*** This post is a reply to post #83 here and was split into a new topic ***
Hi MrM1,
When you are buying a pair of shoes the shoe size is only one of many factors that will determine whether a shoe works well for a particular person and many other factors (such as the width of the shoe and the shape of the shoe and the style of the shoe) will also be just as important a part of whether a particular shoe is a good “match” for a particular person. When I buy shoes I will sometimes buy 11 1/2 and sometimes 12 and sometimes neither one works for me depending on the manufacturer and the specifics of the shoe. In other words knowing the size of a shoe doesn’t provide me with any additional information about whether a particular shoe will “work” for me that I don’t already know by trying it on and walking in it.
Shoe sizes are also much more specific than ILD numbers in most cases and ILD is also only one of several specs that makes one material feel softer or firmer than another (see post #4 here) and the ILD of different materials or different types and blends of latex also aren’t directly comparable to each other (see post #6 here) so putting too much focus on ILD alone can be more misleading than helpful although many consumers don’t understand this and tend to focus more on ILD in the belief that it is more important than it really is.
So while I understand your point and I am also one of the biggest advocates of transparency in the industry … I also have enough experience to know that it has nothing to do with the quality or durability of a mattress and like a shoe size it won’t provide any additional or meaningful information that you wouldn’t already know by carefully testing the mattress in person or that would make any meaningful difference in making an “informed choice” when you are buying a mattress locally and in many cases consumers that put undue focus or too much trust in ILD numbers will end up making a worse choice than they would if they knew nothing about ILD at all.
Phoenix