The Great Mattress Firmness Lie

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

We Have All Heard The Advice Buy A Firmer Mattress That It’s Better

In recent years manufacturers and retailers offer this advice less and less. As a matter of fact, the industry offers a couple of other methods for determining mattress quality and you might be surprised to learn they are  just one more part of “The great mattress firmness lie”

Since there is no standard for what soft, medium, or firm is in the mattress industry the terms are often used liberally. For example, you may see a queen mattress set in one store offered for $199.00 while at another store a firm mattress might be advertised for $999.00 Both beds are advertised as “firm” when compared side by side they will not only be visually very different but also will be very different in the way they are built. How can the  $199.00 claim the word “firm” for such a meager price?

It’s simple when you ask a sales associate they will tell you its firm when you compare it to other $199.00 sets. They never claimed it to be as firm as the $999.00 set.  While this may be an obvious difference imagine the look, feel, and price being identical.

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How Mattress Manufacturers Differentiate Their Mattress

Mattress Manufacturers need a way to distinguish their mattress is firmer and better than others and they have come up with a creative way to do so. Some mattress corporations claim the use of more coils which offer the consumer a higher coil count, while others companies use heavier gauge wire boasting strength from heavier duty steel. Both claim that either or both makes a mattress set firmer.

The Facts About What Makes A Mattress Better

It’s not coil type, design, layout or even cost. It ultimately comes down to the total weight of steel used inside a mattress regardless of coil count, gauge, or number of wire inches used. Ultimately if we are to use our heads steel is bought and sold by the pound. Sales people claim more coils, steel gauge make a mattress firmer and better.
Need more proof?

We need to look no further than the steel industry for the answer.  No matter what kind of steel is being sold: hot rolled, coil, plate, bar, wire rod the industry’s steel prices nearly always boils down to weight. The game is played with mattress coil count, gauge, and how it correlates to firmness is the Great Mattress Firmness Lie.

They brag about the latest and greatest new technologies while bed weight is virtually nothing compared to their predecessors and often looks worn in months or a few years. I stick with my theory. Mattress firmness is subjective; pick what fits your body the best. Next, pick up a mattress or box spring from today and then one from 20, 30, or 40 years ago, there is no comparison. Today’s mattress sets have gone on a steel diet and it’s one of the primary reasons for premature mattress failure and part of the Great Mattress Firmness Lie.

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