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After lurking here and other places and doing lots of research - I finally recieved my latex mattress today. I'd like to add to the discussion by sharing my experiences with a company I haven't read about on this forum and about Dunlop latex. We went with a three layer 100% DUNLOP (yes, Dunlop, not Talalay) mattress from Savvy Rest via The Natural Sleep Store. We got a queen size with split firm (ILD 40), medium (ILD 35) and soft (ILD 30) layers. The cover is made of organic cotton quilted to organic wool. The total was $1849 including shipping - more than SleepEZ or some of the other online retailers but less than other organic latex mattresses.We got free UPS shipping through The Natural Sleep Store (which would have been $219 from Savvy Rest directly) plus a gift certificate for $160.00 that could be used toward bedding at their store. So far, I really like the mattress. It is just the right firmness. I don't think we would want anything softer than this configuration. We went with Dunlop even though there is so much more information about Talalay because we were more concerned about getting something too soft rather than too firm. I'll report on how we like the mattress in a few weeks. We went from years of futons that needed to be replaced every few years so this seems extremely comfy. Our latest futon had gotten really hard so we started researching other options and finally settled on the Savvy Rest. I can't really write a full review until sleeping on the mattress for a while - but I can review the customer service. There is a huge amount of information on the Savvy Rest web site and on the Natural Sleep Store web site as well as organicmattressreviews.com. I considered SleepEZ, FloBeds, Foam Sweet Foam, Foam Source and a couple of other places and finally settled on Savvy Rest. I would have considered FloBeds if they carried Dunlop latex. My concern with SleepEZ and some of the other places was that while they described their latex in great detail, they were a little sketchy about the covers and what they used for flame retardants. I decided to narrow my search to stores that described their covers and/or had options for different covers. FloBeds had several cover choices and reasonable prices, but I really wanted natural Dunlop rather than Talalay. Both FloBeds and Savvy Rest made it clear that they didn't use chemicals in addition to the wool for fire retardant material. First, I looked at the web sites, read reviews and got samples from Savvy Rest. They seemed professional and informative. I spoke directly to a woman at Savvy Rest (can't remember her name right now) and she was very knowledgeable and told me some things that made me buy a softer mattress than I had intended to. I'm glad I took her advice. She said most of their exchanges were for softer layers and that she couldn't recommend anything firmer than medium, medium, firm - and that would be quite firm in Dunlop. She also said that the Dunlop is a bit firmer on one side than the other so you could further customize by turning one or more layer over. The side with the larger holes is firmer than the side with the smaller holes. I haven't experimented with it yet so I can't confirm if the difference is noticeable but I thought it was interesting. The mattress came in three 2x2x3 boxes which the UPS guy hauled into the house for me. They were immaculate and clearly labled on the outside with computer printed stickers and magic marker. The first box as the heaviest at 60 pounds and contained the cotton and wool cover along with the soft layer and the assembly instructions which were in a zip lock bag taped to the top of the box. The other two layers were around 53 pounds each and clearly labled in the other two boxes. Each of the half layers were in separate plastic bags and were NOT vacuum packed. They were just kind of loosely rolled and very easy to remove from the boxes. Every half layer was labled with an F, M or S.I was really impressed with the attention to detail. I called my husband to come home early to hoist the boxes up into the bedroom and help me put the bed together. It probably took us less than half an hour to put it together. I really think the split layers were easier to handle than the full layers would have been. The top of the case is thick enough that we don't feel the split - even without a mattress pad. That's enough to bore you for now. I am really happy with this purchase. It is one of the best experiences I've had buying something online. We just didn't find anything comparable locally. Cheers, Marie |
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kimmcgov wrote: Jim,<BR><BR>We bought a Dunlop latex mattress that was a 6 inch core with just a bit of quilting/padding. It was supposedly 36 ILD and we found it neither firm enough to be supportive, nor soft enough to relieve pressure points (me: 125 Lb; him: 150 Lb). We tried adding 2 inches of memory foam which solved the pressure point issue, but made the support (or lack thereof) worse. It was altogether too squishy and killing our backs so we ended it up exchanging it for a firm-ish innerspring which has great support but needs a topper as soon as I can decide on how soft we should go... <BR><BR>Maybe 4 inches of a single density wouldn't feel as squishy as 6 inches, but most people here seem to have a firm layer in the mix to get the needed support. What did you have under the latex? We have the Savvy Rest mattress on a very solid futon platform with 1x4's about one inch apart. My daughter's mattress is on an antique iron bed with a piece of plywood and an old, very flat futon. Two three inch layers of 35 ILD over a layer of 40 ILD were too firm for me - not a bit squishy. I wonder if you really had a 36 ILD piece of latex. It should have been pretty firm according to the web sites I have seen. |
| We have the same set-up as you: platform bed with 1 x 4 slats 1 inch apart. The frame also has two pieces of wood running length-wise to support the slats in the middle -- so a solid set up. Of course, I can't verify the ILD of the latex, it's just what we were told, so it very well could have been softer. It wasn't a zip-off cover, so we couldn't look. What I have learned from this whole thing is that comfort is so subjective and unfortunately only personal trial and error will get you to what works. It's helpful though to read detailed information like your posts. I'm glad that you are getting the good night's sleep that we all strive for and deserve... |
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kimmcgov wrote: unfortunately only personal trial and error will get you to what works. Yup. That's what makes it so hard to order something like this online without the opportunity to try it. Even the 15 minute trials in the store don't guarentee you will like a mattress once you get it home. I guess we got lucky. |
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I like that you said it didn't feel as bouncy. Would I be able to get an XL Twin Dunlop in medium around 2" thick? Or does it have to be a lot thicker? I remember laying on a Dunlopillo mattress that my mattress guy had on the floor. It definitely felt firmer...almost like a "thud" when I laid on it, compared to a "boing" of the talalay. Maybe this is what I need to put over my springs to have the best of both worlds. mattressmom wrote: You might have had better luck with some firm Dunlop. It feels denser and firmer overall than Talalay - and less bouncy. It is hard to describe the difference. I've heard the difference described as Talalay is more like Angel Food cake while Dunlop is more like Pound cake. I'm not sure you can compare their ILDs directly.<BR><BR>36 over 40 over 44 sounds really hard to me - but it sounds like it works for you. The woman at Savvy Rest said she had back problems (slipped disk, I think) and she used medium over medium over firm (35/35/40) and wouldn't recommend anything much firmer than that - and only if you had serious back problems. She steered us toward the Soft/Medium/Firm combo instead of M/M/F I had originally decided on. My husband needed something firmer than I liked. He could have put the firmer layers toward the top if he had needed to. In the end, he found the soft/medium/Firm combo firm enough and still very comfortable.<BR><BR>Our only complaint is that it's hard to get up in the morning. We're too comfy... |
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BeddyBye wrote: I like that you said it didn't feel as bouncy. Would I be able to get an XL Twin Dunlop in medium around 2" thick? Or does it have to be a lot thicker? I remember laying on a Dunlopillo mattress that my mattress guy had on the floor. It definitely felt firmer...almost like a "thud" when I laid on it, compared to a "boing" of the talalay. Maybe this is what I need to put over my springs to have the best of both worlds. The Dunlop definitely thuds rather than boings. I found there so much latex information tilted toward Talalay that I sought out places that specialized in Dunlop. I had good luck with this vendor. They told me they usually order medium in 32 ILD but they could order other ILDs for you. They do sell 2" and 3" Twin XL toppers. The prices for soft, medium and firm are somewhat different. Firmer latex costs a bit more. If you call their toll free number, be sure to ask for the person who is knowledgeable about latex - one of the owners. I think her name is Loni. This is a smallish business in Iowa but they drop ship their latex from California. Natural Selections & Organic Selections.com http://organicselections.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=127_41 1-888-216-9917 For the record, I am not a stickler about "organic" or "natural" products but I do appreciate the care taken in choosing components and product lines by the vendors who strive to sell more natural products. I appreciate the idea of "natural" products but I don't necessarily buy the hype. |
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mattressmom wrote: The Dunlop definitely thuds rather than boings. I found there so much latex information tilted toward Talalay that I sought out places that specialized in Dunlop. I had good luck with this vendor. They told me they usually order medium in 32 ILD but they could order other ILDs for you. They do sell 2" and 3" Twin XL toppers. The prices for soft, medium and firm are somewhat different. Firmer latex costs a bit more. If you call their toll free number, be sure to ask for the person who is knowledgeable about latex - one of the owners. I think her name is Loni. This is a smallish business in Iowa but they drop ship their latex from California. Natural Selections & Organic Selections.com http://organicselections.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=127_41 1-888-216-9917 For the record, I am not a stickler about "organic" or "natural" products but I do appreciate the care taken in choosing components and product lines by the vendors who strive to sell more natural products. I appreciate the idea of "natural" products but I don't necessarily buy the hype.
Glad to hear you say that. That is exactly how I would describe it as well, so that really verifies for me that although we did not like the Talalay mattress we tried from flo-beds a few years ago, we might still like latex in the Dunlop variety. Actually the first latex I ever layed on was Dunlop and it felt good, but then everyone said how greaet Talalay was so I bought into the hype. I'm not saying it isn't good, I'm just saying maybe Dunlop is better for ME. Thanks for the report and for the link. I'm going to check this company out. |
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mattressmom wrote: After lurking here and other places and doing lots of research - I finally recieved my latex mattress today. I'd like to add to the discussion by sharing my experiences with a company I haven't read about on this forum and about Dunlop latex. We went with a three layer 100% DUNLOP (yes, Dunlop, not Talalay) mattress from Savvy Rest via The Natural Sleep Store. We got a queen size with split firm (ILD 40), medium (ILD 35) and soft (ILD 30) layers. The cover is made of organic cotton quilted to organic wool. The total was $1849 including shipping - more than SleepEZ or some of the other online retailers but less than other organic latex mattresses.We got free UPS shipping through The Natural Sleep Store (which would have been $219 from Savvy Rest directly) plus a gift certificate for $160.00 that could be used toward bedding at their store. So far, I really like the mattress. It is just the right firmness. I don't think we would want anything softer than this configuration. We went with Dunlop even though there is so much more information about Talalay because we were more concerned about getting something too soft rather than too firm. I'll report on how we like the mattress in a few weeks. We went from years of futons that needed to be replaced every few years so this seems extremely comfy. Our latest futon had gotten really hard so we started researching other options and finally settled on the Savvy Rest. Mattressmom, I'm intrigued by your report on Savvy Rest. It's now been a couple months, are you just as happy now with your new mattress? I see you got soft | medium | firm. I'm looking to buy a ("Full/Std" size) Dunlop mattress for my Mom. She's 80, a side sleeper, and weighs only about 105 lbs. Based on the Savvy Rest mattress questionaire (http://www.savvyrest.com/helpful-info/mattress-questionnaire/index.php) and what the women at http://www.tinybirdsorganics.com/northstarbeds/organic-mattress-latexrubber.html write ("My sister and I both like the soft-soft-medium layering best for ourselves (we are in the 100-150 lb range and suffered from back-aches in the past when we used innerspring mattresses") I was thinking maybe soft | soft | medium might be right for my Mom, considering that soft Dunlop is firmer than soft Talalay. My other choice would be a SleepEz mattress, which is less expensive. Like you, though, I'm a bit concerned at the lack of info about their cover. Plus, although they offer Dunlop during the checkout process, they clearly favor Talalay, whereas I'm leaning towards Dunlop. The Savvy Rest emphasis on organic is nice, btw, but my Mom is not allergic nor (as far as I know) hypersensitive to chemicals. Are you totally satisfied after two months? Do you think the Savvy Rest was worth the extra expense? Philly888 This message was modified Mar 27, 2008 by Philly888
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| Having gone down that road myself I can't stress enough the importance of buying from a merchant that allows more than one comfort exchange and no restocking fee, neither of which SleepEZ does. They have a very nice product at a very attractive price but it's a crap shoot and if it doesn't work out after the first comfort exchange you are out a lot of money. Be very sure of exchange and return policies before you order. |
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cloud9 wrote: Having gone down that road myself I can't stress enough the importance of buying from a merchant that allows more than one comfort exchange and no restocking fee, neither of which SleepEZ does. They have a very nice product at a very attractive price but it's a crap shoot and if it doesn't work out after the first comfort exchange you are out a lot of money. Be very sure of exchange and return policies before you order.
Mattressmom in this thread was very persuasive about Dunlop and Savvy Rest, but Lynn2006 was ultimately more persuasive towards Flobeds. I really don't think my Mom will want to do any exchanges, but I like having the assurance that I could if I wanted to at low cost. Lynn2006 is probably closer to my Mom in height and weight than most of the other posters, and she (Lynn2006) prefers Talalay. I'm still not sure what I want for myself, and I've spent more than I've planned on my Mom's mattress, so I'm going to try to get by with a $65 topper. One crap shoot at a time. Philly888 This message was modified Mar 31, 2008 by Philly888
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Since your mom prefers Talalay she should really enjoy her Flobeds mattress. And it's reassuring that she can get those comfort exchanges if she needs them--or even return the bed for a full refund if it does come to that. I visited the Savvy Rest site and it seems like they give you one comfort exchange and do not accept returns at all! I would never buy something as expensive and personal as a mattress without having test driven it first if I knew I couldn't return it if it wasn't right for me. I think that's a terrible policy for any online mattress merchant to have. Mattressmom was really lucky it worked out for her. |