Still not sure

[phoenix]

Hi Bobbie

I missed it … I’ll reply in this post.

What is very frustrating is all the differing opinions I am getting from different companies…some actually opposite information. The only conclusions I have come to at this point is that I prefer to buy a mattress I have tried vs ordering one on line because I am finding it is virtually impossible to compare apples with apples.

This is the norm in the industry and different manufacturers may have very different ideas, beliefs, and opinions … and in many cases all of them are “partly right” and “partly wrong”. These kinds of differences between different people that I respect has often been the 'trigger" behind some of the research on the site. In many cases there is no absolute or definitive answer and working with uncertainty or with “prepronderance of the evidence” is the norm. You can see more about this in post #11 here.

I doubt if we will be shifting the layers around and one company actually said gluing the layers together (with natural simalfa glue) could prevent the layers from breaking down over the years due to shifting, etc. What do you think about that.?

There is probably some truth to this even though the amount of difference would probably be small. Unglued loose layers would be a little softer (and softness/firmness is a factor in durability) and would also have some small degree of abrasion both of which could make some difference in durability but I think any difference would be small and for me personally the benefit of loose layers and the ability of changing one of them if I needed to would outweigh the benefits … others may think differently.

He advised against the Natura since they went bankrupt last year and may not stand by their warranty.

Naturaworld was purchased by Spring Air Sommex so in theory they would have a warranty and there has apparently been some improvement in their deliveries but a lot of retailers have dropped them because of the many issues they had. Spring Air has also gone bankrupt in the past and there were apparently some warranty claims that were not honored with them as well. Regardless of any of this … I don’t think Natura is the best value anyway.

Organic and wool materials are expensive and do not increase comfort. Their coverings are a variety of synthetic materials, although I believe he said he would give us organic if we wanted.

Organic is a certification which by itself doesn’t improve comfort and only certifies how a material was grown and produced. I do believe however that natural fibers are more breathable and moisture wicking and create a better microclimate than most synthetics (although this is a more complex topic and any generalizations would probably find exceptions in the details) and I personally would choose natural fibers or semi-synthetic fibers (such as various forms of rayon or viscose fibers) over synthetics. You can read a little more about this in post #29 here. I don’t think organic is as important as the purity and type of fiber.

He said talaway is more uniform an Dunlop less durable.

Talalay (not talaway) is more consistent because of how it is made. I don’t believe Dunlop is less durable though and if it is then the point may be moot because as you can see here there are some Dunlop latex mattresses that have lasted more than 40 years. You can read more of my thoughts and some much more detailed information about the different types of latex in post #2 here and post #6 here and in post #6 here. In practical terms it would probably have more to do with the usage and many other factors and i would treat them both as very durable materials and rough “equals”.

This is the biggy…he said there is no such thing as 100% natural latex…some other ingredients go into the process after they get it out of the tree. Blended talaway ( with non natural ingredients) is not harmful and actually has a longer life span than the 100 %natural.

When people talk about 100% natural latex what they normally are referring to is that the raw latex used in the foam is 100% natural and doesn’t use any synthetic latex (SBR). It’s also true that latex foam contains about 90% to 95% latex because of the other materials that are needed to foam and vulcanize and manufacture it so 100% natural latex would mean that all the latex used to make the foam was 100% natural not that the foam only contained latex.

You can also read more about the difference between natural and blended Talalay in post #2 here and in the lower ILD’s the blend would likely be more durable than the 100% natural. In the higher ILD’s then I don’t think there would be a significant difference. They both have the same Oeko-Tex standard 100 class 1 (safe for babies) certification and I would consider them both to be equally “safe”.

They use something called Talatec which is blended with synthetics (something like 55 - 45). They say synthetic part helps with durability.

Talatech is just the trade name for the blended Talalay latex made by Latex International. It is 30% natural and 70% synthetic.

One other company actually said that inner spring mattress will last longer because latex will eventually break down.

While a firm latex core will probably last longer than most innersprings … neither would be the weak link of a mattress. The layers that are most subject to softening and the loss of comfort and support that goes with it are the upper layers of a mattress whether the support layers are an innerspring, polyfoam, or latex.

Still do not want to pay the Dolcezza price and wonder why it is all Dunlop when supposedly talaway is better?

Talalay isn’t better … it’s just different.

The Natura is beginning to appeal to me more and more but I am apprehensive to go with a company that went bankrupt.

They do use mostly good quality materials but they are also not particularly good value compared to many other choices regardless of any warranty issues IMO.

[quote]I am so looking forward to your comments on the conflicting info that I have gleaned so far. Thank you so much for just “being there.”

I remain…still undecided and increasingly frustrated…Barbara [/quote]

Hope this helped at least to some degree. While nothing will remove all the uncertainty or conflicting opinions … this may help to clarify them to some degree and in some cases these types of comparisons aren’t that meaningful anyway because all versions of latex are high quality and durable materials regardless of their differences.

Phoenix