Hi Frustrated Mattress Shopper,
I agree that it was great service and very generous of them to let you take home two toppers to try.
I would still tend to be very cautious about 14 ILD Talalay at your weights and a higher ILD may be more appropriate both in terms of durability and suitability but no matter what any theory says your own personal experience is the most effective way to assess any topper/mattress combination.
Post #2 here has some links to some of the “theory” involved in mattress design and matching different body types and sleeping positions but these are only generic and useful as a very general guideline … not as a way to make a specific choice. There are so many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that your own personal testing using the testing guidelines and your own experience is a much more effective way to choose a mattress in terms of PPP than any “theory at a distance”. While the The PLB hybrid mattresses don’t use latex in the base layers … they do use a very durable rebond base layer (see post #6 here).
This would make a good durable base mattress for a topper but with such a thin comfort layer and a Dunlop latex core it’s not surprising that it would be a little to firm for many people (side sleepers especially) and that a topper is needed for some extra softness and pressure relief. If you choose the right topper then you would have a great combination because both the base mattress and the topper can be flipped and rotated which can improve durability … even with a material that is already as durable as latex.
Phoenix