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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Lynn, I just went to FloBeds and I can't find where they sell Dunlop at all. I would love to try a 1.5 inch Dunlop processed latex topper to give it a try. Does he have these on hand but just doesn't advertise them? I might have to contact him to ask. Lynn2006 wrote: Dave at FloBeds.com did send me a 1.5" Dunlap Topper and it was too firm for me and I did not like the feel at all. I prefer Talalay Latex so for. I can see that a bottom base of Dunalap latex may be good but my 44 ILD solves that problem. I have not tried layers of Dunlap latex under a a softer talalay topper so I can't comment there but the Dunlap latex topper exerted more pressure points for me and I just preferred my 1" soft Overstock Talalay Latex Topper that gave just a tiny bit of cushion. I still wish my bed was zoned but so far this is the best for me and each person is so different. |
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 when I was buying my zippered coil and latex mattress, my mattress guy had a firm Dunlop latex mattress without any springs on display. It looked like a thick, firm core with softer layers glued on top. I wasn't paying a lot of attention since I wasn't interested in that type at the time. He said it was from Dunlopillo. Interesting website and history: http://www.dunlopillo.co.uk/ |
Re: What are the pros & cons of sleeping on a latex mattress? What does a latex mattress feel like?
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Here's another website featuring Dunlopillo: http://www.dunloplatexfoam.com/ BeddyBye wrote: I noticed when I was buying my zippered coil and latex mattress, my mattress guy had a firm Dunlop latex mattress without any springs on display. It looked like a thick, firm core with softer layers glued on top. I wasn't paying a lot of attention since I wasn't interested in that type at the time. He said it was from Dunlopillo. Interesting website and history:<BR><BR>http://www.dunlopillo.co.uk/ |
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. |