Im just about down to my final choices of mattresses. As I explained before, I need a fairly firm mattress that is between 6 and 7 inches in height which will rest on a hospital platform bed and it will often be bent with the head up and me sitting on it to read. I’m considering either the Blue Shoal - 7" Latex Mattress from Spindle, with two layers of 3 inch thick firm 100% natural Dunlop latex, or a 6" Solid Core Blended Talalay Latex Mattress from Mattressees.net The spindle mattress is about $150 cheaper than the mattress from mattresses.net I’d like to ask you what I can expect to be differences in feel, performance and durability between these two mattresses? I know that both of these mattresses are sold by sellers who are on your website, and I am sure that you do not want to disparage any of them, however is the price difference justifiable for what one gets between these two mattresses? Thank you much again for your assistance.
Hi HudaThunkit,
In terms of durability they would be close equivalents. You can read more about the factors involved in durability and the useful life of a mattress relative to each person in post #4 here.
There is more about some of the differences between the “feel” of Talalay and Dunlop in post #7 here but either your own testing on both materials or your own sleeping experience is the only way to really know for certain which one you may prefer.
There are too many variables, unknowns, and personal preferences involved for me to know how either specific design will feel or perform for you. I’ve never slept on either of them so I don’t know how they feel for me much less someone else. The best source of guidance for this part of your research is either your own testing or experience on a mattress that has a very similar design or more detailed conversation with a manufacturer or retailer that has your best interests at hears and who can use their knowledge and experience and the “averages” of their customers that may be similar to you to help you make the most suitable choice out of the options they have available (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). They will know more about their mattresses than anyone else.
Both of these are good quality and value and have no obvious weak links and once you are down to “final choices” between good and good then which one is “best for you” or which one is “worth it” would depend on all the objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
A mattress isn’t a commodity where you can use a formula to determine value based on cost per inch or pound of material and the “value” of a mattress purchase needs to include all the other factors that your “best judgement” tells you is “best for you” regardless of whether it may be best for someone else. Choosing a mattress based on the price per inch or price per pound of the raw materials would be similar to buying two suits of clothing that used similar materials based on their cost per pound of material rather than on how well they fit, how they look, and they feel when you wear them, and if you hadn’t tried them out in person what your options are if they don’t fit as well as you hoped (much of which would be subjective and based on preference).
Phoenix
I totally understand what you’re saying, I have read up on the different types of mattresses and type of latex going into them. (thanks very much to your website and to others) however my questions come from a person who cannot leave their house (I am in a wheelchair and I have no transportation right now) and I cannot go test these mattresses out, so I can only look to authorities like yourself to understand the differences better in order to help me to make a proper purchase. it’s not as if I was asking you to help explain the differences between five or more mattresses. And I, considering that I know that you know these retailers whom you endorse on your website and the mattresses that they sell, I figure, who else is there better to ask than yourself about these mattresses? I understand that you wish not to disparage anyone however I suppose it is very hard to get solid answers from you about a product as you think individuals must figure out for themselves. I can honestly say I have NEVER ever I had so much difficulty getting advice or objective information, and shopping for other products that I have ever purchased in my entire life!
Thank you once again for making sure that you answer my questions, even if they are not always the answers that I am looking for
Hi HudaThunkit,
I can certainly understand the challenges you have but I don’t make final choices for the members here and the “authorities” that are the best source of information about any mattress are the retailers or manufacturers themselves who know more about their mattresses than anyone else (including me). Don’t forget I haven’t slept on either of these mattresses so I have no idea how they would “feel” for me much less someone else.
If after talking with them you are still uncertain then I would also consider making sure that there is a good exchange and/or return policy and that you are clear about the details and any costs involved so that you can lower the risks that can be involved in any online purchase and use your own sleeping experience to replace local testing.
Both of the mattresses you are considering are good quality/value choices and don’t have any weak links in their construction but they are also different designs and final choices are always up to the members here. My role is to help with “how” to choose not “what” to choose and to help the members here to eliminate the worst choices and help them reach a place where they are choosing between “good and good”. Once that’s done then my role is to step out of the way so that any personal preferences (or biases) I may have don’t influence anyone and each person can make a final choice based on their own personal value equation (not mine) along with their “educated best judgement” and their conversations with each manufacturer or retailer they are considering and which one they are most comfortable purchasing from.
Phoenix
Putting the mattress covers aside, what difference what I feel between 2 3 inches layers of 100% natural dunlop versus 1 6 inch layer of blended talalay in terms of firmness factor considering that I have read that “the thicker the piece, the firmer it will feel.” In other words will a mattress made from one layer of 6’ firm blended talalay seem any firmer than 2 3 inch layers of 100% natural dunlop? Or do you think that they would both feel relatively the same in terms of firmnesss? Thank you
Hi HudaThunkit,
It’s actually the other way around and if everything else is the same a thicker layer will feel softer than a thinner layer (see post #14 here).
If all the layers (both of the 3" layers and the 6" layer) were the same ILD (and making sure of this may be a big “if” because Dunlop has a wider firmness range than Talalay) then they could be similar in terms of firmness but it would also depend on how much the layers were compressed because they would only “match” if they were compressed by 25% of their thickness. Depending on any layers above and on your body weight and sleeping position, if the layers were compressed either more or less than this then one would likely feel firmer than the other. Dunlop gets firmer faster than Talalay with deeper compression (it has a higher compression modulus or “support factor” than Talalay). There is more about this in the first part of post #6 here and in post #6 here.
Of course if the ILD’s were not the same then the one with a higher ILD would be firmer than the other (compressed to 25%).
There would also be a difference in “feel” between them.
Phoenix
Hmmm at’s strange because I took that word for word from a reply that I received from KTT. You can see why it so much easier to compare products within categories of almost any other product than to compare similar mattresses!
Hi HudaThunkit,
Yes that’s certainly true. A mattress purchase is much more personal and involves more of a combination of objective, subjective, and even intangible factors than most other purchases that we make … but it’s also one of the most important purchases that we make so the importance of “getting it right” is also higher.
There would be some similarities to making food or clothing choices (although our food choices will also have a bigger effect on our health and wellbeing than the clothes we wear :))
Phoenix
just so I think I have what you were sayin is at the same ILD, the mattress with 2 3 inch layers of Dunlop may feel slightly firmer than the mattress with 1 6 inch layer of blended talalay?
Hi HudaThunkit,
Yes … if both 3" layers and the 6" layer were all the same ILD (which may not be the case because of the variance in ILD in Dunlop especially) and the ILD was measured in the same way then the Dunlop would probably feel firmer if there were no other components in the mattress.
Phoenix
ok, thank you