Hi Olaf,
Welcome back to the Mattress Underground after 10 years! Glad to have been of service! I am especially glad that the mattress “excellently” served you for more than a decade.
There is not much to add to the previous replies except to reinforce what was said, and of course, say “Hi”. I am keeping an eye on it, though, and checking how your project is progressing.
You may be aware that typically, it can be very difficult to exactly replicate a mattress unless you have exactly the same specifications and layers, exactly the same cover fabrics and surface tension, and the same way the mattress is put together (every small difference between two mattresses can either have a cumulative effect or an offsetting effect). Your case is different from trying to match a local mattress that the manufacturer may not be familiar with where all the layers and materials aren’t the same as your specific current mattress.
This is to say that you are in a lucky position on two counts
~ the mattress you owned (that was discontinued) is well-known and not too difficult to approximate by a knowledgeable and experienced manufacturer.
~ even though generally, mattress matching is more of an “art and science” it’s great that you got the attention and very capable hands of both @CST and @Arizona_Premium
As Ken from APM was mentioning, your 10-year-old mattress was a replica of Ken’s original design of the “Latex Total” and he knows all the ins and outs of the mattress as it progressed over the years.
To reiterate, the target mattress is a (9") Talalay latex mattress, with a 3" @ 24 ILD comfort layer & a 6" @ 32 ILD support layer, with ILD 24-32… As the replies above indicate, any quality manufacturer can duplicate these specifications (as there are no ‘extras’ like microcoils, transition layers/foams, or innerspring). Experienced manufacturers of latex, such as Arizona Premium or Custom Sleep Technology can easily replicate the BB Total Latex, as these mattresses were quite well known at the time.
In your case, I’d say that more important than the Specifications are your Stats (height, BMI, sleeping position(s), and any underlying health concerns of the last few years) and your PPP (posture & alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). It is possible that in the last 10 years your sleep needs, sleeping positions, and profile may have changed. In the case of Total Latex, your body adapted and adjusted on the go with the small changes from the wear and tear and of the materials aging over time. This is to say that even a new but exact replica of the old mattress, as well as any other new similar mattress, will feel a little different and generally it may take a little while for you to get used to it.
If you chose to go your own way and do it the DIY style, I’d still work hand in hand with the component supplier and focus primarily on having good support. If the comfort is not quite what you are used to, you can always ‘dial in’ with small adjustments of this layer - Most of the Trusted Members of the site offer exchanges if you need to fine-tune some elements.
All in all, with consideration given to your current body profile you can get quite close to your sleep experience of your Total Latex …I’d still keep in mind that getting the perfect fit for a mattress is a very subjective endeavor, and it might take a bit of trial and error to get to the ‘sweet spot’.
Do let us know how your BB replacement experience goes!
Phoenix
FYI: At the moment I am not answering any PMs as most of my time is going into finessing the new features to bring to a new level the TMU experience for both our consumers and trusted members.