.

Your generalization about quality control outside of US/UK manufacturing is also not accurate. While it is certainly valid to question some of the sources of latex, there are manufacturers outside of these 2 countries that have quality control as least as good as anything manufactured there.

Phoenix

I understood Dunlopillo closed their doors about a year ago.  Unless someone else bought them out.  Latex Green is one Dunlop manufacturer that is good, made in Sri Lanka if I am not mistaken.  I have some latex from them seems good to me.

I think the poster meant made in China perhaps.  But I agree about the Talalay from LI being excellent quality, I have those toppers too.  I am not aware of another Talalay manufacturer other than them.   Sleepeze website listes the manufacturers they use.  I think it may be outdated last time I looked at it.
 

I'm a total newbie - didn't know that other posts mirrored mine.  Sorry for the redundancy.  

And agreed re: Dunlop method of foam manufacturing.  I'm a fan of Talalay because I love the feel and believe its compression resistance and recovery attributes to be greater.  That being said, however...

My folks have an ancient Dunlop-made king-sized matt, bought in Miami in the late 1960s (!!!) - and it's still being used.  As far as I can tell, there isn't the slightest sign of wear to the matt itself other than slight yellowing (though the cover has been replaced twice).  That's a looonnng time for a mattress to keep its original bounce and flatness - and my dad is a huge, muscular guy who wears things out really fast.  (He goes through a recliner every couple of years, LOL.)  It's a testament to good ol' Dunlop latex that this mattress is hanging in there.

I (like so many others) have been heavily BS'd by dozens of salespeople.  They flat-out lie, glorify their products beyond possibility, and contradict each other endlessly.  Storefront bedding retail is such a rude racket.  So when I found a way to (at very least) narrow down the origin of the primary component (latex), I got happy about it.  That there is only one US source for latex foam is a bummer, because there's not much room for price competition. 

But hey, if the bed lasts 20+ years, it's worth the initial sticker shock, right?

Wishing you all a great night's sleep -

D

They were placed in administration but have continued to supply latex and sell mattresses. Foamex and many others have also declared backruptcy but continued on unil they emerged. Even the "S" brands have not been immune. Seems to be a fairly common tactic in the mattress industry.

http://www.dunlopilloworld.com/en/home.htm

Radium which is based in Holland also produces most of the Talalay used in Europe although they manufacture a blended talalay http://www.radiumfoam.nl/en/home.ecp

They are pretty much in the same position in Europe as LI is in North America.

There are also apparently chinese manufacturers of Talalay that up till recently only produced pillows but are now producing cores. I have seen Chinese Talalay cores on some of the import sites.

Phoenix