TOPIC:

Hello,

After extensive searching, we've found a local mattress shop with a salesperson we really like. We've also narrowed options down to 3 mattresses and we're hoping you can give us some of your thoughts. The mattress shop is Santa Barbara Mattress ( www.santabarbaramattress.com/ ).

The three mattresses are:
The Aireloom Milo (either the plush or extra firm)
The Diamond Mattress Spa Luxe/Calm Luxe Natural Latex Mattress
The EKRC Continental EuroTop

Any thoughts you can share?

Jarrod

Hi ajsb728,

The first place I would start any mattress research is post #1 here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make the best possible choices ... and perhaps more importantly know what to avoid.

There are many parts to deciding which is the "best" mattress for you. Part of this is using the testing guidelines to do some careful and objective testing for what I call PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). No matter how a mattress feels in a showroom though or how perfectly it matches your specific needs and preferences ... the quality of the materials will be the biggest part of its useful life and you can't feel the quality of the materials when you lie on it. Lower quality materials can feel the same as higher quality more durable materials ... for a while. No matter whose brand label is on the mattress ... a mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality of the materials inside it and the only way to make a meaningful assessment about the quality or durability of a mattress or identify any weak links in its construction is to know the specifics of all the layers in a mattress.

It's the job of any good retailer of manufacturer to provide these to you and I would avoid any mattress where this information isn't available to you because the risk of early foam softening or the breakdown of the materials would be too high. The loss of comfort and/or support that comes from the softening or breakdown of the materials ... especially in the comfort layers ... isn't covered by any warranty and is the biggest reason a mattress needs to be replaced. This is especially important for the comfort layers because a mattress will tend to soften or break down from the top down.

Hopefully your retailer can provide you with the information you need and if you post it here (including the type and thickness of each layer and component, the quality/density of any polyfoam or memory foam, and the type and blend of any latex in the mattress) ... I'd be happy to make some comments about the quality of the materials in each of them or help you identify any weak links. Without this information it's not really possible to make any meaningful comments about a mattress, to make quality or value comparisons with other mattresses, or to make an informed buying decision.

Without knowing the specifics of what is in your mattress ... quality is just a meaningless word and you would be making a blind purchase.

Phoenix

Here's what we've found in terms of the mattress specifics:

Paramount Natures Spa Luxe Latex: paramountsleep.com/brands/natures-spa#details

Aireloom: www.aireloom.com/handCrafted.html

Can't find anything on the EKRC.

Jarrod

Hi ajsb728,

Based on the last line of the description ...

Nature’s Spa LUX®
The elasticity, healthiness and ability of 100% Natural Talalay latex to conform to the body, reducing pressure on muscles and circulation, is unsurpassed. Nature’s Spa LUX, an all latex collection, is the ultimate choice for luxurious and healthy sleep.

... the Paramount appears to be all 100% natural Talalay latex which is a good quality material but I would confirm this by checking the law tag to make sure there isn't any polyurethane or memory foam listed in the mattress' contents. If it really is all 100& natural Talalay latex from top to bottom with no other types of foam or fiber and just the organic knit quilted cover (which appears to be quilted with wool which is also a good quality material) then the materials would all be be good quality and could be compared to other mattresses that are a similar thickness and use the same type of latex.

The specs for the aireloom are too generic and don't provide much meaningful information about the mattress. The specs include the following with my comments ...

• Natural Talalaly latex: This is probably blended Talalay latex which is also a good quality material but you would need to know the thickness of this layer and its position in the mattress.
• Luxury bio-foams: This is just polyurethane foam and you would need to know the density, thickness, and the position in the mattress.
• Natural cotton: This is a good quality material ... particularly if its tufted. This would likely be above the coils.
• Visco elastic memory foam: You would need to know the density, thickness, and the position in the mattress.
• Aerus™ cool shape conforming visco: This is also a particular brand of memory foam and you would need to know the thickness, density, and the position in the mattress

Then it says ...

Ask your Aireloom Dealer for more specifics.

Which is exactly what I would do because without knowing the specifics of the comfort layers (which are usually the weak link of a mattress) you would be making a completely blind purchase which means I would avoid it.

Phoenix