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The Avocado Box Top is a new option from Avocado with an incredibly soft surface and more contour than other latex hybrids. But is it right for you?
Founder of GoodBed, Leading Mattress Expert
The Avocado Box Top is an update to the existing Avocado Green line of mattresses that adds even more latex and surface softness to Avocado’s collection. We think it’s an excellent option for side-sleepers and people that want a buttery-soft mattress surface with the underlying bounce and resilience of a latex hybrid.
The Avocado Box Top is a good fit for side sleepers and even some back sleepers. The softness of the Talalay latex allows it to instantly conform to your body’s contours and creates a gentle, but deep, “hug” and sensation of sleeping “in the mattress.”
The Talalay latex in the Box Top also creates a lot of Pressure Relief. This is just about the softest and most pressure-relieving latex we’ve ever encountered. People sometimes find that other kinds of latex (namely, Dunlop) doesn’t quite feel soft or offer significant pressure relief. This is not at all the case with the Box Top. We think it is excellent at this.
The Box Top is also quite soft - especially for a latex mattress. Avocado rates this at around a Medium-Soft, but we found it to be even softer than that and closer to what we’d call a Very Soft mattress. In addition, we thought it offered a lot of Cushioning Depth. If you’re unfamiliar, this a metric related to Softness that we use to describe how “deep” a person is likely to sink into a mattress and how much your body deflects comfort layers. As you might guess, we found the Cushioning Depth to be Deep in this case. This means that it’s an excellent option for individuals that like to sink into their mattress or that need a very contouring surface to match the shape of their body.
In terms of the other notable Features, there are a few that we should emphasize. First, latex is an incredibly resilient material that springs back into place in an almost instantaneous fashion. In many ways, it’s the opposite of memory foam in this regard. This means that a latex mattress can be very helpful for repositioning, as it always springs back into place when you turn over in bed. It’s also a natural material. The latex that Avocado uses is 100% natural and GOLS-certified. If natural or “green” materials are important to you, then latex is an excellent option. Finally, latex tends to sleep cool and functions extremely well on an adjustable base.
The Avocado Green Box Top is a Very Soft latex mattress with a lot of contour and Cushioning Depth that's excellent for side sleepers.
This review is related to the Avocado Green Box Top. Learn more about this model:
The “feel” characteristics of a mattress cannot be universally better or worse. They can only be more or less desirable to you, based on your personal preferences. For this reason, we call these “preference-based” attributes. Our ratings here are based on objective measurements that we apply to a consistent scale for products from all brands.
The Avocado Box Top came in at around a Very Soft on our scale. This is noticeably softer than most mattresses and just about the softest latex mattress we've ever tested. The use of incredibly soft Talalay latex at the surface of the mattress creates a buttery-soft sensation that's just about ideal for side sleeping.
We also found that the Avocado Box Top offered more Cushioning Depth than most other mattress on the market. This means that there is a pronounced hug and a sense of sleeping "in" the mattress with the Avocado Box Top. This is also very different than most other latex mattresses, which tend to have a distinct sense of sleeping "on top" of the mattress. Again, we think this is well-suited to side sleeping.
We'd also rate the mattress highly for overall responsiveness. Latex is a highly elastic and responsive material and, when used in conjunction with pocket springs, it creates a lot of bounce. This is lessened somewhat by the use of soft materials, but there is still a lot of surface and deep bounce with the Box Top.
The key to good back support is for the mattress to support your spine in a “neutral” position while you sleep, meaning that the shape of your spine is roughly the same as when you're standing. The ability of any given mattress to do this will vary by sleeper, depending on its “fit” for your weight, body shape, and preferred sleep position(s).
We think the Avocado Box Top is a great option for most side sleepers. The soft, but highly conforming materials mean that the mattress is able to closely match the curves of your body and hold you in alignment. It should suit side sleepers of varying sizes.
The Box Top is slightly less suited to back sleepers, although we think it could still work well for average and lighter sleepers. Heavier sleepers may run into some issues, however, and might be better directed towards the base Avocado Green or the Pillow Top.
We did not think that the Box Top worked quite as well for stomach sleepers, although very light weight sleepers may still do fine in this position. For average and heavier weight sleepers, however, we think that it is just too soft maintain alignment.
Inadequate pressure relief from your mattress results in “pressure points,” which can be a source of pain, soreness, loss of circulation, restlessness, and other problems. Pressure relief requirements will vary be sleeper, with side sleepers needing the most. Likewise, the amount of pressure relief that a given mattress provides will also vary by sleeper, depending on its “fit” for your weight and body shape.
The Avocado Box Top scored very well for Pressure Relief. We thought that this was Exceptional for lighter sleepers and Good to Excellent for other categories. Heavier sleepers might notice a little bit less in this area, but we still think that is a good option overall.
With the “features” of a mattress, performance will tend to be consistent across all sleepers – without regards to your body type or preferences. However, these attributes have differing levels of importance to each sleeper, which is why we consider them “priority-based” characteristics.
In terms of Motion Isolation, we thought that the Avocado Box Top was solidly Good. The underlying pocket springs do a good job of isolating motion at the deeper levels of the mattress, and the overlying soft Talalay does a better job than expected at the surface of the mattress. You might nonetheless feel a bit more motion from a partner than on a memory foam mattress, but the Motion Isolation is good overall.
We've recently incorporated lab-measured heat retention testing into all of our mattress reviews.
We use a device that measures initial coolness-to-the-touch AND all-night temperature regulation and evaporative capacity. In the case of the Avocado Box Top, the performance was also Good. Latex is a pretty breathable material and tends to be pretty temperature-neutral in our experience. Additionally, the use of other natural materials like Organic Wool and Cotton fibers also help with this. There is not an immediate and palpable sense of cooling as on many modern hybrids, but we've found that this sense of cooling is often short-lived and the use of natural materials that maximize breathability might actually matter more in terms of temperature.
In general, we don't think the Box Top will sleep warm or retain significant amounts of heat.
We also thought that the Edge Support was Good. The perimeter coils that Avocado uses are substantial and provide a noticeably reinforced edge that is felt even through the thicker comfort layers above.
In terms of Repositioning, we thought that the Box Top was Exceptional. Latex is a very resilient material, and this means that it's easy to move around on and reposition during the night. If you're a combination sleeper or tend to move from your side to your back, then latex might be a great choice for you.
The Avocado Box Top has a number of Green Features that are worth discussing in some detail.
First, it uses GOTS-certified organic wool and cotton. It also uses GOLS and FSC-certified Dunlop and Talalay latex. And it is Greenguard-Gold certified and Oeko-Tex tested for harmful levels of toxic substances. Avocado also seeks to minimize the use of glues during assembly (although there is a small amount of glue on the coil unit itself). In general, the Avocado has passed the most rigorous tests and certification processes available to ensure that it is safe to be in your home.
The Box Top also performed well on an adjustable base. The latex and pocket spring build is extremely flexible and conformed well to our adjustable base even at the point of maximum elevation. We have no complaints here.
The Avocado Green Box Top is a latex hybrid comprised of five rough layers:
At the top of the mattress we have a hand-tufted quilt with GOTS-Certified Organic Wool and Cotton. This is a relatively thin quilt designed to maximize the feel of the underlying Talalay latex. Additionally, the hand-tufting allows this bind the overall build together without the use of excessive glues or other chemical adhesives.
After this, we have two layers of latex. First, the Talalay latex. This is the key material that distinguishes the Box Top from other Avocado Green mattresses, which tend to only use Dunlop latex. If you're unfamiliar, Talalay latex is fundamentally different from Dunlop and tends to feel softer and has a finer cell structure and a more consistent feel to it. Second, we have a layer of Dunlop. This has a slightly coarser and more open cell structure than Talalay and tends to feel a bit firmer as a result. In this case, it's used as a transition layer into the pocket springs below.
The pocket springs are a zoned system with a reinforced center-third that are actually made by Avocado themselves. Note - Avocado calls this a seven-zone system, although we would call it a three-zone system with a reinforced center-third and a reinforced coil edge.
Underneath the coils there's another layer of Dunlop to provide a uniform support for the overlying coils.
The “value” of any mattress is both subjective and personal – reflecting how well it meets that person’s unique sleep needs and preferences, relative to their budget. As a result, our ratings in this area are focused on more objective factors like quality and longevity.
We've recently incorporated scientific lab testing for durability into our mattress reviews. We use a machine that simulates ten years of regular use and checks the mattress for height and firmness loss not only at the end but also at several intervals throughout those ten years of simulated use.
We rated the durability of the Avocado Box Top to be Excellent. Latex is one of the most durable materials on the market today and tends to show very little wear with laboratory testing. Additionally, we expect the coils themselves to be similarly durable.
Additionally, we think that it's an Excellent value. While it's slightly more expensive than many other latex options on the market, it's unique in its softness and ability to conform to body contours. We also expect it to last much longer than most mattresses on the market.
Avocado mattresses are available online and in limited stores. See:
Otherwise, delivery and returns policies may vary depending on where you buy your mattress. See: Avocado return policy.
Warranty information for each mattress is included on the mattress "Law Label" at the store, and vary depending on the model. Be sure to talk to your salesperson about warranty terms, and particularly about the body impression warranty, which will tell you how much of a permanent depression may form to be covered under warranty. For the Avocado Box Top, it's 1.5".
To obtain warranty service, you will be responsible for shipping the mattress back to the company or retailer. See: Avocado warranty policy.
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