There certainly is a cornucopia of information available to the shopping public on latex mattresses. There are national, regional and local brands. There are national, regional and local brick and mortar retailers selling latex mattresses. Lastly there are many online retailers selling latex. In addition, there are many informational sites with consumers, retailers and manufacturing spewing out endless information on latex mattresses. How do you sort through all the information available coming from these sources? I will attempt to guide you through the daunting maze of information out there. Of course, manufacturers and retailers provide a wealth of information. The challenge is sorting real information from marketing hype. Taking a somewhat skeptical view from these sources will help us in this sorting process. Terms such as “active support system” or “total body conformability” may sound good, but what do they really mean? The basics are single core constructions, dual layer construction (top comfort layer with support core on the base) and triple layer or multi-layer constructions in all latex mattresses. What is best for you? If you are looking to buy the most economical mattress, perhaps a single core design is the best choice for you. Again, this may come in many forms i.e., very firm core, medium firm core or soft-core construction. What you are looking at here is to rely on a single core to give the correct combination of comfort and support. For some, all of this can be achieved in single core product that usually is a thin 6-7” finished mattress.
Dual core designs offer more customization with support layer and comfort layer being separate. Usually, these designs will finish out at 8-10”. Multi-layer latex mattresses can offer 3, 4 or 5 layers of latex of different firmness and support. These products will vary in profile height on the finished mattress from 8-13”. These types of latex mattresses offer even more specific customization. One thing to remember is that all latex mattresses above 10” will be extremely heavy and can be more difficult to move. This can be a problem for folks who are elderly or infirmed who may need help changing bed linen or rotating the mattress. The sweet spot as far as height of the finished mattress seems to be in the 8” to 10” range. Many of us in the industry consider any latex mattress over 10” is overkill.
One other source of information are actual unbiased testimonials from consumers who post online in some of these websites that allow testimonials to be unfiltered. Obviously, testimonials coming from company websites may not be as anonymous as you think. If someone tells you they had a great experience with a product may be an indicator that you should at least take look at that product, however it is not an absolute that you will have the same experience.
In conclusion do your homework and look for a credible retailer who is most interested helping you find the right latex mattress for you. The key for me when I am looking for something I know little about is to find a credible experienced sales expert who is really there to help me as opposed to help themselves by selling me the product he makes the highest commission on. I think it is fairly easy to determine pretty quickly if the salesperson knows what they are talking about and there to help me. Ultimately it is your dollar you are spending. Buy what looks and feels the way you want it to. If it doesn’t feel or look right but is being sold as the deal of the century, don’t buy it.
