Online purchases are unfortunately off the table due to an unacceptable risk/reward for my own individual tastes (hassle of “getting it right” by spending weeks shipping layers back and forth across the country, two sleepers who use middle of bed risk seperation between sections, polishing of loose layers due to friction caused by them rubbing against each other, etc).
So here’s the situation: Lower back issue, back/side sleeper, carry most of weight in hips and thighs, and hips are wider than shoulders.
PLB Beautiful was a “just right” feel.
PLB Nature was a little too firm.
My take on the opinions within this forum is that the PLB Beautiful will soften even more and develop deeper impressions over time when compared to the Nature. Both will however develop impressions like any other foam mattress.
Q: If this is true, then why woud one not buy a “high quality” firm innerspring w/independent coils and a 2-3" latex topper for about 3/4 the cost?
I really want to like the idea of an all latex bed, but I fear that under my situation I will simply have to replace the latex at year 7 vs year 5 and the cost difference won’t be worth the extra two years.
Mattress shopping is very difficult because quite a few salespeople just seem like used car dealers where they’ll either lie or make up stuff instead of telling you “I don’t know, but let me find out”.
All foam materials will soften over time and develop some impressions but in general latex will do this less than other foam materials (such as memory foam or polyfoam) and is the most durable of the three types of foam. As you also mentioned though the softness of any foam material is also a factor in its durability. You’ve probably read this but some of the other factors that can affect durability and the useful life of a mattress relative to each person are in post #4 here and the other posts it links to. Visible impressions that are deeper than the warranty exclusion are covered by the warranty (in the case of PLB it’s .75") but any foam softening or “virtual impressions” where the visible impressions are less than the exclusion aren’t covered by a warranty.
This is certainly an option that some people seriously consider but it can be risky unless you have tested the specific combination in person. Buying a separate topper would also tend to be more costly than choosing a mattress that uses the same combination of materials and components and the only difference is that it includes the latex inside the mattress cover instead of as a separate topper. Most firm innerspring mattresses will also have some polyfoam in the comfort layers that would be less durable than latex and could be a weak link in the mattress so it would be important to know the thickness, type, and quality/density of any polyfoam above the springs in your “base mattress”… Although the firmer latex that is normally used in the support layers of a mattress would usually be more durable than an innerspring, the support layers of a mattress aren’t usually the weak link of a mattress in either case. A latex support core and an innerspring will have a different “feel” and response so the choice between them would be more a matter of preference than anything else (see post #2 here).
If you haven’t tested the specific combination in person the biggest risk would be similar to the risks involved in buying a mattress that you can’t test in person before making a purchase because a topper will feel and perform differently on different mattresses and it can be almost as difficult to choose the right topper for a specific mattress as it can to choose a mattress itself.
If you make the right choice in terms of PPP … then a mattress/topper combination has the advantage of being able to replace just the topper (which is likely to be the part of your sleeping system that will soften and break down more quickly) without having to replace the complete mattress.
Depending on all the variables that are involved in the relative durability of a mattress … it would be reasonable to expect that a latex mattress that is a good “match” for you in terms of PPP would last you much longer than 7 years.
This is particularly true in the mainstream retail stores and it’s one of the reasons that dealing with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that puts your best interests and specific needs and preferences above their profit or commissions (or their desire to sell you “anything they can”) can be one of the most important parts of a successful purchase and is the reason that the tutorial suggests researching and choosing the retailers or manufacturers you deal with before you start testing mattresses.