Hi Linda17551,
There is more information about the 3 most important parts of “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
While I can’t speak to how any mattress will “feel” for someone else because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances … outside of PPP the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the quality/durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new) so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
Both of the mattresses you are looking at use 8" of 100% natural latex (a 6" base layer and a 2" comfort layer) and both of them use a wool quilted cover so there are no lower quality materials or weak links in any of them and I would consider both of them to be a very durable choice.
The main differences are that Arizona Premium uses 100% natural Talalay and Sleep On Latex uses 100% natural Dunlop and Arizona Premium has a rayon/bamboo cover and Sleep On Latex has a cotton cover.(bamboo has a “smoother” feel and is a little bit more moisture wicking but isn’t as natural as cotton). The choice between Dunlop and Talalay would be a preference and budget choice not a “better/worse” choice and I would treat all the different versions of latex as close equivalents in terms of durability. There is more about some of the more general differences between Talalay and Dunlop in post #7 here but the best way to know which type of latex you tend to prefer at least in general terms would be based on your own testing and personal experience.
100% natural Talalay is also a more costly material than 100% natural Dunlop. There is also more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here but all of the latex you are likely to encounter (either Dunlop or Talalay that is made with either natural or synthetic rubber or a blend of both) will have a reliable safety certification such as Oeko-Tex, Eco-Institut, or Greenguard Gold (see post #2 here) and based on actual testing I would consider any type or blend of latex to be a very “safe” material in terms of harmful substances and VOC’s.
They also have different options available both before and after a purchase. Mattresses.net is a component mattress which means that you can exchange either the support core or the comfort layers for a different firmness/thickness (and they also have blended Talalay available which would lower the cost of the mattress) and they also allow returns but there is a shipping cost involved. Having a separate comfort layer also has the has the advantage of being able to replace just a single layer without replacing the entire mattress if it softens or breaks down before the deeper layers (the upper layers of a sleeping system tend to soften or break down before the deeper layers) or if your needs or preferences change over time.
Sleep On Latex is a “finished” mattress so the only options you would have to “fine tune” the mattress would be by adding a topper. They also have a free return policy and the cost of the mattress is lower.
Both of them are members of this site which means that I think highly of them and I believe that they both compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency and they would both make great quality/value choices.
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed 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 to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful … I would be very cautious about about using other people’s experiences or reviews on a mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you and in many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because most consumers have little knowledge about mattresses and mattress materials or how to assess the quality of the materials in a mattress and any mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range) and reviews in general certainly won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).
Once you have narrowed down your options to a list of finalists that are all choices between “good and good” and none of them have any lower quality materials or “weak links” in their design relative to your weight range (which they don’t) and if there are no clear winners between them (which is usually a good indication that you have done some good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a suitable choice and post #2 here can help you make a final choice based on your local testing or mattresses you have slept well on, your more detailed conversations about each of them, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, your preferences for different types of materials or types and blends of latex, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress or individual layers, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Phoenix