Hi pansies11,
You’re welcome. I’m happy the information I provided was assistive to you.
ILD is the best way to compare the “overall softness” of latex foams to each other, with the higher number representing a “firmer” feeling foam. ILDs are not exact and better described as being within a “bucket” or “range”. The 20 ILD would be on the border of the ultra plush/plush range, the 24 ILD would be in the more plush range, and the 34 would be more of a firm style of latex (make sure you confirm the ILDs with Sleep on Latex). When comparing ILDs between Dunlop and Talalay, the Dunlop will tend to feel firmer, as the compression modulus will be higher (it firms up faster when compressed past 25%).
One thing you may be referring to is an article I wrote describing that ILD is not the most reliable indicator of how soft or firm a layer will feel. Compression modulus is even more important because very few people actually sink into a layer exactly 25% and compression modulus is the rate at which a foam gets firmer as you compress it more. In addition to this … latex is very “point elastic” which means that a smaller area can compress with less effect on or resistance from the surrounding area.
While usually well intended, reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here), and I’d caution about putting much stock into them when determining the appropriateness of a mattress for yourself. Other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful, but I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range).
I’m not sure what you mean by Sleep Savvy (Sleep Savvy is a sleep industry magazine). Did you mean Savvy Rest? The best way to determine how a particular online product might feel versus something you tried in person would be from a detailed phone conversation with the online vendor, as they would be the most knowledgeable about how their products might compare to something you tried in person (I’d refer you to my previous post regarding this as well).
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
Phoenix