Hi sidesleeper,
[quote]I have read that for larger bodies you want at least a 6 inch core. This core is 6 inches but broken down into 1" soft + 4" medium/firm + 1" soft. Does this change the support or longevity. Also the mattress cover is not wool like the comparables I have been looking at. The cover is cotton and seems thinner. Are these things that make the bed cheaper and things I may regret committing too?
Any advice, opinion would be really appreciated. [/quote]
There is more about the most important parts of a “successful” mattress purchase in post #13 here.
The most important of these is suitability for your body type and sleeping positions in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and the most reliable way to evaluate this is your own personal testing using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post. While it’s true that people with heavier body types will often do better with thicker mattresses (see post #14 here) the thickness of a single layer such as the core isn’t particularly important because it’s only one of the layers and all the layers interact together. Since both of the mattresses you are looking at include 10" of latex, the thickness of the mattress or the amount of latex in each one wouldn’t be the deciding point between them.
In terms of quality/durability which is the next most important part of a mattress purchase … latex is among the most durable of all the different materials and components used in mattresses and if a mattress is suitable for you in terms of PPP, then if it uses latex it would certainly be a durable choice.
The last part of making the best choice for you would be making a final choice (see post #2 here) between all your finalists at each store you are considering based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
There is more about the pros and cons of a wool quilted cover vs a thinner stretch knit cover in post #6 here. A wool quilted cover would certainly add to the cost of a mattress but the choice between them is really a preference choice based on which one is the best match for the criteria that are most important to you … not a better/worse choice.
You are certainly looking at some high quality options and neither of them have any weak links or lower quality materials in their design but you are the only one who can decide which one would be the most suitable or the “best value” for you.
Phoenix