Hi cyclecat,
Following the steps in the tutorial post one at a time without missing any is the best way to avoid “paralysis by analysis”.
First I would set the midpoint of your budget range (the amount that you want to stay under but would consider going over if there was a compelling reason to do so).
Next I would narrow down your choices to one at each retailer or manufacturer you are considering. If they are local this would include your own careful and objective testing for PPP using the testing guidelines that are linked in the tutorial post. If they are online then a more detailed phone conversation would replace your own personal testing. Either way … you will have only one choice with each retailer/manufacturer you choose to deal with. Without a more detailed phone call to online retailers or manufacturers you are considering you really won’t have any way to “translate” the information you are reading into what may mean in your “real life” experience and your thoughts about each mattress will probably just keep going around in endless circles.
Once you have eliminated the options that don’t meet your criteria or that have any weak links in their design (see the guidelines here) … then you will be comparing “good vs good” and your final choice (see post #2 here) will come down to a matter of “best judgement” based on all the objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you including the relative cost of the mattress and the options you have after a purchase to make changes to your mattress (by rearranging or exchanging layers or with comfort adjustments for a local purchase) or to exchange or return the mattress itself if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for when you actually sleep on the mattress.
I would keep in mind that each person can be very different from someone else in terms of which mattress that is the best “match” for them in terms of PPP Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). A mattress that is “perfect” for one person or even a group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on depending on their body type, sleeping style, and personal preferences (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
I would also keep in mind that there is no such thing as a single mattress or comfort level that is the “best match” for a large percentage of the population so an “all or nothing” choice may be the “best” choice for a small percentage of the population, a “good” choice for a slightly larger percentage, an “OK” choice for a larger percentage yet, and an “unsuitable choice” for the rest so it’s “value” would depend on what would be “good enough” for you, where you are in the range between “princess and the pea” and “I can sleep on anything”, and whether your actual sleeping experience indicates that it’s “the best” or a “good” or an “OK” choice for you compared to the other mattresses you could have purchased and the options they have available to fine tune the mattress after a purchase without having to return it.
The choice between Talalay and Dunlop would be a personal preference and there is more about the differences between them in post #7 here. The best way to know which one you tend to prefer would be based on testing various firmness levels of each one in person but based on “averages” … Talalay latex would probably be a more popular choice for those that prefer softer comfort layers than Dunlop.
Phoenix