Great site and I appreciate the wealth of knowledge provided. I do still have some questions.
How can latex products that consumers receive be truly verified…ingredients (natural, blended, etc.), process used (Dunlop/talalay), ILD, etc.
With most offering comfort layer exchanges, how can you be 100% certain that returned latex products are not being repackaged as new? Regardless of regulations that govern this in many states, I have heard that more than half of the industry repackage their products and sell as new.
What I’m looking for is simple, but has been made difficult with the abundance of online manufacturers/retailers and their products/information. At the very minimum, I’m looking to get a 100% natural talalay support core (6") and comfort layer (3") with a zippered cotton/wool blend cover. I’d like to purchase them direct from the manufacturer if I could (like Latex International), but would purchase from a reputable online retailer if you could recommend just one…the best of the best in your opinion.
I have been looking at the 12" 100% latex mattress from foamsweetfoam. My concern with them is the 4 - 3" layers. Do you think the multiple layers would “stay put” and would the cover not slide? I’m also concerned that the 4 layers is overkill. If I went with their recommended configuration (med/med/firm/extra firm), would the first 2 medium layers allow too much sinking since its 6" to the support layer? Maybe their 9", 3 layer would be a better option (med/firm/extra firm).
Thank you so much for the knowledge you have already provided me through your site.
And just curious if you don’t mind me asking…what is the brand/specs of your own personal mattress?
Without sending them to a lab for analysis (in the most extreme case) I don’t know how you could. At some point you would need to trust the retailer or manufacturer you are dealing with that what they say they are selling is what you would be receiving.
Again … I would ask them directly and then you would need to use your best judgement and the reputation and integrity of the retailer or manufacturer to decide if they were telling you the truth.
Latex International and other foam manufacturers don’t sell directly to consumers.
I don’t recommend “just one” or choose any specific product for people … only help them with how to choose. There is a list in post #21 here of online manufacturers that are members of this site which means that I believe they are among the best quality and value in the country and that I think highly of. They will give you some great choices and will give you good and accurate information about their products if you talk to them. You can choose between them based on the parts of your own personal value equation that are most important to you (materials, price, return or exchange options, how you feel about them and the information they provide on the phone etc).
You can add Foam Sweet Foam to the previous list because I also think highly of them as well. (NOTE: They are now a member of this site). There are many manufacturers who sell multiple layers and yes they stay put in normal use … and are easy to re-arrange if you move the mattress or otherwise shift the layers. You can read more about the potential benefits of thicker mattresses and when they may be a more suitable choice in post #14 here. Of course multiple layers also give you more options in terms of re-arranging layers to fine tune the mattress to your personal needs and preferences.
I don’t mind at all and it’s been asked many times. It’s my own design (and would be very unlikely to be suitable for most people) and you can see the details in post #4 here.
What type of sleeper would the 4 - 3" layer consisting of med/med/firm/extra firm be best for (from top to botom)?
What type of sleeper would the 4 - 3" layer consisting of soft/med/firm/extra firm be best for (from top to bottom)?
What are your thoughts and the benefits of a blended talalay latex (60% synthetic / 40% Talalay)?
Are there any health concerns/issues with toxins and off gassing?
This is a fairly standard layering and could work well for a very wide range of people. I would take things from the other direction though because there is such a wide range of variables involved in which mattress may be the best match for which person that I would use personal testing to indicate whether this mattress is a good “match” for any particular person (regardless of their body type, sleeping style, or preferences) because this would be more accurate than any theory. In other words … it’s the best match for someone where it provides the PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) that are “ideal” for that specific person regardless of any “theory”.
If this is a mattress that you are ordering online and haven’t tested this specific combination of layering in person … then the manufacturer will have more detailed information about the specifics of the layers and how the work together with each other, the cover they use, and different types of people in their customer base to be able to use “averages” to give you a good idea of which of the layering combinations they offer you would likely do best with in their experience.
In other words … I wouldn’t try to use theory to define a group of people that may do best with any particular mattress because there are too many variables involved and there will be too wide a range of people in the group. It’s much easier to start with the specifics of the person and in a more detailed conversation with the manufacturer you are working with to choose from a smaller group of potential layering combinations that may work well for you as a starting point in their experience.
You can see a comparison between blended and 100% natural Talalay in post #2 here.
I don’t think it’s possible to give an absolute answer to this type of question because it depends on the answer to each person’s question of “how safe is safe enough for me” nd each person may have a different answer to these types of questions. Post #2 here and the links inside it has much more information about this.
I think a reasonable answer for the large majority of people who would be quite comfortable with the standards and testing protocol used by OekoTex standard 100 class 1 (which is the protocol used to test all the Talalay latex made by both of the major manufacturers that make Talalay latex) is that there wold be no “safety” issues with any type of Talalay latex.