Who has the cheapest Dunlop latex in 1-2" thickness?
Feb 3, 2008 10:39 PM
Location: L.A. area
Joined: Jan 18, 2008
Points: 1161
I've searched the net and this forum and have not found a clear answer to this:

Who sells Dunlop latex in 1" to 3" thicknesses? Does anyone with a return or exchange policy sell Dunlop latex?

So far about all I've found is full mattresses cores...

Just found this: Can someone look at the picture and tell me : isn't this Dunlop latex? I didn't see anywhere in the description that it says Dunlop but as I recall, it looks like Dunlop... no? but it says "natural" latex...

http://www.absolutecomfortonsale.com/latexfoam.htm#prices

This message was modified Feb 3, 2008 by jimsocal
Re: Who has the cheapest Dunlop latex in 1-2" thickness?
Reply #5 Feb 4, 2008 8:26 AM
Joined: Sep 10, 2007
Points: 395
Reminder:
Foamsource (Boulder, CO) is/was closing out some 2" zoned dunlop toppers. Foamsource is a very reputable seller, and belongs on anyone's short list.
Re: Who has the cheapest Dunlop latex in 1-2" thickness?
Reply #6 Feb 4, 2008 9:10 AM
Location: Wisconsin
Joined: Dec 28, 2007
Points: 83
We are very happy with the two six inch Dunlop cores in medium we got from Organic Selections - which they say is around 32 ILD. I got a twin for my 13 year old daughter and a twin XL for my 17 year old 74 inch 180 pound son who had been sleeping on a 75 inch full size bed. The kids are very different sizes but are both happy with the firmness - which Organic Selections says is their most popular. They were vacuum packed - shipped directly from the supplier in Cerritos, CA. From the description, it sounds like the latex is Sleep Comp's NaturaLux. One side is slightly firmer than the other side - just like the three inch layers on our Savvy Rest mattress. We put the soft side up.

Personally, I wouldn't like anything softer than this medium core over a solid foundation. The kids' six inch cores feel very much like our Savvy Rest mattress as currently configured.

I wasn't concerned about their return policy because I was very sure about what we wanted for my daughter. I had my son try her bed before we ordered the second one for him. The quality is excellent, well packaged, no smells or weirdness of any kind. I figured if things didn't go well, we are close enough to the retailer in rural Iowa, we could have returned it in person. Although I didn't get a UPS tracking number, both mattresses were shipped from CA the day after I ordered them and arrived in Wisconsin exactly a week after I placed the orders.

If you have concerns, you could call the toll free number. Very nice people to deal with but be sure to ask for the person who knows about the latex. Their prices were the best I found but I didn't spend lots of time looking. They said they'd match prices if you found the same thing cheaper somewhere else.

This is their return policy -

"If you are not satisfied with your order, please contact us within 2 weeks by email: organicorder@lisco.com and we will arrange a replacement, or exchange; or if the item is in new condition, a refund for the full merchandise amount."
This message was modified Feb 4, 2008 by mattressmom
Re: Who has the cheapest Dunlop latex in 1-2" thickness?
Reply #7 Feb 4, 2008 9:30 AM
Location: Wisconsin
Joined: Dec 28, 2007
Points: 83
Part of the description of the six inch cores includes;

"Available in both a traditional pincore design, or with an innovative "5 Zone" pincore design for added comfort and lumbar support. Manufactured by a plant that is ISO 9001 certified, the mark of excellence and consistency in any industry."

It sounds like you could custom order a zoned core if you ask about it. We got the plain pincore version.

Here's Sleep Comp's site:

http://www.sleepcomp.com/

http://www.sleepcomp.com/sc1-naturalux.html
Re: Who has the cheapest Dunlop latex in 1-2" thickness?
Reply #8 Feb 4, 2008 9:43 AM
Location: Wisconsin
Joined: Dec 28, 2007
Points: 83
cloud9, you might want to seek out Sleep Comp's blended Dunlop "Duratex" described below. I have no clue where you'd find it. Maybe you could contact Sleep Comp.

http://www.sleepcomp.com/sc1-duratex.html

"DURATEX

A precision blend of natural and synthetic latex. Specially engineered for optimum resilience and durability. This product is poured using the Dunlop process and features our unique "3 Zone" pincore design for added lumbar support. Also available with our exclusive "side rail track" edge support system. Extra firm, high density polyfoam rails laminated to a solid latex core allow you to offer a plusher sleeping surface without sacrificing a clean firm edge."
Re: Who has the cheapest Dunlop latex in 1-2" thickness?
Reply #9 Feb 4, 2008 2:09 PM
Joined: Sep 11, 2007
Points: 111
mccldwll wrote:
Reminder:<BR>Foamsource (Boulder, CO) is/was closing out some 2&quot; zoned dunlop toppers. Foamsource is a very reputable seller, and belongs on anyone's short list.

Cloud9,

You might want to take a look at this. I wrote to Matt at Foamsource and he told me the Nu-rest topper comes from a company named Arpico. It's 15% natural and 85% synthetic. I think the zoning is 22-28-22 ILD. It is another one I'm considering, but wondering if the 28 ILD would be enough pressure relief for my hips (as a side sleeper). Mattress mom seems the most familiar with Dunlop. What does she think?
Re: Who has the cheapest Dunlop latex in 1-2" thickness?
Reply #10 Feb 4, 2008 2:27 PM
Joined: Sep 11, 2007
Points: 111
BeddyBye wrote:
I wrote FoamSweetHome and this is what they told me about their Dunlop. It's definitely more than I want to pay.<BR><BR>We only have 3” in a Twin XL, the cost is $350.<BR><BR>I saw this on another site, though. Cheaper prices and I thought I heard that Natural Sense is made with the Dunlop process. Does anyone know if this is true? <BR><BR>http://www.foamorder.com/mattress_pads.html

About their toppers,Foamorder says:

"You may add comments to your shopping cart to switch to a Talalay style latex for an additional 20%." Which must mean the ones you see there on the web site are Dunlop...
Re: Who has the cheapest Dunlop latex in 1-2" thickness?
Reply #11 Feb 4, 2008 6:24 PM
Location: Wisconsin
Joined: Dec 28, 2007
Points: 83
<BR> kimmcgov wrote:
Cloud9,&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;You might want to take a look at this. I wrote to Matt at Foamsource and he told me the Nu-rest topper comes from a company named Arpico. It's 15% natural and 85% synthetic. I think the zoning is 22-28-22 ILD. It is another one I'm considering, but wondering if the 28 ILD would be enough pressure relief for my hips (as a side sleeper). Mattress mom seems the most familiar with Dunlop. What does she think?<BR>

Arpico is a major Dunlop supplier from Sri Lanka - probably the biggest of the reputable suppliers. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.) Take a look at the web sites for Arpico, Latexco, Dunlopillo, Latex International and Sleep Comp.

http://www.arpico.com/

I don't really know that much about the Dunlop manufacturers. I just know the big names and that I like to sleep on an ILD around the mid to low 30's. A 22-28-22 topper sounds too soft for me. It is probably perfect for someone else. I'm not really sure what jungle Dunlop means. I'm guessing that bad jungle Dunlop latex is no name Asian latex with a lot of cheap fillers and impurities. All raw natural latex comes from rubber trees in South Asia. The difference is where and how it's processed - and what it's mixed with. Personally, I trust the big name Dunlop manufacturers more than I trust Sealy, Simmons and Serta. Who knows what's in their products??

SleepEZ lists these suppliers. Scroll down to the chart.

http://www.sleepez.com/suppliers.htm

From what I can piece together, these are the major reputable suppliers and the mattress companies like SleepEZ buy whatever they can get the best price on - unless they explicitly say something like "blended Talalay from Latex International". I feel like I have to trust that the mattress company is careful about where they get their latex. I don't really have any way to judge the quality of their sources. I look at the reputation of the company selling the product to me. I look at what else they sell and what their company emphasis seems to be. For example, FoamSource.com has a good reputation and has been around for a while. They charge fair prices - not necessarily bargain basement prices. (The Nu-rest toppers are listed at close out prices and not available in all sizes - that's different.) They wouldn't risk their reputation by selling junky latex even if it meant charging lower prices. At least that's how I look at it. Other people might not be as trusting.

I wouldn't buy cheap latex from a place that doesn't display the content and/or source of their latex in some way (*cough* foambymail.com *cough*) but I was comfortable with the places I ended up buying from. Short of doing a chemical analysis myself, I have to trust what the mattress suppliers tell me. Most of the information I have seen about natural Dunlop is that it is around 90-95% pure tree sap with the rest made up of residual by-products of the manufacturing process. I would bet that the natural latex component of blended and natural Latex International Talalay isn't much different. I think if you stick with reputable mattress retailers who presumably get their materials from reputable suppliers, you are probably OK. If they screw up and get a bad batch of latex - you'd take it up with them, not the latex manufacturer.

Organic Selections lists the following contents for their NaturaLux latex, which is pretty standard for what most places call 100% natural latex. It's not really 100% pure latex but the term seems to mean it isn't blended with petroleum products or mixed with cheap fillers.

Contents:
Natural Latex Rubber 90-95%
Zinc Oxide 2-3%
Fatty Acid Soaps 1-2%
Sulfur 1-2% (bakes out completely during processing)
Sodium 1-2%

I am wary of places that sell complete mattresses a lot cheaper than the competition. I wonder where they are cutting corners. At the other end of the spectrum - I take the claims of the manufacturers of extremely expensive "Organic" mattresses with a very large grain of salt. They get their latex from the same places every one else does. They might have slightly nicer cover components but they aren't worth double or more what the other guys are selling - at least not to me. I am willing to spend a little more to get a higher quality product but only within reason.

Remember that if the price is too good to be true - it probably is..... I'd be more concerned about prices that were insanely low than a bit higher than average.

The other thing to remember is that the shift to interest in latex mattresses is relatively new in the US - or at least revived from days gone by. There aren't that many suppliers and retailers compared to traditional spring coil mattresses. The vast majority of Americans still buy Sealy, Serta, Simmons and their clones. Latex mattresses have been growing in popularity but they are still a tiny segment of the mattress market. They are more popular in Europe than here. My experience was that local mattress retailers didn't know nearly as much about the two or three latex mattresses they had on display as they did about the zillion permutations and price points of their spring coil mattresses.
This message was modified Feb 4, 2008 by mattressmom
Re: Who has the cheapest Dunlop latex in 1-2" thickness?
Reply #12 Feb 4, 2008 10:40 PM
Location: L.A. area
Joined: Jan 18, 2008
Points: 1161
mccldwll wrote:
Reminder:
Foamsource (Boulder, CO) is/was closing out some 2" zoned dunlop toppers. Foamsource is a very reputable seller, and belongs on anyone's short list.

Thanks for this. I had looked at this before and it is on my short list, but it doesn't say what the ILD's are of the topper. Have you by any chance asked? I'm going to call or write them to find out. It's a pretty good price and if the zoning is the right ILD for my back I may buy it and chop it up for my own component system zoning. That is, if the zones are all relatively firm, I could try both the firm zone and the less firm zone under my hips, or use the firm zone under my hips, and use a softer zone from something else under my shoulders.
Re: Who has the cheapest Dunlop latex in 1-2" thickness?
Reply #13 Feb 4, 2008 11:05 PM
Joined: Sep 10, 2007
Points: 689
But, they're out of stock on the size I want (XL Twin.) In fact, they're out of other sizes, too. I called and asked when they expected to have it in again. Not sure. :(

mccldwll wrote:
Reminder:<BR>Foamsource (Boulder, CO) is/was closing out some 2&quot; zoned dunlop toppers. Foamsource is a very reputable seller, and belongs on anyone's short list.
Re: Who has the cheapest Dunlop latex in 1-2" thickness?
Reply #14 Feb 4, 2008 11:21 PM
Location: L.A. area
Joined: Jan 18, 2008
Points: 1161
Looks like foamorder.com has about the best deal for what I want to do... that is, order pieces for zoning. I have to call them to make SURE it's Dunlop, but if it is I think I'll order 2 pieces for zones - one medium and one firm - from them.
Here's their price for custom cut latex:  $66.81 for soft medium or firm - 31, 37 or 44 ILD.
Rectangle
Modify dimensions
Width: 37 in
Depth: 25 in
Thickness: 2 in

BUT I just saw this:
"
The latex sold in this section (custom cut to order) is Talalay latex. While it doesn't have any fire retardants added, it is made from a blend of synthetic and natural latex. If you are interested in 100% natural latex we can quote this for you by email. 100% natural latex is all priced according to how many mattress size pieces you need and there is a minimum of one mattress."

So, it sounds like they won't cut Dunlop to custom shapes and sizes. Dang. The prices above apparently are for Talalay... Though I'll call to confirm.

But , the guy where I bought my custom cut HR foam today said he would call and give me a price for  custom-cut Dunlop, so I'll see what he comes up with. Otherwise, at least you guys have helped me narrow down the playing field, if I do need to buy via the net... Thanks.
This message was modified Feb 4, 2008 by jimsocal

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