Springiness and overall feel of Talalay vs Dunlop vs Pocket Coil Cores?

[Sensei]

Hey GeauxTigers,

Thanks for your updates and for your question .

I finally found a local retailer who sells all latex mattresses to get a feel for latex before building my own. Unfortunately for comparison sake, they only carried all-talalay mattresses so I wasn’t able to get a feel for a latex over pocket coil hybrid or talalay comfort layers over a dunlop core. Of the all-talalay mattresses I was able to test, one with a 6" firm talalay core, 3" medium talalay mid layer, with 4" soft talalay top layer felt the best. The others available were too firm and had the same core but one with a 2" mid layer and 2" topper, the other with only a 2" topper over the core.

Good job on your research and questions, GeauxTigers ! I’ve been enjoying your other post topic “Please help with my first DIY design” and see that you’ve gotten helpful feedback from Phoenix and @ebs (thanks too, Emily for sharing your research ). It’s good that you have a local resource for making safe store visits. And while an all-talalay mattress is considered a luxurious sleeping experience, your DIY interest sounds more aligned with a latex hybrid/ pocket coil construction approach.

For those with experience with various latex layers or latex hybrids, by replacing the 6" talalay core with 6" pocket coils or a 6" dunlop core, with everything else remaining the same, what difference would I possibly expect to feel?

Pocket coils have roughly an equivalent degree of resilience or “pushback” to firmer foams and tend to be a bit springier than latex or polyfoam for those who like that feel. All types of innersprings can be made less or more firm through the use of thicker gauge wire, a greater number of coils, a larger number of “turns” in each coil, tempering, type of steel used, different construction methods, coil shape, coil height, and different Insulator Layers that are placed on top of them. Pocket coils are kept together through the use of fabric “pockets” which are joined together. These pocketed or hand-tied coils have more independent movement which gives Pocket coils their greater “shape conforming” ability. Pocket coils are the most effective at “body contouring” among the innerspring categories. In general, good quality Pocket coils have the greatest “response range” which means that they can be softer on initial compression and then firmer on deeper compression. They also have the advantage of providing greater “point elasticity” which is the ability to form itself around your body profile.

In theory, I would guess the pocket coils may give the mattress and overall springier feel and the dunlop possibly a less springy feel compared to the talalay core. Does that sound correct? Would the feel change up any other ways? Softer, firmer etc? Appreciate the help!

Your question reminds me of something a consumer referenced in a previous Phoenix post, a “pound cake vs. angel food cake” analogy while asking about Dunlop latex’s properties vs Talalay latex. The Dunlop latex process results in a more dense product (pound cake/ firmer feel), while the Talalay process yields a less dense, lighter foam (angel food cake/lighter, more “uplifting” feel). Either Dunlop or Talalay latex as a support core would provide excellent point elasticity and high durability, as well as unique support factor properties. A good quality pocket coil support core, such as the QE Bolsa coils you are considering, would provide a similar Talalay-like support and motion response to the mattress at a more affordable price point. It would also have a softer feel than the somewhat firmer Dunlop support core.

Have you had a chance to check in with any of the TMU trusted members as suggested by Phoenix in your previous post? Now that you have several all-Talalay mattresses’ comparisons for a point of reference, you are better equipped to describe the qualities you prefer for your DIY project and benefit from their vast experience with these type latex hybrid constructions. Good luck with your research, GeauxTigers and keep up the good work.

Thanks,
Sensei