Wading through the latex info... (and avoiding a kit)
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Greetings.. I'm in the market for a new mattress and have been wading through all the thoughtful commentary on this board.. There's a lot of technical info within and a lot of folks with a far stronger need/desire to spend the time customizing and re-customizing their mattress for that perfect fit.. With that said, I'm wondering if anyone would take a moment to help answer a few basic questions: 1 - If possible, I'd prefer *not* to go the kit route. If I can walk into a store (in NYC) and buy a quality latex mattress, I'd be thrilled. I've seen the Serta (Vera Wang), Spring Free (Sealy) and Nature's Rest at Sleepy's. (I think I liked the Vera Wang best thus far). I know I can check out the Stearns & Foster and at least a few Englanders and Naturas locally. Given these options, does one brand/line stand out from the others in some meaningful way (e.g. quality of latex or other structural components, lack of PU, etc)? Does one brand/line provide a better standard configuration of latex cores? Or, should I just go with what feels best? 2 - I read somewhere that natural latex could possibly have more of an odor than synthetic. Is this a legitimate concern? 3 - (I posted this seperately too) - I've read it's best to get a firm mattress and put on a topper. Do toppers have a tendency to slide around since they are not sewn to the mattress? I've been told this is the case.. Any help appreciated! |
Re: Wading through the latex info... (and avoiding a kit)
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It was my understanding that the Vera Wang mattress is 100% latex. 8" Talalay Latex Core.. The pillowtop is some "Gel Fiber" thing, but I have no idea what that is.. Is this incorrect? We liked the plush Very Wang at Sleepy's a lot.. I wish I had access to a FloBed/SleepEZ bed to take a look at them.. The FloBeds say they come with a 2" topper.. Is this just an extra piece of latex? Does it come with a cover? How similar do these soft toppers mimic a pillowtop feeling? Are they even comparable? Thanks.. |
Re: Wading through the latex info... (and avoiding a kit)
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blaupunk wrote: It was my understanding that the Vera Wang mattress is 100% latex. 8" Talalay Latex Core.. The pillowtop is some "Gel Fiber" thing, but I have no idea what that is.. Is this incorrect? We liked the plush Very Wang at Sleepy's a lot.. I wish I had access to a FloBed/SleepEZ bed to take a look at them.. The FloBeds say they come with a 2" topper.. Is this just an extra piece of latex? Does it come with a cover? How similar do these soft toppers mimic a pillowtop feeling? Are they even comparable? Thanks.. I'm not 100% sure about the Vera Wang's construction; I've never personally seen one. Not that I'm trying to sway you in any one direction but as you mentioned your girlfriend was sensitive to certain smells, note that any of those Sleepy's mattresses are going to stink for awhile due to the flame retardant chemicals. The 2" convoluted topper is useless imho. It is very, very soft (20 ILD) convoluted (eggcrate) latex. Yes, both come with covers that make them look just like a regular mattress. The convolute doesn't feel like a PU foam pillowtop at all. It feels like a melted marshmallow. Now however, if you like a really, really soft feel, the I guess you'd love the topper. I can post some pics of our Flobed if you would like. I meant to post them earlier with my initial review but I never did. |
Re: Wading through the latex info... (and avoiding a kit)
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D3FI, I agree that the 2" convoluted Latex topper feels way too soft and I do not know how anyone can sleep on anything that soft. I had to return it. I still like a soft topper on top but so far I am thinking 1" over very firm (ILD 36) over super firm (ILD 44) is the way to go for my level of support an side sleeping cushioning needs. I am still wondering if a soft not convoluted 1.5" latex topper in 100% natural Talalay Latex over a 44 ILD would feel even better. I wish I would stop with my perfectionism of always having to have everything perfect. This message was modified Sep 15, 2007 by Lynn2006
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Re: Wading through the latex info... (and avoiding a kit)
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D3Fi wrote: The 2" convoluted topper is useless imho. It is very, very soft (20 ILD) convoluted (eggcrate) latex. Yes, both come with covers that make them look just like a regular mattress. The convolute doesn't feel like a PU foam pillowtop at all. It feels like a melted marshmallow. Now however, if you like a really, really soft feel, the I guess you'd love the topper. I can post some pics of our Flobed if you would like. I meant to post them earlier with my initial review but I never did. I was wondering about this. I've been trying to decide between Sleep-Ez and Flobeds. After a lot of reading, it seems like the Flobeds are, out of the box, softer because of the convoluted topper, even if you order a medium/firm/extra firm combo. I'm leaning towards Sleep-Ez, for purely cost reasons, but I'm a little worried that my choice of medium/firm/extra firm will be a little to firm for us. I really love the idea of a bed kit but I can understand people's hesitation because there is a lot to consider/ choice. |
Re: Wading through the latex info... (and avoiding a kit)
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wildintheory wrote: I was wondering about this. I've been trying to decide between Sleep-Ez and Flobeds. After a lot of reading, it seems like the Flobeds are, out of the box, softer because of the convoluted topper, even if you order a medium/firm/extra firm combo. I'm leaning towards Sleep-Ez, for purely cost reasons, but I'm a little worried that my choice of medium/firm/extra firm will be a little to firm for us. I really love the idea of a bed kit but I can understand people's hesitation because there is a lot to consider/ choice. Initially I was going to go with SleepEZ also due to cost. I am so, so glad I didn't though as this was our first venture into latex and we are already on our 2nd core exchange and to be quite honest, we ar enot even sure we are going to keep it at all (it depends on how the Super Firm blended foray goes). Based on the research I have done on both companies, they are both reputable companies with mostly positive feedback from their customers. Each has 1 big benefit to call their own - SleepEZ's is price and Flobeds' is their exchange/return policy. However you do get 1 exchange with SleepEZ so you're not totally stuck if the 1st time doesn't work out. I'm not sure if that 1 exchange is 1 core or 1 exchange of unlimited cores ..? On the other point ... We initially got a Medium-Firm-Firm and it was very, very soft in our opinion. I am 6'1" and 170 lbs btw and I will avoid posting my wife's height/weight again because a man can only get away with these things once in a great while. ;-) As a comparison, before we arrived at latex we tried a Simmons World Class Plush-Firm (900 coils or so w/ a "Plush-Firm" Euro Top) and a Tempurpedic Rhapsody. At my height/weight (and the wife's) both of those supported us better than our initial latex configuration (read: no hammocking vs. severe hammocking w/ the latex config we initially selected). |
Re: Wading through the latex info... (and avoiding a kit)
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I don't know if people should be comparing the "soft" of Flobeds to the "soft" of SleepEZ Really you should be talking in ILD ratings. Flobeds lists their ILD ratings on this page of their site: http://www.flobeds.com/mattspec.htm I can't find the same information at the SleepEZ site. From what I understand, Flobeds sources all of their latex from Latex International, while SleepEZ uses many different manufacturers: http://www.sleepez.com/suppliers.htm So just make sure you are comparing apples to apples when talking about firmness and stuff from site to site. |
Re: Wading through the latex info... (and avoiding a kit)
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MequonJim wrote: I don't know if people should be comparing the "soft" of Flobeds to the "soft" of SleepEZ Really you should be talking in ILD ratings. Flobeds lists their ILD ratings on this page of their site: http://www.flobeds.com/mattspec.htm I can't find the same information at the SleepEZ site. From what I understand, Flobeds sources all of their latex from Latex International, while SleepEZ uses many different manufacturers: http://www.sleepez.com/suppliers.htm So just make sure you are comparing apples to apples when talking about firmness and stuff from site to site. You are so right. I did find the ILD rating for SleepEz but they don't correspond with Flobeds. Thanks for pointing that out. http://sleepez.com/latex-mattress-10000.htm |
Re: Wading through the latex info... (and avoiding a kit)
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* deleted because I'm sick of all the errors for non-existent files on my web server * This message was modified Jan 18, 2010 by D3Fi
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Re: Wading through the latex info... (and avoiding a kit)
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Re: Wading through the latex info... (and avoiding a kit)
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Thanks so much for the photos.. Very helpful.. So, just so I understand.. The topper goes on top of the cores, but still in the mattress case, correct? For those people who have said they don't use the topper, does the mattress casing fit less snugly when you zipper it up? I'm trying to figure out if doing it this way feels differently than a pillowtop mattress that you'd find in a store.. |