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Hi guys, I signed-up for this site because I conducted some research of the various types of beds out there. Based on my research uncovering huge problems with each option, I have no idea what to buy. I need to buy a new bed soon.. When I researched spring mattresses I found the following problems: - They usually sag after a while and the sag is most often not covered under warranty because the warranty states that some level of sag is acceptable to them, the manufacturer, whilst the buyer remains stuck with a sagging mattress. - they allow for dust mites etc. to accumulate - it is impossible to comparison shop due to shady collusion between manufacturers and retailers obfuscating the features/specs of the products - from my own personal experience with other spring mattresses, I don't like how they have thousands of tiny balls form on them, kind of like pilling in clothing...I presume that all spring mattresses do that? I really hate that. When I researched memory foam mattresses, I found the following problems: - they tend to crap out after a few years - they get infested with mold if they get wet and then they are health hazards and nothing can be done about that - some of them emit toxins due to the glue used in their manufacturing or something Ok, so now that I know about these problems, I will feel like a sucker for buying any kind of bed. Yet, I still need a bed so I will have to buy something. Is there any kind of bed that doesn't have these problems? I hope you guys can help give me some clarity as to how I should wade through these problems and determine what I should buy. What kind of bed can I buy that will give me the peace of mind of knowing such defects won't mess with me in the future? I live in Toronto, Canada and my price range is about $1500-2000 CAD but I might be willing to go higher (maybe up to $3500 CAD max) if I can find a bed that doesn't have any of the aforementioned type of problems. I do not have a lot of money, so it is very important for me to buy a bed that will last for around 10 years at least. This message was modified Jan 31, 2010 by confusedbedbuyer
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| i know in my neck of the woods Sealy has had a "100% Latex" mattress for years. It still has polyurethane quilted into the cover and the latex is 100% synthetic content. So there isn't any 'real' latex in it whatsoever. |
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budgy wrote: i know in my neck of the woods Sealy has had a "100% Latex" mattress for years. It still has polyurethane quilted into the cover and the latex is 100% synthetic content. So there isn't any 'real' latex in it whatsoever. What does that mean, that it has 100% synthetic content? That means it has no actual rubber from the rubber tree?? Then how could they call it latex? I'm confused... I thought synthetic latex meant it was a blend of rubber from the rubber tree and -whatever they add to it. By the way, when you buy a "blended Talalay" for example, from LI, what is the non-natural-rubber part of the blend? ((I have probably read this before but cannot for the life of me remember right now.) But yeah, this mattress Serta has could be "100% latex" but 100% synthetic latex, then, couldn't it? Even though processed using the Talalay method? |
| its still 'latex'. synthetic latex means 100% synthetic. blended latex means a blend of synthetic and natural (most latex sold is a blend of the two). 100% natural would mean the absence of synthetic rubber. |
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budgy wrote: its still 'latex'. synthetic latex means 100% synthetic. blended latex means a blend of synthetic and natural (most latex sold is a blend of the two). 100% natural would mean the absence of synthetic rubber. But what IS synthetic latex?? I mean, is it pure chemicals? What chemicals? Link ? Is it any good at all? |
| See my thread, "I made my own Hybrid mattress" It may shed some light. |
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jimsocal wrote: But what IS synthetic latex?? I mean, is it pure chemicals? What chemicals? Link ? Is it any good at all? Yes, Synthetic Latex IS SBR Rubber (Styrene Butadiene). It is made from petro chemical derivatives. It's bouncy and supportive, but it has absolutely none of the hypoallergenic properties of NR (natural rubber), and it lacks the elasticity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrene-butadiene Most latex sold in North America is Styrene Butadiene, (actually most is a blend of natural and synthetic rubber, but with more of the latter) |
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Budgy, is there a distinctive way to tell the blended latex from the 100% natural? I have a topper that it suppose to be 100% natural, but I am not totally convinced that it is not the blend. It seems very similiar to the blend I tried and has about the same density (4.6 for 32 ILD). The blend might have had a slightly more chemical smell, which is the only thing that makes me think what I currently have might be 100% natural. However, with no labels on toppers it is hard to know for sure what you are getting. Do some places call the blend 100% natural, on the basis that petroleum is "natural". That is very misleading if that is the case. I might add that both Flobeds and Sleepez told me that the blended performs very similiar to the 100% natural. Almost like the blend was a better value because it was cheaper and might last longer. Flobeds did say the 100% natural was heavier and slightly thicker (the pieces they sell). This message was modified Feb 6, 2010 by sandman
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a lot of sales people call any latex product all natural not even aware that there is such a thing as synthetic rubber despite how prevalent it is. it is sometimes difficult to tell unless you had two un covered samples side by side. The hand is completely different, or atleast you can tell it is on the smoother surfaces that would have been in contact with the mould. Natural rubber is a lot softer (to the skin), smoother and oilier feeling to the touch. This is atleast true with natural Dunlop rubber, its rare to see natural talalay 6" pieces, so harder to find pieces with smooth edges for a fair comparison this way. The other way to tell is sometimes the smell, natural rubber does have a more distinctive smell to it. EDIT: And if they meant similar performance in terms of the bounciness and support then I do agree. However in terms of all of the other purported benefits to sleeping on a latex mattress the natural rubber outperforms, ie: allergen resistance, elasticity (conformity to body shape), and overall durability is actually better with natural rubber, the cells are more elastic and therefore not nearly as brittle. This message was modified Feb 6, 2010 by budgy
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To the latex experts, have you ever seen Overstock's latex in person? I really want to know if it is what they say it is. I did call them but they really don't know what they have!! I swear it is exactly like the Costco latex mattress BUT it's HOT. So was the Costco mattress. I agree that latex is hot and I tried only a sheet Kim! Alice |
| Both the overstock and costco latex beds use a polyester cover. there is hardly anything to absorb the moisture away from your body, so yeah, any foam bed with that cover will be HOT, whether it be natural or synthetic blend latex shouldn't really make a difference this way. you need something to absorb the humidity and regulate tempurature, polyester fibres are not good whatsoever at doing either of the two. |