It has been a while since I've posted.  I am happy with the bed I have now.  Here is a summary of the entire saga:

Flobed:  I purchased a Flobed in early January.  I got the setup that was indicated to be firm. It was too soft for me. I did several core exchanges to get super firm cores but still too much of a sag for my back.  I returned it in April.

Stearns & Foster:  I bought a firm bed from Sears.  If you don't like the bed, you can return it within 30 days, no questions asked.  It definitely did not sag which was a big improvement but it was quite hard.  I woke up with backaches because it didn't provide any arch support to my back.  I had seen reviews of latex mattress toppers on this site and decided to order a 2" topper from foambymail.com.  They definitely seem to have the best prices.  They offered choices of a soft topper or a more firm one.  I decided to order the firmer one.  I've had it for about 2 weeks now and the bed is fantastic.  No more backaches or other pain, still have great support and no sags.  I may have been able to go with the softer topper as this one feels quite firm but I am very pleased and look forward to many years of comfortable sleep.

And now a couple more comments about Flobeds.  They were very pleasant to speak with.  They gave me no hassles when I asked to return the bed.  The only issues I had were related to getting reimbursed for core exchanges.  It takes up to 3 weeks to get your money back but they often exceeded the3 weeks and I had to remind them several times that they owed me money.  They returned the money for my original purchase but I had upgraded to 4 super firm cores during the test period.  On top of the other refund requests I made,  I had to request an additonal refund for $80 several times before I was reimbursed.

BobJ,

I am happy for you that you found a bed that fits your comfort needs and learned on this site that a topper may be what you need with a very firm surface underneath. Since I am not quite 5 feet tall, the X-Firm latex cores were firm enough for me and my 1" toppper was just right for my comfort but everyone is different and it feels so good when you are able to tweek your bed to make it just right for you.

It took Sleepies over 2 months to refund me my money when I cancelled the order the next day and the bed was never delivered. I am glad you at least did not have the restocking fees and at least were able to finally get your refunds despite having to do some reminding.

It is like this with pillows also for comfort. I love my Overstock Standard latex pillow. I had to order several of these pillows to get two the right comfort softness and height for me. But most of my friends feel my natural latex pillows are not thick enough for them. But to me they are comfortable. I was unable to return the other pillows that were too thick for me so I use them for pillow shams. Thank goodness the pillows were only $29.99 each plus the tiny bit of shipping Overstock charges.

Please keep us updated on your bed purchase and please share the model for those that want to try an extra firm bed with a topper. Well back to work for me.

Sleepies is a NJ mattress company that I was going to buy the Dormia Latex Bed from. Sleepies & SleepEZ are not related. I just realized this as I was taking a break from my work.

Thanks for letting us know. There seems to be a group of us with back pain, that foam mattresses just don't work. Keep us posted with how the SF continues to work for you.

Hey Bob,

  Without getting too personal, what sort of measurements are you?  I'm a big guy, 6'1', heavy,  and am considering a full latex flobed.  I definitely want a firm mattress and have a Stearns and Foster guest bed that I like right now (Its a twin though, and we're looking for a king.  Of course, thanks to the Mattress Companies naming policies, I couldn't go buy the king version if I wanted too.  Ha!).  Based on your post, I'm concerned that the flobed won't be firm enough for me.

Thanks.

I am not "Bob," but since he hasn't posted since June I thought I would put in my 2c.  I am also quite heavy and I have a Flobed.  On my side of the bed, I have three, 3" layers of blended Talatech latex from LI, each of them is xfirm at 36 ILD.  On top of those 3 layers is a 2" layer of softer convoluted latex layer (I don't quite remember, but somewhere in the 28-32 ILD?).  You might also read the thread going on in near the top of the forum called "Latex Problems" from a heavy guy who has a 6" core of LI Talatech at 40 ILD (not a Flobed) and is finding it too firm.

I'm happy with the three layers of 36 ILD.  I am finding it very supportive and firm, yet not creating pressure points at the hip or shoulder area (side sleeper here).  I typically like a cushy soft mattress, so when Flobeds interactive advisor suggested firm/xfirm/xfirm (32/36/36 ILD), I was not happy, and actually this dissuaded me from trying a Flobed initially.  However, once I got it, (both sides firm/xfirm/xfirm) I reallized that I was sleeping comfortably and almost pain free at night for the first time in ages.  So, I switched around the layers and am now sleeping, as I said, on xfirm/xfirm/xfirm, which I never would have thought I'd like, but I do.

I had a small initial issue with the Flobed they sent me, which is they accidentally sent me a king sized topper instead of a queen sized topper.  Once I notified them they sent me a new topper immediately with a return label for the king topper, and the exchange was no hassle at all.  The new topper actually is a little short both ways, but I haven't gotten around to notifying Flobeds of this.

I like the bed, if you like firmer rather than softer, and you are heavy, I suggest starting with 36 ILD and you can go up from there if you need to.

Groo21:

BobJ’s post from June 13, does not indicate how heavy a man he is. But his comment that he worked with FlowBeds and they supplied him with several different layers of latex and it was still too soft, I find to be, well, quite frankly, hard to comprehend.

 

The reason I say this is the fact that the sheet that I downloaded from FlowBeds website called “Latex Mattress Core Fact Sheet” stipulates that there ILD range for latex, from "soft to super firm" goes all the way from 19 ILD to 46 ILD. This is a very large difference in firmness.

 

As Kimberly has indicated she bought a FlowBeds that is blended latex. Therefore she has a greater range of firmness than I do. I purchased a FlowBeds that is 100% botanically grown natural latex. The firmness range on this brand of latex is from 20 to 38 ILD. Keep in mind that ILD stands for "Indentation Load Deflection" so an ILD of 46 indicates that it would take 46 pounds of pressure to compress a 4 inch piece of latex 25% or 1 inch into the latex with a steel plate that is 9 inches in diameter.

 

This ILD business can become quite confusing. And no piece of latex is uniform throughout its core. They take several readings and then average them. But it is the best indicator that we have if it is done honestly. The point being that Bob J. could have purchased a super firm core in a blended product that was anywhere between 42 and 46 ILD. As I indicated my bed is a natural latex bed and the firmest layer I can get is 38 ILD.

 

All I can tell you is that an extra firm piece of foam with an ILD of an average of 36 is quite firm indeed for me, and I weigh 210 pounds and am 6’2” tall. To my way of thinking, a Super Firm blended latex core of 46 ILD would almost be like sleeping on the floor, I would think. So what I am trying to say is, you can make a latex mattress so firm that to most people (even big people) it would sleep uncomfortably.

 

One other thought needs to be expressed. When you're spending this kind of money over the Internet, you want to make sure that you're dealing with quality people, and that they have a quality exchange and return policy. FlowBeds is the very best in this regard of any company doing business on the Internet, that I am aware of. And I checked the web for several months before making my purchase. You can check them out for yourself at flobeds.com.

Eagle,

Mostly, I am posting this reply to find out if someone is going to delete it.

I frequent this forum daily and can't help but notice that anytime anyone says anything negative about Flobeds, you are there to defend the company. I remember reading that, as a rule, flobeds ( a sponsor of this site) doesn't allow their employees to actively participate in forum posts, but I have trouble believing that your last name could be anything other than Turner.

I believe that Flobeds is a fine company, and I had trouble choosing between them and the company I eventually purchased my bed from.

Why not let BobJ have a negative view about his bed. It actually balances all of the positive stuff and makes them seem more real.

Philip

Philip wrote:

Philip: No my name is not Turner. I am a retired, 72 years old male, and in no way attached to the mattresses industry. I am just a very satisfied Flobeds customer.

I am sorry that you find my post offensive. I was trying to respond to Groo21 and should have quoted his remarks when I made my post. But since he had referenced Bob J, and this is his original thread, I addressed myself to Bob J’s complaints about not being able to find a firm enough mattress from FloBeds, since Groo21 refers to himself as a large man concerned about adequate firmness in acquiring a mattress. My apologies for not making that clear. I have since tried to correct this.

 

It would seem that Bob J. has forgotten about this thread as he has not posted since June 13, so I thought it was obvious that my comments were in no way directed at him.

 

All of my comments were an attempt to not denigrate against Bob J., but rather to assist the inquiries made by Groo21.

I have to vouch for eagle2, he's not with flobeds.
I think many of us have either dealt with or know others who dealt with flobeds and found them to have excellent customer service, that's all it is.

Jim,

Just curious, how can you vouch for Eagle? Are you guys off the site friends, or, are you affiliated with flobeds?