King 2" talalay latex topper (mid teens ILD) for $300ish?

[LookingNow]

Thanks Phoenix.

I spoke with a man today at 1 of the companies on the suggested latex topper list you have here on the site who said natural and blended talalay feel the exact same. That didn’t sound right to me so thanks for having cleared that up already. But when you say natural latex isn’t as “durable”, do you mean it might not give me as much of the MF “feeling” I crave (I think I should just call this pressure relief) as the blended? And would Radium’s natural talalay be better for pressure relief than LI’s natural (or blended for that matter)?

Re: with latex, higher densities mean firmer materials: when you say firmer do you mean that with a topper “firmer” means “harder” - or do you mean more pressure relief? This M Dunlop is killing my shoulders so I suppose I do want to go lower in density as we discussed before (as long as it’s not me bottoming out through the topper onto my firm mattress which I’ll have to determine somehow.) Just want to ask about “firmness” to be sure I understand what you mean.

I guess as far as MCS goes, I’m left with finding out if these certifications validate there would be no polyurethane, formaldehyde or PBDEs, the things MF and vinyl contain that cause me to react (among gosh knows what else they put in the stuff.)

Also I spoke with Ken at Arizona. He thought 2" natural wouldn’t be enough but i will again explore this with the link you provided here to choose a topper. I’m fairly sure once I choose the type of latex (which is the big issue now), the thickness won’t be tok hard to choose. Like you, he doesn’t seem to think people with MCS are affected by blended talalay. We also discussed his LI GL which I was very excited about. He’s sending me samples of that and the blended so I can test them out for my allergies. He was great to talk to and says he knows you from way back.

We should all get together and have a big Mattress Sherpa party. I’m sure it would be VERY eye-opening

Sleep well tonight.

BTW, Ken mentioned how much time you give to this forum so I want to thank you again for it and the Godsend it’s been to me.

@Phoenix

Hi LookingNow,

I seem to remember Neal at Spindle telling me his blended latex wouldn’t pose a risk to me. I don’t know what type of latex it is and I didn’t explore that because he only carries 3", not less.

Spindle carries two types of latex and both are continuous pour Dunlop made by Mountaintop Foam. One of them is synthetic (with small amounts of natural rubber in the softer versions) and the other is 100% natural.

I loved the feel of Gardner’s LI blended talalay topper which is also 3". It didn’t bother my allergies but this could be because it had out gassed already; I don’t know.

But i seem to be reading here this morning that LI through KKT sells a natural talalay.
Would that give me the density and blended latex or memory foam feel I’m craving? Or is there a blended or synthetic latex that is truly as chemical-free as MT’s natural latex?

Most people with chemical sensitivities seem to be fine with any type or blend of latex and all of the latex you are likely to encounter would be tested and certified either by Oeko-Tex or by Eco-Institut for harmful substances or VOC’s.

Latex is a fast response and resilient material that doesn’t really doesn’t feel anything like memory foam. You can read more about the differences between them in post #2 here. Both Latex International and Radium make 100% natural versions of Talalay. The all natural Talalay from LI would be less durable than their blend.

Both companies also make a version of latex that has a slow response that is closer to the feel of memory foam. The one from Latex International is called Talalay GL slow response.

I seem to go right through this M Dunlop 3"…my shoulder is hurting. I need to be “held up”. Need more density but not hardness.

With latex, higher densities go hand in hand with firmer materials. This is different from memory foam or polyfoam where higher densities can be made in either softer or firmer versions. What most people need in a topper is a combination of the right thickness (to isolate you from the firmness underneath) and the right softness (to provide good pressure relief).

The mattress underneath the topper will also play a significant role in the thickness and softness of a topper that works best for you. There are some guidelines for choosing a topper in post #2 here and the posts it links to.

Phoenix