Flobeds is in my area, I have questions
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Turns out their factory is close to me, never heard of them till this forum... Why them vs Tempurpedic Do they have an in home trial period or just that core deal that you can try Most importantly, who has one and why do they like it?? thanx This message was modified Oct 10, 2009 by randys
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Re: Flobeds is in my area, I have questions
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Randy, When you are asking about Flobeds vs. Tempurpedic, what you are really asking is, latex mattress vs. memory foam mattress. Although both are foam mattresses, they are made of different material and have quite a different feel to lie on. A latex mattress is made of either natural rubber from a rubber tree, synthetic rubber, which is chemically identical, or a blended latex made up of both natural and synthetic rubber. A Tempurpedic mattress is made of visco foam (memory foam). They feel quite different. In a Tempurpedic bed, the foam is heat responsive. As your body warms up the foam, it will soften, and your body will "sink" into it somewhat and cradle it. Some people liken it to lying on sand. There is very little motion transfer between you and your partner. People either love or hate Tempurpedics. People who love them say they would never sleep on anything else again, and when they go away on a trip they can't wait to get home to their Tempurpedic. Tempurpedic also has a great satisfaction rate reported in Consumer Report. People who don't like Tempurpedic complain that: 1) The off-gassing is horrible during the first few weeks (it is a petro-chemical product). 2) The beds sleep uncomfortably "hot" (since the foam is in contact with your skin and enveloping it, and responding to your body heat and reflecting that heat back). 3) The foam began to break down after a few years, and while it did not develop indentations, the foam did develop soft spots that made the bed unevenly supportive. The feel of a latex mattress is different than this. With a latex mattress, you don't sink in and become enveloped by the foam. Latex is bouncier, springier, and it comes in a wide range of firmnesses to accomodate your weight, sleeping position, and firmness preferences. Furthermore, the mattresses from companies like Flobeds have several layers. For example, one bed they offer has four layers of latex. Three of these layers can be individually ordered at different firmness levels to acheive the ideal firmness for you (the top layer is a soft convoluted latex layer). Furthermore, you can custom order the layers on each side of the bed if you have a partner. The layers are mailed to you with the cover, you assemble it, and zip the cover together. Latex is also known for its longevity. People report their latex mattresses still going strong after 20 or more years. After all the reading and reading and more reading I've done, I can't really say I've come across any real complaints about latex. It sleeps cooler, is very supportive, lasts forever, and, if this is something that makes a difference to you, it is a natural product (produced from the rubber tree). Latex beds are more popular in europe, in the US, people who purchase foam mattresses are more familiar with memory foam (Tempurpedic). You are quite fortunate that you live near Flobeds. This should make it easy for you to visit and try out lying on latex. Then go to a local Tempurpedic dealer and try out the tempurpedic. You will immediately notice the difference in how they feel, and you will have to decide which you like better. I like them both, but ultimately I went the latex route. Whichever way you go, just be sure you get a bed from a company that offers a 30-90 day return policy. Since you specifically asked about Flobeds, they do have a 90 day return policy, and during this 90 days, you can also exchange layers of latex for different firmnesses until you find the combination that's right for you. One thing I would be *very* cautious about is falling prey to the "latex" mattresses offered by companies such as Sealy and Simmons. They say they are latex, but they really have a latex core with a bunch of pu foam on top of the latex. I would be wary of these beds not being as durable as an all-latex be such as Flobeds sells. Here are some websites to help: http://www.latexinternational.com/index.php (website of Latex International, the US manufacturer of latex) http://www.flobeds.com/ (Flobeds) http://www.sleepezbeds.com/ (Sleepez, another maker of latex mattresses) http://www.tempurpedic.com/mattresses/ This message was modified Oct 11, 2009 by KimberlyH
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Re: Flobeds is in my area, I have questions
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outstanding response do you work for flobeds?  it is ok if you do, your input has been very helpfuli think you are saying that in comparing the two types i wont need to sleep on the flobed at all, just lie on it for a few minutes and feel the difference i know i need more time to make an informed decision, but i think you are saying that if they were side by side and i jumped from one to the other i would instantly notice the difference? This message was modified Oct 11, 2009 by randys
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Re: Flobeds is in my area, I have questions
| There is a huge difference between memory foam and latex. Neither is better or worse. Latex feels like sleeping on jell-o. Memory foam feels like sleeping on a marshmallow. Try both! |
Re: Flobeds is in my area, I have questions
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Randy, No, I do not work for Flobeds. I don't work for any mattress company. I've been spending the last few months researching mattresses because I need a new one. I didn't even know about latex mattresses a few months ago, but my mother in law suggested I get a Tempurpedic because I have issues with back and hip pain. Also, I was looking for a new mattress for my daughter, and my husband wanted me to look into a futon for her. Somehow when searching futons I came across latex beds, became interested, and started researching Tempurpedics and latex mattresses side by side. I do not live near Flobeds, or any other maker of all-latex mattresses, I had to really search out and only found two places where I could drive to try them out. I ended up spending weeks going and lying on Tempurpedic mattresses, and several times driving to the places that carried latex mattresses, and spending quite a bit of time lying on both types. Yes, if you had a latex and a tempurpedic mattress side by side, and you jumped from one to the other, you would notice an immediate difference between them. They just feel different. The tempurpedic is going to feel more like a slab of hard foam that softens and responds to your body heat the longer you lie on it. The latex mattress - well I wouldn't call it jello exactly, but yes, if you tapped your finger on a bowl of smooth jello, you would notice it being soft, yet resilient and supportive. That is the feel of a latex mattress. When you press your hand into a tempurpedic mattress, the mattress is going to retain the impression of your hand when you remove it, and your hand impression will slowly dissipate. When you press your hand into a latex mattress and then remove it, the latex is going to quickly bounce back to its original shape. They are similar *only* in that they are both open cell foam products, which means that when you put pressure on them, the air in the foam cells is pushed out and the foam comforms to your body, taking on your shape and supporting you. I would try both, several times, then come back and tell us what you think. Both Flobeds and Tempurpedic offer 90 day money back guarantees, so you would not lose anything by trying either one at home. Additionally, since the Flobed is build in layers, and the latex sheets come in different firmness levels, you have the option of changing out say, a firm layer for a medium layer, or visa versa, to make your latex bed exactly the firmness level that is comfortable for you. I will say that I ended up buying a latex mattress from a local company. For reasons I won't go into here, I returned this mattress yesterday and reordered a new latex mattress from Flobeds, which I'm expecting to receive on Thursday. Eagle on this forum has recently purchased his Flobeds and has lengthy comments about his new mattress . You might check out the comments on his Just bought a Flobeds thread. |
Re: Flobeds is in my area, I have questions
Randy: I do not agree that latex feels like Jell-O. At least not the Jell-O that I'm used to. Latex feels different than just about any other substance that I'm aware of. In my case I'm talking about 100% botanically grown natural Talalay process latex. I know, that's a lengthy name. Unfortunately, because nobody big enough that is willing do it has stepped in and required a universal definition for latex, this problem will persist. It can be either a blended product of petrochemicals plus natural, and almost any percentage point, one way or the other. And processed by two different methods, either the Dunlop process or the Talalay process. Both processes produce a very different products. Or it can be a latex made out of 100% botanically grown material. I'm sure the point has already been made, but Tempurpedic memory foam latex mattress, are made exclusively from petrochemicals. And they are so different from the products that we are talking about that they should not be compared at all, in my opinion. I am 6'2" tall and weigh 210 pounds. My bed is exclusively made out of 100% botanically grown natural Talalay processed latex. The latex is manufactured by Latex International, put together and sold by FloBeds. As Kimberly stated you can read my thread, "I just bought a FloBeds" for a great deal of description and discussion on these beds. My mattress is definitely on the firmer side. The deal with latex all depends upon the firmness of the various layers. The bottom layer should be the most firm, the middle layer somewhat less firm(generally speaking) and the top layer least firm, it all depending upon two things. Your size, and your preferences for a comfortable sleeping surface. If you are a large enough person to require it, you could conceivably have a bed made out of all extra firm latex. This would be a very firm bed. And I can assure you it would not feel like Jell-O. And if you purchased a blended Talalay latex bed made out of all super firm latex with an 44 ILD, it would more than likely sleep like something quite solid, some people might like that. But it certainly wouldn't be me. Problems arise in trying to make a determination because most of the websites promote either blended latex or 100% natural botanically grown latex. Some sites even push Talalay processed latex over Dunlop processed latex. And I should add here both processes can use petrochemicals to a larger or lesser degree with the natural botanical grown latex and produce a blended product. Sites that believe in the 100% botanically grown natural latex, will probably push that product. Other sites that believe in the blended product will probably push that product. So it can become quite confusing, as you might imagine. This is wholly compounded by the fact that I can't lay down on the mattress and can only purchase it over the Internet. This is why you want to buy from a company that gives you a return privilege, as well as a certain period of time to exchange the layers to find the proper firmness for you. When you're going to spend between $2000 and $3000 for mattress you wanted it to be right! if you are close to FloBeds you have a privilege that few of us enjoy on this website. You can go to their store and lay on all kinds of different firmnesses of latex. I just purchased from them and I consider them to be the best manufacturer of latex beds on the Internet. They have the best exchange policy and the best return policy when you consider all of the various features. If you're that close to them you could even run the different layers back and forth yourself, at no cost to you, until you found the proper configuration. Lucky you!  This message was modified Oct 11, 2009 by eagle2
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Re: Flobeds is in my area, I have questions
| I think jello is actually a pretty good description for all natural talalay latex! I know we're all different in terms of how things feel, and of course it also depends on how firm your layers are... maybe well-set, firm yet bouncy, jello :) But my husband calls it "the sponge bed", and he can sleep on most anything, whether it's a sponge or a rock. |
Re: Flobeds is in my area, I have questions
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linda wrote: I think jello is actually a pretty good description for all natural talalay latex! I know we're all different in terms of how things feel, and of course it also depends on how firm your layers are... maybe well-set, firm yet bouncy, jello :) But my husband calls it "the sponge bed", and he can sleep on most anything, whether it's a sponge or a rock. Linda: The new soft layer of Talalay I received from Flobeds to try out, is quite soft and does have a some what Jello feel. The mediam piece is some what firmer, and you might call it, "Jello like", I would not, but the firm and extra firm are surely not Jello in their consistency. And this is if you do not lay on them. Once you lay down on them and spread out the load you have an entirely different feel. I am currently sleeping on one side of my bed with soft, over extra firm, over extra firm. The other side is firm, over firm, over extra firm. Neither side feels like Jello to me. The side with the soft core does have a softer initial feel however. Well, as they say in France, Viva la Difference! This message was modified Oct 11, 2009 by eagle2
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