Hi thecountofzero,
[quote]Mike- I spoke to the factory this morning and they tell me the high density foam support base is 2lb density and the support layers are 1.4-1.8 lb. The Talalay latex topper in the Endurance model is 21 lb ILD. I hope this information helps you in choosing a mattress.
So it sounds like the layers labeled “Support Foam” are between 1.4 and 1.8 lb and the “High Density Base Layer” is 2lb in the first mattress listed. And then the Talalay topper in the Endurance is 21 ILD.[/quote]
It’s too bad they aren’t being more specific and identifying the density of each layer because 1.4lb - 1.8 lb is a fairly wide quality/density range. 1.8 lbs is at the lower end of “good quality” polyfoam and in general I would tend to avoid more than “about an inch or so” of polyfoam in the comfort layers that was lower than 1.8 lb density in a one sided mattress (or any other less durable material). If the density was 1.8 lb it would be fine … but if there is more than about an inch or so that is less than this I would be cautious.
With latex the ILD is a “comfort spec” which has little to do with the quality of the material and isn’t really important to know when you can test a mattress locally and feel the softness/firmness for yourself. The information that’s important with latex layers is the type of latex (in this case Talalay) and the blend (which in the case of Talalay will be either 100% natural or a blend that is in the range of 30% natural / 70% synthetic).
There is more about latex ILD ranges (ILD is usually in a range and is not exact) in post #6 here.
Phoenix