Hi neo8175,
I’m guessing you meant “it’s not worth spending the extra money for the 100% natural Talalay unless needed” because the SleepEZ Natural Select mattresses give you a choice between 100% natural Dunlop or blended Talalay in each of the layers.
There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and there is more about some of the general differences between Dunlop and Talalay in post #7 here but the choice between different types and blends of latex in either comfort, transition, or base layers is more of a preference and budget choice than a “better/worse” choice because any type or blend of latex is a good quality and durable material relative to other types of foam such as memory foam or polyfoam. The best way to know which type or blend of latex or the general firmness levels you tend to prefer would be based on your own local testing or your own personal experience.
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone 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 and the different options they have available to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences or to other mattresses that they are familiar with than anyone else.
A good online retailer or manufacturer will generally make suggestions that they honestly believe have the best chance of success based on the information you provide them when you talk to them on the phone because this is in both your own and their best interests but once again … at the end of the day the only way to know for certain whether any specific mattress is a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (or how it compares to another mattress) will be based on your own careful testing and/or your own personal experience so if you can’t test a specific mattress in person then the options you have available after a purchase to either exchange the mattress (or individual layers or components in some cases) or return the mattress for a refund (and any costs involved) would generally become a more important part of most people’s personal value equation just in case a mattress you purchase doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for.
The main advantage of a side to side split is that you can choose a different initial design and firmness level with different levels of comfort and/or support for each side of the mattress which can certainly be beneficial for couples that are in different weight ranges or that have different needs and preferences in a mattress. Having a side to side split also allows you to “fine tune” the comfort and/or support on each side of the mattress separately from the other side by rearranging layers or replacing a layer on one side of the mattress without affecting the other side. There is more about the pros and cons of a split layer mattress in post #2 here.
As you probably know SleepEZ is one of the members of the site which means that I think highly of them and that I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency and you are certainly looking at a great quality/value choice.
Phoenix