Hi Matchmee,
Have you read the tutorial post here? It has most of the basic information, steps, and guidelines that will answer most of your questions.
Post #6 here has more about the different types of latex. The Nature you are looking at probably uses blended talalay latex (there is also a 100% natural version but these are much less common and have a 10 year warranty instead of a 20 year warranty). Latex also comes in a wide range of firmness/softness levels from very soft to very firm.
That would depend on what you mean by similar. There would be similar mattresses in the sense that it had the same amount and type of latex (9" of blended talalay) and there would be similar toppers as well (with 3" of blended Talalay) but the softness/firmness of each of the latex layers or the topper may be different and they would also have different covers so it may be a better or worse “match” for you in terms of PPP and they could be very different from each other in terms of how they feel even though the type and quality of the materials are the same. You would need to either test the mattress in person if it was local to see if it was similar (or better) in terms of PPP or choose a mattress based on a more detailed conversation on the phone if you are looking at an online purchase. I don’t keep track of prices at individual stores or online retailers (that would be a bigger job than anyone could keep up with) so you would need to look for similar mattresses locally or online and then compare the prices to the Nature (making sure that any comparisons are for the same size and “mattress only” prices so you are making apples to apples comparisons).
I would look at some of the options you have available locally to see what they carry so you can compare them with the Nature and whether they should be included as one of your “finalists”. The online list I linked in the last reply also includes several manufacturers that sell latex mattresses and toppers that use blended Talalay latex as well (some may be less than the Nature with a topper depending on the size you are looking at but again you would need to compare the prices). Some of these offer “kit” mattresses with individual latex layers and zip covers that can be re-arranged or exchanged after a purchase so you can customize the mattress after a purchase if your initial choice doesn’t work well for you. Some of them also have a very good return policy. They will also provide you with some good guidance on the phone about which of their mattresses are most likely to be suitable for you “on average” but of course each person would need to decide for themselves if an online purchase is something they would be comfortable considering with or without the ability to customize the layers or return the mattress. This is all part of the tradeoffs that are part of each person’s personal value equation.
PLB is a good quality mattress and is generally “better than average” value compared to most mainstream choices but may not be in the “best value” range compared to some of the other latex mattresses you have available to you either locally or online.
Phoenix