Hi tigerlily,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :).
There are a few links from the mattress shopping tutorial that you may have missed but I know there are a lot and it’s easy to do so I’ll make a few comments and link the ones that are relevant in my reply here.
There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here and I would be VERY cautious about using mattress reviews as a meaningful part of mattress research or a mattress purchase because they won’t tell you anything about whether a mattress is a suitable match for you in terms of PPP or not (a mattress that is a good match for one person may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on) and in almost all cases they won’t tell you anything about the quality or durability of the mattress or the materials inside it (see post #13 here about mattress reviews).
[quote]~ What specs would you recommend for a person of average height/weight who sleeps on both back and side (although mostly back if comfortable) and prefers a firmer mattress (less back aches). What should the ILD’s be for a 10" mattress (for both 2 layered and 3 layered)?
~ Is blended Dunlop latex (85% natural, 15% synthetic) comparable to blended Talalay (30% natural, 70% synthetic)?
~ What’s the lowest ILD I should go if I got a 100% natural Talalay mattress? I understand they can be “softer” than the Dunlop.[/quote]
I’m happy to help with “how” to choose but unfortunately nobody else can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able recommend a specific mattress or tell you which specific mattress is the best “match” for you in terms of PPP based on specs or “theory at a distance” (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
The two ways to choose which mattress is the most suitable match for you in terms of PPP are either your own careful and objective testing (using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post) or if you are purchasing online and can’t test a mattress in person then with a more detailed conversation on the phone with a knowledgeable and experienced online manufacturer or retailer that can use the information you provide them to give you some guidance and can help “talk you through” the options they have that have the best chance of success based on the “averages” of their customers that are similar to you.
All of the options you are looking at use good quality materials (all of them are latex from top to bottom) and there are no weak links in any of them although they use different types and blends of latex, have very different designs, different price ranges, and have different options that they provide both before and after a purchase. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here.
[quote]1) Bella Sera customizable (online)
100% organic Dunlop
3 layers (3 in each)[/quote]
The tutorial post also includes this link to a list of the members of this site that sell mattresses online and many of these sell latex mattresses that use different types of latex (including some that sell organic Dunlop latex) and that have a wide range of different designs, features, prices, and exchange and return options that would also be well worth considering and some of these have a very similar component design as the Bella Sera customizable (three 3" layers that can be customized for firmness and split side to side with a cotton cover quilted with wool). I would also make sure that you check the return or exchange options for any online purchase and include it as one of the factors in the “value” of your purchase.
[quote]2) Pure Bliss 10"
Blended Talalay (30/70)
6" Support 40 ILD; 4" Comfort layer (ILD?)[/quote]
This sounds like the PLB Nature which uses 10" of Blended Talalay latex. You can see the ILD of the layers here but they aren’t important to know because with a local purchase your body and good testing will tell you all you need to know about whether a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP and knowing the ILD specs won’t give you any additional information that will make any meaningful difference.
[quote]3) Urban Organics Eco Sensation 10"
100% natural Talalay
6" 36 ILD; 2" 28 ILD’ 2" 24ILD[/quote]
This uses 100% natural Talalay in all the layers as far as I know.
[quote]4) Ikea Morgongava 8"
85% natural; 15% synthetic
All one layer. ILD?[/quote]
This also uses good quality latex although it’s not 100% natural like your other Dunlop options and it only has a single layer of latex that can’t be customized either before or after a purchase rather than multiple layers that can so I would make sure you have tested this very carefully for PPP and make sure you are confident that it’s a good match for you in terms of PPP and that you are also comfortable with IKEA’s exchange options because it can’t be returned and if it’s not a good match for you then there would be very limited options for you to exchange it for another similar mattress because this is the only mattress they carry that uses all latex that is “mostly natural”.
You are looking at some good finalists that are all choices between “good and good” (although if you are looking at online options there are some others that may be worth considering as well) and when you are down to final choices where you are confident that they are all a good match for you in terms of PPP (or there are good return or exchange options if you aren’t) then your final choice (see post #2 here) will really be a mattress of “best judgement” and all the objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Phoenix