2 questions re: Latex mattresses

[phoenix]

Hi Tradernik,

I should clarify that having read so much material here, I was pretty sure that individual recommendations couldn’t be made. I was basically trying to figure out whether the hybrid was known to be contraindicated in any specific situation (i.e. persons who weigh a lot) or at any particular ratio of latex/polyfoam thickness. Put another way, I wasn’t sure what thickness of latex ‘comfort layer’ (if the latex portion of this hybrid can be called that) would be the minimum required to even be in the ballpark in terms of getting a latex mattress experience. I have read here that manufacturers will put a 1" layer of latex on top of a polyfoam base and call it a ‘latex mattress’. I am almost certain that no one who knows latex mattresses would recommend this if what you are after is all that latex has to offer, including comfort and durability. Let’s face it, if a maker is selling a 1" piece of latex on top of a polyfoam core and calling it a ‘latex mattress’, you also have to wonder about the quality of the polyfoam core.

There is really no “definition” of what a “latex mattress” experience means because this is too subjective and different people could have very different opinions about how similar a particular latex/polyfoam hybrid and a particular “all latex mattress” would feel to them. Both general categories of mattresses have hundreds of different variations that can be very different from each other depending on the specifics of the materials and components inside each of them. There are even some types of high performance polyfoams that are designed to approximate the “feel” of latex (see post #2 here).

In terms of “comfort” and PPP the only way to know whether any mattress or combination of materials and components is the best “match” for any particular person or how closely it compares to another mattress for them with any certainty (regardless of the specific combination of materials or components inside it) is based on their own careful testing or personal experience.

In terms of durability it would depend entirely on the quality and durability of the materials inside it relative to the person on the mattress. The quality/durability guidelines I generally suggest are in post #4 here and there is much more detailed information about the many factors and variables that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress relative to a particular person in post #4 here.

However, it seems from your reply that this would be very hard or impossible to do since ‘29 ILD’ can mean different things. In some ways this mitigates against buying from a supplier who does not have a test bed that I can try out.

Yes … trying to compare different types and blends of latex or mattresses that have different designs and combinations of materials based on ILD alone can be very misleading.

For most people … when you can’t test a mattress in person then the options you have after a purchase to “fine tune” the comfort or support of the mattress either by exchanging individual layers or components or the complete mattress or returning the mattress for a refund and the costs involved would generally become a much more important part of their personal value equation.

Phoenix