Hi benerlandson,
There are some comments about Essentia and some of the misleading claims they make and some forum discussions with them (as well as some of the FTC issues they have had about their claims) in this thread and this thread and posts #3 and #4 here). Some of the discussion in this topic may be helpful as well. I certainly wouldn’t treat the information on their website (or on some of the other websites I’ve seen that write about them either) as a reliable source of “fact based” information and I would also make some very careful “value” comparisons before considering any Essentia mattress because they do tend to be in a higher budget range than other mattresses that use similar materials.
There is more information in post #9 here about the different ways that one mattress can “match” or “approximate” another one. Every layer and component in a mattress (including the cover and any quilting materials) will affect the feel and performance of every other layer and component and the mattress “as a whole” so unless you are able to find another mattress that uses exactly the same type of materials, components, cover and quilting, layer thicknesses, layer firmnesses, and overall design (which would be very unlikely) then there really isn’t a reliable way to match one mattress to another one in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) based on the specifications of the mattresses (even assuming that you can find out all the specifications you would need for both mattresses you are comparing in the first place).
Mattress manufacturers generally try to differentiate their mattress from the mattresses made by other manufacturers and don’t normally try to “match” another mattress that is made by a different manufacturer so unless a manufacturer specifically says in their description of a mattress that one of their mattresses in the same general category is specifically designed to “match” or “approximate” another one in terms of firmness or “feel” and PPP and/or they are very familiar with both mattresses and can provide reliable guidance about how they compare based on the “averages” of a larger group of people that have compared them (different people may have very different opinions about how two mattresses compare) … the only reliable way to know for certain how two mattresses would compare for you in terms of how they “feel” or in terms of firmness or PPP (regardless of anyone else’s opinions of how they compare which may be different from your own) would be based on your own careful testing or actual sleeping experience on both of them.
I don’t know of any other manufacturer that makes a mattress that they specifically describe as being similar to any of the Essentia mattresses although there may be some mattresses that use various types or layers of memory foam on top of Dunlop latex that may be “somewhat similar” but again … the only way to know for certain whether another mattress will feel similar to you (regardless of whether it feels similar to someone else) will be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience.
I would also be very cautious about using a specific mattress as a “target” or “reference point” unless you are open to buying that specific mattress because it may not be the “best” match for you in the first place in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP compared to other mattresses that you haven’t tried yet and you could end up excluding many other mattresses that may be similar (or even quite different) but may be a better choice for you in terms of PPP. In other words … I would rate every mattress you consider against a common set of criteria based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you rather than rating them based on how similar they may be to another mattress.
Phoenix