Hi Grammy2,
[quote]I’m currently in the market for an all natural latex mattress. I’ve done hours of research, but still confused. My sister bought one from Flobeds, and I was also ready to purchase through them, but started looking at Sleep EZ again. They are less expensive, but I’m not certain their mattress is all natural. They state you can choose Dunlop or Talalay for the same price, which is confusing to me since Talalay is more expensive…?
Their site specifically notes “choice 100% natural Dunlop or 100% natural Talalay latex”. Yet when I read under frequently asked questions why Sleep EZ is less expensive, they state "our latex mattresses are 100% Talalay process BLENDED latex top to bottom, edge to edge.
Can you explain as simply as possible, what this means/what I’m not understanding?[/quote]
The SleepEZ Organic Select line gives you a choice between 100% natural Dunlop or 100% natural Talalay layers and has an organic cotton cover quilted with organic wool.
The SleepEZ Natural Select line gives you a choice between 100% natural Dunlop (the same type of Dunlop latex as they use in the Organic Select line) or blended Talalay and has a natural cotton cover quilted with natural wool.
The Flobeds Organic line uses 100% natural Talalay latex in all the layers and has an organic cotton cover quilted with organic wool.
The Flobeds Original line uses blended Talalay and has an organic cotton cover quilted with organic wool.
There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and there is more about some of the general differences between Dunlop and Talalay in post #7 here but the choice between different types and blends of latex is more of a preference and budget choice than a “better/worse” choice because any type or blend of latex is a good quality and durable material relative to other types of foam such as memory foam or polyfoam. The best way to know which type or blend of latex you tend to prefer in general terms would be based on your own local testing or your own personal experience.
Latex (either Dunlop or Talalay) that is made from natural rubber (from a tree) and doesn’t contain any synthetic latex in the formulation is generally referred to as 100% natural latex although there are also some other “ingredients” that are used in the formulation to make it possible to turn the liquid rubber into a foamed latex layer (see post #18 here).
All the latex you are likely to encounter (either Dunlop or Talalay that is made with either natural or synthetic rubber or a blend of both) will also have a reliable certification such as Oeko-Tex, Eco-Institut, Greenguard Gold or C2C and based on actual testing I would consider any type or blend of latex (regardless of whether it is synthetic, natural, or blended) to be a very “safe” material in terms of harmful substances and VOC’s (offgassing).
Both manufacturers make “all latex” mattresses but each mattress category (see this article) can include hundreds of different mattresses with different designs, different “feels”, different characteristics, and different firmness levels. Every individual layer and component in a mattress (including the cover and any quilting material) will affect the feel and response of every other layer and component both above and below it and the mattress “as a whole” so each mattress category will generally include some mattresses that will be a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP and others that use the same type of materials and components and are in the same category may but have a different design or firmness level that may be unsuitable for you to sleep on … even if it uses the same general type of materials and components that would be just as durable.
Zoning systems can sometimes be useful and worth considering for people that have more difficulty finding a mattress with the right “balance” between comfort/pressure relief (under the shoulders especially) and support/alignment (under the hips/pelvis especially) or who have more challenging circumstances or sensitivities, body types that are more difficult to “match” to a mattress, more complex medical issues, or who have a history of having more difficulty in finding a mattress that works well for them. There is more about zoning in this article and in post #11 here and the additional posts it links to but the only way to know whether any specific mattress (zoned or otherwise) will be a good “match” for you in terms of PPP will be based on your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) or your own personal experience.
The vZone is also unique because in addition to customized layers (like other component mattresses such as SleepEZ) it also has the option of customizing the zoning configuration as well. There is also more about Flobeds vZone in post #4 here and having the ability to rearrange the zones after a purchase can also be an advantage because it allows you to customize and experiment with different zoning combinations after a purchase to find the zoning configuration that works best for you if your original zoning configuration doesn’t work as well as you hoped for.
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 and 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 and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
As you probably know … both SleepEZ and Flobeds are members of the site which means that I think highly of them and that I believe they both compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and experience so you are certainly looking at some great options.
Once you have narrowed down your options to a list of finalists that are all choices between “good and good” (which you have) and you have confirmed that none of them have any lower quality materials or “weak links” in their design (which they don’t) and if at this point there are no clear winners between them (which is usually a good indication that you have done some good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a suitable choice and post #2 here can help you make a final choice based on your more detailed conversations with each of them, your personal preferences, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress (or individual layers in some cases) and any costs involved, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Phoenix