I am looking at the organic dreams mattress from My Green Mattress, or the Botanical Bliss from Plushbeds or the 10" natural latex from Sleep EZ. They seem to all use the same manufacturers, so wouldn’t I be paying essential $1,000 more to buy from My Green Mattress for the same exact mattress I could get from one of these two online companies? Also the online companies both offer returns where as My Green Mattress does not, and also only offers talalay latex (no dunlop).
As far as configurations go it seems that 2 layers of Dunlop and then 1 top layer of Talalay is what everyone recommends? However I was told by a sales person that what works the best for most is all talalay, using medium/firm/medium. I am a back sleeper, 135 lbs.
Any help or recommendations would be appreciated! Thank you
Talalay Global (which as you mentioned used to be called Latex International) makes both blended Talalay latex which is a blend of about 30% natural rubber and 70% synthetic rubber and 100% natural Talalay which only contains natural rubber in the formulation (although both of them contain other ingredients besides just the rubber in their formulation … see post #7 here) and other types of formulations as well (see their page here). There is also more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here. ADMIN NOTE: Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: latexfoam.com/products.html
All the latex you are likely to encounter (Dunlop or Talalay made with either natural or synthetic rubber or a blend of both) will have been certified by either Oeko-Tex or Eco-Institut for harmful substances and VOC’s (see post #2 here) and I would consider any type or blend of latex to be a very “safe” material in terms of harmful substances and VOC’s.
You can read more about certified organic latex in post #6 here. SleepEZ provides a choice between 100% natural Dunlop and either blended or 100% natural Talalay (although they will order organic Dunlop for their customers on request) and Plushbeds uses 100% natural Dunlop that is certified organic in their support core and 100% natural Talalay (which isn’t certified organic) in their comfort layers.
There are also a number of the other members here (including CozyPure, Foam Sweet Foam, Arizona Premium, Soaring Heart, and SleepingOrganic) that also provide certified organic Dunlop in their mattresses for those where an organic certification is important for either personal, environmental, or lifestyle reasons.
Phoenix - thank you for the quick reply. After posting, I stumbled across some more info from the company that stated they sell both a natural latex and a synthetic blend (which matches what you stated above, although you gave much more helpful info). I then edited my question with some additional questions I have, When you get a chance could you please read my new updated question and reply with any info you can offer? Thank you very much.
[quote]As far as configurations go it seems that 2 layers of Dunlop and then 1 top layer of Talalay is what everyone recommends? However I was told by a sales person that what works the best for most is all talalay, using medium/firm/medium. I am a back sleeper, 135 lbs.
Any help or recommendations would be appreciated! Thank you [/quote]
There isn’t any specific configuration that would be best for everyone or that everyone would recommend. The choice between different types and blends of latex in any layer in a mattress is always a preference or a budget choice not a “better/worse” choice. There is more about some of the differences between Dunlop and Talaly in post #7 here but the best way to know which type of latex you tend to prefer will be based on your own personal testing or experience.
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
There is more about the 3 most important parts of “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).
The Organic Dreams mattress from My Green Mattress is a two sided “finished” mattress that uses 100% natural Talalay latex with a cover that is quilted on both sides (you can read more about two sided mattresses in post #3 here) and the other two you are considering are component latex mattresses that have individual layers where one or more of the individual layers can be rearranged or exchanged.