Is there a way to identify Radium or International Latex, Dunlop or Talalay, All natural or blended latex cores and toppers? I’ve so far received two twin toppers from two different companies. I’ve looked at them and the only identifying information on one is a marker scribbled “N3” on the side and on the other, a sticker with the company name and “Firm”.
I’m not disputing what I received – the one should be IL N3 and the other Radium all natural in a firm range. But, it’d be nice to know for sure. I could be sent anything at this point and have no idea. And, mistakes or misunderstandings can occur esp. with the gotcha legal weasel descriptions of “natural”, “all natural”, “made with…”, and so on.
Is there an identifying characteristic for IL all natural Talalay and Radium all natural Talalay vs. the other and vs. blends and dunlop? Something to look for? Pinhole patterns? Consistency? Any pictures?
Do these manufacturers mark or brand their products in some way? And, if they do, might those marks not show up on each component such as a topper – in other words, are toppers, esp. twins, cut from a larger piece?
Interesting. I ordered the natural talalay latex samples from flobeds. I compared them to my presumed N3 IL topper from foamsource and Firm Radium from SleepEZ. And, the Firm sample exactly matches the Firm Radium – perceived firmness, color, texture and pinholes.
I’ll have to email flobeds and ask. I don’t have a current preference, just trying to understand. The presumed Radiums have smaller but more numerous pinholes than the N3 IL. From other messages, it seems some think flobeds mostly or exclusively uses IL.
Flobeds is currently using Radium Talalay in their mattresses.
Most full latex cores that are made in a mold have some identifying marks or labels when they are manufactured but an individual layer may not have any depending on what part of the core they are cut from or on whether a label is still attached.
There is more in post #3 here about identifying Dunlop vs Talalay but most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between different manufacturers unless they worked with the materials on a regular basis.
Pincore patterns depend on the mold that is used so they can vary.
Thanks Phoenix. Yes, Flobeds confirmed they’ve been using Radium since Jan. 2013. A Radium sample and topper I’ve received from Flobeds and SleepEZ exactly match. They’re a good, clean looking latex, so Radium is fine by me.
“… most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference…”. Well, you (presumably) and I aren’t most ;). Seriously, I don’t know about blended vs. all natural, but I can now tell the diff. between all natural talalay IL and Radium.