What are the pros & cons of sleeping on a latex mattress? What does a latex mattress feel like?
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I would like to know what some of the pros & cons are of sleeping on a latex mattress, especially in the kit form from a company like Flobeds (I have samples of the different latex cores from Flobeds). I understand that issues with comfort of latex depend on ILDs, a person's body type & weight, personal preferences, etc. The only type of mattress I've slept has been an innerspring (with no latex). It's hard to tell by laying on a latex mattress in a store what the mattress will feel like to actually sleep on. What is the difference in feel between sleeping on an all latex mattress and on an innerspring mattress? Does a latex mattress provide enough support for the lower back and hips, or is a latex mattress not a good choice for providing good back support? Does a latex mattress provide a good seating surface if you want to sit up in bed to read, or does your butt sink down too much for it to be comfortable enough to sit up in bed? With kits such as Flobeds that don't have a firmer edge support around the mattress to support sitting on, do you just sink in when you sit on the side of the bed? Can a latex mattress feel like you are sleeping on a piece of "dead" foam, "dead" meaning no cushiness, no springiness to the foam? Thank you very much for help and opinions. I've been reading this site (and old one) for over a year now, and I'm still learning. |
Re: What are the pros & cons of sleeping on a latex mattress? What does a latex mattress feel like?
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I noticed that this site talks about the Talalay process, though. <;---? My mattress guy uses Talatech talalay from Latex International for his layers he uses inside the custom mattresses. But, he said this other all-latex mattress came from this company, Dunlopillo. Now I'm confused. I assumed it meant that it was from the Dunlop process. I'll have to ask him next time I talk to him. ****************************************************** Here's another website featuring Dunlopillo: http://www.dunloplatexfoam.com/ This message was modified Feb 3, 2008 by BeddyBye
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BeddyBye- Re: What are the pros & cons of sleeping on a latex mattress? What does a latex mattress feel like?
| BeddyBye, I asked Dave to look for me and he did and sent it to me to replace the 2" convoluted topper my bed came with that was too soft for me. I would have loved the soft topper if it was thinner. You can always call Dave at FloBeds since he is amazing at finding things for customers. He aims to please. I am amazed he found me a 1.5" topper recently but it is a shame when he asked me what ILD I wanted, I did not realize I wanted very soft so he sent me a medium soft. He even sliced a pillow for me to make it more low profile. |
Re: What are the pros & cons of sleeping on a latex mattress? What does a latex mattress feel like?
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mccldwll wrote: "At firmer ILDs this resilency can exert so much pressure against the body that although it doesn't register as pressure points like you would get on an innerspring mattress, it can make you sore all over. " While this may be a good shortcut way to describe the effect of firm talalay, it's not really accurate. Gravity is constant. Period. Your weight is a force (F=MA). ANY surface you contact exerts a force equal and opposite to your weight.
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Re: What are the pros & cons of sleeping on a latex mattress? What does a latex mattress feel like?
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"After sleeping on a firm Talalay mattress (32/38/44 ILD) for four days not only was I sore all over, I woke up feeling like someone had been sitting on my ribcage all night." It's the 32/38/44 build. 32 is not very conforming. And as I said, I don't disagree with the subjective description, but was only theorizing why it feels like that, and how it might be endrun. We now seem to have a near consensus on this forum that a properly reconstructed coil mattress can be a great sleep experience. It's how the coil system is "finished" which makes the difference. My point is that the same is true of a talalay mattress. The original post referred to latex mattresses. There have been many posts about dunlop v. talalay. I've seen Serta talalay mattresses advertised recently with 28 core w/ 32 racetrack (and through the subtleties of advertising, I'm sure core also means there are PU comfort layers over that). My point was that how a latex mattress feels depends entirely on how constructed (and for me, and some others with back/shoulder issues, standard layering talalay or uniform dunlop just won't work. BUT, zoning will, whether as a complete dunlop, talalay, or topper over coil). |
Re: What are the pros & cons of sleeping on a latex mattress? What does a latex mattress feel like?
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BeddyBye wrote: I noticed that this site talks about the Talalay process, though. <;---? My mattress guy uses Talatech talalay from Latex International for his layers he uses inside the custom mattresses. But, he said this other all-latex mattress came from this company, Dunlopillo. Now I'm confused. I assumed it meant that it was from the Dunlop process. Yes, Dunlopillo's name is rather misleading. I asked Sean at SleepEZ when I was talking to him about a latex topper and he said that the Dunlopillo latex is Talalay. Confusing, no? |
Re: What are the pros & cons of sleeping on a latex mattress? What does a latex mattress feel like?
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SleepEZ's supplier page does a nice job of listing the major suppliers of latex. Scroll to the bottom of the page for a chart. IIRC, SleepEZ gets their blended Talalay from LI and their natural Talalay from Dunlopillo. http://www.sleepez.com/suppliers.htm |
Re: What are the pros & cons of sleeping on a latex mattress? What does a latex mattress feel like?
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"IIRC, SleepEZ gets their blended Talalay from LI and their natural Talalay from Dunlopillo." IIRC, SleepEZ doesn't say anywhere on its website specifically where foam from the named suppliers is used, and does not list an email address. In other words, nowhere can you determine in writing specifically where any given piece of latex ordered will be from. |
Re: BeddyBye- Re: What are the pros & cons of sleeping on a latex mattress? What does a latex mattress feel like?
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Dave sounds like a great guy, Lynn. All about customer servoce! I'll give him a call, for sure. Lynn2006 wrote: BeddyBye, I asked Dave to look for me and he did and sent it to me to replace the 2" convoluted topper my bed came with that was too soft for me. I would have loved the soft topper if it was thinner. You can always call Dave at FloBeds since he is amazing at finding things for customers. He aims to please. I am amazed he found me a 1.5" topper recently but it is a shame when he asked me what ILD I wanted, I did not realize I wanted very soft so he sent me a medium soft. He even sliced a pillow for me to make it more low profile. |
Re: What are the pros & cons of sleeping on a latex mattress? What does a latex mattress feel like?
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I honestly don't think I could just sleep on latex alone. Or any type of foam. When I laid on the all-latex mattress at my mattress shop, it just felt like it had no give. Or maybe it just needed a wee bit more bounce. That's the one with the thick core and laminated comfort layers. I'm thinking the core is Dunlop process. I just prefer the feel of a good coil system as my primary base. From there I prefer it to be firm, medium firm and "luxury firm" or a firmer plush. Not so hard that my hips feel pressure points. Just plush enough so I feel some "cush", but not so much that my back sinks in. Of course, isn't that what everyone is looking for? Not always easy finding that combination, though! I'm hoping that the firmer Talalay latex and one thin layer of HR PU foam will be the magic long term match for me. I'm curious about what Cloud9 said, though, re; Talalay pushing back. I'm still going to attempt to see what a 2" layer of Dunlop would feel like, though. Maybe take off the PU foam and put the Dunlop in its place and one inch of Talalay over that. The trouble with coils is I can only have about 3 inches MAX of foam or latex layers. So, I don't have much to play with. I still wouldn't trade my coils, though. mccldwll wrote: "After sleeping on a firm Talalay mattress (32/38/44 ILD) for four days not only was I sore all over, I woke up feeling like someone had been sitting on my ribcage all night."<BR><BR>It's the 32/38/44 build. 32 is not very conforming. And as I said, I don't disagree with the subjective description, but was only theorizing why it feels like that, and how it might be endrun. We now seem to have a near consensus on this forum that a properly reconstructed coil mattress can be a great sleep experience. It's how the coil system is "finished" which makes the difference. My point is that the same is true of a talalay mattress. The original post referred to latex mattresses. There have been many posts about dunlop v. talalay. I've seen Serta talalay mattresses advertised recently with 28 core w/ 32 racetrack (and through the subtleties of advertising, I'm sure core also means there are PU comfort layers over that). My point was that how a latex mattress feels depends entirely on how constructed (and for me, and some others with back/shoulder issues, standard layering talalay or uniform dunlop just won't work. BUT, zoning will, whether as a complete dunlop, talalay, or topper over coil). |
Re: What are the pros & cons of sleeping on a latex mattress? What does a latex mattress feel like?
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Without looking at LI's site, I'm assuming that their blended Talalay is Talatech. That's what I believe my 1" layers are. Maybe the thick natural Talalay cores my mattress guy buys from Dunlopillo mimic Dunlop. It sure felt firn and "thud-like" when I laid on it. mattressmom wrote: SleepEZ's supplier page does a nice job of listing the major suppliers of latex. Scroll to the bottom of the page for a chart. IIRC, SleepEZ gets their blended Talalay from LI and their natural Talalay from Dunlopillo.<BR><BR>http://www.sleepez.com/suppliers.htm |