That pillowtop feel
Feb 2, 2011 2:22 PM
Joined: May 22, 2008
Points: 171
So we all know to avoid pillowtops (because they contain very soft, cheap poly foam that won't last). But, I miss that pillowtop feel! I have a Sleepez 10000 mattress (config below), which is reasonably comfortable and seems to have about the right amount of support. I sleep ok, don't have backaches, but I do wake feeling stiff and a bit sore on my "bony" places. But the main thing is, it isn't cushy like a pillowtop. I've tried all sorts of toppers (memory foam, wool, feather bed, etc) to get that feel, however some of them were less than high quality, so I am not sure if the failure was due to quality or material. My latest attempt was 1" of "soft" latex from Sleepez. But their soft is ~ 23 ILD, which would be quite firm compared to say the supersoft 14 ILD latex you can get. So I am thinking of replacing the soft latex with supersoft latex. Alternatives would be a high quality convoluted foam, or the Dormier wool topper. Does anyone know if any of these would feel pillowtoppish? Or do I need to use cheap poly foam for that feel? Thanks...

My current mattress config. I added a 1" talalay latex topper to the standard 10000 mattress (its in the cover with all the other latex), so I have (top to bottom):

  • 1" soft talalay (23 ILD)
  • 3" soft talalay (23)
  • 3" medium dunlop (31)
  • 3" firm dunlop (39)

Other toppers I've tried

  1. Memory foam doesn't work for me, starts too cold and hard and ends up too hot and soft
  2. Feather bed felt good at first but compresses too much
  3. The convoluted foam I tried must have been cheap or defective; it broke down very quickly and never was very comfortable
  4. The Cuddlebed from Costco may have helped some but the outside layer was so much fuller than the inside that it felt off-balance to me.
  5. Wool may work; the topper I tried was pretty thin and was backed with a firm lining that made things feel firmer to me. The St Dormier sounds a lot fluffier.

Yes, I know I'm picky smiley

Steve

Re: That pillowtop feel
Reply #8 Feb 3, 2011 12:50 PM
Joined: Dec 24, 2010
Points: 46
I am glad I am reading this post, because I am after the same "pillow top feel" as everyone else here. Although, it appears that we have different preferences in the firmness we also need to take our weight differences into considerations. I am shoked that someone would say that 20 IDL is firm as a rock while I am currently sleeping on 32 IDL and I find it very comfortable. (I am 5'9" & 175 pounds)

Back to topic though, I had a thought running through my head a while back that instead of selling my used spring mattress for cheap, rip out the pillow top layer and recycle it, but that defeats the whole purpose of my idea of "100% natural bed". So I decided looking for pillow top feel with natural wool covers and soft toppers.

Wool topper from Costco gave me somewhat a softer feel, but it's not enough, so now I am after 1" soft latex topper. I am reading that 1" 14 IDL (or possibly 15 IDL from SLAB) might be what I need, but at the same time some people have conflicting results. Should I bother with it? Also $200 for 15 IDL from SLAB seems a bit too much, can anyone recommend cheaper place?

This message was modified Feb 3, 2011 by klas
Re: That pillowtop feel
Reply #9 Feb 3, 2011 1:11 PM
Joined: Oct 15, 2009
Points: 966
I have not seen the 14ILD talatech or 15 Celsion any place but sleeplikeabear.   I would think it would be available somewhere else, possibly cheaper, but you would have to do some searching.

Some think 14 is too soft, so 19 is another alternative.   Steve finds the 23 too firm, so I am not sure if the 19 would be enough of a difference.  Anyway, I would tend to stick to 1" of the 14, and if one wants more then I would probably add 1" of 19.   Then you can 2 options, with the 19 on top being a bit firmer.   Of course, if you have 1" of 14 I would try folding it in half if possible to see what that is like, before adding another inch.

They also make the Evercload latex quilting.  That should add some plush pillowtop feel as well, but not sure where you can buy it.  It would be nice is it came in a fitted top, but I don't think it does.

Re: That pillowtop feel
Reply #10 Feb 3, 2011 5:20 PM
Joined: Dec 24, 2010
Points: 46
Does anyone have experience with foamonline.com? They seem to have varying firmness as low as 10 IDL. Not sure about their quality, but I am tempted to order samples at $2 a piece.
Re: That pillowtop feel
Reply #11 Feb 4, 2011 8:20 PM
Joined: May 22, 2008
Points: 171
Just an FYI, I called Shawn at SleepEZ and explained my current situation and told him I want a supersoft layer. He said he normally doesn't stock that because it won't last as long as higher density foam, and he doesn't want to run into warranty issues. But he said he would get me a layer if I didn't expect a warranty. The point here is that he is charging me the same price as for the regular soft. That's $147 for 1" cal king, as compared to $232 at SLAB, so thats a pretty big savings. I don't know the source for the Sleepez foam but I've never heard anyone complain about their foam so I think I'm good here. I'm pretty sure he would be happy to order more if anyone else is interested. Otherwise I will report back when I get this (next week sometime)...

Steve

This message was modified Feb 5, 2011 by st3v3k4hn
Re: That pillowtop feel
Reply #12 Feb 4, 2011 8:24 PM
Joined: Dec 24, 2010
Points: 46
Did you ask him what IDL? Let us know when you get it, I would be curious since it might be cheaper.
This message was modified Feb 4, 2011 by klas
Re: That pillowtop feel
Reply #13 Feb 5, 2011 7:25 AM
Joined: Dec 11, 2009
Points: 113
Klas,

The old mattress seller "saw" that "everyone is different" is, unfortunately true.  What is firm or soft is completely subjective and sleep patterns... and what your mattress pad over the top varies a lot.  Even a tighter sheet will make a huge difference.  I learned that the hard way.

Re: your 1 inch topper, since you are sleeping pretty well on 32 ILD.... weigh what I do, I'll bet you are a back sleeper.  Further, I have concluded that the 14 ILD SLAB that I have is probably too soft for me.  I have pulled it out numerous times and tried it, top layer, second layer, and found each time that it was too soft, not supportive enough even for me, who must want among the softest top layers to accommodate my boney shoulder/hip in side sleep.   I felt 6 inches of 20 was hard.  There were some issues, as I thought the 2x2 inch part of that may have been mismarked.

At any rate, having been there with all the products, I strongly recommend that you get 20 ILD from www.foambymail.com. It is 'quite soft' as others have said.  The last piece I bought from them was perfect... for $93 delivered.. though a previous piece had several small 2x2 inch patches which did not affect the usability of the product one iota.

I don't think you will regret this.  Slightly more than half, and I am sure you would be unhappy with SLAB.

Oh... one important difference:  SLAB will accept a return, FBM will not.    The first time I tried the 14 ILD (found it too soft then, too)... they accepted my return graciously... with restocking fee/shipping of $32 from Atlanta.  So you can experiment with 14 ILD at a high cost.

http://www.foambymail.com/LatexTopper.html

 

 

klas wrote:

I am glad I am reading this post, because I am after the same "pillow top feel" as everyone else here. Although, it appears that we have different preferences in the firmness we also need to take our weight differences into considerations. I am shoked that someone would say that 20 IDL is firm as a rock while I am currently sleeping on 32 IDL and I find it very comfortable. (I am 5'9" & 175 pounds)

Back to topic though, I had a thought running through my head a while back that instead of selling my used spring mattress for cheap, rip out the pillow top layer and recycle it, but that defeats the whole purpose of my idea of "100% natural bed". So I decided looking for pillow top feel with natural wool covers and soft toppers.

Wool topper from Costco gave me somewhat a softer feel, but it's not enough, so now I am after 1" soft latex topper. I am reading that 1" 14 IDL (or possibly 15 IDL from SLAB) might be what I need, but at the same time some people have conflicting results. Should I bother with it? Also $200 for 15 IDL from SLAB seems a bit too much, can anyone recommend cheaper place?



Re: That pillowtop feel
Reply #14 Feb 9, 2011 2:27 PM
Joined: May 22, 2008
Points: 171
I haven't received the supersoft layer from SleepEZ yet but I talked to Shawn today - he said its 16 ILD, and from Radium.

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