Hi CeruleanBlue,
I don’t know of a single mattress site on the internet that provides enough information by itself to make an informed mattress choice. If a manufacturer was to put this kind of information on their site then it would overwhelm 99% of consumers. Too much information that consumers don’t generally understand anyway can lead to just as poor choices as too little information. No matter what the information on a site it also won’t tell you how the mattress feels and performs or whether it would be suitable for your specific circumstances anyway. This type of information needs experience and knowledge that can really only be communicated with a conversation. While I understand that there are many people that prefer to use email or written communications to make a purchase and you are not unique in this … a mattress is not one of the products that lends itself to this kind of purchase. It is a combination of technical and subjective information that changes and is relative to each person and this just can’t be explained or communicated effectively on a website or written communications. I certainly would never buy a mattress without talking with the people or business who sold it and I think it’s fair to say that if I couldn’t make a suitable choice this way (and I really couldn’t) that it would be very unlikely that most other people could either.
You have many good options available to you but I don’t believe that there is any way to avoid talking to people if you want to make the best possible choices.
You are certainly looking at some high quality mattresses (latex, cotton, and wool are high quality materials) but there may also be better value available to you than most of the options you have mentioned (although the Ikea is certainly good value) but this would also depend the criteria that are the most important parts of your personal value equation because the extra time it would take to make the calls and find them may be more important than the money you would save and all of this is part of the many tradeoffs that every person buying a mattress will face.
In terms of the cost of materials generally no … the materials would be the same (assuming the latex was the same type and blend as another mattress you were considering). Value has many components though and in terms of better value for “you” … it could certainly make a difference if the two layers were more suitable for your specific needs and preferences than a single layer mattress of the same material although it’s also true that a single layer may be more suitable as well depending on the specifics of the design and materials. The suitability of a design as well as the help and guidance of a retailer or manufacturer is all part of the value of a mattress purchase and is part of what I call your personal value equation even though it may not be reflected in the cost of materials.
The one advantage you have is that when you are shopping for a mattress for a child then options aren’t as variable and personal testing doesn’t play as big a role (because they do best with medium or firmer mattresses) so much of your shopping can be done from home once you have a good sense of the type of mattress you are looking for and most comfortable buying. This gives you the chance to make many more comparisons between similar mattresses because you don’t have to visit each one.
It seems to me based on your feedback that you are most interested in a mattress that has about 6" or so of latex (give or take) and a wool quilted cotton cover. If this is the case then it makes your job easier because a phone call where you can ask if they have this available and how much it would be doesn’t tend to take as long as more detailed discussions about all the other options they have available. The Ikea would certainly be a good reference point as long as it was firm enough. Their latex is a “mostly natural” Dunlop which is good quality (although not quite the same quality as 100% Dunlop made in a mold) but it is a good quality material and it’s not likely you will be able to find an all latex mattress with wool quilting for much less.
Phoenix