Hi djm,
I would agree that based on your pictures it would be questionable whether it should be sold as a first quality layer (and I think you would have an argument to replace it) both because of the irregularities in the pincores (in one of the pictures) and on the height variances but it’s unlikely that either of these will affect the feel and performance of the topper. You can see some comments on glued layers in post #2 here.
Your middle picture also looks odd (too thin and long) but perhaps that’s the perspective of the picture. It also looks like it has the glue seam horizontally across the layer rather than vertical. Is this the same topper as the other two pictures (which look very different).
PLB is owned by the actual manufacturer of the latex and most manufacturers order their latex directly from latex International who fabricates the latex before it’s shipped. Some of them will cut it to topper thicknesses themselves using their own fabricator and some will order it in pre-cut layers but the actual 6" Talalay core would usually be shipped with the glue seam already in place in the core layer.
It may not be your actual weight so much as how well the design of the mattress matches your specific needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). With your weight it’s unlikely that you would be feeling the firmness of the 40 ILD support layer so it would likely be from something else.
As Sleeping also mentioned with 5" of soft latex in your mattress … 3" of which is ultra soft … it would be very unusual that this was too firm to allow your shoulders to sink in enough. Because you are both experiencing the same issue it could point to a defective layer in more ways than just cosmetics or that somehow the latex is firmer than it’s supposed to be and the first thing I would suggest is to talk with either your retailer or PLB themselves to exchange the topper to remove this as a possibility.
The PLB blended Talalay topper is 14 ILD while the PLB Talalay GL fast response topper is 15 ILD although ILD is never exact or consistent across a layer in any version of latex (Talalay is generally the most consistent though). They first take an average of 9 measurements on different parts of the core and then rate the topper as the ILD rating that is closest to the average of the 9 measurements. You can see the ILD ratings of Latex International’s blended Talalay and Talalay GL materials on their site here. A difference of a few ILD is not detectable for the large majority of people. Both of these would be ultra soft and in most cases would actually be too soft for many people.
Your experience is somewhat of a mystery to me a well but if the topper is actually 15 ILD and a replacement has the same symptoms for you then I would be looking at the possibility it’s too soft and/or thick rather than too firm. Can you describe the source of the pain in your shoulder and whether it seems to be a surface pain (like what you would experience if you were side sleeping on the floor) or is it more in the shoulder joint (which could indicate an alignment issue or muscle strain with your shoulder)
Have you slept on just the basic mattress and can you describe any differences in your experience when you lie on it without the topper vs the combination. Perhaps this may provide a clue to what is happening.
Phoenix