Hi there,

I am looking for some advice on choosing between 2 mattresses.  1st a little history.   I owned an Englander latex mattress for about 5 years.  After the 4th year, it developed uncomfortable body impressions, just under 1.5" deep, so it didn't qualify for the warranty.  So I went shopping for a new mattress 9 months ago.  Sales person tried to get me to look at latex again, but I would have no part of it after my experience.  So I went with a Sealy Posturpedic firm innerspring.  It felt great for about 3 months, and now it too has very uncomfortable body impressions.  The store has agreed to let me use their one time comfort exchange even though it is beyond the time limit.  They carry the Sealy Embody line, which is a layer of latex ontop of a high density poly foam core.  The one we are interested in(and the one we can afford) is the Inspiration.  It has 3" of latex and 7" of the poly foam core.  After my comfort exchange, I will have to pay another $1200 to get it.  The other mattress we are considering is the Ikea Elsjford.  It is 5.5" of synthetic latex, super firm, and no poly foam core, just latex.  It is $599.  I have read good things about Ikea latex mattresses.  There are almost no reviews of the Embody line from Sealy because they are new.  The Spring Free line had fairly good reviews, but they are no longer available here.  So my question is......3" of natural latex ontop of 7" of poly foam or 5.5" of synthetic latex.  The biggest thing we want to avoid are body impressions, and the poly foam core on the Sealy makes me nervous.  Any help would truly be appreciated.

Mike

Thats what I thought!  Thank you

Phoenix wrote:

 

Yes, for sure don't buy the more expensive one!!!!   The cheaper Embody is marginal, but if you really like the feel it might be okay.  You can always add more latex for less than $1100 more.

By the way, do you know what "smart" latex is?  What makes it smart.  I get nervous when I hear marketing terms like that.

If it is all systhentic latex, I would then avoid that mattress completely.  I am not crazy about the Ikea one for that reason and 6" not enough.

The HR foam in the Sealy will probably not last as long as latex or steel coils.  So, you have to ask would you rather pay a bit more for a customziable all latex that will last longer.  So, going with the Embody is more risky.

 

Smart Latex is Sealy's name for continuous pour latex which is most likely LI's Dunlop zoned (that's why they call it "smart"). It doesn't say anywhere if it is a blend or natural ... I suspect a blend.

I really do question the value in upgrading at all. Why spend 1200 to upgrade to the insightful when that same 1200 can buy you a superior mattress to the insightful ... AND you could do a comfort exchange for another or similar mattress to the one you already have and you would end up with TWO brand new mattresses and one boxspring.

You could keep the second mattress or sell it whatever worked for you.

Am I missing something?

Phoenix

ok, so in the $1200 price range, what would be a good quality alternative.....firm latex mattress that I can go try out before I buy?  I don't want to buy something over the internet that I have not tried first.

Phoenix is probably right unless that happens to be the one mattress you really want.  Even then it may not last due to the HR foam.

I would probably rather take a chance on the 10" all latex at Costco for $1350.  100% returnable if you don't like.  Then you could keep, sell or donate the other.  Sam's club might have something similiar.   The other good option is customizable latex (say sleepez).  That will cost more, but you can adjust to your comfort level and return if no combo. works for you.

The best thing is to figure out what you would want out of all the choice out there and figure out the best way to get it.

If you are looking for zero risk, then Sandman is right. That mattress is way superior to the insightful.

Just to put this in perspective even this mattress is superior to the insightful. It has Talalay on the top (same 3" but a better quality latex) and it has a superior HR foam base (the insightful has HD foam). Sams club would also be zero risk since in both cases they can be returned. They will even come pick them up if you decide to return it.

And even these two don't represent the best mattresses you could get for your slightly more than $1200.

Here's another one that I would consider superior in every way to the insightful. This one may involve a little more risk though since they are not as much of a known quantity as Sams Club or Costco but it is under your $1200 budget in King. They do say though that they have a 60 day money back guarantee and will pay the shipping back if you return it. They are a direct outlet for Brooklyn Bedding.

And there are many more options from known and trusted vendors in the threads in this forum.

If I had to choose between the Costco or Sams club, I would choose the Costco because it is all latex, can be flipped to a softer or firmer side, and even though it is Dunlop, that would fit with your preference for a slightly firmer mattress. The 3rd choice would depend on how you felt about them (I would probably call and talk to them if I was considering buying from them)

Phoenix

Just for reference ... a little more about Sealy's smart latex and a bit of history

Sapsa and Latex Foam Products were partners in 1996 in a joint venture called Latex International. LI produced Talatech from Latex Foam Products and Dunlop or what they call "Continuous Process" from Sapsa. http://www.allbusiness.com/manufacturing/furniture-manufacturing-mattress-mfg/7278767-1.html

In 2001 Sealy purchased Sapsa and became the biggest latex producer in the world.

Also in 2001 a fire burned down the LI factory which was rebuilt within a year. This disrupted the growth of latex products in North America.

Springfree II introduced in 2006 with the same core http://ir.sealy.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=151044&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=885286&highlight=

The smart latex trademark was registered in 2008 http://www.trademarkia.com/smart-latex-77450063.html and this was also when the PurEmbrace line using smart latex was introduced. This grew from the "Pressure Relief Inlay system" that was introduced in the Posturepedic lineup earlier. It seems that the core used different densities or "inlays" of latex which is a combination of layering and zoning which made it "smart". This was probably also an outgrowth of Sapsa's multifoaming technology http://www.sapsalatex.com/UK/Savoir-faire/index-suite.php The core was still made with the Sapsa Dunlop process and I saw one reference that implied that it was now the natural Dunlop but it doesn't say so directly. Probably means it had some natural latex in it http://www.lvrj.com/furniture_and_design /27948599.html

There are several references to different versions of smart latex including sense-align and intuisoft and smart-dual which are probably different layers and/or zones and it also appears that it could be different "varieties" of latex. You can see this in some of the current descriptions at the Sapsa website.

Some Sapsa history: http://www.sapsalatex.com/UK/Societe/

Here http://www.sapsalatex.com/UK/Gamme-produits/smart-dual.php They refer to "memory foam latex" whatever that is and one of the images on the bottom even has a hand print (wait for it).

and here again http://www.sapsalatex.com/UK/Gamme-produits/toppers.php they refer to a smart topper as "memory foam latex"

And their definition of smart latex is here http://www.sapsalatex.com/UK/Savoir-faire/index-suite.php calling it "memory latex"

It also looks like the 85 natural/15 synthetic used in the ikea could come from Sapsa http://www.sapsalatex.com/UK/About-latex/types.php It also appears that they no longer produce any all synthetic latex.

and even K-mart is getting in on the visco-latex act http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_021B023386110001P Wonder where this comes from.

It would also be a reasonable assumption given the connection between Sapsa and Latex International that any Talalay latex in Sealy products is Talatech.

So what is "smart latex"? My best guess is that it is some combination of layering, zoning, and production that Sealy would like us to believe makes latex perform more like memory foam.

It's clearly "smarter" than I am.

Maybe I should eat some.

Phoenix

Ok, so I am still considering taking the comfort exchange and selling it on craigslist.  Now looking at the link you sent to the mattress at Costco vs. one from Sleepez.  I haven't had a lot of time to look yet, but I like my first look at the Sleepez.  Opinions?  I'm guessing much much better quality then Ikea or the Embody.

Mike

REDDOG1970 wrote:

I don't quite understand.  You are going to buy a new one through the comfort exchange and then sell it right away?  If so, then you might want to get a cheaper one, so your downside is limited, and it might be easier to sell something at a lower price.  Seems easier and less risky to sell the one you have, but obviously that is not new condition.   I guess you would have to figure out what each could be sold for.

Sleepez is good if you think you want to be able to customize fairly specifically to your needs.  Also, if you want one half different than the other.  It might have a better cover as well, with some wool fill.   You can also choose talalay (blended or 100% natural) or dunlop or a combo of the 2.  

Downside of course is that it costs more, and I think you would have to pay the cost of return shipping.  You would have to pack up and ship it back, where Costco would come and pick it up.

I think either is better quality than a foam based Embody, but that does not mean that you would like them more.

 

I was confused for a second when you mentioned a link to Sleepez in this thread until I realized that I had linked to the wrong place. The link was supposed to go to the Sams club mattress with 3" of 5 zoned talalay on top over 6" of HR foam. I didn't mean to recommend this but I just wanted to show you a mattress that was very similar but (IMO) superior to the insightful (3" latex over a thicker layer of foam) at a lower cost. The link in the other post is now fixed. Having said that the sleepez special (now it's linked correctly) would also be superior to the Insightful. It is a 3 layer 3 zoned mattress made from 100% natural Dunlop for 1295 so in the range of your budget.

Here are the pluses and minuses of 4 mattresses that are in the range of your budget as I see them.

Sleepez: $1295. 8" of good quality 3 zoned natural Dunlop latex. Has a comfort guarantee if you don't like it but you pay shipping. Initial shipping for the mattress is free. Unclear if you would be returning the whole bed or just the top layer for a comfort exchange on their special which would affect shipping charges (I would call and ask or perhaps someone here knows but I would guess it is a layer). Very trustworthy merchant.

Arizona mattress: $1295. 8" (well 7.6 actually) of all Talalay latex blend which many people prefer particularly in the top layer. The cover is nicer (has 1.5" of wool not just cotton). Comfort exchanges can be done with the top layer which means the shipping cost is less than if you had to ship the whole bed. There is an initial shipping charge for the bed but not a lot since it ships UPS so factor that into the cost. You get a bonus (I believe it's currently 2 latex pillows) when you buy. Very trustworthy merchant.

Costco: $1395. 10" of natural Dunlop latex. Somewhat flippable (the inner layers have to be removed and flipped so you are sleeping on the correct side of the cover). This means it has 2 firmness choices built in, one on each side so while the level of "customization" is limited to 2, it does not involve shipping anything. Basic cover. If you don't like either of the 2 comfort choices, it costs nothing to ship back. Very trustworthy merchant.

Latexmattressshop: $1124.10 with their 10% coupon. 8" of natural Dunlop 7 zoned latex. Nicest cover of the lot with bamboo, wool, and quiltable latex. You can select 1 of 3 comfort levels when you order but you cannot do a layer exchange after you have it. Free shipping if you decide to return it. Initial shipping is also free. Seemingly trustworthy merchant but not as well known here as the others. Can upgrade to the next model with 10" of latex and latex/wool/bamboo cover for $1385.10 with their 10% coupon (just to compare with the Costco).

In my view, all of these represent very good choices but have slight differences in the quality of mattress, prices, adjustability, and difficulty and expense of return. You may have to pay tax on the Costco but the others would be tax free unless you lived in their state (strangely enough all 3 of them are in Arizona). All of them would be better than the insightful upgrade in my opinion. All of them (exept the Costco) would also be happy to talk with you to advise you on the comfort level that would be best for you in their experience. What level of risk/value you feel is better for you or even whether to go this route at all is of course part of your own personal decision.

Phoenix