TOPIC:

Hi guys,

I've been going through the forum for almost a year now, and trying to figure out what mattress would be best for us. At the end, I've decided I want to get a total latex mattress and (hopefully) not have to worry about buying another one for decades.

Following the amazing advice here, as of now, I've narrowed my search to the following :

Brooklyn Bedding :

1. www.brooklynbedding.com/latex-mattresses/10-inch-total

2. www.brooklynbedding.com/natural-latex-mattresses/10-inch-essence

Dreamfoam Bedding :

1. www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Dreams-Total-Latex-Mattress/dp/B00AAL0J4G/ref=cm_cd_ql_qh_dp_t

To that end, I had a couple of questions.

1. How does the natural latex one stack up against the blends? Is there a real tangible benefit to getting the natural one?

2. How much of a difference is there between a total Talalay latex mattress and a Talalay comfort + Dunlop core?

3. Dreamfoam bedding no longer advertises the total latex mattress on their website, and I only know of it because I had decided I would get it a while back and it's still in my Amazon history. Since it's a bunch cheaper than the other two, anyone have any thoughts on whether it's a viable option?

We (my wife and I) are 5'2" and 5'9", and weigh 130lb and 155lb ish respectively, if that helps.

Thanks for all the help!

Hi RohitK89,

1. How does the natural latex one stack up against the blends? Is there a real tangible benefit to getting the natural one?

2. How much of a difference is there between a total Talalay latex mattress and a Talalay comfort + Dunlop core?

There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here , more about 100% natural Dunlop vs Talalay in post #2 here , more about natural vs blended Talalay in post #2 here and more about natural vs synthetic rubber in post #2 here . There is also more about the difference in "feel" between Dunlop and Talalay in post #7 here . For the most part ... it comes down to a preference based on feel and performance, budget, or on how important a "natural" material would be for someone for personal reasons rather than a "better/worse" choice in terms of durability.

3. Dreamfoam bedding no longer advertises the total latex mattress on their website, and I only know of it because I had decided I would get it a while back and it's still in my Amazon history. Since it's a bunch cheaper than the other two, anyone have any thoughts on whether it's a viable option?

I'm not sure what you mean because it's still listed on their Amazon site as it has been in the past. It's listed on page 2 in this view of their products and is on page 2 in this view as well. It's also on the Brooklyn Bedding site as well and is one of the mattresses that is available through both of the two sister companies. Their Dreamfoam site only lists a few of their mattresses but all of them can be ordered there for those that wish to have their 45 day comfort guarantee or want to take advantage of any specials they are currently running. They are the same regular price on both the Dreamfoam and the Brooklyn Bedding sites but the return and exchange options are different with each and they both have different specials from time to time. You can see the current Dreamfoam special for mattresses ordered on their Dreamfoam site on their faceboook page here and the current Brooklyn Bedding specials are here .

Phoenix

Thanks for the response, Phoenix! Yeah, I was thrown by the total latex no longer being on Dreamfoam's website. What are your personal thoughts on the quality of the natural latex mattress offered by Brooklyn Bedding?

Also, they are currently running a special where they're offering $150 any mattress. In your experience, is this a good deal, is there a chance of a better deal around Black Friday?

EDIT : For anyone looking to buy the mattress, I chatted with Brooklyn Bedding's support, and they told me that they are going to offer $200 off + 2 free shredded latex pillows as a Black Friday deal (instead of the current $150 + 2 pillows deal). If you chat with them or call them, they'll apply it to your order now.

HiRohitK89,

Thanks for the response, Phoenix! Yeah, I was thrown by the total latex no longer being on Dreamfoam's website. What are your personal thoughts on the quality of the natural latex mattress offered by Brooklyn Bedding?

As you probably know Brooklyn Bedding is a member of this site which means that I think highly of them and I believe they compete well with the best in the industry .

My thoughts about a mattress always depend on the materials that are inside it and in the case of the Essence Natural Latex Mattress it uses 3" of 100% natural Talalay on top of 6" of 100% natural Dunlop with an organic cotton cover quilted with wool. All of these are high quality materials and there are no weak links in the mattress and they would be very similar in terms of durability so the choice between them would really be a matter of preference (which type of latex you prefer) and budget.

Also, they are currently running a special where they're offering $150 any mattress. In your experience, is this a good deal, is there a chance of a better deal around Black Friday?

There is more about the most important parts of the "value" of a mattress purchase in post #13 here but the value of a mattress purchase is always relative to how it compares to the other finalists you are considering when you are making your final choice (see post #2 here ).

Thanks for letting us know about the upcoming Black Friday sale .

Phoenix

Thanks again, Phoenix.

So today after work, the wife and I went to a couple of brick and mortar stores here in the city. We went to Room & Board (www.roomandboard.com/) and Dixie Foam (www.dixiefoam.com/).

Dixie Foam only had two latex mattresses, and they were both 6" Talalay single-piece construction mattresses. One was on the "soft" side, the other on "medium" I was told that the medium was about 4 lbs/cubic foot.

Room & Board offers a natural latex mattress (www.roomandboard.com/catalog/bedroom/room-and-board-mattresses/natural-latex-mattress). It's "dual-sided", and they say you can flip it over to get either soft or medium. They said the soft is 2lb/cubic foot (didn't know about the medium).

I tried all of the above, and I think I felt best on the Dixie Foam medium mattress. It's hard to judge though, since that's essentially just lying on a 6" piece of foam without any topper. On the Room & Board ones, though, even on the firm side, I felt like I sagged a bit in the middle.

Some pics : imgur.com/a/fwE7Y

Thoughts?

I like Dixie Foam, since they quoted me a price of $2500 to get a 10" custom mattress made, but I don't think it's natural latex.

Room & Board offers a better seeming mattress, but it's about $2700, delivery and taxes included. However, they offer a full return and refund policy, which is kinda enticing.

I'm pretty conflicted. I realize the final decision has to be mine, but if you have any advice that could help guide towards the best call, that'd be pretty appreciated.

Hi RohitK89,

Dixie Foam only had two latex mattresses, and they were both 6" Talalay single-piece construction mattresses. One was on the "soft" side, the other on "medium" I was told that the medium was about 4 lbs/cubic foot.

The density of latex is a "comfort spec" and isn't particularly important because when you are testing a mattress in person careful testing and your body will do a better ob of telling you whether a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP. With polyfoam and memory foam density is a "quality spec" and is important to know because it's the single most important spec that determines the quality/durability of the material. There is more about the specs of the materials and components in a mattress that you would need to identify any lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress in this article but both of these are a high quality and durable material. You can also add a topper to a mattress that has a single 6" core if you need a softer layer on top for additional comfort or pressure relief.

Room & Board offers a natural latex mattress (www.roomandboard.com/catalog/bedroom/roo...tural-latex-mattress). It's "dual-sided", and they say you can flip it over to get either soft or medium. They said the soft is 2lb/cubic foot (didn't know about the medium).

This isn't accurate information because you won't find any 2 lb natural latex (it would have a much higher density). This would be a spec that would be more typical of good quality polyfoam ... not latex. Having said that ... there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress. You can see some of the typical densities for 100% natural Dunlop in different firmness ranges in post #2 here .

Thoughts?

There is more about the most important parts of the '"value" of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses. Only you can decide which one is the best match for you in terms of PPP or the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you but both of these use high quality materials and none of them have any weak links in their design so they would all be a durable choice.

Room & Board offers a better seeming mattress, but it's about $2700, delivery and taxes included. However, they offer a full return and refund policy, which is kinda enticing.

If you were to add a latex topper (in a suitable firmness level) on top of the 6" core at Dixie Foam then you would have a more similar comparison between the two but the Room & Board also uses a wool quilted cover which would be more costly and would help regulate temperature better than a thinner or non quilted cover (see post #6 here ). There is also more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and more about the differences between Dunlop latex (in the Room & Board mattress) and Talalay (at Dixie Foam) in post #7 here but both are high quality materials and the choice between them would be a preference choice not so much a "better/worse" choice. The Room & Board mattress and I believe the Dixie Foam mattress are also two sided as well (see post #3 here ) NOTE ADDED: Dixie Foam is now a member of this site as well.

Phoenix

Actually, Phoenix, I'm stacking both of them against the Brooklyn Bedding one, which also has a wool topper on top.

Hi RohitK89,

Actually, Phoenix, I'm stacking both of them against the Brooklyn Bedding one, which also has a wool topper on top.

I'm guessing you mean a wool quilted mattress cover rather than a topper? (Brooklyn Bedding doesn't sell a wool topper).

Phoenix

Yes, sorry, that was what I meant.

Pulled the trigger! Ordered today from Brooklyn Bedding. After chatting with Mario (Sevilla) and describing my wife's and my build to him, he suggested I go for the 'soft' firmness, and I opted to follow his advice. He was also generous enough to offer to waive the exchange fee (!), in case it's too soft when we get it. Highly excited for the mattress! Next step is to go to ikea this Sunday and get a bed frame so that we're ready!

Thanks for all the help!