Hi Jonathan.

Easy its Latex on a pocket spring support unit. Our offering is our Origins Latex 1500 at £700.00 (Kingsize: January 2013).

 

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The extra 100 pocket springs in our model are neither here nor there, What is important though is the amount of Latex used as the comfort layer.

Unfortunately, Dreams do not tell you this most crucial detail so I would be inclined to phone their Customer Services dept to find out [ 0844 225 9259 (Is this a premium rate number?) or Head Office on 01628 520520].

Firmness grading of mattresses is nonsense. As we have pointed out countless times throughout this site the firmness you feel on any mattress will depend on your bodyweight. If you are 20 stone and your missus or partner is 10 st it is impossible that you will both experience a medium feel.

To find equivalents, you have to know what the benchmarks are. In this case, we know it's 1400 pocket springs with a comfort layer of latex.
What are the depths (quantity) of latex used? What type of latex?
Graphite (grey) latex is the cheapest. Graphite is added to obtain the Fire Retardancy requirements (legal in the UK). Graphite can be up to 30% of the volume mixture.

The latex we use is from Latexco where the FR requirement is gained via an (Oeko-Tex certified) spray on retardant so no filler as part of the material.
FYI - The other major Latex supplier is Latex International. No one should assume that all "latex" is the same. Like every other part of your mattress, you should ask the what, where and the whys.

If you find out the detail from Dreams about The Zen Revitalize I will be able to assist you in doing adequate comparisons.

John and Ryan.
Many thanks for your reply.

As you might expect Dreams were unable to be very specific. They said that the latex was "about an inch in depth" but only from looking and not from actual measurements.

Also, they agreed that the latex was graphite latex but could not tell me what percentage!

I forgot to say that I weigh 13 stone and my wife weighs 10 stone.

Also, the bed frame has wooden slats (not sprung) that are 3 inches wide and 5 inches apart - I don't know if this makes a difference.
Finally, if we buy a latex top mattress do we also need a mattress topper or is a good mattress protector enough?

Hi again Jonathan.

Enough said. As with any mattress out there, once you know where your money is going, and on what, it is incredibly easy to see whether you are being overcharged for overpriced tat or you are getting a good product for a good price.

The Dreams Zen Revitalise [Dreams: Kingsize: January 2013] retails at £779. It also carries an utterly implausible WAS price of £2,089.
Now you know roughly the make up of this particular mattress you should look at other offerings (not just our Origins Latex at £700) to see which is offering you the best for your money.

Your bedframe with fixed slats should really have a mattress pad acting as a suspension to the mattress, This can be as simple as an inch layer of foam.
Adding this will assist in the suspension properties of the mattress more for your wifes 10st frame than you.

As a note, the non sleep side of our latex mattress is supplemented by a foam layer but many non turn mattresses do not have this.
Protector or topper?

Anything is better than nothing.

Whatever mattress you decide upon try it without anything (double sheet) for a couple of weeks and see what you need to make it perfect for you both.
All mattresses will break in slowly over time and like new shoes become more comfortable over time.

I'm glad that you are able to back up what we say. But again, please don't take what we say Carte Blanch without additional research. You now know what we can give you for £700. It should now be an easy matter to search for kingsize latex matts for this budget to give you a few more models for comparison.

John and Ryan.