Hi FairfaxMom,
No. All mattresses “legally” sold today have passed the 1632 and 1633 flammability tests which are very rigorous (many would say too rigorous). There is probably more consumer concern with fire retardant methods than there is with the risk of flammability itself.
Online purchases are a little more risky than choices based on personal testing because there are many factors that can change the feel and performance of a mattress including the ILD (softness firmness of the layer), the thickness of each layer, the type of material or latex being used, the quilting layers, and the ticking itself. All of these can have an effect on how a mattress interacts with each person. The better manufacturers though are good at helping you choose the layering or the mattress design that has the best odds of working well for you and they would certainly take any local testing you have done into account (as long as you know the specifics of the layers) in the suggestions they provide.
While a local mattress can’t normally be “duplicated” exactly unless every layer and component is identical (see post #9 here) … your local testing can give you (and them) a sense of the balance between pressure relief and support you may need. There are different degrees of ability to customize component mattresses that are sold online but in general they will have several choices for one or more layers but will have standardized layer thicknesses that can be exchanged or re-arranged which can sometimes be a limiting factor. For example if you order a mattress that has 3x3" layers or 6" + 2" layers … then the possibilities are limited to exchanging a layer for another one of the same thickness but a has a different firmness level and you can’t change layer thickness.
In other basic mattress constructions … you may find that the top layer can be exchanged but the core will be the same or in others yet you may find a standard “soft” top layer (often a soft 2" thick comfort layer) and the mattress can be customized for both pressure relief and support by changing the firmness of the bottom 6" layer. All of these are part of mattress construction theory and have advantages or disadvantages. There are different “pathways” in other words to similar results.
For those who want to be more actively involved in the “theory” of different constructions as it relates to height weight body shape information and the different layering methods and constructions … there is a lot more information in the “sleeping style, preferences, and statistics - overview” section of the site and the 5 more detailed pages that are in the section and in the “putting the layers together - overview” section and the 5 more detailed pages that are in that section as well along with the tips and tricks page here. For most though … scanning the overviews and a few of the pages in the sections will be enough basic information to help them work with the manufacturer more effectively.
In practical terms though … most of these online manufacturers (and especially the online manufacturers that are members this site and that are listed in post #21 here) are very good at working with their customers and in most cases they offer some type of return policy or an exchange after purchase that can allow for changes if you get it wrong at a reasonable cost along with the effort involved of course of sending back the previous layer (in most cases). They also tend to be very accommodating and will do whatever they can to make sure you “get it right”. Each different manufacturer may have different options for both the degree of customization that is possible and for returns or exchanges after purchase so make sure you’re familiar with all the options available to you with each one you are considering.
For the large majority of people … and because people tend to fall into fairly predictable average “ranges” of pressure relief and support … the final choice will usually be a good one or close enough that only “fine tuning” is necessary. Most manufacturers generally offer one to several mattress types and about 3 or 4 standard configurations in each type that accounts for the vast majority of “end results” of their customers although as I mentioned there are different degrees of customization available from different manufacturers. Almost everyone will fall into one of a few standard layering choices. For those few who may need more “fine tuning” than most or whose needs or preferences are more complex than the majority … it can sometimes be difficult to get things exactly right within the limitations of each design and this is where manufacturers with designs that offer more flexibility and different degrees of customization can play a role. It is rare that someone is unable to find a layering that works very well for them.
Manufacturers will tend to go by “averages” in their suggestions (which can be modified by your preferences or local testing) so you will often see “standardized” recommendations with 3 or 4 possible levels of firmness in various layers because the odds are good that most people will be in one of the more common groups of people (based on personal stats and sleeping positions and “averages”) for each type of mattress that they sell. This is generally fairly accurate for those those that are inside “average” ranges in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).
If comparable value is available locally that you can test in person then this is the “safest” way to go and an “expert” can help you better in person than over the phone when they can see how you respond to a mattress with their actual eyes and hear your feedback in real time. Many local manufacturers and some more specialized retail stores may also offer greater levels of customization in terms of both different layer thicknesses and firmness levels as well and provide great after sales service. Because there can be more uncertainty and risk with an online purchase and because the personal attention that is available locally is certainly worth a reasonable premium … if the price difference between a local choice and an online choice of a similar mattress is in the range of 20% or so I would treat them as roughly equal value because of the “value” of some of the benefits that can come from dealing with a local business.
For those areas that don’t have comparable value (and there are many of these) … then the additional risk of an online purchase with exchangeable layers or a good exchange or return policy is well worth serious consideration IMO.
The essence I believe is the equivalent of the 10" PLB Nature (although it’s not identical because it uses Celsion Talalay as the top layer insteaad of “regular” Talalay)
The nature has
2" of 19 ILD
1" of 28 ILD
6" of 36 ILD
1’ of ultra firm (@50) talalay base layer
Stretch knit cover.
As you can see it would not be possible to duplicate this with standardized layer thicknesses but it could provide a very useful guideline. The “target” is always optimal PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preference) rather than another mattress and the better you can describe the mattress layers and what you felt on it in the specific terms of PPP … the more it will help them to help you choose a mattress type and use “best judgement” to “translate” it into one of the standardized layering options they have available.
The overviews I linked to earlier (and some of the other information in the mattresses section of the site) can give you some good guidelines for how different weights and sleeping positions and many other factors can affect the choice of mattress layering but there are too many variables and unknowns to use limited height/weight and sleeping position information to make a mattress choice based on “theory at a distance” and outside of your own personal testing it’s usually more effective to provide this information and talk with a manufacturer or retailer so they can recommend the type of layering (or in some cases side to side split layering for different people) that would have the best odds of working for you based on “averages”. Each manufacturer may have a different “pathway” or choice of options to get to what they believe will work best for you in terms of PPP and there are usually several approaches or designs that will work well for most people. The information on the site (and of course any questions you may have on the forum) will help you understand the “why” behind their recommendations better and help you ask better questions and be a more active participant in the design of your mattress.
Hope this helps
Phoenix