I’ve been researching talalay latex mattresses from what seems a hundred sources. It’s difficult to find out what’s in the latex talalay blends. Seems that Latex Intl. TalaTech is a 30% pure latex/70% synthetic blend. I understand it’s much easier, takes less labor and such, to do SBR/latex blends rather than 100% pure natural latex, but doesn’t 70% on the synthetic seem a bit high? Durability aside, how would that affect comfort? I’m 5’11", 210 lbs. with my wife being 5’6" and about 130. Am shopping for a 2" latex blend topper that has a soft ILD rating of 18-22. It will go on a brand new queen Cantwell mattress that kind to my hip and shoulder pressure points.
Mattress.net sells Radium and Latex International, the latter being a 60 synthetic/40 latex blend according to Ken, which doesn’t jive with the 70/30 ratio I got from another source. It too is a TalaTech I believe.
And then you have this blog that quotes a LI source that there’s no synthetics in TalaTech:
Suggests to me that the Talatech name is used across the board for the Classic and newer products.
While I’m at it, does anyone know the constituents of LatexCo Tatalux or the Netherland’s Radium toppers?
All I know is I want a high quality blend latex/synthetic blend for a topper and I’m picky if it’s from LatexCo, LI, or Radium as they’re all supposed to be excellent products.
Post #6 here and [url=https://mattressunderground.com/our-articles/latex-pros-and-cons.html]this article[/url] have more information about the different types and blends of latex in the market and some of the pros and cons of each. There is certainly a lot of information and misinformation in the industry about the differences between them so hopefully this will help you make better comparisons. You can also read more about blended talalay vs 100% natural Talalay in post #2 here and post #2 here. I tend to look at them based on their relative performance, feel, and durability and their suitability and cost relative to a particular use and preference rather than a “better worse” choice. Since there are only two versions of Talalay (30%/70% NR/SBR blends and 100% natural) the amount of natural rubber in each isn’t as big an issue as how they compare in “real life” terms. There is also more about the differences in “feel” between Talalay and Dunlop in post #7 here.
Radium used to make their blended Talalay in a 60/40 blend (when they were competing with Dunlopillo which has since gone bankrupt) but they have since changed to a blend that is about 70/30 (I have confirmed this with them directly). Talatech is a brand name that is owned by Latex International not Radium and isn’t a “type” of latex. Radium makes Vita Talalay (which is also called Talalux by Latexco which is a US distributor of Radium’s Vita Talalay).
Latex International makes two types of Talalay latex. Their blended talalay is about a 70/30 blend and their 100% natural blend only contains natural rubber and no synthetics which is what the sources you were linking are referring to. Talatech is a brand name for their blended Talalay (AKA Classic Talalay) which they have manufactured for much longer than the 100% natural version which was only introduced in 2005.
There are only two Talalay manufacturers (Radium and Latex International) and both of them make blended Talalay (with a blend that is about 30%/70% NR/SBR) and 100% natural Talalay. There is more about Radium and Latexco’s Talalux (which are the same thing) in post #4 here.
There are also some guidelines for choosing a topper in post #2 here and the posts it links to that may be helpful.
I hope that help you sort things out a bit as far as the different types and blends of latex
They will tell you exactly what is inside any mattress you order and who manufactures the latex you choose (as you mentioned they can give you a choice between manufacturers and you can specify if you wish).
Hi Phoenix, looks like I have some sorting out to do.
We picked up the new queen mattress from Cantwell (custom manufacturer out of Corpus Christi and San Antonio) and even though it seems to be a fine product, am getting some pressure discomfort at the hips and shoulders. I am mainly a side sleeper. Curtis Cantwell is offering to take it apart and tweek it at no charge. They are very customer service oriented. Won’t take the mattress back, but will do everything they can until it’s fine tuned to our satisfaction which probably means a lower ILD latex foam in the top comfort layer. Can’t get that kind of service anywhere! :woohoo:
Update - after 40 days of sleeping on the Cantwell mattress and finding it having body impressions, we took the mattress back yesterday. After being talked down to for half an hour by this condescending wise a$$, I demanded my money back. Curtis Cantwell, owner, complied. Received another condescending email later that night which included statements about sites like this one as being posers and internet plants to make sales and I quote, “It weighs heavy on me when a consumer is mistreated and misdirected.” What a bull feathers. I let him have it via an email.
Still shopping and have decided to build my own out of Talatech, two 2" comfort layer and two medium to firm 3" layers.
Thank God we have a honest consumer based site like this and one dedicated admin like Phoenix.
Wow … what a difference 40 days can make when you compare your comments here and here before the purchase and your thoughts and experience 40 days later.
This is especially ironic when he is one of the manufacturers that I tend to think and speak highly of (such as in my comments here and here) and the site he is now “complaining” about was supporting his efforts and “directing” customers in his direction.
This is the part that I’m most interested in knowing more specifics. If the body impressions were slight and part of the normal break in of the materials in your mattress, then it wouldn’t affect your comfort or support and wouldn’t have been a reason for a refund. If there were comfort or support issues then they could have been corrected with an adjustment to the mattress (as he indicated he would do). If on the other hand the materials were defective and the impressions were a clear sign of failure (which would be rare but can happen on occasion) … then most manufacturers would change out the defective layer.
What I’m not clear about is whether the impressions were inside a normal range or were a sign of a defective material in the mattress.
Either way … he would have been well within the terms of your purchase agreement with refusing a refund and making a comfort adjustment (if the issue was comfort or support) or replacing a defective layer.
How deep were the impressions and what did he say about them when you brought them up?
Either way … his comments afterwards when you first talked to him about your issues or the email that you received afterwards seem to be over the top although I can also understand that he would be upset if a customer “demanded a refund” if the impressions were inside a normal range and when your purchase agreement only included the option to replace any defective materials or make a comfort adjustment and didn’t include the option for a refund.
Phoenix, it was like oil and water between us. Whatever I said including mentioning this site he put down. I got tired of it. My feeling is he would rather get rid of me than deal with me. Just hope that some poor smuck doesn’t get this mattress. No, the indentions weren’t that bad but 40 days into it, I’m not going to tolerate any issues, with any product.
