Ok, I bit the bullet and ordered the SleepEZ 10000 and returned the Costco Comfortluxe.

I am a bit nervous about ordering a mattress without having tried it!  :)  However, what I really liked was Shawn even suggested I spend LESS and buy the 8500 model because "you just don't use more than 5.6/6" of foam." He said that until the mid-80s all the latex mattresses were just 6", but since then people think more is better. I ended up choosing the 10000 because of bed sheet fiting, Shawn said that sheets can be a bit of a pain to get for the thinner mattresses nowadays (Sheets are made for huge beds now)

So despite my nervousness on buying something sight unseen, I just keep telling myself all the wonderful reviews I have read here about the service level with Sleepez means it should be ok! :) (i hope :) ).

Novahelp Good luck with your new purchase. Please let us know how you like your new bed and the latex kit when it arrives.  I think it is better to go with the thicker mattress so you have more latex combination choices.  I feel you will be happy.

Thanks! I hope so!! Will definitely report back.

BTW, I went with (at Shawn's suggestion) Medium-Firm-Xfirm

What are the ILD's for those combination Latex Cores Novahelp? I am just curious since I know Sleepies ILD are different from FloBeds ILD's for what they name the core. For instance, I have one one side of my bed a 1.5" soft non-convoluted topper over a 44 ILD (SUPER FIRM per FloBeds) over a 36 ILD (Extra Firm FloBeds calls this) over a 36 ILD.  On my other side of the bed. I have the same topper over a 36 ILD that averages out to over 37 ILD over a 44 ILD that averages out to over a 45 ILD over a 36 ILD over a solid pine slat box with organic cotton sides over 10" legs.  The mattress is incased in a zippered cotton/wool cover (the previous one was organic so I am not sure about this one but it is wonderful) and looks like a real mattress when zipped up.  I think SleepEZ's Extra Firm is 40 ILD. I do wish FloBeds had a 40 ILD latex core but otherwise I am very happy with my Latex Kit from Flobeds.com.

I am sure you will be happy too from your latex kit from SleepEZ.com. Just trry out the different combinations for awhile before making a decison to exchange a latex core.  Also did you get the split cores like I got to give you more latex combinations and to make it easier to move around?

Congrats Nova, having gone from memory foam to latex, I think you'll be pleased. 

Be sure to report back.

I was interested to note that all of the mattresses shown on the Dunlopillo (U.K. manufacturer of latex) website are no more than 8" thick.

Lynn2006 wrote:
Yes, i got split cores. Here are the firmness from the web site.

4 Firmness Choices For Each Layer
Soft	22-24 ILD
Medium	30-32 ILD
Firm	38-40 ILD
X Firm	44 ILD

Novahelp thanks for sharing.  I hope you continue to be happy with your SleepEZ bed and your configuration you chose.  It seems you like a firm bed also like I do. 

My configuration (FloBeds) is similar but a little more firm than yours but with a 1.5" soft topper over a 44 ILD over a 36 ILD over a 36 ILD.  I tried the medium firmness (32 ILD at FloBeds) and it was too soft for me but that was before I had a 44 ILD to put under it so maybe I would have loved your configuration also if I had no topper.  But I still think I can not go softer than a 36 ILD in my configuration and I like having a little cushion near my pressure points I found out from my experiences these past several months of trial and error in getting my bed just right. I loved the 1" topper over my 36 ILD over my 44 ILD over a 36 ILD the best but the Overstock topper was flimsy and not holding up well so that is why I went with the 1.5" sturdier topper from FloBeds.  I feel everyone should have at least one 44 ILD in their configuration if they are going with 3 or more layers.  I wanted a 44 ILD but did not order it at first due to it being blended latex and I was trying to stay with all natural latex but I feel the Talalay latex blended does a good job at making the product safe for me since it is not bothering me and I am chemically sensitive. Most of my latex mattress is 100% natural but I have added the two blended 44 ILD latex cores and a soft latex pillow from FloBeds that Dave made less thick for me to accommodate my small size and like for flatter latex pillows.   I know when I had two 36 ILD's over the slat box with no third layer, it was very firm and needed on 44 ILD latex core but the mattress was too thin for my sheets and too low for the height of my new beautiful Iron Headboard.  I also love my 10" legs that allow storage under my bed and are sturdy making the bed feel very solid and make the bed a nice height for me.

I haven't actually gotten my bed yet :)

I don't really like a firm bed. But because of my size, Shawn strongly suggested I start with that configuration. He said most people find the SOFT layer to be too soft once they try it, and given my size he said to definitely start with Medium-Firm-X-firm.

Novahelp, I feel you will be happy with the configuration you chose since lying on the Medium is supportive but very cushiony I found out. I have a slight case of Scoliosis so I do not like sinking into a bed and have always slept on a very firm bed that had no topper so it is surprising to me that a little bit of cushion is actually comfortable with support underneath.

Just put it together.  Funny thing, the case was too small initially. Called Shawn and before I could finish my question he explained that the case gets stretched by the foam. It did and it is a perfect fit.  Will report back over the next couple nights. Very initial impression, i like this more than memory foam!  another impression, I may want to switch to a softer layer on top...

Thanks Nova. 

Personally I prefer a soft, some would say unbearably soft, feel.  I think you will have to find what works best for you.

ow!  Yep, given the time I am posting, this mattress is much too hard for me I think...

or, are the years of sleeping on memory foam made latex not good for me?   I had to put the 3" fbm topper on top of the mattress to soften it up.

I am beginning to think this was a mistake the latex foam.  It's just awful.  Please tell me that latex can be much softer than this? :)

My first night felt way too firm and that was with 3" 20 ILD, 3" 32 ILD, and 5" 50 IFD PU foam.  The second night was much better.  I added another 2" 32 ILD latex in an attempt to get me further off the PU foam.  Better, but still not soft enough, so I'm adding some 16-18 ILD latex.

ericgl wrote:
I hope I don't have to do all that. I thought by spending  the $$ I wouldn't have to start spending even more on top of it nor create a frankenbed :)
I guess I like a very soft bed that is supportive, which I didn't know before (or realize). I will call Shawn to discuss later today.  OUCH!!!!! 

Currently I have with this with the sleepez 10000 that makes is ok & slightly comfy, but hardly worth $1550 :(

3:" FBM memory foam 15 ILD , 5.5lbs topper
2.8 Latex medium 30-32 ILD
2.8 Latex firm  38-40 ILD
2.8 Latex x-firm 44 ILD

I would check with Shawn about the advisability of trading your extra firm layer for a soft layer.  I find that latex is supportive even when the ILD is low (unlike memory foam).

Novahelp, I would ask Shawn to change the bottom two firm and extra firm layers for two medium ILD layers.  I know before I got any 44 ILD's here, my bed was too soft and I was amazed at the difference between a 36 ILD and a 44 ILD. So I would return the 44 ILD and maybe the 38 ILD and get all 32 ILD's in your case.

I like a firm bed so that configuration would be too soft for me.  For myself I am finding the new medium soft (wish it was very soft instead) 1.5" topper is not good for me since it is too firm right next to my body and I have to keep it on a 44 ILD to be somewhat comfortable since over a 36 ILD it is so uncomfortable with too much thickness. If it was very soft (my fault since Dave at FloBeds.com asked me what I wanted and I had no idea what the ILD on my 1" overstock topper was), I would sink in despite being only about 100 lbs and have some cushion but still feel the 36 ILD underneath me with the two 44 ILD's. I am going to go upstairs right now and put my 1" topper back on over the 36 ILD over two 44 ILD's to get to the way I was comfortable before. I just did not like the fact that the overstock 1" topper was falling apart. If this is perfect again for me, I will call Dave to ask him to get me a 1" very soft Talalay Latex Topper since I gave back my 2" Talalay latex topper since it was too soft for me. :)  We have the opposite problem with me liking my beds very firm but with a little cushion. Due to my car accident and hurting my back and neck, Dave said he'd give me more time to try out the topper he was going to send me.  That is great customer service.  MY bed was at first too soft and I needed to do so many latex layers exhanges and I was amazed that I liked my bed so firm. But now I am finding out I like very very soft toppers that are thin.

But I heard Shawn at SleepEz..com gives good customer service also. Find out how many latex layer exchanges you can do. Hopefully Shawn will exchange two of the latex layers for you.

After changing the topper, I found out that the 1.5" latex topper is a 22-23 ILD and not too firm but just not as soft as my 17 ILD latex topper. Maybe I needed a 15 ILD or maybe I just need to try the 1" topper tonight and tomorrow try the 1.5" topper over a 44 ILD over a 36ILD over a 44 ILD to see if this will be good since I just tired the 1.5" ILD over the floor and it was so comfortable.  I had my bed so comfortable and perfect before my car accident. Now with 5 herniated disks, I have to reconfigure it a bit. I am glad I at least can do this with my zippered cover. If I had a bed that I was stuck with the configuration, I would now be trying different toppers and hoping my bed would be too firm and not too soft since it is easier to soften a bed than make it firmer. 

Novahelp, do you have two sides of the bed or one big latex piece that covers both sides of the bed? If you have the split cores like I do, you could try the soft over a medium over a medium over a firm on your side to see if this would work. I love having split layers allowing me more combinations.

Lynn2006 wrote:
Thanks for the thoughts.  The 10,000 unit only has 3 latex layers, the top memory foam layer I added after the awful sleep I got last night. The memory foam makes this bed tolerable while I wait to talk with shawn.  I did call Shawn today, left message and have not yet heard back.

Lynn2006 wrote:
I have it split sides. I guess I could try:

Medium
Medium
Firm

 When I get Shawn to call me back I assume he will send me their split soft 22 ILD layer. Hopefully the soft can make this thing comfortable! :)

Ok, this is what I am trying tonight as I don't have a soft layer to use:

Medium
Medium
X-firm

Funny, this is what Jeremy originally suggested too!

After a bit I switched it again to make it as soft as possible:

Medium
Medium
Firm

Phew, fingers crossed!

Then if the Medium over Medium over firm feels good, you can make the other side of the bed the same. If it is a little bit too firm, you can request another medium to put underneath so you have no firms.  Please let us know how this works out. I am glad I remembered the split layers so you could see if it would work out.  I must get to bed. 

Lynn2006 wrote:
Thanks I forgot that I could do this type of combination.

Reporting back from a so-so nights sleep.  It doesn't feel good. it is tolerable. :(  Hardly worth the amount of money I spent.

I think I may have figured out part of the problem.  The mattress case/shell is HARD. I am used to sleeping directly on memory foam which gives a soft luxurxious feel. The  mattress case is a wool top that makes it feel to me EXACTLY like a normal mattress with no conforming properties at all.  This wool top doesn't let the latex mold to my body -- it always feels stiff.  It is stiffness as well as the firmness that is the problem.

I think I need some other type of mattress case as well as getting a softer top layer.

Reporting back:
I just put back on my 3" memory foam topper,  so I have the following:

3" memory foam
medium latex
medium latex
firm latex

This setup is too soft, however the awful feeling of the stiff wool top is no longer there. I think this is part of the problem!

I hope they have a different shell they can send me as this thing is not good to me at all.

Can you describe the mattress cover a bit? There seems to be a lot of discussion about the latex on this board but very little about the mattress covers. Some of the mattress web sites seem to gloss over the details of the covers.

Is the fabric itself stiff? - like it is infused with silica (sand) or something else for fire retardancy reasons? Or is it stiff because it is a tight fit around the latex? The Sleep EZ web site describes a "luxury cotton cover quilted to wool".

Can anyone else comment on the mattress covers for other layered latex mattresses too?

"The contribution of the cover deserves far more attention than it gets. Taut, non-stretch covers create a "hammock, or "trampoline" effect, are not enveloping, and can be uncomfortable. Paradoxically, softer latex may feel firmer. The 4 way stretch memory foam type covers are one good solution.

I just spoke to Sean. He said he would send:

1) A terry cloth stretch mattress case. He thought this would be a lot softer than the wool one and give me the softer feel I am used to as compared to memory foam.
2) Soft latex layer

All shipped at no charge to me.  

Thus far, service is fantastic.

mccldwll wrote:
That is exactly the problem I get, but couldn't describe it as well as you just did. This cover is not at all "enveloping", which is why I described above as feeling exactly like a normal mattress this latex foam.  :)


I just rotated my foam and with the case open laid down directly on the foam without the mattress closed:

medium
medium
X-firm

Wow, so much nicer when my body is in direct contact with the latex!!!!!  It actually envelopes my body just wonderfully!!!! :)

 It is definitely the mattress case and it's resulting stiffness.

 I hope the stretch terry cover fixes this, otherwise I may just sleep directly on the foam :)

novahelp wrote:

Now THAT is customer service! 

Novahelp, I am glad I was able to help you reminding you that you have split layers so to at least make one side of your bed the way you want it to be and then work on your other side. 

I am glad SleepEZ is living up to their reputation like I thought they would with their service.

I know FloBeds shipped me so far three toppers at no charge to help me since I loved the bed but did not like the too thick too soft 2" topper that came with the mattress since I did not sink in enough (being only not quite 5 feet tall and not quite 100 lbs) to feel the firmness underneath that I need since I am used to a very firm bed. 

I was also shipped at no charge higher legs to go with my new Iron Headboard and I was overnighted the attachments for the headboard so they would be here when my headboard arrived. I was sent a newer and softer cover when Dave got them in.

So far I have heard mostly all good from FloBeds.com and SleepEZ.com on their family owned businesses giving great customer service.

Novahelp, hang in there and be patient. You will be able to tweak the bed to be comfortable and you will then love it.

I had a wonderful night's sleep with my 1" very soft topper again (over 36 ILD over 44 ILD over 44 ILD)  but I really want to like the 1.5" 22 - 23 ILD topper since it is sturdier and fits my queen bed better so I will try it out again tomorrow with another combination. I still wish I had a 1.5" topper on the top of my shoulders and 1" below my shoulders both in soft since that is how it is most comfortable. But I do love my Latex bed and how I can move latex cores around. I also love the new latex cover Dave sent me a few months ago since it is soft and more comfirming.

Novahelp, Please let us know how the Terry Cloth Cover is since that sounds like the best of both worlds.

Lynn2006 wrote:
I will definitely report back. It will take about 1.5 weeks for the new stuff to arrive.
In the meantime, thankfully, my setup of my old memory foam topper on top of medium medium x-firm is quite comfortable (albeit still a bit softer than I like, and I want to sleep directly on latex and not the mushy memory foam).

Got the new layer of soft foam and the terry cloth cover.

Well, the terry cloth cover is IMPOSSIBLE to put over the foam. The problem is the side of the cover are attached to the top and not the bottom, so you can't stuff the layers in. I gave up after about 1hr of trying, and Shawn said he would order me a larger one custom if needed.

I then just put my sheets directly on the foam in this order Soft - Medium - Firm .  MUCH better sleeping directly on the foam!  When I sit on the foam rapidly i kind of feel the ground, but laying and sleeping i can't feel anything but foam.

I may switch the bottom layer to x-firm to provide more support .

Well, it gets stranger.

I got the 4th layer.  Tried Soft-Medium-Firm , and just found it was not enough support. I sort of bottom out in it despite the claim you only feel the first two layers.

I slept with all 4 layers last night (soft-medium-firm-xfirm), and it was MUCH better. I felt I had enough support and comfort for the first time.

I guess I need to upgrade to the 13000 unit?  What is weird is everyone says the 10000 should be enough thickness. Maybe it is because I am sleeping directly on the foam (the terry cloth cover is too small to fit so i am just testing with a sheet over the foam layers) the foam is being compressed more than with a proper cover?

Thoughts?

Maybe you could try zipping the med, firm and x-firm into the cover and put the soft layer in the terry cover as a topper. You wouldn't have to send things back and forth again and you'd get the benefits of a firm, supportive mattress and the feeling of direct contact with the soft comfy topper.

BTW, SleepEZ sells layers of latex with terry covers as toppers so they could probably send you a topper cover of the correct size if the one you have is too big.

mattressmom wrote:
Thanks for your response.

I do have a terry cover, but the one they sent just doesn't fit (it's way too snug). Shawn offered to custom order a larger one for me, but I wanted to keep testing the layers.
Let me try med-firm-x-firm again and see if it ok. 

Have to tell you, these layers are VERY hard to move and keep moving.  It is NOT easy and I am a big guy. Not sure how smaller people move these foam layers around!

Thus far, I am underwhelmed by the Sleepez bed -- customer service is fantastic though!!.  For 1600 I expected this to be comfortable and far less work.

I now tried for two nights with their original mattress case Soft-Medium-firm.  It's  not comfortable at all with this mattress case and I don't understand why people like it.  YOu can't even tell you're sleeping on latex  foam with their thick wool covering on it, might as well be sleeping on a $300 mattress with all the hamicking this cover does. My hip is also getting sore, so much for the contouring and no pressure points with latex. 

The closest to a 1600 experience I have gotten is without their mattress case and sleeping directly on the foam with a simple sheet cover. Unfortunately, I just can't find a good combination of foam layers with this either.  The soft-Medium-firm is not supportive enough, the soft-medium-firm-xfirm is better but like sleeping on a rubber ball.  Medium-Firm-x-firm is too hard.

I am not sure what to do anymore. 

I'm sorry you are having so much trouble with your mattress. I hope it works out for you.

Just spoke to Sean. He suggested I try placing soft on the bottom layer.
So it is

Medium
Firm
Soft


See if that works....

Novahelp, I feel you need to keep the layers firmer with a soft topper that is about 1" or 1.5" or 2" to be comfortable so you have a soft cushion next to you but sink in a little bit to a very solid base.

Actually, I think I am getting there!!!  Sean was RIGHT on.  It was SOO much softer with a soft layer at the very bottom.  It kind of makes sense!  A soft bottom layer is not able to provide a firm base for the upper layers to push against, so they have more give.

I slept well last night. I am FINALLY getting all the stuff I want from latex -- a memory foam experience without all the negatives.

One problem though, which I will call and ask Sean what to do, i am sort of feeling the ground a bit when I move around now. I will report back what he suggest I do with the layers to give me a bit more lift from the ground.  I am VERY happy and excited now!!! :)


I just spoke to Sean, he said to please give it a couple of nights before we do a change again. Likely will do a medium firm medium layering!
It is so nice after all this effort (and layer switching) to finally getting the mattress to where i want it!! :)

Novahelp, Yes it is a lot of work at first and I was ready to give up but it is so worth it when you get the bed to the way you want it with comfort, support and no chemicals near your face.  Please keep us updated. We all like different support systems. 

Novahelp, I just reread this post an I am wondering if Sean allowed you more than one free exchange?  What combination of Latex did you end up going with. I hope you are liking your latex bed. I know I can never go back to a regular bed where I always woke up with a stuffy nose and moved around too much all night.

Lynn2006 wrote:
I am liking the mattress much more. I still have a slight problem with the bottoming out at times. 

As for another exchange, I think Sean will allow me given that my original config was on his recomendation. He asked that I wait a few days of testing this new arrangement before we do another adjustment. 

I still have a problem in that I need some sort of mattress case for the foam as I do not like the one Sleepez uses standard (you cant feel the foam through it IMHO).  They will likely have to order another terrycloth case since the one they sent was not large enough.

Novahelp, I am glad you are liking your mattress more. Maybe you need a very firm layer way at the bottom of your latex cores to prevent the bottoming out. That is what I ended up needing to get my right comfort level.  I had to go with a 44 ILD blended from FloBeds and since then have two 44 ILD's under my 36 ILD under my topper. I just like a firm bed. But even if I did not like a firm bed, I think I would want as much support at the bottom core to keep the latex sitting more firmly on the slats.

Still really liking the medium-firm-soft combo. Only problem is I bottom out if I move quickly or am not horizontal. going to try moving a layer to see if this will work:

Medium
Firm
Medium

Another update. Well the medium-Firm-Medium didn't work.  Felt too hard.

So I tried from top to bottom:

Medium
Firm
Soft
x-firm

It's also too firm.  Just not sure what to do anymore to get this latex bed to work out.  I am about at my wits ends with moving all these layers around.

Maybe I am just not a latex person... Which is not making me very happy. After all the cheerleading in this forum on how great latex is, returning this thing is going to cost me $400.
I am curious, maybe the clue is the endless amount of tweaking people seem to have to do to get these things to work for them.

Side sleepers have the most trouble with latex.  Back and stomach sleepers rarely complain.  At least from my memory.

MequonJim wrote:
I wish I had seen this before I took this leap.  However, back sleepers can sleep on almost anything. Stomach sleepers only need a very firm surface, seriously, a floor would be fine for stomach sleeper.

Well, will call Sean again today and see what else to do. Seriously, this is just a royal pain in the butt.
My first mattress 10 years ago, walked into Sams club and picked one. It was great for 7 years and $300.

novahelp wrote:

Stop whining. You were well warned that some people have trouble with latex, and almost everyone has to tweak it to get it to work. There are many posts from people (such as myself) who had to send everything back because standard layups didn't work. There are posts from people who prefer the flobeds return policy. If you ignored those warnings, you only have yourself to blame. And return shipping should be less than $100 Fed Ex ground.

However, first try medium, firm, ex firm, possibly with a polyester fill topper OR soft, firm, ex firm. Make sure cover stretches. 3 layers is plenty. MIght even try medium, firm, w/ a topper.

mccldwll wrote:
Uh, what are you smoking? Sleepez charges a 15% restocking fee, no refund on the original $75 shipping charge, and then $75 (at least) to ship all this back adds up to

$348
$75
$100

$523!!!


Otherwise, thanks for your thoughts. I will talk to Sean today and see what he suggests now. 

If I am "whining" it;s cause I havent slept well in 2 months and I am exhausted....

Novahelp, what exactly is uncomfortable? As a side sleeper, do you have problems with your hips or shoulders? It might help people here advise you better if they know exactly what is going on.

Best of luck to you. I know you've been working on this for a long time. I hope you are able to find a solution that works.

mattressmom wrote:
Thank you for your supportive and kind reply.  I really am not trying to be a pest. I am just so disappointed and frustrated after being so excited about splurging a lot of money (well to me anyway) on a luxury item.

I am a side sleeper, and it is my hips are what need a soft support to prevent soreness -- this is why I can't use the Sleepez included mattress case, the wool just hurts my hips.

I think the problem is that I can't get the right combination of soft, firm, non-bouncy, and thick so i don't bottom out in the kit.  The closest I got was Medium-Firm-Soft, but as I said, it was too thin a mattress for my body. 

On top of that, my 2 month trial window is fast approaching and I have to get this figured out before then...

What do you have the mattress on? Is is a solid platform?

It might sound counterintuitive, but I wonder if two la