Hi tuneout08,
Both of these are great quality/value and neither one has any weak links in the mattress.
They are both completely transparent and will give you any specific details you are looking for when you talk with them about their mattresses and your firmness choices but as jankdc mentioned they are very much apples to oranges in their design.
The Dreamfoam Natural latex mattress uses a 3" layer of 100% natural Dunlop latex in the comfort layer and has a 2 lb polyfoam base layer with a polyfoam and wool quilting. You can choose the firmness of the Dunlop comfort layer but there are no exchanges possible after a purchase.
The Spindle Blue Shoal (natural version) uses two layers of 100% natural Dunlop and you can choose the firmness of both layers and there is also the option to exchange a layer after a purchase to fine tune the mattress based on your experience. It also has a polyfoam quilted cover without the wool (although they provide wool as an option if you request it).
The specs are listed above (but I would still talk to them to make sure they are correct). The base foam is higher density than the “regular” Ultimate Dreams (which uses 1.5 lb density) and there is also wool in the quilting (which can help with temperature regulation although it’s unlikely either one will sleep “hot”). The regular Ultimate Dreams uses blended Talalay latex which I would treat as being equivalent quality/durability as 100% natural Dunlop (see post #6 here about the different types of latex) and the choice between the different types of latex would be a personal preference. Post #7 here has more about how Dunlop and Talalay compare in terms of “feel” but your own personal testing or experience is really the best way to know which one you would prefer.
[quote]-Is all latex (a la Spindle) the way to go?
-I feared the 7" Spindle would be too thin, but with myself weighing in at 160 lbs., will this be okay?[/quote]
This would really depend on your preference, which one you feel best about, which one is the best match for you in terms of PPP and the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. When you can’t test a mattress in person or haven’t tested something similar locally … then more detailed conversations with the online retailer or manufacturer is perhaps the most important part of your choice. They know more about their mattresses and “matching” them to different body types and sleeping positions based on “averages” than anyone else.
They are also a member of this site which means that like Spindle and Dreamfoam (and the others you’ve mentioned) I believe they compete well with the best in the industry.
This is also a great “lower budget” choice and while it wouldn’t be as durable as the other two and would probably be firmer because of it’s thickness (depending on the firmness choices you make with the other two) … it’s would also make a great choice for a lower budget. Once again the best way to get some sense of what it may “feel” like to you is a more detailed conversation with the manufacturer.
Spindle gives you the option between mostly synthetic or 100% natural Dunlop made by Mountaintop foam. Their Dunlop is made on a belt using a continuous pour process, is 7 zoned, and can be made in softer versions (like Talalay) than most Dunlop that is made in a mold so it would be available in similar softness levels to Talalay. (Note: Spindle is now only using 100% natural continuous pour Dunlop and wool quilting in their mattresses)
Just to add some melons to the apples, oranges, and banannas post #21 here includes the members of this site that sell online and there are several of them that sell Talalay latex mattresses with wool quilted covers but they would probably be out of your price range. Arizona Premium here uses wool in the quilting but they use Dunlop latex which has been fabricated with “pillows” on the top surface to make it softer. While I’m at it SleepEz also has an 8" latex option here that uses Dunlop layers and a polyfoam quilting layer and they also have a 6" (with two layers of 100% natural Dunlop) and an 8" all latex mattress here (which adds 2" of 100% natural Talalay to the 6" version) that both use a stretch knit unquilted cover and also have component layers that can be exchanged after a purchase.
Any of these would make a great choice and you would be making a final choice (see post #2 here) between “good and good”. Which one is best for you really depends on all the objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. There are really no “mistakes” with any of them in terms of quality or value but I would strongly encourage to talk with any of them that you are seriously considering rather than rely on pages on a website or specs to decide.
Phoenix