Almost there, last details before buying

First of all I want to thank everyone here for the information and feedback. We almost made it all the way to buying, only from reading the threads here.
I’m pleasantly surprised how active this forum is!

I have developed shoulder pain and need mattress that is softer than I am accustomed to. At the beginning the mattresses that offer enough cushioning felt very uncomfortable but now I’ve gotten used to them.
We are looking to buy either an 9 or 12 inch latex mattress. We have the choice of 100% natural Dunlop or Talalay and the Talalay blend. Talalay blend is recommended by the store.
We have medium/slim built and are pretty sure the 9" will suffice in firm/medium/soft construction, but for the sake of adjustability I’m thinking to get the 12" xfirm/firm/medium/soft. Both in blend, soft being 19-20ILD.
Could anyone offer any advice?

Hi absolude,

I would keep in mind that more options can provide more layering combinations but can also be more complex and difficult to fine tune in some cases. It will also “act” a little softer softer than a thinner mattress.

Unless you have tested a 12" mattress with similar layering and you have confirmed that it would work better for you than the more basic F/M/S then I would probably stick with the layering that they are suggesting which would still give you options to either re-arrange the two bottom layers or exchange one of them for a different firmness level. If you have a slim - medium build there may be little benefit to going with a thicker mattress.

Phoenix

No experience with a 12" mattress but we have tried (and liked) a 11" one. Relly don’t remember the “composition” but the top layer was a 2" soft Dunlop.
Now that I think of it, I worry that the Talalay one will feel too soft even in a more conventional 9".

One thing that we learned was how big of an influence the cover has on how the mattress feels.

For the 9" one the difference between the 60/40 blend and a 100% natural one is $200 but they recommend the blend one. Could the blend be more durable, at least for the soft one?
If yes, does it make any sense to try ordering one in 100% natural except the top layer?

Hi absolude,

The Talalay blend is actually closer to 30/70 (although it’s not exact and varies depending on various factors) but this is not significant anyway.

You can read more about the differences between 100% natural Talalay and blended Talalay in post #2 here but in the softer ILD’s the blend would likely have an edge in durability. The difference would probably be more with talalay made by Latex International than it would if the Talalay was made by Radium who have told me that their testing indicates that their 100% natural Talalay is very close to or the same as their blended in terms of durability even in softer ILD’s although longer term experience in “real life” is still needed to confirm this.

You’re certainly correct about this. The cover and the quilting materials can make a significant difference in the feel and performance of a mattress.

This would really be a personal preference but in general people who wanted a more natural product for personal reasons regardless of any performance or safety benefits would choose the 100% natural Talalay and those who were more value conscious or who wanted a little bit more durable latex in lower ILD’s would probably choose the blended.

They are both high quality materials.

Phoenix

Wow 30/70 as in 30% natural? In this case the difference in price is not that much.
Yes, it is made by Latex International. I visited their site and fund it a little dissapointing. I was expecting more tech details regarding the products.
Does the proportion of 30/70 stay consistent across the various firmness levels?
Thank you for all this info and opinion.

Hi absolude,

It would be roughly the same yes but there would be some variance depending on the properties of the raw natural latex (which varies) and on the firmness level of the latex. They would vary the formula slightly to make the end result as consistent as possible between batches or seasons but they don’t provide the specific compounding formula they use (which is proprietary information).

Some of the links in post #2 here may be of interest to you especially the last one which shows how close natural and synthetic rubber prices are. Of course natural rubber involves shipping costs that are much higher because it is sourced from SE Asia mostly (regardless of where it’s manufactured) while SBR can be produced from the raw petrochemicals anywhere in the world.

Phoenix

What a load of info! Mattress university right here.
Thank you Phoenix.

We ended up buying a 6" 24ILD. We chose this one because comparing mattresses was a little confusing. There weren’t many that we both liked and wanted to stay away as much as possible from “his and hers” zoning.
After a few nights we are happy. I’d like to add a topper because I could use a little more cushioning for my shoulders. At the same time I worry a about sinking of the hip area if the topper is too soft or too thick.
Also, not related to sleeping on the bed, I’d like to raise it a little and make it thicker so I don’t bottom out when sit on it.
Was thinking 2 or 3 inches of 19 or 21 ILD.
Any suggestions?

Hi absolude,

This is one of the main factors in the the “conflict” between pressure relief and alignment and I’m glad to see you are taking this into consideration. Your support core is also softer than the norm so I would pay careful attention to your topper choice because of this. In general … “just enough” in terms of thickness and softness to provide good pressure relief is the “safest” choice in terms of alignment.

[quote]Also, not related to sleeping on the bed, I’d like to raise it a little and make it thicker so I don’t bottom out when sit on it.
Was thinking 2 or 3 inches of 19 or 21 ILD.
Any suggestions? [/quote]

The topper guidelines in post #8 here may be helpful in choosing a topper that provides the best “balance” between pressure relief and alignment. The height of the mattress wouldn’t play a role in my topper choice (you would be choosing a topper for the “wrong” reasons) but after you choose the most suitable topper for you if you still need to raise the height of the mattress further then I would consider using very firm polyfoam under the mattress because of the lower cost of polyfoam and because the deepest layers will have the least effect on the feel and performance of the mattress.

Phoenix

[quote=“Phoenix” post=28388]Hi absolude,

This is one of the main factors in the the “conflict” between pressure relief and alignment and I’m glad to see you are taking this into consideration. Your support core is also softer than the norm so I would pay careful attention to your topper choice because of this. In general … “just enough” in terms of thickness and softness to provide good pressure relief is the “safest” choice in terms of alignment.

[quote]Also, not related to sleeping on the bed, I’d like to raise it a little and make it thicker so I don’t bottom out when sit on it.
Was thinking 2 or 3 inches of 19 or 21 ILD.
Any suggestions? [/quote]

The topper guidelines in post #8 here may be helpful in choosing a topper that provides the best “balance” between pressure relief and alignment. The height of the mattress wouldn’t play a role in my topper choice (you would be choosing a topper for the “wrong” reasons) but after you choose the most suitable topper for you if you still need to raise the height of the mattress further then I would consider using very firm polyfoam under the mattress because of the lower cost of polyfoam and because the deepest layers will have the least effect on the feel and performance of the mattress.

Phoenix[/quote]

Hi Phoenix,

By your guidelines and my guess 2" seems like a safe bet. I’ll give it a couple of nights before buying, until I’m fully adjusted with the new mattress.
At first I felt pressure against my rib cage when laying on my side. That’s completely gone now. With the old mattress the weight was supported by the hips and shoulders and now is more evenly distributed.
I felt a bit of pressure on my shoulders, nothing like before though but I started migrating towards my stomach. Completely forgot I used to sleep on my stomach a lot years ago. I couldn’t believe how my chest was expanding with no perceived resistance from the latex. WOW
I’ll try to spend more time on my side, trying to gauge how much support I will need.

I forgot to tell you that for the first night we put the mattress on top of an 4" Ikea mattress that has about 1" latex for the top layer.
The latex in the IKEA mattress seems softer than the new mattress. Based on this, should I consider a 3" topper ?

You are perfectly right regarding the height. I shouldn’t mix these two…

Hi absolude,

I don’t know the specifics of the Ikea mattress you used under yours and it would also have 6" of latex (your core) above it rather than adding a surface layer to your core (which will have a much more noticeable effect) so it’s not something that I would take into account in your choices because there would be no way to 'translate" your experience from one combination into another that is so different. Since you don’t plan to use the ikea mattress under your mattress … I would make your choice based on just the mattress you plan to sleep on (along with the foundation and cover and any other components you plan to use in your sleeping system) as your reference point.

Phoenix