Hi StephenJ77,
The bed I ordered from them was a Talalay core. To my knowledge they no longer carry Talalay at all so I would confirm that they even have Talalay available.
Post #2 here has more details about natural vs blended talalay.
Post #6 here and post #2 here has more about the different types of latex.
Post #7 here has more about the different “feel” of talalay vs dunlop although the most accurate way to choose between them would be your own experience and personal preferences.
The specifics that we considered in the design were fairly complex and also somewhat experimental that I would normally consider to be “high risk” for someone else and in normal circumstances I wouldn’t suggest basing your choice on the theory behind what someone else chooses. In my case in particular, because my own preferences would have more “weight” on this forum and could be so easily taken to be somehow “better” (when they are just preferences unique to us), it would tend to encourage too many people to become overly analytical and replace their own personal testing with “theory” that was only specific to us. In very general terms it was based on many hours of personal testing which led to the choice of the thickness and ILD of all the layers and the ticking and quilting materials in combination with an intuitive process that tried to “imagine” how all the specific layers, quilting, and materials would interact together with the specifics of our sleeping style, body types, and preferences. This was not a choice that I would recommend for anyone else either in terms of specific layering or in terms of risk (shipping a complete finished mattress where you haven’t tested the specific design across the country with no realistic option for an exchange for either the mattress or individual layers is what I would consider to be a very “high risk” proposition).
For an online purchase where you haven’t specifically tested a mattress that has the same or very similar materials and design I normally wouldn’t suggest ordering a finished mattress that has little possibility for fine tuning or exchanging the mattress or individual layers (without significant cost involved) unless you are willing to take on the much higher risk of ending up with a mattress that may not be suitable for your specific needs and preferences and having to either replace it with another one at a significant expense (and still not being certain that the replacement would be ideal) or selling it and starting all over again. The only way to lower the risk of an online purchase would be to test a mattress that is very close to the same design (in all the layers and components including the ticking and quilting), to have good options and recourse available if you make a mistake in your choices, or you are someone who is very much in the “I can sleep on anything” end of the scale vs the more sensitive “princess and the pea” side of the scale in terms of the range of designs, layer thicknesses, and ILD’s that would be suitable for you. A manufacturer can help give you some insights into what others of your body type and sleeping style may often do well on but this is only based on the “averages” of other people and may not apply to any individual person.
Post #2 here about making comfort and support choices includes links to some of the “theory” behind how different designs interact with different body types and sleeping styles but these are only generic and not specific to any individual and in the end only your own personal testing or experience can really know for certain whether a specific mattress is suitable for you interms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).
Phoenix