Hi Jwaldorf2,
The specs you are mentioning are different from any of the three versions of the Pure Latex Bliss that they have had since they staqrted. Version had a 1" polyfoam stabilization layer, version 2 here replaced the polyfoam stabilization layer with 1" of very firm Talalay, and version 3 here removed the 1" firm Talalay stabilization layer and added it to the comfort layers and also replace the top layer of retular blended Talalay with Talalay GL fast response. None of these match the specs you listed and I have never bee able to confirm the specific layering of the Healthy Back mattresses or whether they are the same or different from the current PLB mattresses. Your specs appear to be closest to the original version of the Pure Latex Bliss mattresses (when they still had a polyfoam base layer) but I don’t know if what you have been given is accurate.
Having said that … the comfort specs of a mattress that you are testing locally aren’t really relevant anyway because your body will tell you much more about whether a mattress is suitable for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) than any ILD specifications.
In terms of value … the PLB mattresses could be compared in terms of quality and value to any other mattress that use a similar amount of blended Talalay latex regardless of ILD (or in the case of the Peace similar amounts of synthetic Dunlop and blended Talalay latex) and a similar cover (good quality unquilted stretch cover). They would typically be better value than many mainstream brands but not in the same value range as many smaller manufacturers or online choices (such as the members listed in post #21 here which sell many types and styles of latex mattresses).
Because of the extra risk of an online mattress that you can’t test before a purchase … I generally suggest that a local mattress that is in the range of 20% or so compared to a similar online mattress that uses the same amount and type of latex and has a similar cover would be roughly comparable value and that if a local purchase has more than about a 20% - 25% premium then it may be worthwhile to consider an online choice. Some of the online choices reduce the risk of making an unsuitable choice because of options that can either re-arrange or exchange individual layers in a mattress or with good return policies.
Since the PLB mattresses are not the same design and don’t use the same layering as most of the online choices … the best way to make a comfort choice with an online purchase would be a more detailed conversation with the online retailer or manufacturer so they could help you make a choice between the options they have that was either based on “averages” for different body types and sleeping styles or can use any information you have about local mattresses you have tested to choose one of the design options they have available that are as close as possible to the mattress you tested. This is normally a matter of “educated guesswork” because translating one type of layering into another for a specific person is not by any means an exact science.
Blended Talalay is usually a 70% synthetic / 30% natural blend yes although latex international also uses a fairly high percentage of filler so the latex content is only a percentage of the latex in the mattress … not a percentage of the total layer.
From a “commodity” point of view … I would call them fair value but not “good” value but there are many aspects to the value of a mattress purchase besides just the materials in a mattress. Value always depends on all the objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you and this can vary widely from from person to person.
Phoenix