Hi Manimal,
It looks like Sleepbetter is the manufacturer and as you mentioned is part of Carpenter who registered the trademark but I suspect that Sleep Better Source itself which sells the mattresses on Amazon is probably an independent person (someone named Richard answers most of their questions) or business that is buying their mattresses from SleepBetter and selling them on Amazon. Other than that I have very little knowledge about them and I don’t know if they have another local or online business outside of Amazon (possibly with a different name). I doubt that they are connected to SleepBetterStore that was part of the Merrick group which are both out of business as far as I know.
The mattress itself uses a blended Dunlop base layer and a blended Talalay comfort layer which are both good quality materials and there are no lower quality materials or weak links that would compromise the durability or useful life of the mattress although the blended Dunlop is a less costly material than 100% natural Dunlop latex or talalay latex and blended Dunlop also has a lower compression modulus (is less “supportive”) than 100% natural Dunlop as well…
I’m not sure whether they offer a blended Talalay latex base layer because they only mention having 100% natural Dunlop (certified organic) as an additional option that is available with an up charge although you may have already confirmed that this is available in talking with them.
It appears that they are buying their latex from Latexco which sells blended Dunlop, 100% natural Dunlop (including certified organic) and Radium Talalay latex to mattress manufacturers in the US.
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels and the different options they have available to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences or to other mattresses that they are familiar with than anyone else.
I don’t know how knowledgeable they are or how much experience they have in providing online guidance to their customers but a good online retailer or manufacturer will generally make suggestions that they honestly believe have the best chance of success out of the options they have available based on the information you provide them when you talk to them on the phone because this is in both your own and their best interests but once again … at the end of the day the only way to know for certain whether any specific mattress is a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (or how it compares to another mattress) will be based on your own careful testing and/or your own personal experience.
When you are making an online choice that you can’t test in person then the options you have available after a purchase to either exchange the mattress (or individual layers or components in some cases) or return the mattress for a refund (and any costs involved) would generally become a more important part of most people’s personal value equation just in case a mattress you purchase doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for. I would especially make sure you know the costs involved in any layer exchanges or returns (including shipping costs in one or both directions) because these can sometimes be substantial which can certainly affect the “value” of a mattress purchase and the risk involved in buying it.
Phoenix