What Are The Pitfalls To Look Out For When Selecting A Mattress?

Hype - for a future blog post

Mattresses come in a variety of price ranges, brands, and kinds which makes bargain hunting confusing and nearly impossible.  Misleading marketing and sales tactics confuse and frustrate unknowing shoppers just looking for the best deal. Our hope is to share with you some of the most Common Pitfalls Of  Buying A Mattress  or in other words the most used marketing gimmicks used to pedal mattresses sets out the door.

Watch out for Puffery

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) defines Puffery. Mattress Puffery, Sometimes you know when you’re being a fed a line of bull and sometimes you don’t and in the case of the mattress industry their methods of selling and advertising very well may be one of the best examples of Puffery.  Example: While I feel that I sell the best products in the business how do you know that I do? If I were to exaggerate or promote a subjective view “hype” of my product  rather than an objective one concerning the features  and the benefits of my product  that is puff. Protect yourself against mattress puffery and educate yourself about mattress construction, pricing, and tactics.

Comparing Mattresses

The Mattress Name Game one of the most deceptive forms of marketing I have seen. Same brand, same or similar components, different pricing. Manufacturers make subtle changes in the fabric color and name with a tweak difference here and slight change there and retailer have a mattress model they can call their own and since no one else carries this exact model they don’t have to price match.

One sided vs. Two Sided

While this is a very debatable topic it is my feeling that if you can get two sides on a mattress and comparable inner components for nearly or exactly the same price which is why we suggest buying  a two sided mattress . 1-sided versions are cunningly described as the newest technology that can reduce the need for constant or hard to do customer care by means of improved materials, which in my humble opinion is a farce. These one sided can’t flip mattresses use less steel and more foam and padding that compresses and break down.  Not turning and flipping your mattress is as silly as not rotating the tires on your car.

Mattress manufacturer’s tout features…

such as seat edge supports, very thin layers of memory foam or latex. Some add cashmere, silk, and wool with a content level that is so low it’s barely measurable. The more coils you have must be better right? Kinds of coils and their unique patented designs. These puffed up features make the product look good and worth the inflated price that retailers ask for them.

“Firm” Possibly the most over used word in the mattress industry

Wait I’ll add a few others; extra firm, super firm, cushion firm, etc. While there seems to be a standard way to use them in puffing up or describing a mattress’ feel there is no standard definition of measurement that would allow them to be easily compared to one another being used by the industry.  Since mattress firmness is subjective let the buyer beware.

Promises of Savings by Way of a Sale

Just turn on your TV, open up your newspaper, direct mailer, or visit website mattress sales you will find they are as common as the nose on our faces. While big savings as much as 50, 60, even 70 percent off are common, tactics used to create excitement such as final days,  3 days only, or sale ends Saturday are used to create the immediate urgency to buy now to get the deal.  Be leery of special “sales,” that only happen once a year or certain holidays. The truth is these stores sell mattresses all year; they have to pay mortgage, rent, utilities, and salaries why can’t they do it all the time? They can and they will approach them with a competitor’s better price and watch the cost go down.Also be careful of advertisements featuring low almost too good to be true pricing. The old saying still applies you get what you pay for a low-end poorly constructed bed that will be uncomfortable from day one.

So forget the Puffery and Hype. Most importantly remember our mattress shopping tips outlined above. Print them out, remember them, they are some of the most basic and important things you need to know in order to be an educated and informed shopper.

It’s a simple mattress feature that many beds may or may not have but do they offer real benefits for you?

We all do it and hands down it is one of the most damaging things you can do to your bed, sitting on the mattress edge.The mattress has become our place to watch TV, sit and put on your slippers or shoes on, work, and yes we even play. The fact is we just don’t sleep in our mattresses anymore and due to all of these extra activities that we throw at our mattress on a daily basis. The reality is we could construct the mattress edge of concrete but would that really be the best and most comfortable mattress.

How Supportive Should My Mattress Edges Be?

A mattress should give total and even support all the way up to the edge and most importantly you should never feel like you are rolling off or falling out or in to the bed’s edge due to poor construction and weakness.

Kinds of Mattress Edges

What kind of sleeping edge has the best highly is debatable. The inside edges of a mattress come in various configurations and designs.

• Wire tied coil springs
• Heavy duty boarder rods or border wires
• Foam encasement that encloses an innerspring coil unit
• Closed cell foam: this can either run the length of the mattress edge or wraps certain coils on the mattress edge.
• Heavier wire gauge coil springs

About mattress edges

Wire tied coil springs rely on each other and collectively offer additional strength and mattress life. Each spring is connected by a spiral wire called a helical wire looks like the same as a notebook of paper used by students. The difference is the helical wire is much heavier and  built to support body weight for many many years.

Border rods range in thickness and enclose the perimeter of the coil springs. Better border rods tend to be thicker or of heavier gauge often ranging from 6-9 gauge.  Complaints with this design are inconsistent firmness on the sleeping surface and additional pressure on the back of the legs when sitting on the edge.

Some beds consist of heavier duty coil springs. Coils springs may consist of one or two rows with a higher coil count or concentration of coils adding a firmer feel and additional seat edge strength. Steel gauge is important so consider systems that include a lower number gauge which will offer additional strength. Complaints include loss of shape because most systems are designed with coils encased in fabric or material and take on the shape of a whiskey barrel over time. Varying firmess for both sleeping and seating.

Closed Cell Foam reinforced sides. This edge strengthening system is made of semi-rigid closed cell foam and typically runs the length of the mattress sides. Some brands wrap every other coil or every third coil to give the mattress edges needed strength.

Foam encased models vary slightly but the overall gist is an edge support system that surrounds the coils typically make up the mattress perimeter. The coils are replaced with 4 inches of foam all the way around your mattress. The polyurethane foam can differ in thickness, density, and IFD or ILD. Foam replaces steel making the bed lighter and arguably weaker. Foam encasements often have a more comfortable edge to edge for sleeping and additionally when sitting on the mattress side. Complaints include premature failure.

A Mattress You Cannot Flip?

No Flipping By Cyanocorax

You were not asked, you were not given a choice, and you were told after all that most people don’t flip their mattresses anyway.  You were never asked your opinion; they just took the two sided mattresses away, and gave you what many call an inferior product. A customer once said to me that the “No Flip Mattress should be called the Can’t Flip Mattress” after having replaced three in just as many years and having loved the name the “Can’t Flip Mattresses”  I have used borrowed it every since.

Two Sided Mattresses Going Extinct?

While two may not yet be extinct they’re not in every mattress showroom and while they can be found here and there, it is rare to find them making their way into to your homes’ bedrooms. Once the primary way mattresses were made, today flippable mattresses are all but a memory. We thought we’d share a short list of companies that still build two sided mattresses. Although their retail distribution and selection is often very limited contacting one of these mattress manufacturers will get you heading the right direction.

• King Koil
• Symbol Mattress
• Corsicana
• Englander
• Serta
• Campbell Mattress
• The Original Mattress Factory
• Eclipse-Therapedic
• Fox Mattress
• Shifman

The Truth About Why Can’t You Flip New Mattresses?

The industry says you won’t turn the mattress over anyway, they say the beds are improved, and they believe one sided mattresses are safer but is all of this true? Only you can answer the first question but wouldn’t you at least like to have the option?

Quality One Sided Beds Really?

This seems like a stretch for many to call one sided mattresses better than their predecessors but why? The fact is foam encased mattress perimeters have replaced high quality heavy gauge steel border rods and in some cases heavier gauge steel wire coil springs. Something else that seems to have gone the way of the Doo Doo Bird is heavy duty insulation. Insulation is used to protect padding from the coil chaffing and foam shredding and most importantly to stop foam and other padding from sagging into coils springs.

Marketing, it’s all about the marketing. Today mattresses are thicker and more impressive visually, but the coil heights are still basically the same 6 inches they have always been with few exceptions. Let’s face it, piling up layer upon layer of foam till you have a mattress that is 12 inches an in many cases taller not only makes it hard to find sheets to fit but it is a recipe for body impressions, all you need to do is add the body.

Mattresses Have Gone On A Diet?

While many of us could afford to lose a few pounds that is something we cannot afford for our mattresses to do. While giving up pounds in a mattress may seem like a good thing for those that have problems flipping or may not be able to turn a mattress over the new diet one sided mattresses have gone on means losing steel one of the strongest building materials in the world. Mattress builders have opted to replace quality steel with cheaper polyurethane foam and since we’re talking about foam it’s important to note that mattress companies have compromised the quality of the foam used in your mattress by injecting more air making the foam less dense, weaker, more light weight and oh yeah cheaper.

Mattresses Meet Federal Fire Laws For Safety

While it is true they may pass burn tests can we survive the chemicals that are often being used to help meet the new federal safety requirements it is a very debatable decide for yourself in an article we wrote a while back called Afraid of your mattress?

So Is The Can’t Flip Mattress A Must Buy?

While no mattress is perfect including the two sided variety we think the Can’t Flip Mattress could stand to beef up and bulk up. Lets face it giving up just  one of the above mention constructional features is a more than enough to significantly compromise mattress quality and many have all but abandoned these quality building techniques. As you can see the fact is most all of these things are now part of today’s “Can’t Flip Mattress”

So what is the gauge of a coil spring?

First some basics. Every coil spring mattress is made of up of 3 basic components that work in conjunction with one another:

1. Innerspring core or coil springs
2. Foundation or box spring
3. Upholstery layers or comfort layers

Spring mattress core

Today we are talking about the inner most core of a mattress which is also called the innerspring unit and is maybe “the” most important part of the mattress set. Mattresses that use a coil spring mattress core are some of the most popular beds being slept on these days and while finding beds to choose from isn’t hard to do, most people will agree that comparing them can be quite challenging at the least. This is because ultimately coils are what mold and contours and support the person sleeping in the mattress and manufactures know this. Each believes theirs is the best and most will challenge you to find better or comparable models to theirs. One of those ways they do this is by asking you to compare the steel gauge of the spring.

What is Coil Spring or Innerspring Wire Gauge?

DSC_0403 By Wbaiv

While it is debatable that coil spring wire gauge is a “spot-on” or only real measure of support and mattress firmness so we’ll try to explain. In the industry there are a series of numbers that usually correlate to the steel wire’s thickness.  This measure is called gauge and the lesser the number the thicker the wire used to manufacture the coil spring, the greater the number the thinner the wire used for building a coil. Numbers start at 12.5-gauge (1.94 mm) coils, and is the firmest, while higher  gauge spring systems range up to 15.5-gauge (1.37 mm). Gauge often increases or decreases in ¼ increments. Another thing to consider is that mattresses with more coils of the exact same gauge wire will feel firmer. While we do believe that a mattresses wire gauge is very important, this is but only one of many important factors for comparing and measuring up mattresses to one another and again should not be used alone to judge a mattresses overall quality.

About other mattress comparison methods
Types of coils are another comparison factor such as Bonnel Coils, Independent Pocketed Coils /Marshall Coils or Encased Coils, Offset Coils, and Continuous Coils all offer various advantages and disadvantages to their design. Check out this link http://www.stlbeds.com/articles/2011/06/03/explain-coil-counts-mattresses/

Coil count: one more comparison method used to shop mattresses against one another. This link explains Coil Counts on Mattresses in great detail.

Coil Connections: this is how the coils help the mattress retain its shape and are connect to one another. The majority of coils springs are linked by interconnecting wires called a helical; encased coils or Marshall Coils or Independent Pocketed Coils are not joined with a helical, but instead are encased or wrapped in man-made materials or fabric encasement usually called pockets which have pros and cons to their design.

Continuous Wire Coil Count

Remember the old saying he who dies with the most toys wins? What if we applied that same thinking to the number of wire coils found inside the typical mattress? Would having more coils make up a better quality inner mattress core? You might be surprised to learn that the old way of comparing beds does not necessarily apply to today’s mattresses. As matter of fact one bed can hardly be compared to another by coil count alone, this is due to the various coil systems available.

How to compare coil counts

There used to be  a time when coils were basically all built the same. These mattresses usually used a bonnel  or offset designed coil. The difference ended up being one of a couple things steel thickness, coil shape, number of turns in a coil and how many were used in a industry standard full size bed. Today comparing coils can be tricky at best and nearly impossible at worst. Tricks include playing games knowing that people rarely ask what size the count is based on. Problem is quoting coil counts for larger mattresses means inflated coil counts due to its bigger sizes.

Today we know that more coils actually affect the beds feel more so than affecting the mattresses overall quality something that was also mentioned in Consumer Reports Magazine. The number of coils being increased usually necessitates a smaller coil in addition to thinner steel wire referred to as the gauge or thickness. All must fit inside of a mattress adding to one of the numerous factors used to measure and compare beds in addition to coil count.

Coil type or kind can affect mattress coil counts?

Bonnell Coil Count Comparison

Most people haven’t a clue what type of coil is in their mattress. Problems arise comparing coils. Example: pocketed coils, Marshall coils, fabric encased coils, encapsulated coils etc. All similar coils that are very comparable coils, yet as similar as they are, each is different. Some are taller, some are shorter. Others have been heated tempered once maybe even  double tempered to ensure coils shape over time through heat treating and cooling. Others claim such a process is unnecessary if you use significantly more wire to make the coil.

Continuous wire coils have been known to quote their coils systems by the number of inches, coil counts, while putting no focus on the number of turns a coil has from top to bottom a once widely used comparison method. Being made from one piece of wire, one coil flows  for stability into the next positioning coils closer or further apart for less or more support where needed.

Tall coil springs: Coil height may be one of the biggest factors to determine mattress life and today they’re thick. The trick being cheaper shorter steel coils can replace taller ones by using less expensive foam to make up the height.

Compare Individual Pocked Coil Counts

Foam encasement vs. border rods: Many of today’s mattresses use foam in place of a heavy duty steel border rod made of generally 6-8 gauge steel.  This race track edge eliminates nearly two full rows of metal coil springs and 1 or 2 border rods around the entire mattress perimeter making it hard to compare foam encased versions to traditionally built beds.

These are really just the tip of the iceberg considering all the various kinds of coils being made but know this, Leggett and Platt makes the majority of all the steel coils that go into all mattresses today. Consumer Reports has said “On the Whole Coil Count Doesn’t Matter”. What fails is the layers of cheap foam and padding. Personally I have not had a coil fail in too many years to remember and offer this advice. There are just too many better ways to compare mattress quality than the number of coils it contains.