Dunlop vs Talalay video

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hi,

Great website and resource. I have been studying the site, and I have a question. My husband reports that he saw a video in which two latex mattresses, one Talalay and the other Dunnlop, were found folded in half in a warehouse after five years of storage in this position. They were both unfolded and the Talalay mattress sprung back to normal whereas the Dunlop was permanently deformed. He has concluded that Dunlop is therefore an inferior manufacturing process. This opinion has been reinforced by the statement at a mattress showroom by a knowledgeable sales rep that Dunlop can be unpredictable. What the sales rep means by that is that there can be a variation between what you feel when you try out the Dunlop mattress in the showroom, compared to the Dunlop mattress you receive.

It is very difficult for me to convince my husband of anything that he doesn’t already agree with. I am concerned about discarding the Dunlop option right away, because we are both tall people. He is 6’1" and 180 lbs and I am 5’11" and 145 lbs. We both think we prefer a firm mattress because we have been sleeping on a futon for over 15 years now. I understand that the Talalay can break down sooner. I would be sad and disappointed if in one year after our mattress purchase there is a body imprint where we sleep.

Have you seen this video and if so, what do you think about it and my husband’s conclusions?

Thanks,

Momma Di

2

Hi Momma Mi,

I happened to own both talalay and dunlop latex, and they both have their pros and cons. As a general statement, they are both high quality materials. I happened to prefer the bed I have made of only dunlop, but there are aspects of talalay I like also and continue to try to see if I can have the best of both. I say this in that high quality dunlop vs high quality talalay is essentially a preference thing.

The “problem” with dunlop is that there are more companies making it, some better, some worse, and each has their own proprietary methods… So you’re not able to compare dunlop nearly as easily. Whereas talalay is essentially only made by 2 companies, and therefore there’s less variability. Talalay used in mattress X is likely the same as in mattress Y, and if you know the ild you prefer you can ensure it’s identical. Dunlop can also have more variation within a plate, and more variability in firmness/softness…usually this isn’t a problem, but can make ordering raw latex more challenging if that’s your plan.

So… If you try a mattress and love it and it’s a good match for PPP, and it has dunlop, and comes from a reputable mattress company… There’s no problem. If you’re trying to buy bare plates of latex, for instance to match the feel of another mattress, then dunlop is more difficult because you’d really need to ensure you get the same kind of Dunlop made by the same company to ensure an exact match.

Savvyrest has pretty good info on both, including the fact that it’s really a preference thing. Now, I’d probably not go combing through amazon or alibaba trying to find the cheapest dunlop on the planet…I have always bought from the more reputable dealers, many such dealers are members of this website.

Talalay does cost more to manufacture, so it sometimes costs more to buy. This isn’t evidence of better or worse… Only different. What would make it better or worse is really your own preference and testing.

From a business perspective, there are excellent mattresses made with either or both talalay and Dunlop, and often the advice you’ll get will really be an indicator of what kind of mattresses a particular mattress maker has more experience with. I.e. If they only sell talalay or Dunlop, and have for the past 10 years, it’s quite likely you’re going to hear about why its superior. It would be more appropriate to say that particular retailer has had a successful experience with that kind of latex and therefore prefer selling it - remembering that a different retailer may have had an equally successful experience with the other kind of latex too.

Basically they feel / perform different, and if you prefer the feel / performance of Dunlop, it’s an excellent material that will do well for you.

I hope this helps!

3

Hi Momma Di,

Yes I’ve seen the video which is here.

You can read my comments about the video and the other comments you made in post #4 here and the other posts it links to along with post #4 here (including a link to a video of a Dunlop latex mattress that was in use for almost 50 years). As you can see … I don’t agree with your husband’s conclusions and my own thoughts are very much in line with dn’s that the choice between them would be based on personal preference and not based on the fact that one is any “better” than another. They are just different.

Phoenix