Hi mcvicker,
I switched your posts (and my reply) to a new topic to keep them all together (the topic it was in is more of a âcatch allâ topic).
I would be aware that these mattresses are not 100% natural Talalay but blended Talalay (which is a little bit more durable in softer ILDâs than the 100% natural and has a 20 year warranty vs a 10 year warranty but is also less costly).
You can see the specs of the Worldâs Best Bed (to the best of my knowledge) and the Beautiful in post #2 here (assuming that they had a blue cover). If they had a white cover and didnât have use Active Fusion fast response then they would be version 2 which is here (but doesnât include the WBB specs). Their description indicates they are version 3 but the pictures have a white cover which would be version 2. Some of the confusion arises because PLB calls their blended Talalay ânaturalâ and their 100% natural Talalay âall naturalâ so many retailers believe they are selling one when they are actually selling the other.
When you are testing a mattress that have thicker and softer comfort layers such as the WBB and the Beautiful I would pay particular attention to testing for alignment to make sure that your hips/pelvis arenât sinking in too far relative to the other parts of your body. The mattress itself uses high quality materials (blended Talalay is one of the most durable foam materials) and has no weak links in its construction.
The âvalueâ of a mattress is relative to what you are comparing it to, on the size of the mattress you are considering (which I donât know) and on your personal value equation which is all the parts of a mattress purchase (not just the mattress) that are most important to you. In terms of âraw material valueâ (which has nothing to do with PPP or how the mattress feels and performs) you can compare this to other blended Talalay latex mattresses that use a similar amount of latex and have a similar stretch knit cover (a quilted cover, especially if it includes wool, is more costly). The Active Fusion Talalay fast response is also blended Talalay but has some gel added to the mix to help with cooling and is slightly more costly (although Talalay latex is already one of the most breathable and temperature regulating of the foam materials).
The list of online manufacturers that are members of this site that are included in the tutorial post are useful for making value comparisons and if you look at their sites and compare the WBB or the Beautiful to other mattresses in the same thickness range (@12" or so) and use the same type of latex (blended Talalay) you will find that the WBB is significantly more. In other words ⌠the WBB is more costly than other similar mattresses that may be available to you that use the same materials and a similar cover but may have a different design (layer thickness, ILD, etc).
The Beautiful has the same amount of Talalay latex as the WBB but it uses different layer thicknesses so in terms of âraw materialâ value it would be the same as the WBB but of course it would be less valuable to you because of the difference in PPP.
There are also a few retailers in post #32 here that sell PLB mattresses online that may have better pricing that you could call to make some value comparisons as well for the same mattresses (once you confirm which version they are selling).
While the PLB mattresses are a fair bit more costly than other similar âall blended Talalayâ latex mattresses, how well a mattress âmatchesâ your needs and preferences is a significant part of the âvalueâ of a mattress purchase regardless of the cost. If one mattress has a much better âraw materialsâ value than another one that uses the same materials and components but the mattress has a different design that isnât suitable for you in terms of PPP then it would have little value to you if you canât sleep well on it so a mattress that is significantly more costly may be better value to you over the course of its useable lifetime than one that is significantly less if the difference in PPP and any of the other parts of the purchase are more important and âworth itâ to you.
Overall these are more costly than other similar mattresses but only you can decide if they are âworthâ any extra cost.
I would also make âmattress to mattressâ and âadjustable bed to adjustable bedâ comparisons rather than comparing a mattress and adjustable base to each other as a set because you may not be making âapples to applesâ comparisons. An adjustable bed is more of a commodity and all of them perform similar basic functions (although some have more features than others). While you will often receive a discount for buying an adjustable bed as a set with a mattress ⌠I would compare the discounted price of the mattress and adjustable bed separately with other mattresses and other adjustable beds because you may be able to buy the same or a very similar adjustable bed with the same or similar features elsewhere for a lower cost and adjustable beds are much more of a simple features vs cost comparison than a mattress.
Post #3 here and the adjustable bed thread it links to may be helpful and will also give you some sources to make some good âvalue comparisonsâ for adjustable beds.
[quote]Serenity plush, which has 6" of HD polyfoam core, ILD rating 28-32 (?) for support. Then, 2" of 8 lbs memory foam with a 10-16 ILD rating on TOP of 2" of 5 lbs memory foam with 8-14 ILD rating, and sandwiched between the two layers, a 1/2 inch 'breathing layer, (2 thin plastic pieces separated by millions of perpendicular plastic like strands, when pushed with a finger, collapses easily and springs back but when pressed between two palms, will not collapse). Also, the 8 lbs memory foam was perforated, (much like latex), which caused a more cushy feel than the non perforated (regular) serenity mattress. (otherwise, both constructed of same materials. I liked the cushy feel of the plush, and somehow, when changing position, seemed less of an effort than it did on the AG gel mattress. Support was good, (once again relying on them for visual), with no discernible deviation in spinal alignment, and I personally felt none either. The regular serenity was not quite as âcushyâ, but just as comfortable and supportive, but did take more effort to change positions. Price with an adjustable base, for regular serenity, $2600.00. The Plush, $2800.00. (actually quite impressive as I had tried the Temporpedic Could Supreme 11", which felt very similar, but priced $2750.00âŚwith no adjustable base).
Serenity Latex, a dual sided mattress with a 6" 26-34ILD 2.5 lbs polyfoam core, and 3" of talaylay latex composed of 1" of 16-22 ILD 3 lbs density latex on top of 2â of 21-27 ILD 3.25 lbs density latex. Support felt was excellent, with no discernible shift in spinal alignment on sides or back, and very cushy feel, filling all gaps adequately. Price with adjustable base, $2900.00.[/quote]
OMF has some good quality and value mattresses available and their Serenity mattresses (both the memory foam and the latex versions) also use high quality materials and have no weak links in their design. The memory foam versions would be very much an apples to oranges comparison vs a latex mattress but they are in a good value range compared to other similar mattresses (again you can use the online lists in the tutorial post to make some âvalue comparisonsâ). There are more comments about the Serenity memory foam mattresses in this topic (and I would also make sure you test them on an adjustable base if thatâs what you plan to use because they are normally on a box spring which flexes and this will change the âfeelâ of the mattress. Itâs always important to make sure that you test a mattress on a similar base to what you plan to use.
You can see some comments about the Serenity latex mattress along with some of the differences between a latex/polyfoam hybrid and the pros and cons of a two sided mattress in post #2 here and the posts it links to.
ILD specs are âcomfort specsâ and not really relevant or important to know when you are testing a mattress in person because with good testing your body will tell you what you need to know about PPP much more than knowing the firmness/softness or ILD ratings of any individual layers. Itâs the quality of the materials that you canât âfeelâ when you test a mattress and that are the important specs to make sure you find out.
Hopefully this will help 
Phoenix