Hi photuris,
Reflex foam is a name for polyfoam yes.
Not that I’ve heard of no. It’s quilted which means that it’s pre-compressed and any false loft is removed. The polyfoam would soften faster than the latex but in a layer this thin the softening of the foam would have little effect on the mattress as a whole beacuse you are already “going through” the softer quilting layer into the layers below. This is the reason why I usually suggest a guideline of no more than “around” an inch or so of polyfoam in the comfort or quilting layers because more than this could result in foam softening having a bigger effect on the feel and performance of the mattress because the layer would be more about pressure relief and have a larger effect on alignment rather than being more about the surface feel of the mattress.
Every layer in a mattress performs a function and has an effect to different degrees on all the other layers of the mattress. I’m not quite sure what you mean by being “functionally an 8” mattress". It would be “functionally” a 10" mattress but each layer would perform a different role in the overall feel and performance of the mattress. if you removed the quilting layer it would be a different mattress both in terms of feel and performance.
The density was never 2.5 lbs but was originally 2.35 lb. It was also not the “highest quality” of polyfoam available (which is HR) but was what is called HD foam. You can read more of my thoughts about the change in my long reply to the forum member who changed her review post #14 here.
Yes … while it is certainly a change … it is not a “functional” change that would have a significant effect for most people and for some may even represent an improvement in terms of how the mattress feels.
Phoenix