Hi ChannelGSW,
You are certainly not the only one that prefers to only buy a mattress that you have tried in person … even if it’s significantly more costly than a similar online version. Each person has their own criteria about the parts of their personal value equation that are most important to them and there is certainly no right or wrong in this.
There is more about support systems that are suitable for different types of mattresses in the foundation post here and the posts it links to but if your West Elm bedframe has rigid 1x3 slats (or wider) that are less than 3" apart and there is a center beam with good center support to the floor so there is no sagging in your foundation then it should be fine.
The better options and possibilities I’m aware of are the ones that are listed in the San Francisco list which I believe you’ve seen. While the prices are “fair” compared to mainstream mattresses … the value of a mattress purchase really depends on how each one of your finalists compares to each other or to other mattresses you are willing to consider rather than to an arbitrary price for a mattress that you aren’t considering or that isn’t available in your area.
The most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase is how well it matches your needs and preferences in terms of PPP and this is something that your testing will tell you.
The next most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase is the quality of the materials inside it and making sure that there are no weak links in the mattress. Like most “all latex” mattresses … both of the choices you are considering use great quality materials and there are no weak links in either mattress.
Other than PPP and quality/durability … the value of a mattress purchase depends on the other parts of your personal value equation that are important to you including cost and how the mattresses you are considering compare to each other. The Savvy Rest has an organic cotton cover quilted with wool and the Awareness doesn’t list the type of cover they use. I’m also assuming that both mattresses you are considering would use the same combination of latex (Savvy Rest uses GOLS certified organic latex and 100% natural Talalay and the Awareness doesn’t list whether their latex is GOLS certified organic or whether the Talalay is blended or 100% natural).
I would want to know the type of cover that is used in the Awareness and the type and blend of the latex layers and whether it is organic. While organic Dunlop latex isn’t functionally any different from 100% natural Dunlop in terms of the amount of natural rubber it uses or how it feels and performs … the certification does add to the cost of the latex and is important to some people for personal reasons.
ILD is a “comfort spec” and not a “quality spec” and isn’t important to know when you are testing a mattress in person because your body will tell you whether a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP much more than knowing the ILD of the layers. Most people wouldn’t have the knowledge or experience to know how different combinations of ILD would work for them with different types of latex anyway (and ILD alone isn’t the only spec that will make a difference in how the mattress feels and performs) so for most people, knowing the ILD of the layers would have no practical use and may be more confusing than helpful.
While most of the mattresses at Ergo Sleep Systems are likely to be in higher budget ranges as well … European Sleepworks has an all Talalay latex mattress that is in a lower budget range and there are several other vendors on the list that have all latex options that are in lower budget ranges as well that may also be worth talking to or visiting but you would also need to test these to make sure that the design is also a good match for you in terms of PPP.
With the two mattresses you are currently considering you would be paying more than you would for other similar mattresses that may be available locally but the “deal” you are getting isn’t only about cost and depends on what is important to you and how your finalists compare.
In the end … when you look back on a mattress purchase a decade or more from now … you will remember much more about how well you slept on it and for how long you slept well than you will about relatively small differences in “cost per year” of each mattress although of course I would still consider some of the lower cost latex options that are available to you because the initial cost of a mattress is also an important part of the “value” of a purchase.
Phoenix