I’ve been researching and trying out mattress for a few weeks now. Of all the mattresses I’ve laid on that both my wife and I liked, the OMI Lago seems to be the winner. We liked a PureBliss mattress, but I’m not sure which model. The tag said MATBAL-005. Couldn’t find info on it. We found a Savvy Rest retailer and laid on all the permutations they had. The winner there was the Talalay-Dunlop mixed Soft-T, Soft-D, Medium-D. I wished they’d had a Soft-Medium-Firm in all talalay, but they didn’t.
I’m 6’4" and weigh about 175-180. My wife is 5’9" and about 120-125. We’re both tall and skinny and both side sleepers, though I wake up on my stomach most nights. We pretty much agree on the mattresses, so I don’t think I need to have a split bed. Our spines lined up pretty well on the Lago, though we could both probably have our shoulders sink a touch more. This might happen as the mattress breaks in, but if we bought a Lago we’d probably be happy (minus the $4k price tag).
I’m pretty much set on buying a mattress from mattresses.net. Great prices, good reputation, and Ken has been helpful. He recommended doing a 3" 22ild comfort layer over a 6" 33ild core. This seems like a good approximation of the OMI Lago, though maybe a touch softer, which my wife would prefer. 3 inch top layer seems like it would stop us from hitting the core too much.
I’m debating the natural talalay vs. blended. Most info seems to point towards the blended being more durable, though I’ve found some dissenting opinions that argue natural would be since SBR by itself is inferior. Not sure what the truth is. Some reports seem to suggest the natural is a bit more comfortable, luxurious, etc. My wife loves a plush bed, so I’d spring for natural if it would add a bit of plush to the bed.
We’re not crazy picky about this, but I want to get the right thing and buying over the internet is a little harder. Would love to hear anyone’s thoughts on this!!
The lago is 3.5" of sculpted natural talalay over 6" firm talalay. The comfort layer is sculpted which would make it softer than it’s actual ILD. You mentioned that it was 24 ILD over 40 ILD but the comfort layer would likely be closer to 22 ILD (N2 natural) over 38 ILD (their firmest all natural latex) unless they are using custom ILD’s. The OMI website now says it is 3" but most of the retail sites say 3.5" so I don’t know if they are measuring from the bottom of the sculpting and the retail sites are measuring from the top of the sculpting or if it has changed. You also mentioned in a previous post that it was a little on the firm side. It has a wool quilting which would firm up the latex a bit but the sculpting would also soften it so these may balance out. The extra 1/2 inch over the other choices may also make up for the fact that the core of this one is firmer.
The Savvy Rest you liked had the soft talalay (probably 22 ILD again) over soft Dunlop (around mid 20’s) over Medium Dunlop (mid 30’s). Again we have 22 ILD with wool quilting but a softer core (or at least transition layer). The thinner layer here would allow you to feel the core a little more but the core is softer so again it would balance out.
The Pure Latex Bliss Balance is 3" of 19 ILD over pocket coils. This is even softer latex with no quilting but over an innerspring which would be a different feel but still “relatively soft”.
All of these suggest that you may do well with 19 ILD - 22 ILD over the 33 ILD core which Ken suggested given your preferences and what they likely point to. The layer is a little thinner than the Lago but again the core would be a bit softer to “make up” for it.
While 19 and 22 are very close … and 19 is blended LI and the 22 could either be LI natural or Radium … I would make my choice based on gut feel and whether you want to be a very little bit safer (firmer) or a little bit softer (for the wife and maybe you too). For her height and weight and because women usually prefer a little softer … I would normally recommend the 19 (assuming Ken has it) as it’s more in her “typical” range. Bear in mind too that while we are talking as if the ILD of latex is exact … it really isn’t and there is a range across the surface of the mattress and a 3 ILD difference is very small.
In terms of blended vs natural talalay … besides the articles on the main site here there are a few more detailed posts such as post #2 here, … post #10 here, … and especially post #2 here (which also has a bunch of links to some more technical information if you are so inclined). In my mind most of the “controversy” at least regarding blended talalay vs natural talalay (not including Dunlop in this comparison) doesn’t take all the available information into account which seems to clearly point towards the fact that natural is a little less durable in the lower ILD’s.
I think that most of the people who believe that natural is better are mostly correct but would more likely be talking about Dunlop which is much denser and has a different cell structure which would make this much more true. It’s also true that overall, NR is a better material than SBR in most “performance” categories. Talalay is a little different animal though and the qualities of the NR or SBR content is not the only factor which determines relative durability in the case of Talalay. I can’t help but like the natural though and I can understand the draw towards it. There’s just something about it that “seems” better … even if it can’t be backed up with factual evidence.
Hope this helps … and I know the feeling around making the decisions about all the final details. Sometimes that’s the hardest part of all but I think that regardless of how you choose you will do well as all your options seem to be good ones. There’s a lot to be said for gut feel once you know that all your choices are between “good” and “good”.
Thank you, Phoenix. You’re expertise and devotion to this topic are a great service to sleepers everywhere! Haha. Seriously, you’ve put more info on the net on this subject than everyone else combined!
I’m feeling pretty good about the 22/33 combo. I wonder, though, if I went with a 19 top, should I stick with 33 on the core or go firmer? Would 19/38 yield a mattress that was more comfortable but just as supportive? Or would the great distance between layers make it feel more ‘segmented’? Another idea is using Dunlop in the core since it is more durable, though I don’t know if we’d feel it was too firm in this arrangement. I suspect these difference could only really be determined by laying on them. Not sure if theory is gonna get me there, haha.
Thanks for the kind words. My original goal was to “wake people up” but the more I think about it the more I might really be putting them to sleep. I guess I’ll have to go down the rabbit hole a little deeper
If I was in your shoes … I’d probably stick with the same core. With the lago … you have an extra 1/2" which would probably be just enough to allow you to use softer foam but still “keep you off” the firmer core so to speak. With only 3" on top and with the idea that maybe just a touch softer on top might work a little better … at least for your wife … I’d probably keep the same core. I think that you’re probably right that at the layer thickness that too firm a core transition may not be as comfortable but you’re still safe in going a very little softer on top in terms of support. You really only lose support when the upper layers are too thick and become part of the support layers,.
Dunlop and Talalay will be similarly durable in a core layer so the feel would make the biggest difference here. The Lago is Talalay and the Savvy Rest was Dunlop so I’d use this as the basis for your decision (although you’d be comparing firm Talalay to softer Dunlop so it wouldn’t be quite as easy to tell … they would still have a different feel to them).
I might see if Ken can do 19 on top, but 22 is probably fine. You don’t think 3 inches of 19 is too much softness? We laid on the Terra and it was definitely too soft, but I think between the top layer of the main mattress and the topper there’s a ton of really soft latex in there. Not sure what the stats are on it, though.
I checked on my past notes and the Terra in its “standard” form (it can be changed with a special order) has a firm 3" core (@ 35 ILD) with 2" of soft (@ 25 ILD) on either side. In combination with the topper (which is also 25 ILD but convoluted so effectively softer) would give you 5.5" of fairly soft latex which is a lot and would definitely be softer than the Lago (which both of us noticed since at one point the Terra was one of the models I was using as a reference point because I really liked it).
So given what your feedback is on other mattresses … I think the Terra may be “too much” soft foam but 3" of either 19 or 22 ILD latex would both likely be fine.
Still hesitant to pull the trigger, but Im pretty sure I’ll stick with the original plan and do a 22/33 3+6 configuration in blended talalay. This is cheaper, appears to offer more longevity, and is probably a safer bet than a 19ild top. I still have my concerns about how this will feel, how our spines will react, etc., but it seems like a safe bet.
Whenever I actually make an order I’ll report back here and post some pictures and stuff for future users benefit!
I thought I’d check on the specs of the Lago because there was some discrepancy between different sources so I called a local outlet that is very knowledgeable about them and they confirmed that in its “standard” configuration the Lago sculpted topper is n3 which means 25 - 29 ILD but the sculpting would make if effectively softer. The topper is also available in n2 which would mean 20 - 24 ILD but it too would be effectively softer with the sculpting. The sculpting probably also accounts for the different thicknesses that are listed.
So the odds are pretty good that the 22 ILD would be closer to the standard Lago than the 19 and probably a safer choice but given your weight distribution and your other testing you’d probably do fine with both.
Just thought I’d add this in case it helps in your final decision.
