Hi macfife,
Their “natural” talalay actually uses the Latex International blended latex.
The numbers are correct except for the 1" base layer which has been replaced with very firm (50 ILD) talalay latex. the complete specs of the 4 models you tried are in a few places on the forum including here.
Both types of talalay latex (blended and 100% natural) whether made by Radium or Latex International are very high quality materials and while one is not “better” than another they are different. The blend (LI and Radium are both about 70/30 SBR/NR) are formulations that give the best combination of price, durability, and performance. There are advantages and disadvantages to each but in general the blended is more durable, has a wider range of firmness levels, is more consistent across the surface, and more pressure relieving and costs less. The 100% natural is more natural and denser (which makes it a little more supportive with comparative ILD’s). Both are OekoTex standard 100 certified for offgassing and safety.
To know if a change in formulation would make talalay latex “better” would depend on knowing exactly what quality you were focusing on changing and of course would also require the material science knowledge to be able to predict if this “desireable quality” would actually be enhanced with a different formula. Latex formulations are amazingly complex and “guarded secrets” amongst different manufacturers although the generalities are known. They will also make different formulations for different commercial customers who do volume which justifies it and are willing to pay for it.
If having less synthetic in talalay latex is important to someone for it’s own sake (and not because of performance or safety) then paying extra for the 100% natural would be worth it. If I was choosing Dunlop … then 100% natural would be my clear choice over synthetic. There is more here about the various choices and some detailed forum posts as well including post #2 here.
Which is better depends on what is more important to each person.
I believe that there is no other home or furniture item you can purchase that will have a bigger effect on your overall health and wellbeing over the next decade or more than a mattress and rushing or lack of research or especially testing is one of the biggest reasons for choices that people come to regret. In other cases … they may never realize the difference a better choice could have made.
I personally would take the time to “do it right”. There is a limit to the amount of research that can be valuable though and my own preference would be to work with someone who already knows what I would otherwise need to learn (such as a local manufacturer or better sleep shop). Personal testing for PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and preferences) is also more accurate that “spec based” research and would be my main focus once I knew the materials I wanted. Research into similar choices can give you significant savings and better quality/value but there is also a point of diminishing returns where more research will only save you less than the time it takes to research every fine detail (and in most cases this leads more to confusion than it helps). The quality and value of a mattress is less important than it’s suitability for a person or couple IMO.
All of this can be different for each person depending on their own personal “value equation”. While I would never begrudge a few hundred dollars to save me some time … I would never knowingly make the mistake of choosing a mattress based on price alone and would always put most of my focus on it’s suitability for my needs and preferences. Once you know the basics of what you need and prefer … then value comparisons are much easier and a good last step.
Phoenix