Mattress Forum

Jim,

That is an excellent idea. The Dunlop layer should be the core and the Talalay should be the chusioning layers.

The one thing about overnightmattress.com is the Talalay Latex they use blended latex and not 100% natural latex. Over 90% of the 100% natural latex sold my Latex international is a blened latex. By law they only have to have a very small percentage of 100% natural latex in the mattress to call it 100% natural latex. It is still better then most available, but not really any cheaper then you can get Blended Talalay Latex in many other places. It sounds like you have used them and they do honor their return policy so it sounds like a solid company to do business with and fair pricing. If you go that way you do want to use progressive layering and by that I mean you want to use a highest ILD on the bottom and each level above each layer should be = or lower ILD then the layer under it.
 I always believe you should use a 4 to 6" Dunlop core and then add the Talalay as the cushioning layers above. The cushioning layers above could be whatever ILD you find comfortable.

Latex has gotten to be the most difficult to figure out over the past couple fo years and very misleading. You will see 85/15, 60/40 as examples of blended latex. Most would think it is 85% natural Latex or 60% natural latex, but what it really means is it is 85% Blened Latex and 15% Ploy or 60% Blened Latex and 40% Poly. The 85% or 60% blended could actually only be 5% Natural Latex in either one or it Could 50% natural latex. Even could be less or more than those numbers and the only way for you to find out is to contact latex international and ask them directly.

I dont want to talk the company you are talking about. They sound like a good company and they have treated you well by offering a good product at a fair price and good customer service. That is hard to find in compaines now and when you find one better hold on to them :)

Dave

Megalops,

Latex International does produce some 100% Latex mattresses, but it is less than 10% of their sales. They are the largest supplier of latex in North America and most companies that sell latex beds will be buying it from them. It is very hard to find a 100% natural latex mattress and when you do they are very expensive.

I dont believe the warranty will cover the encasement. I dont know of any manufacture that covers fabic or stitching in their warranty.

I really think it sounds like a good deal still, but I am now sure it is a blended latex. Nothing worng with it as it is still an excellent product and the talalay process is the best process for making consistant density latex.

::chuckles:: Call them up and say you are almost ready to make a purchase, but you want to make a deal with them. You will call Latex International and verify it is 100% natural latex and not blended. If it is blended you get it for 1/2 price and you would want that deal in writing. See if they take the deal or not. lol...the sales person may not actually know if it is blened or not though. I like tossing those types of deals at people just to see their response. You will be suprised how many people start back tracking and changing their story when you make them offers like that.

I'm pretty sure your statement is incorrect if refferring to Latex International. Latex international's Talatech is a 30/70 blend. 30% natural latex and 70% synthetic. Latex International's 100% natural latex is > 90% latex (some reports as high as 98%).

Your statement may hold some merit when referring to some other companies latex (like the 'S' companies), but not LI.

I do believe the mattress in question could be 100% natural Talalay from LI based on the price. I just purchased a similar setup from flobeds using LI 100% natural latex at a comparable price. I still prefer the flobeds mattress due to the cotton/wool cover vs. the bamboo/wool cover used by this company. But if tjstogner is comfortable with this company and can get it in writing that they're using LI 100% Natural Latex, then it should be a nice bed at a fair price. I just don't think the cover is going to last too long.

No I am correct with Latex international. I worked with them for years and have spoke indepth with our account rep and others at LI many times. Currently we do not offer any products from Latex international and I havent for about 2 years, but I am still very up to date with them and play golf every few months with some LI emplyoees including my old account rep.

Good idea Dave. I have learned - unfortunately - that when it comes to people saying their latex is "100% natural" they sometimes either lie or don't really know. In any case I know that in the past one could call LI and ask and they would tell you if x vendor is indeed selling their latex and which type it is. MIght we worth actually giving them a call.

That said, while I think I do prefer 100% natural latex, the jury is still out on whether it really is any "better" and "better" is of course subjective especially when talking about comfort, not about durability. At least we know LI is a good company making a quality product, it's not like it's "jungle latex" with no consistency. But even that can be very comfortable, depending on the piece one happens to get! The problem with "jungle latex" (I mean latex from, say, Sri Lanka) is that you may find a great piece but then if you try to get another one exactly the same, it may be quite different.

http://www.greenmountainorganics.com/pdfs/savvy_rest/lilatex.pdf

Latex International (LI) certifies that the compound utilized to manufacture its Talatech® natural latex mattress cores and toppers includes only natural latex rubber harvested from the “Hevea Brasiliensis” rubber tree, as well as soaps and curing agents. We do NOT use any man-made or synthetic latex in our Talatech® natural latex formula.

The majority of 100% natural latex sleep products are produced via the Dunlop process, while our latex is produced via the Talalay process. LI’s proprietary compound mix required by the complex Talalay process includes raw materials such as natural rubber latex, zinc oxide, fatty acid soaps, and sulfur, which are needed for the vulcanization, foaming, and curing process.

You may want to share that with your golfing buddies, because I believe they're filling your head full of BS. Either that or the director of operations, Anthony Mancini is placing his job on the line and exposing LI to a massive class action suit.