I have tried out these 2 beds and like them both. Even after reading about support cores and comfort layers, I still need help in determining if the supplied info from the company is enough. The core is Talalay.
Mattress #1-Support Layer: 6″ Latex 36 ILd
Comfort Layer: 2″ Soft 19 ILD Latex, Two 1.5″ 2.1lb Foam Layers
Are there more questions I should be asking? Do these layers seem of good quality? There is a $500 difference between the 2.
Any help or comment would be appreciated.
It certainly helps that you have a decent amount of information here. Are you assembling your own product from components, or are you looking at a particular brand? That information would be helpful to me. Are all of the latex layers Talalay? Not knowing if both of these items are from the same brand, I’d want to know the blend of Talalay in case you’re comparing different types of latex. I’m also not quite sure of the order of the layering in the comfort layers. The two polyfoam layers seem to be of higher quality, and the latex is of course a higher quality layer. The memory foam is lower density than I normally recommend – 4 lb. is the minimum I normally like to recommend but depending upon the placement within the mattress it may not be as much of an issue.
I would imagine the one item with the extra latex and the memory foam is the more expensive item, as it has more materials.
If you can supply some of that additional information I can try to make some more meaningful comments for you.
For others who might read through this thread, overall I can’t speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
Thank you for your quick response! The mattresses are totally assembled with a non removable cover. The latex is talalay in all layers. The configuration is: 6" latex 36 ILD, 2" latex 19 IDL, 2" dense 3lb visco -elastic soy based certa pur open cell memory foam, with two 1.5" 3lb layers of foam on the top. This is the more expensive model. The less expensive mattress is made of the same materials omitting the memory foam.
While the model with the memory foam had a more enveloping feel, I tend to sleep hot and dont want to add to that. The salesman tried to ensure me that with this newer type of MF, this shouldn’t be a problem. The company gives what I think is a good guarantee,: one free exchange after 30 days thu 60 days, and replacement for problems until 10 years. Given this added info, what other comments do you have?
I still don’t know the blend of the latex or if you’re comparing from within the same brand using the same latex.
Assuming that it’s the same brand and the same type/quality of latex, then your difference is just as you described – the addition of the memory foam (and I’m assuming the extra latex layer that you left out in your follow-up post).
It’s not really possible (for me or any salesman) to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on sleeping temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.
Regarding cooling memory foam claims, you can read more about phase change materials in post #9 here and at the end of post #4 here) and you can read more about the various different types of gel foams with quite a few good links in post #2 here. In general terms gel foams will tend to have a temporary effect on temperature while you are first going to sleep until temperatures equalize but have less effect on temperature regulation throughout the course of the night. This effect is of course felt less in the deeper layers of the mattress. While newer memory foams are being designed to be less “heat retentive” than their counterparts from years past, many of the advertising claims should be viewed with a fair amount of skepticism.
In very general terms … the materials, layers, and components of a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow, moisture transport, and temperature regulation than materials, layers, and components that are further away from your skin and softer mattresses or foam toppers will tend to be more “insulating” and for some people can sleep warmer than firmer versions of the same material. While the upper layers of a mattress are the most significant part of temperature and moisture regulation … deeper support components that allow more airflow can also have an effect and so innersprings will also tend to sleep cooler than foam support cores as long as the air can ventilate to the outside of the mattress.
As you would rend to “sink in” more on the second mattress with more materials, effectively surrounding your body with more foam “insulating material”, and you have the memory foam layer (even though it is deeper down in the mattress), from a “theory at a distance” this product could certainly “have” the ability to sleep warmer than the other item to which you are comparing. As temperature regulation is important to you, this is something you’d certainly want to take into consideration.
