DFW Latex Core Mattress Hunting

[phoenix]

Hi rjar,

I think I read that you had purchased this same bed from the Mattress Factory…so I’d like your opinion about the bed.

My mattress was a custom build but my opinion on the quality of any mattress is based on the materials inside it regardless of the manufacturer and Talalay latex is a good quality durable material that is my personal preference (although others may have different preferences completely that are just as valid as my own). Your own testing will tell you which mattress design is most suitable for you in terms of PPP.

Does having this “flippable” option with a latex mattress like this show that it’s made of lower quality materials? Is the flipping option unnecessary or does it actually add to the durability of the mattress?

Any mattress can be built two sided and this has nothing to do with the quality of materials. While lower quality/density materials will last longer in a two sided mattress … latex is not a lower quality material. Flipping and rotating a mattress will add to the useful life of any two sided mattress and would be necessary if you want the durability benefits of a two sided mattress. You can read more about the pros and cons of a two sided mattress in posts #2 and #3 here and the other posts it links to.

I’m narrowing my mattress choices to 3 in town, and the main differences are switchable layers and the Talalay Core vs. the Dunlop core. I saw in a video from one of the online sites that over time the Dunlop latex doesn’t “spring back” or retain it’s elasticity, whereas the Talalay does. On the other hand another site says that because of this ability to stay elastic, Talalay actually breaks down faster.

Can you clarify this for me?

You can read my thoughts about the different types of latex in post #6 here. I personally treat the choice between Dunlop and Talalay as a preference choice rather than a “better worse” choice. Softer versions of 100% natural Talalay may be less durable in some cases and long term compression or “heat aging” of Dunlop (vs normal use) could lead to what you saw in the video (see post #4 here) but in normal use I would consider any latex as being a good quality and durable material. Both blended Talalay and 100% natural Dunlop in a suitable design or firmer versions have a long history of being able to last for decades.

Phoenix