Hi spiralingshape,
Elastomeric polyurethane gels are a very strong, elastic, and durable material with some unique properties including being viscoelastic and thermally conductive (which is one of the technologies used for temperature regulation in a mattress). There is more about them in
post #2 here
.
The type that is used in the Evosleep is a solid gel (not mixed into another type of foam) which is the most expensive but most durable and effective type of gel. It is generally used in a thin layer on top and then other types of materials are used underneath it (such as memory foam or polyfoam).
While the gel itself is very strong and durable ... the layers that are underneath it are an important part of the feel, quality, and durability of the mattress. These layers under the gel will likely be the weakest link of the mattress and it would be important to know the specifics of these layers in terms of thickness, the type of foam used, and in the case of any polyfoam or memory foam, the density of these layers as well. This will give you a way to make more meaningful comparisons with other mattresses in terms of the relative "value" of the mattress as a whole and and the quality/durability of the materials used. The closer to the top the materials are ... the more subject they will be to repeated mechanical stress and compression and the more important it is to use higher quality/density and more durable materials.
A good retailer will have this available (if their manufacturer provides the information to them) and will either have the layering including the density of all the layers in the mattress or will phone the factory to find out on behalf of the consumer. In some cases the factory will be open and transparent about this information and in some cases they won't provide it to the retailer either so they can only provide the information the factory is willing to give them.
Sherwood bedding is making some better quality and value mattresses in comparison to most major brands but as in any mattress purchase ... regardless of the brand label ... knowing the details of what is in a mattress you are seriously considering is really the only way to predict how the mattress will feel in a year and longer down the road (compared to the showroom feel) and the relative quality/durability and value of the mattress compared to others you may be considering.
If I was looking at a mattress in this price range ... I would definitely want to know the details of all the layers before making a decision.
Phoenix
PS: as a side note ... latex is a very open celled foam and is generally the coolest of the foams. It may be possible that what you were lying on either wasn't good quality latex at all or had other materials on top of the latex on the sleeping surface. If it was a major brand then this is almost certainly the case and what you were told was a "latex mattress" probably wasn't and may have only had some thin layers of latex mixed in with other materials or at best was a latex hybrid. Knowing the layers of the mattress from a spec sheet (and again good retailers will understand the importance of providing this) is often the only way to know what you are really sleeping on.