Latex in Seattle

[phoenix]

Hi TeaLover,

When I spoke with the co-owner, he made some recommendations after gathering some information. I did indicate I wanted a 100% latex mattress, but he recommended an ultracell core with two different ILD talalay latex layers on top for comfort and layered support. He also indicated he only works with talalay latex. I’m actually not sure what ultracell is, although it definitely sounds like it’s memory foam of some kind and not latex.

Ultracell is polyfoam that uses a formulation made by Bayer. It is generally a high resilience formula that is very good quality but like all polyfoam it will come in a range of densities.

I have read in various places that dunlop latex is more supportive for those who are heavier, but this gentleman indicated he doesn’t work with dunlop because he feels it’s far inferior to talalay. Your site indicates something different from what I’ve read.

There are many manufacturers that prefer one material over another but Dunlop certainly isn’t “inferior” to Talalay. Dunlop has a higher compression modulus so it gets firmer faster with compression than Talalay in the same ILD but if you used a firmer Talalay it would be roughly equivalent in terms of support to a lower ILD Dunlop. You can read a little more about the different types of latex in this article and in post #6 here. You can also read a little more about the differences between them in terms of “feel” in post #7 here but testing them in person is a much better way to decide which one you prefer. The mattress in the video was Dunlop although there are also many blended Talalay mattresses that have also lasted for decades.

I realize I need to try various beds out, since that’s the only way I’m going to find exactly what’s right for me, but I also don’t want to waste time looking at beds that may not last as long as they should due to the fact that the particular material isn’t designed for a heavier person.

The support layers aren’t generally the weak link of a mattress because a mattress will soften and break down from the top down so the quality of the comfort layers are the most important part that determines the useful life of a mattress (see post #4 here about the factors that can affect the useful life of a mattress). HR polyfoam is a very durable material and has many “latex like” qualities and is a lower cost material than most latex but again it’s important to know the density and the details of the layering.

Phoenix