My wife and I tried the Latex Bliss Nature model and liked the feel but not the price, so I am trying to use the knowledge gained on these forums to build my own.
I was able to find the build of the Bliss Nature stats here.
2″ 21 ILD Active Fusion Natural latex or all Natural 2" 28 ILD Natural Talalay Pressure relief 6″ 40 ILD Natural Talalay Support Core Total Height 10"
I think I can use the extra firm core from Arizona Premium which has a 46-50 ILD for a 6" core, and then layer a 2" 22ILD and 2" 28 ILD topper from one of the legitimate ebayers.
I want to know–will this work? Do I need to rethink my comfort layers because my core will be firmer than the Bliss Nature?
The specs you listed for the Nutrition are close but not quite correct for the bottom layer which is 36 ILD. You can see the specs of all the PLB Natural mattresses (which use blended Talalay latex) in post #2 here.
You can also read more about the different ways that one mattress can match another one in post #9 here. Every difference between two mattresses can affect how they compare in terms of feel and performance and how close two mattresses that have some small differences between them would depend on your body type, your sleeping positions, and how sensitive you are to smaller differences or where you are in the range between “I can sleep on anything” to “princess and the pea”. I would also read post #15 here and the posts it links to in option 3 before trying to build your own mattress so you have realistic expectations in terms of cost and success.
I would be aware that the firmest Talalay would noirmally be in an ILD range of 40 - 44 ILD (although they did make an ultra firm core to use as a stabilization layer for the PLB mattresses).
The other layers would be similar in terms of ILD and thickness (if you purchase blended Talalay) but the top layer of the PLB is Active Fusion fast response Talalay which will have a slightly different “feel” than the regular Talalay even though the ILD is very close. Some people may be more sensitive to this than others but for most people it would be “close enough”. Finally you will need a stretch knit cover that is very similar to the PLB mattresses because the type of cover you use can have a significant effect on the feel and performance of a mattress.
I think that for most people your design would be “close enough” (assuming you use a similar cover) although there will always be some people that are more sensitive to smaller differences and may not agree.
Thanks so much for the quick response. I was confused about the ILD of the 6" base myself but Ken at Arizona Premium was the one that mentioned the 46-50.
Also thanks for the pointer on the cover–based on research, it seemed like this cover might be my best bet.
My only other thought is to keep the same base but go with two 3" (rather than 2") layers from Arizona Premium, but the top layer would be 19 ILD rather than 21 ILD (which would be followed by 3" of 28 ILD). Their 3" blended toppers only come in the 19 and 28 ILD options, as you probably know. What would your thoughts be on this configuration?
The highest “official” ILD “rating” for both Latex International and Radium is 44 ILD but these are averages based on multiple measurements across the surface and some of the cores may be firmer “on average” so they may be hand selected firmer cores than normal or they may be some of the Ultra Firm latex that they used in the stabilization layer of their PLB mattresses. (EDIT ADDED: this is the actual ILD of these cores as he was able to make a special order for these from LI).
This would probably make a good choice because it’s also a stretch knit unquilted cover and it’s had some good feedback on the forum.
Once you start playing with layer thicknesses or using ILD’s that aren’t as close then you are looking at larger differences between the two mattresses and it’s much more difficult to predict how close the end result will be and your odds of approximating the Nature would be lower IMO. I think that the difference in layer thickness and ILD would probably lead to a bigger difference between them than any differences in the type of talalay latex (blended vs 100% natural or Latex International vs Radium) where the layer thicknesses and ILD’s were closer.
Thanks again for the response…one last question, do you think the different ILDs of the cores will make a big difference? As you pointed out, the Bliss core is actually 36 ILD, vs. 40+ for the one I am looking at…I am wondering if I should be shopping for a different core!
It says the Pure Latex Bliss Beautiful model previously used these 6" cores before they changed the design. I found this confusing because I could not found any specs for Pure Latex Bliss models that showed this core. Maybe they have the ILD wrong?
The PLB version 2 models used to have an inch of very firm latex on the bottom (firmer than their “normal” firmest core which is 44 ILD). When I first asked them about this they told me that they were “in the range” of about 50 ILD (which was listed in the specs posted here by another member as well) and then on a later call they told me that they wouldn’t be so specific about the ILD and it was probably “safer” to list them as extra firm so I edited the same post. You can see one of the posts that I didn’t edit here.
I didn’t ask them this but they may have “targeted” for 44 ILD but ended up being a little firmer on average or they may actually have made them this firm to act as a ultra firm stabilization layer to replace the polyfoam that they were using previously.
This is another one of those “it depends” answers. It would probably make less of a difference than changing the comfort layers for most people but it would depend on how deeply you sink into the mattress and how much of the “feel” of the core you can feel through the top 4". Higher weights or side sleeping positions or people who were more sensitive would probably feel it more than lighter body weights, “flatter” sleeping positions, or people who were less sensitive.
The poster you were replying to was a spammer and I’ve deleted their posts.
If you let me know your zip code or city though there may be some options in your area I’m aware of if you wanted to test some other latex mattresses.
Post #4 here includes the better options I’m aware of near you (including Sleepworks) and a link to some of the better options around the NYC area as well.
2″ 21 ILD Active Fusion Natural latex or all Natural