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I wanted to post a quick update. I ordered the SleepEZ special (8"). It arrived yesterday. First impression, after one night, is amazing. I don't want to say too much till I have had more time to try it and see how it does longer term. Assembly was fairly easy. The bottom layer was a little tricky getting it to line up in the cover, but the other layers went quick. X-firm base, firm middle, medium top. I will update again soon. Mike |
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Hi Reddog, Glad you came back to give us a report :) Keep in mind that pressure issues originate in the comfort layers (top few inches) of the mattress and an extra firm on the bottom would not make anything feel softer on top but may give you better support. The middle layer is less responsible for pressure issues than the top although you have 2" on the top so it will play a smaller role with this (the middle layer is playing a "dual" support/pressure role). I believe your middle layer is Dunlop so in this case a medium in the middle may just give you the "little bit" you need for comfort and still be supportive enough to keep you aligned. I know you like a firm feeling mattress but bear in mind that there were some "firm" mattresses that you lay and slept on (the englander and the posturepedic) and liked (at least till they developed depressions) that had soft poly on top and yet still felt firm to you. Also the "embody" mattresses you tried were softer in the top even than the one you have and still felt good to you (their firmer part was under the soft). All of these were "softer on top" than the one you have. Latex can be "soft" (the sleepez soft is 22-24 so it's on the border of medium) and still not have body impression issues so the "feeling" that from your history you seem to like would not "degrade". I'm glad you are keeping the Xfirm for now as I suspect it may be a better base for your bottom layer given that you are "softening up" the middle support layer (as a side effect of trying to soften up the top). Phoenix |
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Interesting, this is exactly same configuration that we ordered initially and we thought it was too firm, so now we are getting medium 3" layer to try out as well. Also, what I think would make a big difference is a 2" wool topper with latex on top. We've tried out the topper over firm dunlop in one the stores locally and it felt great, except the price for that topper in queen size was $550. I am looking for some cheaper alternatives to it:
http://www.bedroomsandmore.com/images/products/toppers/englander-latex-wool-mattress-topper.htm
In the meantime ordered organic wool topper to try from Costco: This message was modified Dec 27, 2010 by klas
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A wool topper may make firm latex "feel" softer, but it will make a softer latex less able to form a cradle and relieve pressure. "Feel", "pressure relief", and "support" are all separate and to some degree "independent" parts of a mattress' construction. A wool mattress pad ... especially as it compresses ... will reduce the ability of latex to distribute body weight and relieve pressure. Thin wool pads reduce this ability less than thick wool pads. If you talk to bedroomsandmore and tell them exactly what mattress construction you have and what you are trying to accomplish with a topper, they will confirm this and will help you choose a topper that would likely help you more than the Englander. Ask for "Chris". Phoenix This message was modified Dec 27, 2010 by Phoenix
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Well Phoenix, as you suspected adding 3" medium to the middle wouldn't solve the problem. I have it set up 3" firm on bottom, 3" medium in the middle, and 2" medium on top.....and I still have the 3" extra firm as well. After a week, it is hard to explain, but we still have the pressure point pain from the top still being a little too firm, but at the same time it feels like the extra firm should be underneath......but I can't really easily explain that. I called Shawn at Sleepez......and he will send what ever I want. I started off saying that I think we might need to go with the 2" soft on top. I would then go back to extra firm on the bottom.....either firm or medium in the middle and soft on top. Shawn said we won't notice much of a difference between the 2" soft and the 2" medium. He said we would be better off with a 3" soft on top and move the 2" medium to the middle and then put the extra firm in the bottom. My concern is this will end up too soft, but he said we could even put the extra firm in the middle.....that would give us 2" medium on the bottom, 3" extra firm in the middle, and 3" soft on top........? I think I just confused myself. Mike |
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I think in all this time I haven't asked you about your height/weight/general proportions which could have a bearing on what will work best for you. In general, people use the word "soft" to describe 3 different things. One is the initial feel of a mattress or it's "hand" feel ... nice soft fluffy wool for example feels soft. One is the feeling that comes from having the correct comfort layers (the cradle relieves pressure) and one comes from a feeling connected with how far you sink down into a mattress. This means that in some cases such as yours a mattress can feel both too firm and too soft at the same time and I think this may be happening with you. Too firm to relieve pressure but a feeling you may be "sinking down" too far which also "translates" into softness. These are sometimes difficult to describe. While I tend to agree with Shawn about using a 3" comfort layer because you may go through 2" too much and feel a firmer layer underneath it ... there may be a few other considerations which I will add once I know your "stats" :). Phoenix |
| I'm 5'4" and about 155 lbs, and wife is 5'6" and about 160 lbs. Both normal build. |
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OK. While I can't know how sensitive you may be to pressure for sure ... I suspect that you may need a softer and or thicker comfort layer given what you have posted in the past. Part of the problem here is that the "firm" mattresses you preferred in your past posts were all softer on top than what you have now while like yours they were firmer underneath. Your Englander had probably 2" of soft poly over something firmer, The Pure latex bliss pamper had 1" of soft latex over a firmer core, and the embody had 3" of softer latex over a firmer core. The softest latex that sleepez sells is 22-24 which is on the soft side but may not be soft enough for you. Don't forget that many "very firm" mattresses have a couple of inches of soft stuff on top (softer than what you have now) and the firmness comes from what is under a very soft comfort layer. A couple of inches of 14-19 ILD over something firmer may be closer to mattresses you have preferred before and could feel firmer to you as well even though the top is softer. Given your previous posts and your stats (you don't weigh a lot), 3" of soft on top would probably be ok with the X firm or Firm under it however this is a little thicker and firmer version of "soft" than what you have preferred before with the possible exception of the embody. 2" of soft may also work well but may need a slightly "less firm" layer underneath it than with 3" on top to give you a little bit more softness and so you don't go through 2" and feel something really firm underneath. How does your wife feel about the versions you have tried ... she may need a thicker layer under her hips as women in general can be more sensitive and carry more of their weight around their hips while men are a little more evenly distributed with more weight in their shoulders. Phoenix PS: if you are up to it and think it would help ... you could try laying on the Pure Latex bliss pamper with a 2" topper (this would be 2" of 14 ILD latex and 1" of probably 19 or slightly higher latex over a firmer core) and then compare it to laying on the PLB Nature with no topper (this would be 2" of soft latex probably @ 19 or slightly higher latex over 1" of very firm over the firm core). This would give you a chance to test 2" of soft over firmer and 3" of soft over firmer to see which one worked best ... although the soft in all of them would be softer than what you now have. If you do this I would spend some time relaxed on each of them. Are you and your wife side, back, stomach, or combination sleepers as this too will determine how thick your comfort layer should be and will affect your perception of firmness. Phoenix This message was modified Jan 14, 2011 by Phoenix
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I had hoped the fine tuning of this wouldn't be so tough. But I can't say enough for Sleepez customer service. Shawn is so easy to work with and just seems to want to make sure we are happy. I would say both of us were very happy for the 1st month or so with the x-firm, firm, medium. But after that, we both started to feel the pressure points, although I would say my wife more so...which goes along with what you are saying. She also is going through a rough time with some middle back issues with a protruding disk....which complicates this whole thing. We switched to the Firm, medium, medium combo for a little over a week now. She is still having pressure point issues and for me it is like I described in my earlier post tonight.....very hard to explain. You gave 3 different descriptions of soft......i guess the correct comfort layer soft is what we are trying to achive. Definately not looking for a sinking in feeling, just soft enough to relieve pressure points, but supportive. Mike |
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I have also found that Shawn is great in his efforts to help people find what is best for them. Sometimes though we disagree on mattress construction it seems :). What are your normal sleeping positions (you and your wife) Phoenix |
| Combination of side and back for both of us. It was more side sleeping before this mattress, but since we have had this mattress, it is a combination. |