I’ve been learning a great deal about mattresses from reading the forum on this site. Thank you for putting this out there!
I have been looking at a Northwest Bedding mattress called the “Riverton.” The Luxury Firm version boasts 1" of Talalay latex in the top/comfort layer while the Luxury Plush version in this line is said to have 2" of the same material in the comfort layer. My question is is a 1" or 2" layer of latex in the comfort layer worth the extra money (posted price difference is about $200)? The same store offers a Northwest Bedding mattress called the “Venice” which uses gel-infused memory foarm in the comfort layer. Does this mean the Riverton will remain comfortable longer than the Venice based solely on the type of foam in the comfort layer, even when it is only 1"-2" in thickness? Both the Riverton and Venice mattresses are said to have the same 5-zone pocketed coils and foam encasement. However, the measured thicknesses of these mattresses (firm compared to firm, plush compared to plush) shows a 2" difference, so it’s possible/probable that there are additional differences in construction.
I looked online (I’m guessing Northwest Bedding?) and I couldn’t find any meaningful information about the layerings within those two mattresses, so I’m sorry I can’t make any meaningful comments. All of the layers within a mattress work together, but the uppermost layers will have the most dramatic impact upon comfort, so even doubling the same softness (ILD) of latex in the uppermost layer of a mattress can create a noticeable increase in plushness. But in order to properly compare one mattress model versus another, you’ll need to find out the information here, and then you’ll want to compare it to the durability guidelines listed here in order to make sure there are no “weak links” within the mattress or lower quality materials that may impact durability.
As for value, there is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
Without knowing the density of the memory foam and all of the layers within each mattress, I wouldn’t be able to provide any commentary about that. However, latex does tend to be the most durable of the major foam materials (as compared to memory foam and polyfoam).
Once you’re able to find the complete information about all of the layers within each mattress, I’ll be happy to do my best to give a more detailed answer to your questions.
