PU versus latex foam
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Hi all, first time poster here. I have read quite a few posts on the board since finding it but have not seen a thread on this subject in the Highlighted section or by some limited searching. Nor have I found information in the buying guide. And I have not seen any threads on PU foam beds, only latex foam beds. Latex is hard to find where I live (Calgary) but I'm willing to go mail order to try it if it's really worth the effort. I might be in the market for a new mattress set or just a new mattress and keep the existing foundation. Or I might just add a topper to my existing mattress set (15 year old Sealy Posturepedic Presidential contractor/hotel Plush) if I can confirm that the springs and foundation are actually still OK and likely to last another 10 plus years. Either way, I'd like to know more about PU versus latex foam. There is a small mattress manufacturer in town that I visited today and discovered this company does not subscribe to latex. I like what I'm hearing from this company. Their prices are fair and they don't offer any higher priced S brand type mattresses. They sell quality and crafsmanship. And I do like that they are strongly suggesting I just get a topper instead of a new bed. And I do have a loaner PU foam topper from them which I will be trying. On to the PU versus Latex debate. I was told that first of all latex will dry out over time in a climate such as Calgary (arid, low humidity) and PU will not. That's one thing I have not read before and was wondering what others know about this subject. And I believe that I read that latex durability is generally (humidity extremes aside) better than PU foam. Is that the general consensus? And this company is backing this statement by using only a higher quality PU foam. A 3 pound PU foam I believe. It has a 21 year warranty (I'm not sure what the fine print of the warranty is yet). And surprisingly they state that the comfort quality of PU is just as good as latex. They say the two foams are different, but latex isn't necessarily better any any way from a comfort point of view. Just different. And they say they can come very close to the feel of latex by layering different densities of PU foam. So I have basically been told that latex is not as durable (in Calgary) and there is no performance (from a comfort point of view) reason to go with latex. So what do you think about PU versus latex? Am I getting good information or am I missing some facts? If there are some real benefits of latex over quality PU foam then I will explore latex outside of my city. Thanks, Bryan |
Re: PU versus latex foam
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I didn't read the other replies - don't have time right now - but I thought I'd give you my 2 cents as to why latex is better than PU and in fact I'll go so far as to say those who told you otherwise are feeding you a bunch of bull pucky. I tried to "cheap out" with an all PU foam (HR foam) for a year or two. My wife and I had access to a warehouse that sold HR foam of any size and any ILD very inexpensively. This was quality PU foam that I believe is "rated" to last 10 years. But that's bull. We tried to make our own "Flobeds" style mattress using pure HR foam with various visco memory or latex toppers (we have one piece of 3/4" x latex that I am now guessing is about 30ILD and probably synthetic). At first we tried these without springs. Although I believed in it and wanted it to work, it just never did. Now that I have compared latex more, I can tell you that latex just has a better feel than HR. HR has more of a dead feel. It supports but does not really conform to your body. However, we did not like a pure HR foam mattress, nor a pure latex foam mattress. We did buy a Flobeds at one point and returned it because we could not sleep comfortably on pure latex. Some can. We couldn't. So then I went to HR foam with the latex topper or memory foam toppers, over springs. That worked much better. But after a short while it seemed to stop working. I attribute that to the HR foam breaking in too much, just like memory foam breaks in too much (at least for my liking). (Yes, I've tried Tempurpedic too.) Finally we realized we needed springs under our foam. Just 2-3" of foam on top of springs. At first we used all HR foam, with just 1" of good memory foam (probably 5lb density) on top, but then we used a mix of the HR, the mem. and the latex. Anyway, back to your post: To me, after much experience with various ILD's of HR foam and also having tried M-grade foam, it just does not provide the same type of support as latex or latex over springs. Right now I am using a layer of 1" HR foam on the bottom right next to my springs. Then a layer of 1" fake Venus memory foam from Overstock, which is probably 5lb or so density memory foam, then the 1" natural Talalay latex on top. That seems to be working for me. Though I am skeptical that it will keep working because inevitably the mem foam and the HR foam tends to get too soft within a short time. It's like, if I don't use the HR and memory foam for a few days or weeks, it seems to kind of revive itself a bit then if I use it again, it feels good but after a week or less it seems to feel too soft. I can't say this is scientifically true but it feels that way to me. Latex, on the other hand, though it also can get a bit "broken in", seems to last much longer and breaks in to less of a degree. In conclusion, I think some good quality PU foam such as HR or M-Grade or Omalon can be used for a base layer, but for your top layer(s) you will want latex and/or high quality memory foam (at least 4lb, probably at least 5lb density mem foam). This message was modified Mar 10, 2010 by jimsocal
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Re: PU versus latex foam
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jimsocal wrote: It's like, if I don't use the HR and memory foam for a few days or weeks, it seems to kind of revive itself a bit then if I use it again, it feels good but after a week or less it seems to feel too soft. I can't say this is scientifically true but it feels that way to me. Latex, on the other hand, though it also can get a bit "broken in", seems to last much longer and breaks in to less of a degree.
I just bought 1 new piece of PU foam and it is much firmer, but after a couple of months I have noticed a little bit of softening. I don't know if there is the same effect for memory foam. Maybe, but I don't think quite as dramatic since it is pretty soft to start with. |
Re: PU versus latex foam
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KimberlyH wrote: Bryan, Whether Dunlop is better than Talalay or visa versa is individual opinion. Some people say that Dunlop is the "tried and true" method of latex production, being the original process developed in the . . .20s? Also, some people feel that Dunlop, being denser than Talalay, gives more support for people with back issues. On the Talalay side of the fence, some people say that the Talalay process is an improvement over the Dunlop process and develops a more consistent, even product, less prone to impurities. Talalay actually comes in a wider range of firmness levels than Dunlop. I think Talalay was first developed in the 50s. For myself, I tried some Dunlop mattresses and did not like them. I thought they felt "dead." However there are several on this board who specifically sought out Dunlop and prefer it. I prefer the springier, more resilient feel of Talalay. Yes, I've read the SaavyRest site, and I think some people on this forum have purchased from them. I believe they are a reputable company, but personally I think their prices are a little high, and the return/exchange guarantee is inferior to Flobeds and SleepEz. I have about 20 bookmarked sites on memory foam and latex mattresses from many different companies. I think Budgy is right, from reading his descriptions of the Natura line, the Natural line of mattresses is the way to go. You pay an awful premium for "organic" and if you're going the latex route I wouldn't mix it with any PU or memory foam. I'll go one further than budgey and recommend that you don't go with anything less than an 8" mattress. Unless you're super lightweight, like a little ballerina or a model, I'd worry about bottoming out on a 6" mattress. I think all said and done mine is 9-10". If you are a heavier person (say, over 200 lbs) you'll want to go with a firmer configuration, and under 200 lbs you might be able to go with a more medium (unless you like firm). Also, if you have a spouse, you can each customize the firmness level of your side of the bed. Kimberly, I thought the price for Savvy was right in line with Flo and Natura. It's hard to price compare since the models are so variable. But Savvy has a thin ($2100) and thicker king ($2600) mattress. That's not bad at all from what I've seen of other vendor costs. Maybe Savvy is a couple of hundred more per equivalent mattress. But a $200 price difference when spending $2K is not that big of a gap in my mind. I read a scathing review of Natura on this site that really turned me off. Natura sounds like an S Brand when it comes to material specification disclosure. Or nondisclosure. I also ready that someone here had samples from Savvy and I think Flo or one of the other big name Latex mattress vendors and the person really noticed a difference in things like odour, with Savvy foam being preferred. It's pretty subjective, internet borne stuff, but it does lurk in the back of my mind. Thanks for the tip on the mattress thickness. I just picked up on that from reading the Savvy site and the mattress selction FAQ. Their thinner one is only good for 160lbs per person or something. The thicker one, the Serenity, is 10". The PU foam topper loaner I brought home yesterday was a disaster. I had one of the worst sleeps in recent memory. And this foam just looks like junk. I can't believe it. It reminds me of camping foam. I was watching a Savvy web video on setting up a mattress and the look of the rubber, the denisty, was so much better looking than the foam in the PU topper I have on loan. Bryan |
Re: PU versus latex foam
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Bryan, You're right, a lot of this is subjective based on the personal preferences of the buyer. Regarding issues like odor, find out where the vendor is sourcing the latex, and what kind of latex is being used. Comparing apples to apples . . . Flobeds uses Latex International latex, generally acknowledged to be a very high quality product. My latex had a very slight "cookie dough" smell, with a faint rubber smell, and both of these odors were both very mild, and completely dissipated within a matter of days. The smell was not at all unpleasant, and like I said, it was gone within days. There could be a difference in smell between 100% natural and blended latex as well. Mine is blended. I don't know what source of latex the other vendors use, but if Saavy Rest sources the latex from the same place as SleepEz and Flobeds, then any difference in smell was purely in the imagination as the person who posted. The issue to be wary of with Saavy Rest, IMO, is their return and exchange policy. If I remember right, they do not allow returns, and I think limited exchanges? I'm pretty sure I'm correct on the no return policy, but not sure about how many, if any, exchanges they allow. However, with Flobeds and Sleepez, there is both a return and a liberal exchange policy. The written exchange policy on the SleepEz site is not nearly as liberal as the exchange policy on the Flobeds site, but some have posted on the forum that the actual exchange policy for SleepEz is more liberal than what is stated in writing on the site. I haven't read/heard anything about Natura, so can't be of help there, except to say out of all the product lines Budgey described, the Natural line sounded the best to me. |
Re: PU versus latex foam
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Natura is very good about disclosure. They give specific amounts of wool, they give the content of the latex, all the layers of the mattress. The only part they are non specific on with some mattress is exactly how much cotton batting is used. They even list the chemical fire retardants used (if any). Basically they are the only larger company that gives this much info about their products. They list all of their mattresses on their website and the names of the mattresses are the same every where you go. S Brands make things very challenging because although they provide their dealer with specs, the dealer can with hold this information or manipulate it since the names of these mattresses vary from one place to another and the only way to call their bluff is to buy a mattress and cut it open. The only thing they lack comparitivly to some build it yourself mattresses is the specific ILD ratings of the latex itself. It is important to know that ILD ratings though are a very american thing, its technically an out of date system for measuring resiliency now. It should be measured in IFD which basically no one is providing specs on anyway. Im not trying to say that Natura is the 'best' and that you should buy them over something customizable anyway, but to compare them to S brands in anyway is simply not realistic or fair. Fact of the matter is that Natura is free advertising for these smaller companies because they create awareness in the marketplace for this type of product and they do it on a very large scale. They are the measuring stick that most latex brands try to beat in some way shape or form, whether it be better customization options due to having smaller overall volumes and the ability to tailor each mattress to the customers specific needs (I really do applaud flobeds for this, because its a small number of people that will need to go this route but they are really good at it), or simply by trying to beat them on the pricing. Bottom line though is that if Natura didn't exist there would be a lot less good latex options available from other companies today, and a lot more people out their sleeping on cookie cutter types of mattresses that are really only sold via marketing, and not because they solve any one particular issue for a person, pressure relief, durability, breathabilty and tempurature balance, allergy concerns, chemical sensitivities, ecological responsibility. |
Re: PU versus latex foam
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http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/reviews/pure-green-series/546-0-1.html This is the only poor review I could find on this site about Natura. Its from the "Green" series which I already outlined the content. Natura lists the content on their website. Clearly the dealer did not have a clue what they are talking about. Because if they had done any research they would not have recommended it to this customer since you can tell from the review that natural content was at the tops of their priority list. There is also a reason why even though I carry natura I do not carry the "green line". But no where does Natura list the content of this mattress as being 98% natural. I can guarantee this is something the salesperson claimed and then later covered up by playing ignorant. As with any mattress you buy, you have got to find a reputable dealer that knows what they are talking about. This customer and the dealer are clearly confusing the words "Green" with "natural" as those are the beds that they advertise the natural content being listed in the high 90's. They are fully committed to being ecologically responsible, all their PU foam is soy content (hey at least they are trying). But in any mainstream bed I would challenge someone to find a "greener" product at the price points they hit with that series? This person paid $1400 dollars and expected the product to be all natural, that is simply an unrealistic expectation that the dealer gave them. Even look at flo beds, they don't have anything in that price range (for a queen set), they start a fair bit higher than that and the natural content wont be much higher, but it won't have any PU foam. |
Re: PU versus latex foam
| I agree with Budgy on Natura mattresses. I have been researching their mattresses and they do tell you what is inside of them. Try finding any info worth a darn on an S mattress. |