Greetings all,

We're looking for move to a nice, new (comfy!) Queen-sized natural latex mattress. Price is something of an issue (we can't easily spend more than $2300), but quality is really important to us. The thing is, how can we distinguish quality between mattress manufacturers we haven't heard anything about? Besides firmness (or not), what are some ways we can understand how long the mattress will last, or how long it will retain its original shape?

So, how would you all compare Sueno, Savvy Rest and Bella Serta? All things being equal, which would you choose, and why?

What about other manufacturers (such as Habitat Furnishings, which is hard to glean info about) should we compare, and why?

Thanks so much for your opinions, thoughts and help!

--Dave

Quality wise, Sueno (made by SleepTek) is easily a cut above based on the quality of the materials used in the covers.  Value wise the other 2 brands can be better.  With the money they have saved on the covers they can give you a little bit more latex for the same price point.  And to a lot of people this is most important anyway.  Assuming comfort and price are the same, I would choose Sueno easily.  Although comfort and price are not directly comparable.  

In terms of durability all of these brands are using high quality natural rubber which should last between 15~25 years.  Some of the Sueno models are fully reversible and the cotton and wool layers are fully wrapped around the rubber cores, this will reduce body sets in the wool layers if you take the time to flip and rotate your mattress on occasion.

I would agree with Budgy that of these choices the Sueno (in it's nicest version) is the nicest followed by the Bella Sera (assuming this is what you meant) and IMO Habitat furnishings is not even in the same ballpark. The cover and construction would depend to some degree on which version of the Sueno you were looking at as they (Sleeptek) also make mattresses with "lesser" covers or that are not reversible and without the cotton layers in between in which case IMO the Bella Sera may be better value.

Savvy rest offer's a "do it yourself" latex mattress in either Dunlop or Talalay but they are much higher in price than others with the same materials, flexibility, quality, and construction.

A place that carries all of the choices you mentioned (as well as other high quality latex mattresses) is here (I suspect from your choices you may already know this) http://thenaturalsleepstore.com/natural-latex-mattresses.html

Both of these (the Sueno and Bella Sera) as well as the "regular" Savvy rest are made with Dunlop latex which is a high quality latex in it's natural version but does not come in as soft a version as Talalay latex which many people prefer in a mattress (this is a personal preference that can only really be known through personal testing) at least in the top comfort layers. Both Talalay and Dunlop are high quality materials but they do have a different "feel" that is quite noticeable to most people. This is especially true for those who prefer a softer top layer in their mattress. If you are looking at an online outlet or considering buying from a local or regional manufacturer that needs to be shipped to you ... then shipping costs (if any) can be a factor in your overall value as well.

I listed a few dozen online outlets where latex mattresses are available (Talalay and Dunlop) in reply #9 here. Habitat is not in this list as you can see (they are not in my "top 20" or so).

In general your best value and quality is from a local or regional manufacturer that makes latex mattresses available in your area and sells them "factory direct" or a smaller retail outlet that carries them or other high quality mattresses at good value. If you have done some "field testing" and have a good idea of what "works" for you ... then online sources for latex mattresses that carry a good selection of choices can also have very good value.

There are also some "national brands" that are fairly "widely" available (Pure latex bliss, Simmons natural care elite, Natura, are examples) available from a few larger outlets that have better value than most of the other national brands and can make good "testing grounds" to find out what type of layering and combinations work for you. If you search the forum for the city or state you are in you may find some good local or regional manufacturers in your area. If not, then I may know of a few if you let me know what city you are in.

IMO, $2300 is more than enough to buy a very high quality queen latex mattress in any combination or type of latex and cover that you may need. More than this (or even less) and you may well be paying more for "extras" (that may also be included in less expensive mattresses) than you need to.

Phoenix

Phoenix-

 

I am still in the shopping stage, but it seems you have a bias against Habitat Furnishings?  Is it their cost or lack of variety?  I am concerned about all of the "adjustable" mattresses as it just seems that the more parts and small pieces you piece together make the total mattress more succeptible to sagging and wearing at the "seams" where the parts meets up (or uncomfortable feeling if you cross centerline on the mattress).