Hi mkorona,
Based on your comments and your questions … I would guess you are crossing the line into “paralysis by analysis” and as you mentioned going into “information overload”. The “best” suggestion in this case would be to simplify your overall approach and the best suggestion I could make is to step back and focus more on who you are dealing with than what mattress you “should” buy or making comparisons between materials that may be different (such as Dunlop and Talalay) but where one is not “better” than another. When you deal with (and spend the time to talk with) more knowledgeable manufacturers or retailers … you will find that they already know what you would otherwise need to learn in much more detail and are very experienced with answering the types of questions you have as they relate to their own mattresses. There is always a tendency when doing more in depth research to look at things in terms of “better or worse” when in reality most of the choices you will have are preference choices and only your own personal experience can really answer questions about preferences.
The first place I would start is post #1 here and follow the steps one by one.
This is an example of a preference choice where only you can answer questions about “is it worth it?” based on your own personal value equation and your confidence that you will make the most suitable choices. The “best approach” is to talk in more detail with each of the manufacturers you are considering so you can use the information they provide you to see which design seems to best fit your criteria for quality, value, and design flexibility. For some people greater design flexibility and the ability to re-arrange or exchange more layers is a significant “value bonus” while for others it is less important. There is no “better or worse” here except in terms of what is most important to you.
No it’s not really accurate because only looking at the type of latex doesn’t take most of the variables into account. Both Dunlop and Talalay come in a range of firmness levels and the choice between them is a personal preference. While Dunlop will generally “feel” firmer than Talalay in the same ILD … if you compare it to a firmer Talalay then the firmness difference will be gone. Layer thickness and the mattress design will also make a significant difference to which design is most suitable for you. Regardless of any difference between them, they will have a different “feel” (see post #7 here) and some will prefer one over another in either comfort or support layers. Again … there is no “better or worse” here … only differences that are a matter of preference and a design that is most suitable for your specific needs and preferences regardless of which material you use.
This depends entirely on the quality and accuracy of your testing and to some degree on the experience and knowledge of the people you are dealing with. With a local purchase where you can test a mattress specifically and objectively so you have the confidence that only minor fine tuning (if any at all) will be necessary then I personally would have no hesitation with 30 days. It would also depend on what options you have to exchange for because if there are no exchange options that are likely to work for you if your initial choice isn’t the best one then an exchange policy would have little value. Of course with most local manufacturers (and most of the better online manufacturers) there are usually good options available for either softer or firmer levels of either comfort or support that can use your experience over 30 days to make a suitable choice with very high odds of success on your second try.
On the other hand an online purchase doesn’t give you any initial reference points based on your own testing so a longer exchange period (or layer exchange options) to make up for the additional risk of an online purchase can be helpful.
I would at least have a budget range in mind before you begin seriously considering your options. You can find a suitable mattress with good quality and value in many budget ranges depending on your personal criteria and what is most important to you. I would ask yourself where you are on a scale that ranges from “I can sleep on anything” on one end to “princess and the pea” on the other end. Where you are on the scale will play a role in the flexibility and complexity of a design you may need (and the price of the mattress) along with the quality, performance, and durability of the materials that you prefer (more durable and higher performance materials like latex or higher quality memory foam with more complex layering will be more costly). Again no matter where you end up making a purchase … you will do better if you have some reference points based on personal testing at better retailers and manufacturers that disclose the specs of the materials in their mattress that you can use to “translate” complex information into personal experience.
I would also narrow down your choices to one at each local or online manufacturer or retailer you are considering (based on your testing and/or your conversations with them), eliminate the “worst” choices based on your personal criteria, and then make final choices between your “finalists” which at this point should be choices between “good and good” based on your own personal value equation. I would think more in terms of the quality of materials (durability) and on the likelihood that they will be suitable for you in real life (either with or without fine tuning) rather than in terms of “better or worse” based on “theory” that may not reflect your personal experience.
Phoenix