DIY Mattress: 2 vs 3 inch topper; Talalay Global or Radium/Vita Talalay?

We want to start off by saying that this site is AMAZING! Thanks to Phoenix for running it, well done!

We’ve spent many hours over the last few weeks reading articles online and doing research on this forum, so much information to digest…

OUR PROFILES:

Me: 6ʹ, 175lbs – 80% side sleeper, 20% back sleeper.
Wife: 5ʹ5ʺ, 155lbs – 75% side sleeper, 25% back sleeper.

We decided to go with Arizona Premium Mattress and are thinking about building a DIY king size mattress in the following configuration:

COVER: Bamboo quilted with natural Joma wool.
COMFORT LAYER: 2ʺ All Natural Talalay Latex Topper SOFT ILD 20-24
TRANSITION LAYER: 3ʺ All-Natural Talalay Latex Topper MEDIUM ILD 25-29
CORE: Two twin XL 6ʺ All-Natural Dunlop Latex Cores FIRM ILD – 36 (LATEXCO)

We both like sleeping on a thicker mattress and anything less than 11ʺ is not acceptable to us.

Questions:

1.Since we both are mainly side sleepers needing medium to soft for our hips and shoulders, would 2ʺ or 3ʺ Soft Talalay as a top layer work better for us? We want to sink in just enough to have a correct spinal alignment and worried that with all added extra layers (1/1.5ʺ mattress cover, mattress protector and fitted sheets) we will be sinking too far.
2. Go with Talalay Global or Radium/Vita Talalay? They both make quality products and are closely comparable. However, we read that Talalay Global had quality control issues in the past, any recent updates on that? In addition, where could we find updated ILD charts from both manufacturers?
3. Anything else we need to consider?

Thanks in advance!

Thank you for your interest in our products. Based on your info I would reverse the 2 layers and choose the 2" Medium under a 3" Soft. Since we buy from both Vita Talalay and Talalay Global we match up the ILD’s for you. If TG is 20-24 we use the Vita Talalay equivalent so that we we can ship whichever we have in stock at the time which right now is a big thing since both are extended way out on deliveries. TG has more business than they can handle and Vita Talalay is having trouble getting the containers off loaded at the port. TG is in the process of adding a third shift and also opening up their new distribution and fabrication center right here in Phoenix. The quality issues they were having was over 8 years ago and are long gone. TG has plans to eventually start pouring latex here in Phoenix as well which will greatly reduce shipping times for everyone using their products. None of this has been announced yet so you heard it here first.

Wow Ken, that’s some pretty big news if that’s true…good to know the quality problems are gone too.

I don’t report false information. Most of the cutting equipment is already in place here in Phoenix.

Ken, great info again.

Just out of curiosity since it’s still on topic for the OP, do the Vita Talalay and Talalay Global ILDs actually match up? Is there a chart for what ILDs each have available somewhere?

Do the latex sheets come in preset heights (2" / 3" / 6") and widths (twin/full/queen/king) or do the retailers need to cut their own sheets to size?

[quote=“Arizona Premium” post=87277]Thank you for your interest in our products. Based on your info I would reverse the 2 layers and choose the 2" Medium under a 3" Soft. Since we buy from both Vita Talalay and Talalay Global we match up the ILD’s for you. If TG is 20-24 we use the Vita Talalay equivalent so that we we can ship whichever we have in stock at the time which right now is a big thing since both are extended way out on deliveries. TG has more business than they can handle and Vita Talalay is having trouble getting the containers off loaded at the port. TG is in the process of adding a third shift and also opening up their new distribution and fabrication center right here in Phoenix. The quality issues they were having was over 8 years ago and are long gone. TG has plans to eventually start pouring latex here in Phoenix as well which will greatly reduce shipping times for everyone using their products. None of this has been announced yet so you heard it here first.
[/quote]
Thank you Ken. We will be calling you to discuss further details.

Yes, I have the charts but I don’t believe Vita Talalay has them published online. #19 to TG’s 19, 28 to 28 and so on. The 2", 3" and 6" come in to us already cut to size.