Hi Rachierad,
I think you’re right about that. The two most common PLB “issues” I’ve seen are the Pamper/topper combination and the choice of the Beautiful for people that the comfort layers are too soft/thick for their body type and sleeping positions.
Layer thickness and layer softness in combination with the layers above and below the comfort layers all work together to provide the softness, pressure relief, and “feel” that makes one mattress more attractive or suitable than another for different people. Relatively soft latex in thinner layers with the right type and ILD of latex below it can work very well depending again on body type, sleeping positions, and preferences.
The relative value of a mattress depends on many things and which part of each person’s “personal value equation” are most important to them and on whether you are making an apples to apples comparison. For example My Green Mattress has a mattress that uses a combination of natural and Blended latex called the Evergreen that has 9" vs 8" of latex and is two-sided for a similar price.(Note added later: this is a discontinued product from My Green Mattress Products) Other manufacturers that have more layers, different options for exchange or design, or have differences in shipping or exchange costs are also only slightly higher so it really depends on what is most important to you (see post #2 here). There is no doubt though that Arizona Premium is one of the “value” leaders and are one of the more popular choices here.
I don’t think “significantly” would be accurate in most people’s perceptions but “to some degree” would be accurate yes although this as well may be a preference for some and a detriment to others depending again on what is most important to them. Arizona Premium and SleepEz and also have unquilted covers available if that’s what you prefer.
The 1.5" is before its quilted so it is pre-compressed to be thinner in the cover. While wool will compress about 30% of its thickness over time it’s not normally an issue with layers of wool that are pre-compressed in the quilting and are fairly thin already. Impressions are also not an issue unless they affect pressure relief or alignment and impressions in wool are not the same as impressions in polyfoam which come from softening and material breakdown which have a much more significant effect.
No … unless of course you were to do something unusual such as turn the mattress on its side to move it or something similar in which case it would be very simple to open the mattress and “wave” the layer back into position. Latex is very “sticky” and doesn’t slide over other layers.
Good manufacturers (such as those on the site) don’t re-use their layers in new mattresses and would use other ways to deal with exchanges which can range from disposal, donation, selling them to other manufacturers who sell “seconds”, or through liquidation outlets. There are of course always people who will sell “used”, seconds, or even defective layers with or without letting their customers know (and not just with latex mattresses or components) and this is where the integrity or reputation of a manufacturer or retailer becomes important.
It’s amazing how the “facts” about mattresses and the industry in general can even tech old dogs new tricks :). Excitement is always much better than "stress!
I’m looking forward to your feedback once you “pull the trigger”.
Phoenix