The “natural” are about 14 ILD.
The Active Fusion fast response are about 15 ILD.
The All natural are N1 which could be anywhere from about 14 - 20 ILD
You can see the ILD range of most of the latex International products on their website here ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: latexfoam.com/latex-material/components
(Active Fusion is PLB’s name for Talalay GL).
The list of topper and component suppliers is in post #4 here. You may need to call a few of them because they don’t all list everything they carry on their website but if nobody else carries exactly what you are looking for then SLAB carries all the Latex International products in every ILD and 1", 2", 3" and 6" thicknesses.
I actually just found the link you provided to Arizona Premium Mattress Co. so please disregard my question since I see that you ordered a Talalay GL Topper.
I recently visited the Health Back Store in the Rockville Maryland area and really like the “Healthy Back Bliss Elegance Pure Latex Mattress”. They couldnt provide me much info on the components but I wanted to see if anyone could tell me which model below was equivalent to the Elegance? I am just starting the shopping process so would like to know what components were used so I can compare to mattresses down the line.
If anyone else has any good recommendations in the DC area I would appreciate it. I was planning on making a trip down to the Richmond area to check out the Original Mattress Factory and maybe a quick stop on my next trip up to New York at CozyPure. Any other good ideas would be appreciated.
The elegance is 12" of Talalay latex and would be closest to the Beautiful in terms of layering but I don’t know the specific details of the layering inside the Healthy Back version.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the DC area are listed in post #2 here.
This is called a “dominating layer” (you can click this to bring up a forum search for the term which has a few discussions about it) but in general it’s used to create a firmer sleeping surface for those who like to be more “on” their mattress but with some additional softness underneath to allow for a little more sinking in for those where the layer by itself with a firmer layer under it may be too firm. It creates a “feel” that is different and that some people prefer compared to a more traditional progressive layering where the layers progress from soft to firm as you go deeper in the mattress.
One quick question about dominating layers/the Nutrition. Would there be any concerns of durability for the Nutrition with the soft 19 ILD layer in the middle for a 6’ 190 lb person?
I wouldn’t be concerned no if the mattress was suitable in terms of PPP. The firmer top layer would take up much of the compression forces before it “reached” the softer layer below (which will increase its durability) and latex is the most durable of all the foam types
Here’s another link where SLAB provides the same 4" of 15 ILD info (although they are providing the info as a method of building your own PLB replica and suggesting two separate, 2" layers since they don’t sell 4" layers):
Hello, I am a complete newbie. Just joined this site so I am still reading the tutorial. Bear with me as I do have a quick question. You said this:
“Note that what PLB calls “natural” Talalay is actually a blend of about 70% synthetic and 30% natural rubber.”
I am kind of shocked. I thought PTB sells all natural rubber latex? Which brand then sells 100% natural rubber? Or should I not worry about the blend? Thank you
There is no reason to be shocked. Most of the Talalay produced worldwide is blended Talalay latex. Talalay Global (TG) produces the Talalay latex used in the Pure Talalay Bliss mattresses, and in past comparisons they have related that their blended Talalay is more durable than the natural Talalay that they produce. Both Talalay Global and Radium (the two Talalay latex providers in the western world) produce natural and blended Talalay latex.
You can read in more detail about the difference between natural (NR), synthetic (SBR) and blended (SBR/NR) Talalay latex in post #2 here. All of the latex you’re likely to encounter will be a durable material.
We will be buying three new Pure Talalay mattresses in the next month or so… do you know if the ILD and layers have changed with their mattress line?
I know the “soft” topper became firmer - more like 21 ILD than the old 14 ILD which we actually like better. Can you find out more about this?
Thanks! Enjoying revising your mattress forum after a couple year absence.
Glad that you are back and that you are enjoying your PTB beds.
I Just confirmed that the ILDs are still the same (see Post #2 here which includes the 2016 changes in the second part of the post)
The PTB toppers are now:
[indent]2" & 3" of Plush Topper 100% NR Talalay / N2 Soft (20 - 24.99) ILD
2" & 3" of Firm Topper 100% NR Talalay / N4 Firm (30 - 34.99) ILD[/indent]