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New member here. Thanks Phoenix for all the great info on this site. Just wanted to tag along this topic as I am shopping for a new mattress. Today I visited the Original Mattress Factory in Atlanta and tried out their Serenity Latex mattress. It's a double-sided mattress with blended talalay latex comfort layers with a HD poly foam support core. My question is how would that mattress compare to something like a SleepEZ 10" that is 100% latex across all layers of the mattress? The price points are comparable but I assume I would be getting more value if I went with the SleepEZ. I am just unsure as how to compare them as I cannot try out the all latex mattress. Thanks in advance for your time!

Hi yixi,

I switched your post into a new topic of its own so that your questions and any replies don't get mixed in with different questions in another member's topic.

My question is how would that mattress compare to something like a SleepEZ 10" that is 100% latex across all layers of the mattress?

There is more about the 3 most important parts of "value" of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).

In terms of suitability ... the only way to know how two mattress that have different designs will compare in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) would be based on your own careful testing or your personal sleeping experience. The OMF Serenity has the advantage of being able to test it in person to make sure that it's a good match for you in terms of PPP while the SleepEZ 10000 has the advantage of being able to rearrange or exchange the layers so that if your first choice or layering combination doesn't turn out as well as you hoped for you can fine tune the comfort and/or support of the mattress by rearranging or exchange layers.

In terms of durability ... both mattresses use high quality materials and there are no lower quality materials or weak links in either of them that would reduce the durability or useful life of either mattress. The latex in the middle layer of the SleepEZ would probably be more durable than the 2.5 lb polyfoam in the middle of the Serenity but the Serenity is also a two sided mattress (see post #3 here ) so they would both make very durable choices. The SleepEZ 1000o is also a component mattress which also has the advantage of being able to replace a single layer if one of the layers softens or breaks down before the others or if your needs and preferences change over time without having to replace the entire mattress.

In terms of overall "value" this would really depend on how they compared in terms of suitability and PPP along with all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. In addition to the flexibility of being able to rearrange or exchange individual layers ... SleepEZ also has a very good return/refund policy if in the worst case (which would be a very small minority of people) none of the layering combinations was a good match for you. Original Mattress Factory has the advantage of being able to test in in person before a purchase but if the choice you make doesn't turn out as well as you hoped for they only have an exchange policy ( see here for the details) which allows you to exchange the mattress for a different mattress but there are higher costs involved. They also don't have any other latex mattresses so you wouldn't be able to exchange for a different latex mattress if you wanted to sleep on latex but the firmness level wasn't suitable for you.

SleepEZ also has a wool quilted cover which would have an advantage in terms of temperature regulation and it also has 9" of latex rather than just the 6" of latex in the Serenity so the raw materials cost of the SleepEZ mattress would be higher than the Serenity but of course this isn't as important as whether a mattress is a good match in terms of PPP and whether a mattress uses high quality and durable materials.

SleepEZ is also a member of this site which means that I think very highly of them and that I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency although I also think highly of the quality and value of the OMF mattresses as well..

Once you are down to a list of finalists and you are confident that they would all be a good match for you in terms of PPP (or you have good options after a purchase if you aren't) and that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in any of them in terms of durability (which there aren't) then you would be down to finalists that are comparing "good to good". If there are no clear winners between them at this point (which is usually a good indication that you have done some very good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely make a good quality/value choice and ( post #2 here ) can help you make a final choice based on your local testing or mattresses you have slept well on, your more detailed conversations with each of them, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, your preferences, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress or individual layers, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on "informed best judgement" based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. Sometimes a final choice may even come down to very minor differences or can sometimes just be a matter of "gut feel" or "educated best judgement".

Phoenix

Have you looked at FoamSweetFoam? I just purchased a 12" 4 layer latex bed from them and my husband and I love it. Their actual price was less than on the first page since they always have coupons that take the dollars off. I found their mattress covers (we bought two Twin XL's) were of a very high quality. Well made, perfect fit, a sturdy zipper and really nice to the feel. The cover is made of cotton and wool.

The beds were easy for me to assemble and I am a 51 yr old woman who isn't in the best shape.

The beds took seven business days to arrive, a tad longer than the website initially showed, but that wasn't a big deal to us. I would assume the bed feels like any build yourself 100% natural latex bed with the same ILD specs.

We are very happy with this decision except that I have lost my "woman cave." My husband despised our old mattress so much that he always watched TV on the reclining couch. Even though I wasn't found of the old bed, I tolerated it enough to enjoy my DIY shows in the evening. That is now over. He loves the new bed, loves having an adjustable foundation with massager and loves to hog the TV remote. Apparently the bedroom TV only gets SEC football at this moment...

Thank you very much Phoenix for the in depth explanation. The OMF representative mentioned that the blended latex in their mattress offers more longevity than 100% natural latex. Is that an accurate statement?

Hi yixi,

The OMF representative mentioned that the blended latex in their mattress offers more longevity than 100% natural latex. Is that an accurate statement?

Yes it's accurate for Talalay latex ... particularly in softer ILD's. There is more about blended Talalay latex vs 100% natural Talalay in post #2 here . SleepEZ will tell you the same thing.

Phoenix

Hi, Phoenix,

Had a chance to go by a specialty mattress store earlier today with the wife to test out some 100% latex mattresses (Omi and Pure Latex Bliss). The wife was a huge fan of the Omi (100% dunlop) while I preferred the Pure Latex Bliss (100% talalay). I was convinced that 100% latex was the way to go until I started looking at Brooklyn Bedding. The only reason BB caught my eye was because of the price. I am just having difficulty justifying spending almost twice as much for 6 inches more of latex. My wife is pushing for a mattress that is both made of natural materials (environmentally friendly) with the least amount of animal fibers (ethical). I am still struggling with the decision to go with 100% latex however. My question is, comparing a bed like Sleep EZ to BB, will the BB sleep hotter because of the foam? Will it trap heat and moisture (thus be less efficient at fighting bacteria)? Also as someone with allergies, will BB be more likely to accumulate dust mites? And lastly, the owner of the mattress store we went to told us that talalay cannot be made without some synthetic ingredients whereas dunlop can. Is this true? Do either contain synthetic ingredients? Oh, and also, Flo Beds claims that dunlop is less durable that talalay. Any links you can provide to an explanation of the difference in durability and longevity of these two types of processing?

Hi yixi,

That's a lot of questions so I'll try and answer them one at a time

The only reason BB caught my eye was because of the price. I am just having difficulty justifying spending almost twice as much for 6 inches more of latex.

There is more about the 3 most important parts of "value" of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).

There is also more about some of the differences between a latex/polyfoam hybrid and an all latex mattress in post #2 here .

There are also many different types and blends of latex that can vary in their properties and their prices. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here . There is also more about the general differences between Dunlop and Talalay in post #7 here . The Pure Latex Bliss mattresses use blended Talalay latex, the OMI mattresses use 100% natural and certified organic Dunlop, and the BestMattressEver uses 2" of blended Talalay on top of 2" of synthetic Dunlop on top of their polyfoam support core. All of these use high quality and durable materials and there would be no weak links in any of them in terms of durability but of course they will be very different in how they feel because they all have different types and blends of latex and different designs.

My question is, comparing a bed like Sleep EZ to BB, will the BB sleep hotter because of the foam? Will it trap heat and moisture (thus be less efficient at fighting bacteria)?

While it's not possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the "oven to iceberg" range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials ... there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.

Wool is among the best temperature regulating materials so a mattress that has a wool quilted cotton cover would have an advantage in terms of temperature regulation vs a cover that was quilted with polyfoam or a cover that wasn't quilted at all but latex in general is the most breathable and the most temperature neutral of all the foam materials so it's unlikely that most people would have any issues with sleeping temperature on any of the mattresses you mentioned.

I don't think any of the mattresses you mentioned (or for that matter most mattresses) would have any issues with bacteria because most people would be using a mattress protector on their mattress anyway which can be easily removed and cleaned.

Also as someone with allergies, will BB be more likely to accumulate dust mites?

There is more information about dust mites and allergies and methods that can be used to control dust mite populations or other allergens in post #2 here and in post #3 here . There is also more about allergy encasements in post #2 here .

Whether a mattress accumulates dust mites has more to do with your mattress encasement and mattress protector than with the mattress itself.

And lastly, the owner of the mattress store we went to told us that talalay cannot be made without some synthetic ingredients whereas dunlop can. Is this true? Do either contain synthetic ingredients?

Latex can be made using either the Dunlop or Talalay method and either one can use either natural rubber, synthetic rubber, or a blend of both. Even latex that uses 100% natural rubber though (either Talalay or Dunlop) will have some additional ingredients in the formulation outside of the rubber itself (see post #7 here ). Even Dunlop latex that has an organic certification only has to have 95% natural rubber (see post #2 here for more about the different types of organic certifications and post #2 here for more information about organic and "safety" certifications)

Oh, and also, Flo Beds claims that dunlop is less durable that talalay.

Outside of blended Dunlop latex that has high levels of fillers (which you generally won't find) or 100% natural Talalay in the softer ILD's ... I would treat all the types and blends of latex as close equivalents in terms of durability and they would all be more durable than most other types of foam materials.

Phoenix

Hi - I'm new member here mostly doing a lot of reading and research. Since one of the brands you are looking at is OMF we currently have 3 OMF beds and are very happy with them. All 3 are innerspring. What prompted us to research mattresses is that we made the mistake and tried out an adjustable bed and had to have it! Unfortunately our current OMF mattress is not made for an adjustable bed. After much reading, going to multiple stores to reacquaint ourselves of what is out there, we are going to stay with OMF and getting the OMF Serenity, hubby liked the Serenity Latex and I preferred the Serenity Plush (memory foam). It's our first all foam beds. We did try all latex (Savvy Rest) but if we like the foam beds maybe we'll spend the $$$ in an all latex. Previous to OMF we had a Sleep Number bed which was the worst bed we ever owned - what a waste of money IMO! Anyway we have all good things to say about OMF and highly recommend them. Good luck with your mattress shopping. Also thanks to Phoenix and this site - lot of helpful information!

Hi meriflower,

Thanks for taking the time to share your comments and feedback about OMF ... I appreciate it

Like you ... I also think they are a source for some good quality/value mattresses which is one of the reasons that I include them in any of the local lists where they have a store.

It sounds like you have decided on two versions of the Serenity mattress (although it also sounds like you may still be considering a component latex mattress) and assuming that you decide to pull the trigger ... congratulations on your new mattresses

Phoenix

Hello, just an update. We decided to go with Sleep EZ. Thanks to Geekymom1 for the suggestion on Foam Sweet Foam. They are a bit more than Sleep EZ, but they did have a great labor day sale. Considering Sleep EZ's own labor day sale plus the discount for being a member at Mattress Underground, Sleep EZ was a better value. We were also really impressed by the transparency of Sleep EZ, especially with their in depth information about the manufacturing process of their latex on their site. And thank you Meriflower for your information on OMF. We were definitely sure we did not want another innerspring mattress as that is what we had previously and did not give us the pressure relief we needed. We received our Sleep EZ talalay mattress on Monday and have been sleeping well on it. No back or shoulder pain so far. It is not as soft as plush as the OMI mattress we tried locally, unfortunately. We may eventually buy a plush mattress topper (we were looking at the flo bed twice shredded talalay topper, for example) to give a more luxury feel. We also made the mistake of ordering a low profile foundation which has made our bed much lower than we are accustomed to!