I apologize if this question was already addressed…please post link and I will read. Thanks
I was getting ready to pull the trigger on the PLB Nutrition when I visited a local store which had a new (different from what I’ve seen) PLB model with a blue and white mattress cover. Come to find out is was called Celebrate and is a PLB Hybrid. I will ask my questions in a bullet point format, as I have many.
What are the 3.0 Hybrid models and how do they differ from the Latex Natural models?
Which will hold up longer?
What is Active Fusion and does it apply to the mattres cover or the actual latex mattress?
What is Slow response vs Fast Response?
What are the specs as fars as mattress height, composition and plushness levels for each hybrid model?
I feel like I received a good price for the Nutrition, however these Hybrid models caught my eye. I want to get the better mattress.
Lastly, has there been any feedback on the PLB LatexDown pillows?
What are the 3.0 Hybrid models and how do they differ from the Latex Natural models?
The PLB Hybrid line is their lower priced line that use various combinations and layers of fast and slow response Talalay (which used to be called Celsion and Nuform) over a bonded polyfoam/latex core (instead of Talalay latex). They don’t say how much of the core is latex or what type of latex they use and how much is polyfoam but it would probably be wise to treat it as if it was polyfoam.
Polyfoam is a lower cost less durable material that doesn’t have the same properties as latex however since the weak link of a mattress is usually in the upper layers and this is where they use high quality materials … the Hybrid line would still be very durable. The main difference would be in performance with possibly a slight edge in durability to the all latex. How long a mattress lasts is a very individual thing as well because the most common reason a person needs to replace a mattress is the loss of comfort or support an how much softening of materials it will take for a particular mattress to start crossing the line into “too little pressure relief” or “too little support” depends on the ideal range of each person and where they were in that range when they purchased the mattress and this can be very different from person to person. For example if someone buys a mattress that is right “on the edge” of providing the natural spinal alignment they need and it softens a bit … they could wake up with back aches. For someone else where the same mattress is on the edge of being too firm … it would take a long time for the mattress to soften enough to a point where it would become an issue for them.
Active Fusion is a trademarked name which indicates a material or fabric which has phase change ingredients incorporated into it. Phase change materials change their phase or state with varying temperature and absorb heat when they change into a more liquid phase at certain temperatures and then release it back as they change back into a more solid state. They aid in temperature regulation in both directions (warmer to cooler and back). In the Pure Latex Bliss mattresses … the slow response Talalay and the fast response Talalay (used in the upper layer of their mattresses) and the mattress cover incorporates phase change materials which is the “Active Fusion” part of the mattress. The new models of the All Latex natural lineup also now use phase change fast response Talalay in the upper layers.
Slow response latex is a latex that has been formulated to have similar slow response properties to memory foam so that if you compress it, it will recover slowly. In other words it is less resilient. Fast response is the “normal” Talalay latex which recovers from compression almost instantly and is more resilient. They have a different feel just like memory foam (which is slow response) and polyfoam (which is fast response) have a different feel.
These haven’t been released publicly but they use varying amounts of Talalay latex (either slow or fast response or combinations) over their bonded polyfoam/latex core. The higher the model and price the more Talalay latex (either slow or fast response). The range from lowest to highest is from about 1" to 5".
There really is no “better” mattress … only a mattress that better fits your needs and preferences and value equation (the different factors about the mattress and the services of the outlet you are purchasing from that are more or less important to you). The Hybrid models use lower cost/quality materials in the support layers of the mattress and offer slow response Talalay in some of the models which some people may prefer. Only each person can decide though if the lower cost of this line or the higher cost of the natural (which uses blended Talalay) all latex line is worth it to them or if their testing indicates a preference between the feel of slow response Talalay over fast response Talalay.
Basically the slow response Hybrids are a way to for people who like the slow response of memory foam to have a similar option in latex while the fast response Hybrids are a way to lower the cost of sleeping on latex by using a lower cost/quality support core.
None that I know of on the forum. There may be some reviews online in various places but I haven’t looked.