Hello, my husband and I have been shopping for beds the last few weeks. Please help. Right now we have a all latex bed. Made in Ohio by White Dove in Cleveland. It has been a good mattress but is about 9 yrs old now. Sagging. We recently went to some mattress stores and are having a hard time finding a mattress like this mattress. So we finally laid on a I comfort gel and enjoyed the way it felt. There also was another manufacter at this store called Boyd gel rest 412. We like this mattress. But I am hesitant to what mattress to buy. I want it to last. I did a little research and not seeing great reviews on the gel rest memory foam. What is your opinion? Please help thanks

Also I live in Kansas city area now. Need to find mattress store here

Hi Mueller,

The White Dove latex mattresses also have some polyfoam and quilting fiber in the mix so this may be part of the reason for the impressions although 9 years of comfort is better than a lot of the mattresses people are buying these days

My thoughts about some of the iComfort lineup are in post #11 here. While they certainly have a nice showroom feel ... I think there is much better quality and value available.

I have somewhat mixed thoughts about Boyd. They are marketed to retailers primarily as a high margin mattress and promote that profit margins of 60 percent and higher (meaning that 60 percfent of the sale price is profit). They are made to look good but use lower priced materials including Chinese suppliers.

They are also active in the Specialty Sleep Association environmental and safety program which assigns levels to a mattress based on how "green" it is and the degree of testing it has passed. Level 2 is the step where all polyfoam products (and viscoelastic or memory foam is a polyurethane product) has to be CertiPur certified (although the Boyd Site says CertiPur testing is part of level 1 ... perhaps because this is the level they have achieved ... but this is not the case).

They also have a tendency to sometimes misrepresent their products (for example calling high density polyfoam that is engineered to feel like latex "engineered latex" to add perceived value to the mattress when it isn't latex at all (although many of their mattresses do have latex). Their gel memory foam is also the particulate type which is my least favorite (they tend not to be as durable as the gel infused type). Since level 1 talks about disclosing all the materials in the mattress ... it would be interesting to know if this includes density information about their gel foams and base foams and I would also want to know specifically if it made by a CertiPur foam manufacturer.

They are also all over the map with their pricing in various outlets with some charging way too much, boyds online direct outlet charging less (although the names are different) and various "discount" or "liquidation" outlets charging even less yet (a google search will bring up lots on places like Amazon and eBay). They are popular with outlets that like to sell mattresses that look like they are more expensive than they are.

So overall I would want more information about the materials in their mattress (including density of the foam) and whether they were certified before I seriously considered them but if they are, then some of their models would would represent better than average value ... at the right price.

There are several good options in Kansas City and post #2 here should help.

Phoenix

PS: I finally was able to post this because the system didn't like it when I used percentage signs for some reason and it took about a dozen edits to figure out why I was getting an error message ... but it]s done now

Hello, I did email Boyd and asked the grade of foam that they use for the mattresses. Waiting to hear back. Thank you for your info. Initially when shopping we tryed to find a latex mattress but at the store we went to there was none available. They were going out of business and we ran across this Boyd mattress. So if the info comes back and I do not like what I hear from this company, I am probably back to square one at shopping. What is the Best latex matress that you would recommend for a king size. My husband is 6 ft and 215 and I am 5 foot 4 and 140 . He has some lower back issues and liked the way the gel rest supported his back. But we have really enjoyed our latex mattress. Any suggestions.

Hi Mueller,

I just realized that I had an email exchange with Boyd last month which I didn't add to my notes. I'm including it here because they do say that their foams are certified (there are 3 certified foam manufacturers from China on the CertiPur site) even though they don't list this on their site (and I've added this to my Boyd" notes for future reference. With this ... all I would want to know was the density of the foams they use in the particular model you are considering.

There is no way for me to know the "best" type of mattress layering for any particular person and it is always the layering rather than the brand that is most important. There are some guidelines here about different weights and body shapes and here for different sleeping positions that can be a good starting point for testing. The link in my last post includes the better outlet choices that I know about in the Kansas City area and should give you some good options to test different types of mattresses and layerings.

Phoenix

My original email

Hello,

I tried to call to have this question answered but there was apparently nobody who could answer it and they suggested that I send you an email.

I run a consumer information website and forum which helps to educate people about mattresses and identify better alternative brands and sources. I have had several people ask me about Boyd mattresses.

When people are buying a memory foam mattress ... I always suggest that they only purchase memory foam that has been tested by CertiPur standards or another recognized testing organization (such as OekoTex) for offgassing and chemicals. This is really the only way that cheaper (and more toxic) Asian foam can be differentiated from higher quality materials. I know you are level one certified with SSA and I also know that you get your foams from "abroad" (even though the description sounds a lot like VPF foam which of course is Foamex/FXI here in North Ameica) but there is nothing on your site or any information I could find if you are using one of the Chinese foam manufacturers who is listed on the CertiPur site. The person I was talking to did say that it was tested but gave no details so from a consumer perspective this means little because other manufacturers who use non certified materials say the same thing but no information about the testing is given out.

So the questions I have are is your memory foam and polyfoam CertiPur certified (or certified through a testing organization that releases their tests) and is your latex from a known supplier such as LI or Radium for Talalay and a known high quality supplier (such as Latex Green, Latexco, Arpico, CoCo et al) in the case of Dunlop.

Thank you very much for any clarification and information about your materials that you can provide.


Boyd's first reply

Our Talalay latex is sourced from Radium.
Our Dunlop latex meets the OEKO-100 standard.
Our regular and memory foams are produced at a China certified low emission factory.

Thanks,

Boyd Specialty Sleep


My reply

Hi,

Thank you for this. Is the Chinese factory one of the CertiPur certified suppliers?


Boyd's reply

The Chinese Factory is a Ceripur certified supplier.


My reply

That's good news!

It would probably help to put the CertiPur seal on your site and/or be listed on the Certipur site so people could know your foams are "safe".

Thank you

I am looking at the Boyd gel rest 412

Also could you suggest somes certain brands for latex mattress

Hi Mueller,

I tend to avoid suggesting brands because it's the layering in the mattress which is the most important part of the quality and value of any mattress and the "brand" on the mattress has little to do with quality. I do suggest avoiding major brands however (Sealy, Simmons, Serta, Stearns and Foster etc) because they tend to use lower quality materials and are not transparent about the quality of the materials they use. In many cases what they call a latex mattress only has "some" latex in it and this is often lower quality at a higher price. For the same reason, larger chain stores or any outlet that isn't an "expert" in mattress materials and construction is also a good place to avoid.

Shopping by brand rather than by materials is the single biggest reason for poor choices in a mattress. A mattress is only as good as it's weakest link (the lowest quality layer in the mattress) and this is why buying from a smaller sleep shop or local factory direct manufacturer is so important because they are far more open about what is in the mattresses they sell and they make it possible to know what that weak link may be. Buying a mattress for example that has a couple of inches or more of poor quality polyfoam in the upper layers is a recipe for poor durability and soft spots and impressions in the mattress no matter what else is in it. The more they know, the less you have to know and research.

The first step is always researching "where" to buy and then the second step of "what" to buy has far better odds of being successful. The layering of a mattress and a knowledgeable salesperson is far more important to know than the name that is on the mattress. While there are a few "brand" suggestions in the list I linked to ... these are only because they may have better value in certain types of mattresses and it is not a "brand" recommendation.

So finding factory direct manufacturers or better retail outlets near you is a first step. These are the places I would focus your efforts and I would call them first to make sure that they either make or carry latex mattresses (and I know that several do).

In those cases where there are no reasonable choices in your area that have both quality and value, then an online purchase can also make sense although local testing on mattresses (no matter what they cost) can still provide a good guideline for the type of layering that works best for you which can help them help you much better. Post #21 here has a list and brief description of some of the manufacturing members of this site who specialize in helping people over the phone and selling mattresses across the country.

If the Boyd Gel Rest 412 is a good choice for you in terms of what I call PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Preferences) and it has better value than other choices in your budget range that use similar materials ... then it would certainly be worth considering. Some of the better online memory foam choices that can act as a reference point are in post #12 here. Some guidelines for choosing memory foam mattresses are in post #10 here.

Basically a mattress has only two main functions which is to provide you with pressure relief and keep you in alignment in all your sleeping positions. After this everything is about preferences and durability (how long it will keep relieving pressure and keep you in alignment). Before buying any mattress though including memory foam, latex, or anything else ... I would want to know the type (in the case of latex) or density (in the case of polyfoam or memory foam) of the foams they use because this is the only way to know the quality of the materials they use ... even if they are CertiPur certified and "safe".

Hope this helps.

Phoenix

Ok so went out shopping again today.. This is what I found
Ecomemory foam made by anatomic global
I liked the Altus 5 $2947
Ascent 5 $2177

Rocky mountain website
9" latex $1699

Hawn bedding company
Latex 12" $2099 all latex

Are these good products? For the Eco model again all that I could find out is that they used high density foam. Do you know anything about this company? Rocky mountain says there mattress is ALL latex. Please help?

Both feel good on pressure points. But I really want a mattress that will last! Thanks so much

Hi Mueller,

Anatomic Global is owned by Foamex/FXI which is one of the leading foam manufacturers in the US. They make some very high quality foam. The problem with these mattresses though is that they don't provide the specs of the foam they use and nobody that I have talked to seems to agree on the density of the memory foam that they use. All foam manufacturers make lower density and higher density foam (polyfoam and memory foam) and without knowing the density of the memory foam in particular ... it is not possible to know the "value" of the mattress. Lower density materials are less expensive than higher density and also less durable although they also have some characteristics in terms of temperature response, response rate, and breathability that may make the durability "tradeoff" worthwhile. I believe though that they are "close" to 5 lb memory foam but I don't know this for sure. This thread has more information about them and the density of their memory foam.

Rocky Mountain and Hawn are both good value IMO and better than the Anatomic Global in terms of the quality of material (good quality latex is a higher cost material than memory foam). Rocky Mountain is one of the members of the site which means I have a high regard for their mattresses, their knowledge, and their service (not to mention that all the manufacturing members offer the members here a 5 percent discount if you tell them you are a member of the forum). I have also spoken with Hawn on several occasions (to Rick and Mark but not with Charles the owner) and enough to know that they fit the profile of the type of manufacturers that I like and that make and sell good value mattresses.

Both of these would make very good choices. The advantage of dealing locally of course is that you can purchase the exact mattress that you have tested for pressure relief and alignment and the risk is a little lower than an online purchase that you haven't had a chance to lay on.

FWIW ... latex is also the longest lasting of all the foams and is more durable than even high quality memory foam and will also soften less and more gradually over the course of time.

Phoenix

Hello,

The only place that I could find a latex mattress to test to see if we liked was Hawn bedding. They did not have hardly anything to break down the layers. I did like the more firm one. They said they used all latex with no added foam. But now I have been shopping online at Rocky Mountain and Mattress.net.. It is hard to know what we need. There was one other store that had a latex mattress but is nothing like the mattress I have now. I think it was called pure bliss. Maybe??? very bouncy... did not like this. These 2 sites are kinda confusing me. But I truely want a latex mattress. And cant seem to find anywhere to lay on some around here. Please help

Hi Mueller,

The "Kansas" link includes several outlets that sell latex mattresses of various types.

To my knowledge, Hawn bedding makes two versions of latex mattresses which both use a 6" layer of dunlop latex that is either soft or firm. They put this on an innerspring which would also make the feel of the mattress different (and softer feeling) than using a firm rigid foundation. This would add to the comfort of a thinner latex mattress which may otherwise be to firm for many people. So what you are testing here is the "feel" of Dunlop latex.

Lebeda also makes latex mattresses and hybrids and are within an hour's drive. They would be worth a call to get the specifics of what they make and the materials to see if they are worth the drive.

Eagles Rest also has a choose your own layer mattress where you can choose either talalay or dunlop latex which would give you a very good sense of different types of layering.

I'm not sure which mattress you meant by "Pure Bliss". There is a line of talalay latex mattresses however made by a company called Pure Latex Bliss owned by Latex International which are very high quality and are all talalay latex. They come in different types of layering from softer to firmer. ormans3day.com/ is the closest outlet that carries them to you. they are well worth including in your research to get a sense of some Talalay latex options even though they are not the same value as most local factory direct or online options.

If this is not the mattress you meant, then a link would be helpful to know which mattress you tried.

These should give you some choices for testing various different types of latex mattresses to get a general sense of what you prefer either to purchase (if the value is good and if the mattress suits you) or as a guideline for an online purchase.

Phoenix

I did try the pure latex bliss at orman 3 day. This is the mattress I did not like. I will call these 2 other places to see what they have. But I did like the Hawn bedding mattress. Thanks for your info. I was confused as to why the mattress latex pure bliss felt so different.. but now I understand.

Hi Mueller,

You can buy mattresses.

Hi drsnooze,

I edited your post rather than removing it completely to give you an idea of what part of your post would be allowable on the forum. I also deleted your signature link. Please read the forum rules before posting.

This is meant to be an educational forum and while the members here can post with more specific information and their links, other manufacturers or outlets are limited to replying in the context of a thread and without crossing the line into advertising what they carry or sell.

I also deleted your other post which was also blatantly self promotional

Thank you

Phoenix