Hi kazi,
Dreamfoam does not purchase “cheaper blended latex foam”. I’m not sure where you received that information, but it certainly isn’t accurate. The difference in Talalay latex formulation was described in the links I’ve provided here in this thread in reply to your previous questions.
As someone reading through this thread might think that what you wrote above was correct, I’ll take a few minutes to describe in more detail about some of the differences in Talalay latex.
To assist you and others reading through this thread (this information can be found in much more detail in post #6 here that I linked to in post #4 in this current thread), Talalay latex in the western world comes from either Talalay Global or Radium. The Talalay can be either synthetic (100% SBR), natural (100% NR) or blended (SBR/NR – this would be 70% SBR / 30% NR for either Talalay Global or Radium). Blended is by far the most common Talalay produced. The primary reason that 100% NR Talalay was introduced (in 2005) is to cater to the “natural” market who are willing to pay more for a product which has a more natural source, even though it may not be as durable in certain circumstances.
There is more detailed information about 100% natural and blended Talalay in post #2 here that is very informative.
Those who value a more natural product for personal reasons and are willing to pay for it (in price and possibly lower durability), or who can feel a difference and prefer the feel that comes from the greater elasticity and compression modulus of the natural would likely choose the 100% natural Talalay.
Those who value the increased consistency, greater choice of softness/firmness levels, or lower cost of the blend or who can feel a difference in pressure relief, would likely choose the blend.
Both are great choices and in the end the choice between them is part of each person’s individual “value equation”. Which is best for each person depends on their preferences and their budget, because all latex is a high quality material compared to other types of foam.
There are many factors that play a role in durability of foam layers and a mattress. With toppers, these factors are especially germane, as the topper is the uppermost layer, so it undergoes the most mechanical stress. And often, people place a topper on a product that already has impression issues, incorrectly expecting the topper to fix such defects, not realizing that any topper will only conform to the surface upon which it is placed.
There’s nothing wrong with choosing a 100% NR Talalay topper, but doing so based upon a supposition that is it a vastly superior product in terms of durability to blended Talalay would be an incorrect reason to make this decision.
Hopefully that helps out with any confusion!
Phoenix