Hi Chris H,
You are certainly looking at some good options 
[quote]Option 1:
Cost is $2569 plus a new foundation (around $300), as I will be replacing a spring mattress.
www.naturesembracelatex.com/unison.htm
Natures embrace: Unison - Med Firm
10" of organic dunlop latex with a cotton and wool cover
Life span is maybe 20-30 years from my understanding.[/quote]
Latex is a very durable material but I’m not so sure I would have an expectation that any mattress will last you for 20 or 30 years since the weak link in the useful life of a mattress over that length of time may be changes in the needs and preferences of the person on the mattress just as much as any gradual softening in the mattress itself. I think it’s always much more realistic to think of 10 years as a reasonable expectation for any mattress and then treat any additional time as “bonus time”. It’s also true that with the durability of latex that bonus time or even “extended bonus time” is much more likely and probable than with other materials because of the durability of latex.
The body signature they are mentioning is most likely because of the wool in the quilting because wool will compress about 30% or so of it’s thickness over time and then will compress much less and more slowly and remain resilient after that. As you sleep on the different areas of the mattress surface this will even out as the parts you use less will also compress but they will take a little longer. Unlike foam … wool becomes firmer as it compresses so any initial compression wouldn’t represent the same risk for alignment as would be the case with foam softening because you will still sink into the wool the same amount when it is more lofted as you will when it is more compressed. This is a “normal” process for wool quilting or layers of wool.
[quote]Option 2:
Cost is $700
“Palms” from Northwest Sleep, Same as The Pettygrove from Parklane Mattresses
I noticed this mattress in another forum but the construction wasn’t as described by the Owner of Northwest.
Top to bottom:
3/4" HD Polyfoam in the cover
2" Talalay Latex
884 Individually wrapped Marshall coils
2" high density support foam
3/4" HD Polyfoam in the bottom cover
With full perimeter foam encasement.
Expected lifespan is around 10 years, this is also the mattress the owner of the place bought for himself.[/quote]
This is also a good quality mattress that has no obvious weak links. I also wouldn’t assume that it’s the same as the Pettigrove because it may be similar but not the same. I decided to call them because I was curious and the Palms isn’t listed on their site and they told me it has two 3/4" layers of quilting foam over 2" of latex over the pocket coil. Overall though this would be a less durable mattress than the all latex unison but it’s also in a much lower budget range.
All foam materials will soften and break down over time which can affect comfort and support on a mattress but some foams (like latex) will soften and break down more slowly but there is no way to know when you may cross the thresholds between “sleeping well” on a mattress to to “sleeping OK” to “tolerating it” to “deciding to replace it” because this is very subjective and will depend on the person and where you are in the range of comfort and support that is suitable for you (see post #2 here). I think it would be reasonable to expect a useful life “in the range” of 10 years and for some people it may be a little less and there would be less chance for any “bonus time” with this mattress because the materials overall aren’t as durable as the Unison. Overall though this would be a more durable design with higher quality materials and components than most mattresses in this price range or even higher.
[quote]Also, the Pettygrove shows 844 coils in every size. All other mattresses I’ve seen increase in number as the surface area of the mattress increases. Wouldn’t this mean that one size would be more/less supportive than another?
I’ve emailed Parklane for clarity on this as well.[/quote]
The larger sizes would definitely have more coils than the smaller sizes. Traditionally it used to be customary to quote coil counts based on a full size mattress but more recently it’s become much more common to quote coil counts based on queen sizes (which are higher) or in the case of coils that have foam edge support the “coil equivalent” which is the amount of coils that would be in a queen size without the foam edge support (which would replace some of the coils). You could confirm the number of coils in each size by asking them but it wouldn’t be an issue for me.
Both of these mattresses would be a good choice in their own way but of course they are really an apples to oranges comparison. When you are making final choices between two good quality mattresses that are in very different budget ranges and have different materials and constructions then then the questions I would ask yourself include …
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Which mattress is the best match for you in terms of PPP? Even smaller differences in a mattress can lead to improved sleep quality which are difficult to quantify in terms of price or “value” but can be an important part of your overall well being.
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Do any benefits of the Unison justify the greater price for you?
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Do you prefer the “feel” of a latex pocket coil hybrid or the “feel” of an all latex mattress?
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How important are organic materials and components to you?
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How important is the greater durability of the Unison and the likelihood that it will last you significantly longer relative to the price of each mattress (although it may not be 3 times as long)
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Are there any other parts of your personal value equation that are important to you (such as any return or exchange policies) that would also make a difference in your choice?
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Are you “leaning” in one direction or another?
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Are both of them in a comfortable budget range for you?
These and any other factors that are important to you are the pros and cons that I would consider if I was making a final choice between two mattresses that are a choice between “good and good” but are very different mattresses and in very different budget ranges.
Either one would certainly make a good choice and I don’t think either of them would be a “mistake” but only you can decide which one would make the best choice for you.
Phoenix