Hi kwinky,
[quote]
The Ebay seller mattresses247 has listings for 100% talalay latex but states deeper in the post that it is a synthetic blend, ratio not stated. Do I take this mean that they use 100% real latex in their blend? Seems kind of misleading to me. Other posts here indicate that 247 uses seconds from Sleepez? I thought Sleepez used all natural 100% latex?
[/quote].
SleepEz sells 100% natural and blended talalay and 100% natural Dunlop (all of which are equally “latex”). Mattresses 24/7 buys from wherever they can and not necessarily from SleepEz or any other specific manufacturer (they buy factory seconds, returns, closeouts, and rejects etc so their suppliers may change over time)
The links in the last post talks about the two different types of latex (Dunlop and Talalay) and the different types of blends.
The word “latex” can mean either synthetic or natural and just means rubber (without differentiating between the type).
So all latex … synthetic, blended, or 100% natural is equally “real latex”.
Blended Talalay contains latex rubber that is about a 30%/70% blend (NR/SBR) from either Latex International or from Radium.
This is the trade name for Radium Talalay and could mean either 100% natural or blended. You would need to confirm with them which it is. Radium is not made in the US (they produce their Talalay latex in Holland).
If you have the knowledge and experience to know exactly what you need and prefer in every component of your mattress … then a complete DIY can be a good idea. If you are in any way unsure then you would probably do much better to work with a specific manufacturer (or more than one) so that they can provide you with some guidance and help with your choices. I personally believe that the help of a knowledgeable manufacturer or retailer is a significant part of the value of any mattress purchase. There is more about the different ways to buy a mattress and my thoughts about them in post #15 here. No matter what the quality of the materials in a mattress … if it isn’t suitable for your needs and preferences then it would have little value to you and in this case, the ease and cost of exchanging layers and knowing what to exchange for would become very important. I agree with you that buying separate components can sometimes be more expensive in the end than working with a knowledgeable manufacturer and you would also be “rolling the dice” in terms of how well the mattress meetsw your needs and preferences.
While you would probably be “OK” with 8 - 9" of latex… the odds are that you would probably be better off with a mattress that was more in the range of 11" to 12" of latex. As to the specific layering … I would work with each individual manufacturer for their specific suggestions based on their experience with their own design and the components they use. As I mentioned in the linked posts as well … I would also tend towards blended Talalay (which in softer ILD’s is more durable than 100% natural as well as lower priced) or 100% natural Dunlop (which is more supportive than Talalay in the same ILD because it gets firmer faster with deeper compression) unless there was a particularly compelling reason for you to choose otherwise based on your own personal preferences and experience.
What you use for a base layer depends on your budget and preferences (there is more about the differences between them in post #2 here). A matress with a high quality polyfoam base layer will of course be less costly but will also not have the same feel and performance as a latex base layer.
Phoenix