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.

Will a Mattress last as Long as the warranty cards indicate? Many people believe their mattresses should last at least ten years that so many manufacturers hype up. The fact is most won’t even come close. The answer to the initial question is subjective and is often determined by the quality of the mattress you buy. However some of you might be surprised to learn than in most cases the answer is no.

There is a general consensus that a mattress should last as long as the promised warranty and the hyped sale pitch by a saleman. The reality is that a warranty is a not an indicator of a mattresses overall durability, but a promise to fix defects in the mattress. The greater part of all mattresses sold today cost under $1000.00. Most have 10 year warranties and majority just won’t last the ten years implied on the warranty card, regardless of mattress size, price, and brand name.

Interestingly Consumer Reports suggests that a mattress will only last on average 8 years. That is a far cry from the standard warranty card that is marked with: ten, fifteen, or even 20 years or longer. Many mattress insiders say mattress comfort life is more like six to seven years maximum. To understand what is actually covered by a mattress manufacturer and their warranty you need to be a lawyer and a Rhodes Scholar. One thing we can safely assume that is not covered by a mattress warranty is comfort. If you do not like the feel of a mattress, you will learn quickly that, comfort is not a warranty issue. Comfort is dealt with by many bedroom stores under what is called a comfort guarantee, which lasts anywhere from 30 to 90 days after purchasing a new mattress. 

As we have learned warranties do not guarantee comfort, but they also do not promise good support. They merely promise that under normal circumstances that the mattress will not break down excessively, and that the mattress will be free from defects due to bad workmanship of faulty materials. The truth is not matter how well a mattress is built, it usually loses most of its support, comfort, and aesthetics well before reaching it’s 10 year birthday you can be guaranteed of that.

With the advent of the no flip one-sided mattress the 2-sided mattress has become little more than a memory.

1. The fact that a mattress doesn’t have to be flipped is highly touted by many salesmen and for a very good reason. Anyone who has ever tried to flip a king size mattress in a small bedroom with a ceiling fan knows the difficultly in having to flip a mattress over.
2. The wholesale cost of producing a one sided mattress should be less since it requires less materials and only one fire retarding barrier. Because of stricter fire retardantcy laws it is approximately 40 percent cheaper to fire proof one side of a mattress as apposed to the older styled mattresses with 2 sides.
3. Apples to apples retail prices of one-sided mattresses should also reduce the retail cost that the customer would have to pay. See # 2
4. Better quality materials should go into a one sided mattress since comfort layers are only on one side of the mattress.
5. One-sided mattresses as a rule seem to weigh less making them easier to handle.
6. One sided mattress manufacturers are using more quality materials such as Omalon, latex rubber, and visco elastic memory foam.
7. There are lot of choices of one-sided beds. Mattress manufacturers still offer the same great choices in comfort. Such styles as plush, firm, pillow top mattresses are just some of the choices you have when purchasing a one sided bed.
8. You can still use your old bedding inventory like mattress pad, comforter, and sheets saving you the expense of having to purchase new ones.
9. One-sided mattress choices still offer a wider variety of price ranges to appeal to mattress buyers than 2-sided beds, by offering everything from small to large budgets in mind.
10. Life expectancy of a one sided mattress can range from 1 year to 30 years depending on the quality & budget. Better mattresses will obviously last longer. Well-trained sales associates can help you with such things.

Fortunately for us times have changed, doctors are well read and trained and have become educated in the ways of modern mattresses. As a result of this “extensive training” many more people are sleeping better and receiving the healthy benefits of a properly diagnosed mattress, or are they?  Back in the day doctors used to tell you the firmer a mattress was the better mattress was for you. Most physicians would go so far as to suggest putting a piece of plywood between your mattress and the supporting boxspring for extra firm support. So lets learn about the mattresses first, and then we will address the doctors’ recommendations.

• Hard mattresses often share the same internal components as their softer counterparts the plush topped and pillow top mattress. Firm mattresses are just what they say they are stiff and firm and usually have very little to no give what so ever. In the mattress industry the term support means to hold up, mold, take shape of the body by its very definition. Firm, hard, and nongiving does not lend itself to contouring, much less properly supporting the body.
• Soft mattresses often offer the choice of comfy-cozy plush mattress tops or the popular pillow-topped surfaces. Their names are self-defining and without a doubt precisely describe their distinctive feel. Softer types of mattresses have plenty of give in order to support and contour to your body’s natural shapes and curves. The problem with these types of beds can actually be under buying. This can either be don by the persons who don’t know any better or salespeople who are inexperienced or don’t care. Neither seems to have a clue that sometimes individuals can be too heavy for a beds design. This allows anticipated support to slip into unbeneficial sagging. This by itself can create a whole bunch of other sleeping issues.

Now that we know the difference between hard and soft which mattresses are recommended and prescribed by doctors?

I feel the majority of us know our limitations when it comes to diagnosing sick people suffering minor to serious health issues. So why would we take it upon ourselves to dispense prescription medications to them. The fact is that nearly all physicians know little to nothing about mattresses, mattress design, and just as important how one works to support your back. So why do doctors continue to suggest, prescribe, and recommend mattresses they know nothing about? Could some of them actually be getting paid for their endorsements?

With the invention of the waterbed, which is quite soft, the entire mattress industry was turned upside down. Whether you like them or hate them, the way you sleep today has been affected by the now 40-year old hippie fad. Yes, waterbeds were hard to move, get in and out of and make, but people seemed to sleep well on these squishy soft mattresses.

Throughout this same time period the mattress and boxspring industry was ramming hard, firm, inflexible mattresses down our throats. Many of the admittedly untrained sleep specialist (doctors) followed suit by suggesting the addition of plywood between the mattress and boxspring for even more firmness. Shockingly many still recommend this today.

I am sure there are people that will disagree with this blog, but I will point out one clear fact. When you or I attend a ball game and sit on the bleachers, our butt falls asleep. Very quickly, and the area can become numb and even painful from the restricted blood circulation. I am curious why people can’t understand that the same thing happens in a hard firm mattress? Do they not understand that poor circulation through out the body is the primary cause of restlessness and constant repositioning throughout the night? Take that away and we are on our way at the very least to an improved night of sleep. The problem will exist as long as humans continue to be creatures of habit. We fear change and unorthodox lines of thought such as mine.

Medicinenet.com reported Kim Bergholdt, DC, of Denmark’s Funen Back Center attempted to find the answer. Her groups’ study had varied results, but the study concluded that more people find a soft bed slightly better for back pain.