Hi ashark8me,
If you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about any options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.
While there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to tell you “what” to choose … I may be able to provide some information that can help you with “how” to choose.
[quote]The UD Natural is 3 inches of dunlop on top of 5.5 inches of 2 lb HD foam with a quilted cover.
The bed I looked at today was (and I apologize for the lack of real technical info here, I totally failed at getting that) about 9 inches of talalay latex comprised of 3 inch layers glued together (I assume they were glued). The top being quite soft, the middle being firmer, and the bottom being the firmest, followed by another 2-3 inch layer of some kind of other foam. I don’t know if it was poly or HD, it seemed about the same firmness as the firmest latex but unfortunately right now I don’t have the specs on that. I realize without knowing exactly what that foam is and the specs on everything, it’s difficult to compare. They had a cutaway model of the mattress and I did see that the bottom latex layer has an ILD listed as 36 then it says density 4.4. That is the firmest layer of the latex. This bed also had a quilted cover. They had 2 identical ones there with different covers, and I much preferred the quilted one. I thought it was strange that just that would make a real difference, but it did.[/quote]
It can be very surprising to many people how much difference different covers can make in the feel and performance of a mattress.
With the “mostly latex” mattress you are looking at I would want to know the type and thickness of any quilting materials that are used in the cover because this can be a weak link in a mattress and I would also want to know the blend of the Talalay (although it’s likely to be blended if they don’t specify) and I would also want to know the type and density of the bottom 2-3" layer.
Having said that … if the quilting layers aren’t 2" or thicker then they wouldn’t likely be a weak link in the mattress and the bottom layers are most likely in the 1.5 lb range or higher (and preferably 1.8 lb) and are just a “stabilization” layer (see post #2 here) and with that much latex on top of them they aren’t likely to be a weak link in the mattress either.
The Ultimate Dreams has a quilting layer that is about 1.5" of polyfoam and the base layer is 2 lb polyfoam so there wouldn’t be any weak links in this mattress either in terms of durability. As you know you also have the options to choose the firmness of your comfort layer.
There is more about an “all latex” mattress (or in this case a “mostly latex” mattress) vs a latex/polyfoam hybrid in post #2 here.
There is also more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses in post #13 here.
[quote]My thoughts on the UD Natural:
Dunlop. I still don’t know what that feels like. I read that it’s maybe better for “persons of size” than talalay which is unfortunately something we need to consider. Maybe someday we’ll be smaller people but for right now it’s a consideration. I’m a little nervous that I won’t like Dunlop as much as talalay given that just the different covers made a difference to me. I just have not been able to lay on one and I"m not going to be able to. I am stumped here. I apparently like a bit of cushion over a good support given my preference for the more fluffy cover the bed I liked in real life.[/quote]
The choice between Dunlop and Talalay would be a preference choice not a “better/worse” choice regardless of whether they are used in comfort or support layers. Both come in a wide range of firmness levels and are very durable materials with the right design and firmness levels eithr one can make a good choice for any weight range for those that prefer the feel and performance of either one.
There is more about Dunlop vs Talalay in post #7 here but the only reliable way to know which one you prefer will be based on your own personal testing or sleeping experience. When you can’t test a mattress in person then the return or exchange options may become a more important part of your personal value equation just in case the choice you make doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for. If you do decide to choose the UD Natural then I would purchase it from the Dreamfoam site because they have a 10% discount vs Amazon and that would also give you the benefit of their 45 day comfort guarantee as well.
There is also more about the different ways to choose a mattress (either locally or online) that is the most suitable “match” for your specific needs and preferences and how to identify and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for that are involved in each of them in post #2 here.
There is also more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses.
When you are down to finalists that are all choices between “good and good” and if there are no clear winners between them then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a suitable choice and post #2 here can help you make a final choice based on your local testing, your conversations with each of them, your confidence about the suitability of each one, the prices, the options you have after a purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Phoenix