Hi Kzphoto,
Just in case you haven’t read it yet (which from your questions I suspect you haven’t) … the first place to start your research is the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices and help you make better quality/value comparisons between mattresses.
A chemically “treated” mattress would be the exception in the industry rather than the rule because most foams used in mattresses aren’t chemically treated (although they do use chemicals in their formulation) and most mattress fire retardants are inherent fabrics which aren’t chemically treated either (although they can also use chemicals as part of their production). There is a lot of misinformation in the industry about “chemicals” in mattresses on both sides of the discussion and in many cases consumers are reacting to either exaggerated information or misinformation and are making choices more on an emotional basis than a factual basis.
The use of chemicals is also a very different issue from safety or how natural, “green”, or organic a material may be and it’s certainly not the case that all synthetic or “chemical” materials are harmful. Having said that … most people that wish to avoid the use of any chemical materials for either health reasons (such as MCS or multiple chemical sensitivities) or for personal reasons will often tend towards natural latex, innersprings, or the use of natural fibers or fire retardant methods in a mattress (although even organic latex includes some chemicals in its formulation). Most materials have testing certifications such as OekoTex (usually for latex or fabrics) or CertiPur (mostly for polyfoam and memory foam) and there are also others that by most people’s standards would be considered to be “safe enough”. There is more in post #2 here and for those that want to do more detailed research into a subject that is complex, confusing, and frustrating and where there is a great deal of conflicting and often contradictory information then post #2 here and the many posts and sources of information it leads to may be the best place to start to help answer the question of “how safe is safe enough for me” on a more individual basis.
Yes … Radium in Holland and Latex International in the US are the two Talalay manufacturers you will find in North America. Savvy Rest used to use Latex International until fairly recently but now uses Radium Talalay in their mattresses. They are closely comparable in terms of quality. Both make 100% natural versions and versions that use a blend of synthetic and natural rubber in their products and all of them have the same Oeko-Tex certifications for harmful substances and VOC’s. Any mattress manufacturer that uses Talalay latex in their mattresses would use one or the other of these two and many of them are in lower price ranges than Savvy Rest although they may also have very different designs.
The tutorial post includes a link to a list of the members here that sell mattresses online and many of them sell component latex mattresses (like Savvy Rest) with zip covers in a wide range of designs, options, features, and price ranges. The closest of them to the Savvy Rest design in Talalay would be SleepEz who also makes mattresses with either 2, 3, or 4 three inch Talalay latex layers with a wool quilted cover. They can provide either Radium or Latex International Talalay in either blended or 100% natural versions as well as 100% natural Dunlop in any of their component mattresses and are significantly lower in cost than Savvy Rest although some of the other manufacturers also have similar mattresses that may also be a good “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you even though their designs may be different. Many of them also have a good refund and return policy in case none of the options they have available work out for you (unlike Savvy Rest).
The firmness ranges for the Savvy Rest Talalay when they were using Latex International Talalay were …
Soft Talalay: N2 Soft 20-24
Medium Talalay: N4 Medium 30-34
Firm Talalay: N5 Firm 35-40+
I would imagine that their Radium Talalay would be in the same general range which would be fairly typical for the S/M/F layers of most manufacturers (although you would need to check with a specific manufacturer you are considering).
Most latex doesn’t come in exact ILD’s and this is certainly true of 100% natural Talalay where ILD ratings can be inside a range (see post #6 here) but in general most manufacturers would consider soft Talalay to be in a range of about 19 - 24 ILD, medium to be in a range of 28 - 32 ILD, and firm to be in a range of 36 - 40 ILD (although not all would agree with this). Some people may also be more sensitive to smaller ILD differences between two mattresses than others although for most people an ILD difference that is about 3 or less wouldn’t be very significant.
There are many factors that can affect how well one mattress “matches” another one (see post #9 here) and even small differences in design or materials can make a difference for some people but if the type and blend of latex was the same, the thickness of each layer was the same, the ILD of each layer was the same (or very close), and the cover was also very similar … then for most people they would be a reasonable approximation.
There may also be some other latex options in your area that may be worth considering and if you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know of any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of.
Phoenix
