Hi ehuesman,
If their latex comes from Latex International the it would be N2 yes.
If a Dunlop layer has even been tested for ILD accurately then it would give a reasonable indication of the ILD range for that piece (keeping in mind that ILD with Dunlop has several variables even with the same foam core) but density is also a good way to compare the firmness of Dunlop because all Dunlop manufacturers will describe their foam by density even if they don’t by ILD and if the foam is 100% natural then density comparisons between different manufacturers will be fairly close.
Most of the latex from Latex International is Talalay and they don’t have any 100% natural Dunlop. If it’s 100% natural Dunlop it could come from many companies including Latex Green, Arpico, Latexco, CoCo latex, GommaGomma, or one of many other Dunlop manufacturers around the world that make some good quality Dunlop latex.
I don’t think that trying to duplicate another mattress based on specs is “bad” at all … I think it’s just important to have reasonable and realistic expectations about the likelihood of success (or accuracy) because most people have little idea about how difficult it may be to duplicate another mattress. It also depends on whether you are trying to duplicate just the “feel”, the design, the quality of materials, or all three. Post #2 here also has more about trying to duplicate another mattress. The limiting factors in success are the ability to get accurate information about the mattresses you test in the first place (so you know what materials you are duplicating) and your ability to find the exact same foam in the same thickness at various suppliers and your ability to also match any other design differences in the mattress (construction method, covers, quilting etc). Every difference between your mattress and what you are trying to duplicate can make a difference in how it feels and performs … sometimes in surprising ways for those that aren’t used to working with mattress materials, foams, and components.
Mattress design is about a “conflict” between the need for pressure relief which requires “softness” in the upper layers and the need for support/alignment which requires “firmness” in the deeper layers and the choice of preferences which may require what someone has become “used to” or “likes” (just like food preferences for sweets or starchy foods that have developed over time that may or may not be healthy for someone) and mattress design and theory can often be counterintuitive and surprisingly difficult. Like chess or golf or other lifetime endeavors where the learning curve never ends … people who make mattresses will tell you that there are so many variables between people and mattresses and material combinatioins that they will probably never “master” it … although some are certainly better than others.
Sometimes differences can “cancel each other out” in the case of two mattresses that have different designs that feel and perform in similar ways for someone and sometimes small differences can have a compounding effect and make each one feel much more obvious than it would be on its own.
What you test locally is a guideline that can certainly be helpful but as you mentioned … because of differences in design and in subjective vs objective perceptions … it can usually only be used as one indication of a mattress that may work best for you. Every “piece of information” that you include in your discussion with a manufacturer or retailer increases your odds of success within the limitations of the options they have available. The upper half of a mattress will also contribute more to the “feel” of the mattress for most people than the lower half so this can also be especially useful to know both in the “target” mattress and in the one you are purchasing.
With an online order though … there is always risk involved to different degrees depending on mattress return and exchange policies, design flexibility, and other factors which IMO should be realistically taken into account as part of someone’s “value equation” rather than “minimized” as being irrelevant or “not likely to happen to me”. To the degree that what you order online is different from what you tested … sometimes in even seemingly smaller details (and assuming that your testing was careful and objective and a reliable indicator of your long term experience in the first place) … then “educated guesswork” or calculated risk" is what your choice will boil down to. It’s important to make sure that you have asked yourself “what is my recourse if I guess wrong” and that you realize that this is all about shifting odds in your favor as much as possible. Sometimes you will “win” and sometimes you will “lose” and what can happen if you lose (make a wrong choice in terms of pressure relief, support, or "feel) and the odds of that happening is what needs to be realistically taken into account.
Online manufacturers make great quality and value available for those areas of the country where they aren’t as widely available (or available at all) locally. If you happen to be in one of those areas … then it’s really a matter of weighing out the pros and cons of local vs online and if you do decide to go in an online direction … then shifting the odds in your favor as much as possible … all the while realizing that your odds will never be 100%. In realistic terms … if a mattress in its “final configuration” (after the initial break in period and after any adjustments, fine tuning, layer rearranging and layer exchanging) is 90% of your “ideal” in terms of all your needs and preferences in both the short and long term … then this would be my “definition” of being a great success and is much more than what the large majority of people will realistically achieve in the larger consumer market.
Phoenix