Mattress Forum

I wonder what it is that causes some mattress salespeople to avoid any reasonable discussion ... misrepresent facts ... ignore what was said to them ... and overpromote what they are selling without any knowledge of the alternatives that exist in this big wide world.

So sad.

Phoenix

Alright mate.  You are making a lot of very large blanket statements here that are blown out of proportion. 

Styrene and butadiene are classified as VOC's however once they have been polymerized they are completely stable, if blended latex is washed correctly none of the un reacted SBR will remain in the product (or VERY little). 

You are right in saying that Dunlop would be in theory (in some cases) the most pure natural rubber possible, however Talalay is available with ZERO SBR content.  It is not all blended product.  Dunlop can also be the WORST latex around if made to really low standards.  There are so many variables that it really isn't good discussion (or helpful) to label one as being superior to the other as a rule.

I can tell you that over here in NA I am probably one of the few that believes that dunlop (if made to really high standards) can be the best rubber around, however if you guys have literally had zero complaints on latex mattresses over the years then you haven't sold that many latex mattresses. 

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1011/S00014/sleepyhead-announces-major-australian-acquisition.htm

Phoenix

they stabilize as they become part of the co-polymer mixture of NR and SBR, which means they are no longer a VOC.  Volatile Organic Compounds by definition means chemicals not stable at room temperature and release into the air, if they are stable, they are no longer classifed as such. Much in the same way that the other 4~6% of Latex Gold dunlop would be natural sulfur, you wouldn't want to sleep on pure powdered sulfur in its natural state but once it is processed it is locked within the foam itself and completely stable. 

Its one thing to have your opinion on what is the better product, but if you talk so negatively about other product when ignoring the chemistry of all involved then it just sounds biased. Personally I agree that I would rather sleep on natural rubber, but its more so the other benefits that natural rubber present, there are not exactly huge negatives to SBR blended latex, and it is less expensive, so provides people with better priced alternatives.

mate i am fully aware of the aqcuisition and knew of it before most people did. the talaly made here is not NR, it does have styrene in it, that is a fact. we have both talaly on our floor and latex gold and the differences are vast. i can tell you factually that we have had ZERO problems with latex gold. we have had however many complaints about the pungent odour that talalay emits, not so with latex gold. i am not acquainted with the different types of synthetic rubber that is available in the US but i know ours is the best in the southern hemisphere. the germans buy ship loads of the stuff so they are very anal with purity so to get it into germany is quite a feat.

I have been systematically going through a lot of the past threads and there are a lot of champions for a lot of specific brands.  I read this in a positive context as it tells me I have a good shot at being happy, if I am just willing to persevere and not expect the first or even the second attempt to be a home run.

I really appreciated a recent post by Phoenix about the adjustable bed approach.  It got me thinking along less traditional lines.  The wife and I had a discussion.  I pointed out that when all is said and done we just may end up liking very different bed construction approaches; so our to date approach of buying a shared mattress may not be best.  Also, we tried an adjustable years ago, and thought it had some clear advantages but at the time the cost was out of our reach. Back in the when they also tended to look more like hospital beds which turned us off a bit also.

So what we arrived at is this.  Why not get two Twin-xl adjustable bases, then each pick the mattress technology that suites us best with the caveat that we look to keep the mattresses around the same height for practicality purposes.  This would give us a much more personalized and less of a settle for approach in trying to accommodate each other.  Also, we would have the clear benefits of an adjustable with future flexibility for our bodies needs changing.

Anyways we went out earlier today, tried out a latex mattress on an adjustable base and are both very pleased with the overall feel and flexibility.

The journey continues............

"sleepyhead only own  the dunlop foam name not dunlopillo, btw you may want to get your facts right. and to burst your little bubble as you say we live in, we do have the best latex made under the srtictest guidelines and regulations than are made in china and malaysia. no styrene in our latex buddy."

20 minutes ago you didn't seem to realize that they bought the Dunlopillo brand as well.

Whether you carry it or not ... since they also make a Blended Talalay ...  Dunlopillo does make a NR Talalay as does Latex International and as we're just finding out several other manufacturers.

There are also many many 100% NR Dunlops being made all around the world of very high quality ... some with higher NR % than Latex Gold.

Strangest part of all of this is that if you look at the other thread ... I was quite complimentary about Latex Gold ... except for saying they are overpriced compared to other NR Dunlop that is available. I also made comments to the effect that they don't seem to be aware of the alternatives that are out there ... and you seem to be repeating the company line and confirming that.

Phoenix