Hi Jiggerjuice,
I’m not sure where you read all this or why you are making some of the assumptions you are making but it’s certainly not the case and your comments are not accurate at all. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and about the differences between 100% natural Talalay and blended Talalay in post #2 here but in some cases blended Talalay is actually a more durable material than 100% natural Talalay.
The firmness of latex has little to nothing to do with it’s quality or cost in the case of latex so I don’t know why you would think that firmer or softer layers would cost either more or less.
The quality of polyfoam depends on it’s density (if you are defining quality in relationship to durability) or to it’s properties such as resilience, compression modulus, or other specs that make one type of polyfoam more costly than another. Either way … firmness is also not a part of the cost of polyfoam because any quality/density of polyfoam can be made in a wide range of firmness levels that have nothing to do with density.
While it’s true that lower budget mattresses by necessity need to use less costly materials … it’s also true that there are better and worse ways to design a mattress in a lower budget range and a latex/polyfoam hybrid that uses a latex comfort layer can provide many of the benefits that goes with sleeping on a latex comfort layer in a lower budget range than an all latex mattress. There is also more about the differences between a latex hybrid and an all latex mattress in post #2 here.
There are certainly “cheap mattresses” that are worth less than they cost and are part of what I call the “race to the bottom” but there are also many lower budget mattresses that use high quality materials that are suitable for their budget range that are great value.
If you spend some time reading the mattress shopping tutorial it includes some links that discuss the the pros and cons of different types of mattress materials and components in much more detail that can help you understand a little more about what makes one material “better” than another in certain applications and budget ranges.
As you can see in the links I mentioned earlier … synthetic rubber is a less costly material than natural latex and it’s also more difficult (and more costly) to manufacture a foamed latex material using natural rubber because it isn’t as easy to work with. you are absolutely right though that 100% latex and 100% natural latex aren’t the same thing. The margins on mattresses would typically be higher in higher budget ranges (which would tend to use more costly versions of latex) but the price difference between SBR and NR probably isn’t as much as you think (see here). It’s also not that difficult to find 100% natural latex in either Talalay or Dunlop if you are a member here.
[quote]Seriously, where can I buy HD polyfoam blocks?
Phoenix, anywhere to get HD base foam? To make my DIY layered bed? You mentioned “local foam shop” - anywhere online you can name or call out easily? Walking into a proper mattress store looking for polyfoam sounds like an easy way to hand a guy free money.[/quote]
Some of the better sources for mattress components and materials (including any grade or density of polyfoam that you may decide to purchase) are listed in the component post here.
[quote]I looked long and hard at the Dreamfoam as well:
dreamfoambedding.com/index.php?route=pro...roduct&product_id=50
It seems to be much the same as the Cotton Camilla. HD foam base + 3 inch “talalay” topper of unknown blends/quality.[/quote]
They are fairly similar yes but they certainly aren’t “unknown blends or quality” because both Dreamfoam and Brooklyn Bedding are completely transparent about all the materials in all of their mattresses. You can read a little more about how the Cotton Camilla compares to some of the other Dreamfoam and Brooklyn Bedding mattresses that have exchangeable comfort layers in post #16 here. The ultimate Dreams latex mattress that you linked is similar but it’s a finished mattress and doesn’t have the option to exchange the comfort layer after a purchase.
[quote]Amazon.com
THAT piece of junk as a base and then tossing on a 3" latex topper. Total cost will be around 600.
Or maybe this?
www.amazon.com/dp/B000WZTVRG/ref=wl_it_d...I3TTCDD6GW0HD5&psc=1[/quote]
I would make sure that you find out the quality/density of the materials in both of these or you could end up with a sleeping system that has a significant weak link in terms of the materials inside it. There is also more about choosing a mattress/topper combination that you can’t test in person in post #2 here.
I think that you have a lot of research to do yet before you have good clarity about the “value” of a mattress or sleeping system and the differences in cost and quality between different types of materials and components because much of what you are suggesting or have somehow come to believe (in spite of the detailed information on the site) is very inaccurate.
Phoenix