Hi BobP,
Wow … Thanks for taking the time to write such a wonderful post with some great insights and helpful information 
There isn’t really too much I can add except a few comments to some of your points …
I have had many hours of great conversations with Jeff and he is definitely “mattress people” through and through.
You’re one of the “old timers” from WTB then and I certainly agree with your thoughts here. I was a very frequent poster at What’s The Best Mattress (over 900 posts in my relatively short time there) until my account was “deactivated” for various “political” reasons and that was one of the catalysts that led to the launching of this site. One of the biggest challenges there was separating or differentiating some of the very knowledgeable members who posted informative and fact based information from some of the other posters that also wrote with “seemingly” good knowledge but who were only passing on information they had “heard” somewhere and had come to believe. This last group was often misinformed or held extreme positions and did as much to mislead (in spite of good intentions) as they did to help in many cases. New posters can have a very difficult time separating accurate information from all the conflicting opinions that may be more about someone’s preferences than about accuracy.
I also believe that all materials have a place in the industry and that there are better and worse quality versions of all materials (even though I also have my own preferences of course). There are some very high quality versions of polyfoam that are very durable and perform very well for example and the same is true of all mattress materials. I’m a big fan of helping to understand the pros and cons of all materials or components and making meaningful comparisons and informed decisions rather than leaning towards the much more common “better and worse” or “black and white” comparisons that only include part of the story.
I think it was easier to get lucky 10 years ago and the average build of mainstream mattresses was generally better than it is today as financial pressures and ongoing shareholder and investor demands for higher profit margins and greater ROI have led to a general trend towards downspecing mattresses in the mainstream industry. There have been many changes in the last 10 - 15 years in the industry.
He is certainly very knowledgeable about the mattresses he sells (within the limitations of major brands that don’t fully disclose the specs of the materials they use) and I have watched his comments over the years and he has gradually shifted towards better quality “off brand” mattresses which is good to see. As you can imagine (see post #11 here) I don’t agree with his focus on mainstream mattresses or making “blind” purchases but having said that I know the kind of effort, time and dedication it takes to create the body of knowledge and posts he has written. There are not many people who know more about mainstream mattresses than he does in spite of the fact that much of the information that is needed to make meaningful assessments of their quality and value is not available. Turning over one of the Sealy latex mattresses (now the Stearns & Foster luxury latex line) would be helpful but it’s not an ideal solution and depending on the thickness of the softer comfort layers that would be on the bottom of the mattress could compromise support to some degree and also because the bottom of the mattress has a stiffer and less responsive cover and isn’t designed for sleeping on. It would certainly be well worth trying though and if it worked would be a much better option than starting all over again because the latex core would likely still be fine. I believe his prices are very competitive in the market he competes in.
There are a fair number of comments about them on the forum and I believe several people who have purchased one. A forum search on ecosleep … without the hyphen … (you can just click on this) will bring them up.
A bedskirt would probably be a little on the thin side but I believe it would certainly be helpful and a step in the right direction to reduce the chance of the latex from sinking into the gaps over time yes. I think that anything that lowers the risk and that has other benefits as well both from an aesthetic point of view and from a practical point of view (reducing dust under the bed) would be helpful.
While it would certainly be strong enough for a latex mattress … I would also be hesitant to use it for a latex mattress with gaps that wide. I didn’t realize that USBeds (Olejo) was giving a 5% discount for mentioning the forum here … did they say this? (it would be great if they were).
The PLB mattresses have MAP pricing (minimum advertised prices) but sometimes they can be negotiated if you are in the store. Regardless of this they are certainly good quality and reasonable value. The Nature is also one of my favorite or their designs … not too soft and not too firm. Congratulations on your new mattress
I think your post was amazingly helpful and I really appreciate the time and effort that it took you to put it all together.
Thanks again … and I’m glad you found us
Phoenix