Royal Pedic latex - better alternatives?
Aug 13, 2010 4:14 PM
Location: North Jersey (NYC metro)
Joined: Aug 13, 2010
Points: 22
We tried a Royal Pedic "Organic Bed" quilttop pure latex mattress at ABC Carpet and Home, and really liked it.  The firmness, amount of bounce and the feel of the quilted cover were great. The main thing we didn't like, of course, was the price.

From what I've found in my searches, Royal Pedic doesn't seem to have the highest reputation either. I've read reports about sagging. I understand the cover may be glued to the latex underneath and not of the best quality. The 7-zone construction seems like a gimmick. And I believe their talalay is sourced in Malaysia. So I'm wondering what other brands we should try that would feel similar, but at a lower price and/or higher quality.

I don't live near an Original Mattress Factory or that would top my list. 
 
I tried Ikea's latex mattresses and didn't like them. I think they're made from dunlop latex and I found them too lifeless, so I'm shopping for talalay, preferably sourced from a good manufacturer like Latex International.
 
I don't think I want a D-I-Y mattress where you stack 3 or 4 pieces of foam into a terrycloth zip cover.  I'd prefer something with the fit and finish of a regular mattress, and I quite like the quilted cover on the Royal Pedic.
 
Here are the specs on the model I'm comparing to (PDF).
 
Any suggestions?
This message was modified Aug 13, 2010 by InsoManiac
Re: Royal Pedic latex - better alternatives?
Reply #2 Aug 13, 2010 9:19 PM
Location: North Jersey (NYC metro)
Joined: Aug 13, 2010
Points: 22
budgy wrote:

Are you sure that the cover is glued to the latex?  That doesn't make a lot of sense to me but I am curious to know considering the price of the Royal Pedic they should not be using glue in the mattress. 


No, I was just going by memory from this old forum post that I just managed to find again. Since it's quite dated I don't know how applicable the points are to Royal Pedic's current products, but I suspect the company hasn't changed all that much.  I've seen other less than glowing reviews about Royal Pedic too, so I'm just a little skeptical of their quality and value.  I will say it looked and felt nice in the store, though (but is non-returnable as far as I know).

 

EDIT:  I know you said you are not sure about DIY latex build but realistically if you want to keep your cost down, they might be your best bet.  You should also look at Savvy Rest. 

I really don't know how anyone can buy a mattress without trying it first. Obviously some people do, but I'm really not into the idea of plunking down a couple thousand dollars and getting stuck with something I can't stand, or that is at the very least cumbersome and expensive to return.  Plus judging by the pictures in this thread you get what you pay for with the D-I-Y jobs.  No offense but it looks like it belongs in a hostel, it's not even in the same ballpark as the kind of nicely made mattresses I have in mind. I haven't ruled out the web sellers completely, but it would have to be something much nicer than that.

Thanks for your thoughts though.  If you think dunlop is still worth reconsidering, I wonder how the ones from Costso and Sams Club compare.  Again, there's no way to know before taking delivery if they don't have them on the floor to try out, but at least they're returnable without too much hassle I assume.  I feel like I'd still rather try to find something in talalay though.

Re: Royal Pedic latex - better alternatives?
Reply #3 Aug 13, 2010 9:35 PM
Joined: Aug 31, 2007
Points: 404
Is anyone carrying Green Sleep in your area?  They are a very well-done mattress and worth checking out.  They are dunlop, but they are not dead feeling.
Re: Royal Pedic latex - better alternatives?
Reply #4 Aug 13, 2010 9:47 PM
Location: North Jersey (NYC metro)
Joined: Aug 13, 2010
Points: 22
DianeK wrote:

Is anyone carrying Green Sleep in your area?  They are a very well-done mattress and worth checking out.  They are dunlop, but they are not dead feeling.


Ha, according to the Green Sleep web site, the nearest dealer is ABC Carpet and Home.   Which is where I saw the Royal Pedic, and they didn't have anything else there.  There's another dealer about 30 miles away though, so maybe I'll give them a try - thanks.
 

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