Hi Midwestmarinemom,
My own needs and preferences in a mattress may be very different from someone else and a mattress that I would sleep well on may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on.
The best way to know whether any mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own personal preferences) will be based on your own careful testing or personal experience.
Latex is very “sticky” and doesn’t tend to shift inside a mattress if the layers are inside a suitable tight fitting cover. There is more about the pros and cons of a “finished mattresses” that generally has glued layers vs a component mattresses with unglued layers and zip covers in post #15 here and post #2 here. Either one can certainly make a suitable choice.
When it comes to mattress components there is no such thing as “best” … there is only “best for you”. Different people can have very different needs and preferences and very different definitions of “best” depending on all the many criteria that are most important to each person. Having said that … there is more information about quilted covers vs thinner more stretchy covers in post #12 here and the posts it links to.
All the layers and components of a mattress (including the cover) will affect the feel and performance of every other layer and component above and below it and the mattress “as a whole” but again … the “best” way to know which combination of materials and components would be “best for you” is based on your own careful testing and your personal experience.
I or some of the more knowledgeable members of the site can certainly help you to narrow down your options, help you focus on better quality/value choices that are available to you either locally or online, help you identify any lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress relative to your weight that you may be considering, act as a fact check, answer many of the specific questions you may have along the way that don’t involve what you will “feel” on a mattress, and help with “how” to choose but only you can decide which specific mattress, manufacturer, or combination of materials is “best for you” regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or whether anyone else (including me) would have the same criteria or circumstances or would make the same choice.
Phoenix