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Mattress Talk Mattress Selection Process
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I tried an all latex mattress from SleepEZ (soft Talalay + medium dunlop + firm dunlop, their standard recommendation for the 10"), and while I loved the comfort the motion transfer was way too high and a deal breaker. So that one went back.

I’m now on an Engineered Sleep Duo Memory Plus. It’s an improvement in the motion transfer department, but somehow it just doesn’t sleep as well as the latex did. I would lie down on the latex and just wake up 7 hours later with mostly uninterrupted sleep. The Engineered Sleep has two sides for the coil-spring core, a plusher and a firmer side. The plush side sinks in a bit more and often has me waking up in the middle of the night. That doesn’t happen on the firmer side, so that’s good. But I still wake up with some shoulder pain (I’m primarily a side sleeper) and I just feel like it could be more comfortable than it is. Also doesn’t appear to be as cool as the SleepEZ latex was. The shoulder pain I think also happened on the latex mattress.

So what should I consider next for a mattress that I guess just makes me sleep like the latex did, but with zero of the motion transfer and jiggliness issues (some tests show that the Saatva Zenhaven has excellent motion transfer for a latex mattress, but it might be too expensive at $3500 for a King). Don’t really care about the materials used, as long as they’ll last a long time and will just make me sleep like excellently.

I saw the Winkbed Luxury Firm recommended on a few sites as an excellent all around mattress that would tick most if not all of my boxes. I almost ordered it, but then I saw some messages on forums that it might not be the most durable/long lasting mattress.

Also what are reputable review sites that do good objective testing? I saw NapLabs yesterday for the first time and they attempt to do repeatable tests. But no idea if they’re a reputable and truly objective review site. Consumer Reports consistently rates the Casper Dream as their best mattress, but then it doesn’t appear to be the highest quality and doesn’t seem to be very long lasting based on consumer reviews and forum messages.

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Review sites pop up because there is money to be made on the affiliate links. It would not be as bad as it is into today’s marketplace, but it seems like they focus on the “marketing company engines” out there who are paying the big bucks to be in the top 10 of their reviews.

You should be skeptical of many mattress review sites. The reality is, many of them operate on affiliate marketing, meaning they make money when you purchase through links they provide. This creates a potential conflict of interest, as these sites may prioritize mattress brands that are paying them the most over those that actually deliver the best value or quality. The mattress industry, especially when it comes to online brands, is heavily saturated with “highly marketed” names like DreamCloud, Saatva, Casper, and Nectar, which often appear near the top of many review lists because of their aggressive advertising and affiliate partnerships.

Affiliate systems themselves aren’t inherently bad. One might focus toward the folks doing the ratings. It is when the folks are not just gaining income on the affiliate link, but there is an entire system of payola, that has infiltrated the market to rate those mattresses at the top of the pile. Not much different than when companies pay google to be the first ad you see when you search for an item.

Not all mattress reviewers rate mattresses. They state what the mattress is made with and offer who might benefit from a particular mattress, without rating it on some arbitrary scale.

The problem arises when a product that everyone knows doesn’t deserve a top-10 ranking is graded highly by affiliates. One might wonder, though, what these products are being compared to. If you’re comparing mattresses like Dreamcloud, Nectar, Awara, and other foreign-made options against each other, one of them will inevitably come out on top.

However, just because a mattress is heavily marketed doesn’t mean it’s a great product. Many of these mattresses fail to hold up over time in terms of durability, quality, or comfort.

While many U.S. brands tend to perform better overall, it’s important to consider who they’re competing with.

Some brands, such as 3Z, WinkBeds, Big Fig, and Nest, tend to rank highly in the online Bed-in-a-Box category for their pricing, durability, expected longevity and overall comfort. You just need to carefully choose from each.

Then, there are more boutique, independent brands like DLX, Engineered Sleep, Naturepdic, Backscience in addition to the Latex Crowd—many of which you’ll find here on TMU—that fall into the next tier up in the hierarchy of overall quality.

In your case, you mentioned enjoying the comfort of latex but having trouble with motion transfer. Latex, especially Talalay latex, is known for its comfort and durability, but it doesn’t always excel at motion isolation. Materials like memory foam or hybrid designs tend to perform better in this regard. However, memory foam isn’t always the best option. As a synthetic, It comes in many variations, densities, and qualities, and each must be carefully scrutinized. Otherwise you will be sinking into a hot quicksand lava cocoon.

Hybrid mattresses, on the other hand, often strike a good balance between comfort and motion isolation. If you enjoy the latex feel but need better motion control, you might want to explore hybrid options that combine the benefits of both materials.

Unfortunately, there is no one answer to any of this. Even spending 5 figures on a mattress does not guarantee comfort. The best mattress is the one that works for you, regardless of price.

The Mattress UnderGround exists to teach those who want to learn, how to approach searching for and buying a mattress. Even then, what is good fundamentally, does not always translate to absolute comfort. It takes a balance of input from the end user and expertise from the seasoned experience mattress professionals.

I know this is not the answer you were looking for to solve the problem, but hopefully one that puts it into some perspective.

Maverick.

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Are GhostBed mattresses considered good quality? I’m going to try their GhostBed Luxe mattress - appears to be a relatively cool and airy memory foam mattress with a fast response type foam (i.e. it returns to original shape very quick compared to most memory foams). Should help with eliminating almost all motion transfer too.

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I have not tried the GB Luxe, but i have tried their all natural GB. I found it to be very nice mattress. Made in the USA so material consistency is right there, and they used higher density foams in their construction.

In general, GhostBed mattresses are generally considered to be of good quality, with a reputation for comfort and durability. GhostBed is known for producing a variety of foam mattresses that incorporate advanced materials designed to improve sleep quality, including cooling features and minimal motion transfer.

It remains an all foam mattress, with advanced technology, but I am always cautious about any of the “advanced” materials as it relates to cooling and other claims that are often either exaggerated or overstated.

If you have tried the mattress and are basing the purchase on comfort and durability, then you should be ok. I would not count on any mattress’s claims regarding cooling materials or chemistry as something that will be life changing. Buy based on quality of materials, density of foams, support, posture and alignment, pressure relief, personal preferences and concerns for comfort. The exception to this is external or in some cases internal mechanics like bed jet or perfectly snug to provide the temperature control if that is what you are looking for in addition to those other important features.

All the best and happy TG,
Maverick

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Engineered Sleep has a 4 inch latex Duo topper. Have you tried that?

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I found Naplab.com fairly early in my mattress search and it really helped quickly narrow an otherwise overwhelmingly big field. I’ve watched/read a lot of other people’s reviews since then and agree that many are biased and probably revenue driven. But I am a studier of data, and NapLabs provides their entire data sheet here, and they explain how each of their tests is conducted and scored here and here. So I was able to read everything myself and decide what was important to me. I didn’t get much of a “whiff” of bias. When I emailed the site owner Derek Hales to ask his personal recommendations, it was only then that he offered affiliate links, and he was transparent about them. So I think the data table is a good resource. And, of course, TMU!