Just bought a new Flobeds
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I just purchased a new FloBeds. It is the 100% natural Talalay 4 layer mattresses. The top most layer being a soft egg crate 2" piece of Talalay. I purchased the following configuration. On the left side of the bed I have a median top layer, firm middle layer, and extra firm bottom layer. On the right side the top layer is firm, the second layer is extra firm, and the bottom layer is extra firm. I felt that this should give me an opportunity to switch the layers around and come up with the configuration that will work the best for my 6' 2" 210 pound frame. It has been quite a wrestling match, reading all the different descriptions that various people like, when it comes to firmness layers. You also run into this with some of the websites. No two people seem to consider this the same way. So I'm just going to have to experiment. This is one of the main reasons that I went with FloBeds. They have the most liberal exchange policy coupled with a generous return policy. They definitely get more money than some of the other sites. But when you're purchasing something this expensive from the Internet, and cannot lay on it, feel it, look at it, and even smell it, it's good to have a situation where you can make corrections at a nominal expense. Given the fact that FloBeds has an excellent reputation with the BBB, and Dave and Dewey Turner are excellent people to do business with, it just seemed to make good sense to me to consider the extra cost as an insurance policy. One last point I would like to make. I just realize that I have been misspelling FloBeds name. I had been misspelling it "FlowBeds." Wrong! It is spelled FloBeds.com. I hope I have not misdirected anyone. It will probably take about a week to get this bed in my home, set up, and slept on. When I have had an opportunity to do this I will be sure to post back and let you know what my experiences are, as I know how confusing this kind of a purchase can be. This message was modified Sep 22, 2009 by eagle2
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Re: Just bought a new Flobeds
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Eagle2, I forgot to ask what kind of foundation you have with your latex? I was looking at the european one on the Flobeds site. In theory it seems good, but I wonder about it making noise when you shift positions at night. That could be really irritating. Also I hate to spend extra for something that may not be necessary. Maybe a regular slat foundation would be just fine. Does anyone have experience with the european one? Thanks. |
Re: Just bought a new Flobeds
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diamonwater wrote: Eagle2, I forgot to ask what kind of foundation you have with your latex? I was looking at the european one on the Flobeds site. In theory it seems good, but I wonder about it making noise when you shift positions at night. That could be really irritating. Also I hate to spend extra for something that may not be necessary. Maybe a regular slat foundation would be just fine. Does anyone have experience with the european one? Thanks. I have been told so many differing things, regarding foundation for latex mattress, that it is hard to make any kind of recommendation. In my purchase of the latex bed we included a small slat riser that I can place on top of my old water bed foundation. Many people have told me, both on this forum, and other manufacturers of latex mattresses, that a slat foundation for ventilation is not necessary if you have a platform bed or mattress box such as I have from my old water bed, unless you live in a very humid area and your bedroom is not subject to air-conditioning and proper ventilation, then you need a slat type foundation. Unfortunately I cannot help you regarding the European foundation. It looks like a good idea and might prove quite beneficial. But it certainly isn't a necessary item for your latex mattress. Any of the slat foundations that FloBeds sells should work quite well. I checked the bottom of my old waterbed mattress when I removed it from the bedroom. After 10 years of usage I could find no mildew on the bottom of the mattress or the liner. Possibly some of the forum members who have a greater degree of experience in this area may be able to help you, beyond my limited information. This message was modified Oct 8, 2009 by eagle2
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Re: Just bought a new Flobeds
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I don't have the flobeds european slat foundation, but for a long time I used another type of Europena slat foundation with a completely different mattress set-up. Although it does have flexible beechwood slats, It's not the same design at all as flobeds so can't really be compared directly (I think the type of slat design I have are probably springier than flobeds. Anyway, ) I used it with a very firm thin piece of dunlap and wool pads, and liked it a lot. However, the bed was way too firm for my current needs. Ideally I would have liked to have kept using my European slats, but found it to be too springy with the 4-layer all natural talalay mattress (top layer being a thin piece of "egg-crate"). If I were using it with one less core and/or much firmer cores (I need a much softer bed than I used to), it might have worked. However, we already transfered the old bed set-up to the guest room and built a slat foundation (1 by 4's spaced 1 1/2 to 2" apart), and that feels more "solid" which I prefer. I'm still deciding on my bed and working on the layers. Will try to get back to this board and share more when the process is complete. |
Re: Just bought a new Flobeds
| I'm using a traditional box foundation with my latex mattress. |
Re: Just bought a new Flobeds
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Today I received the other core samples from FloBeds. At my request, a week ago today, I ask FloBeds for another medium core and a soft core. I wanted to check out a theory I had based on what Habitat website had said about their #2 and #3 better quality beds. They use a six-inch medium Dunlop core with a 2” Talalay soft topper on the number 2 bed, and a 3 inch Talalay soft topper on the number 3 bed with the same six-inch medium Dunlop core. They claim that 80% of there customers prefer this arrangement. So I wanted to try a 3” soft Talalay core on top of my extra firm, over extra firm, right side of the bed. I then moved the firm core from the right side of the bed to the left side of the bed. On the left side I now have a firm core, over a firm core, over and extra firm core. This is the arrangement that FloBeds firmness calculator suggested as being the best for a person of my size. We shall see. The soft core is rated at 22 ILD.The medium cores are 28 ILD. The firm cores are rated at 32 ILD. The extra firm cores are rated at 36 ILD. All of Latex Internationals cores of botanically grown Talalay latex are right in the middle of the ILD range for the particular soft, medium, firm, extra firm ratings. I am looking forward to the next several nights sleep to see how these new arrangements work out. I will make a post letting you know. This message was modified Oct 8, 2009 by eagle2
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Re: Just bought a new Flobeds
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I had another good nights sleep last night. To just reiterate, I have on the right side of my bed a soft layer, over and extra firm layer, over and extra firm layer. On the left side of my bed I have a firm layer, over a firm layer, over and extra firm layer. So the left side is more firm than the right side. And it is becoming increasingly difficult to make a determination as to which side I prefer as my body keeps adapting,(as it should) and therefore confusing my ability to make any kind of a determination. The one thing I’m experiencing that is consistent. We change how we feel regarding the sleep surface through the night. When I first go to bed one side or the other will feel better depending on how the day has gone. Once I get to sleep and have rested, my preference for firmer, or softer, may change. But even that is not consistent. Then towards morning, let’s say the last two or three hours that you spend in bed, it seems as if I change again as far as a preference goes for softer or firmer. It just is not some kind of simple mathematical scientific thing. It’s all tied up with physiology and psychology, and God only knows what else. And I am sure, that others, would have varying responses compared to mine, utilizing the very same mattress configuration as it currently exists. It’s understandable why Consumers Reports does not want to test mattresses anymore. Mattresses have become so expensive, and the mattress industry so loves to hide what they actually put into their mattress, to such an extent, that if they were exposed and criticized, Consumer Reports could very well get sued. Also, if their results did not match what their readers feel is the truth for them, they would have a lot of mad readers. So the frustration that we all feel trying to find the best mattress has a lot of foundation in fact. It’s no wonder we get so frustrated. |
Re: Just bought a new Flobeds
| What I want to know is, where is your wife in all this when you start on one side and decide you want to switch to the other side later in the night :p |
Re: Just bought a new Flobeds
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KimberlyH wrote: What I want to know is, where is your wife in all this when you start on one side and decide you want to switch to the other side later in the night :p My lovely wife has her own bedroom and a queen size bed. We have found that this makes life much less complicated. Our doors are always open, so there's no problem from that standpoint either. This message was modified Oct 10, 2009 by eagle2
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Re: Just bought a new Flobeds
| eagle2, which layers are you sleeping on/most happy with now, by the way? I think I remember you saying you were ordering a medium as well as a soft, to try with your firm and extra-firm configuration. |
Re: Just bought a new Flobeds
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linda wrote: eagle2, which layers are you sleeping on/most happy with now, by the way? I think I remember you saying you were ordering a medium as well as a soft, to try with your firm and extra-firm configuration. Linda: I have been reluctant to post my thoughts on each and every day, as I feel it becomes rather redundant. I had planned to wait until I had made some kind of determination regarding the two new layers before I posted my thoughts. But since you ask I will post a portion of a diary that I am keeping. "Sunday, October 11, 2009 I awoke this morning feeling quite refreshed. Again, the right side of my bed is soft, over extra firm, over extra firm. The left side of my bed ( looking from the foot to the head) is firm, over firm, over extra firm. It seems to me when I first get up that I am more alert and flexible than I used to be when I first got out of my waterbed. This is just a feeling I have, at this point in time, and will only know for sure as I have spent more time sleeping in this bed. I feel there is a definite advantage with having one side firmer than the other. I am probably going to try changing the soft layer, for a medium layer on the right side of the bed. I don’t know how long I’ll wait to do this because I want to give the current configuration plenty of time." Keep this thought in mind. All FloBeds come with a 2 inch top piece of soft Talalay convoluted latex. So with the soft three-inch piece of Talalay on the right side of my bed I'm actually sleeping on 5 inches of soft Talalay, over extra firm, over extra firm. So the right side of the bed definitely has a softer feel. After I have had sufficient experience with this configuration, I will exchange the soft three-inch top piece for a medium three-inch piece. The problem with all of this flexibility is the fact that we humans go through quite a psychological process with any new experience. We first must build a small database to adapt to the new experience. Once we get used to this new experience our old experiences tend to fade somewhat. This can make the process of determining what is the best firmness configuration of this type of latex mattress more difficult. If you want proof of this, read some of Jimsocal's frustrations with trying to find the proper bed. He went through the FloBeds experience, and many layers of FBM in trying to find that exact satisfactory mattress configuration. He has not posted in some time but my assumption is he is still working at it. This message was modified Oct 11, 2009 by eagle2
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