Cloud 9 Air Mattress Beds
Coils and Springs Mattress Guide
If you still can't seem to move yourself away from the traditional Coils and Springs mattress, we've included this very thorough Coils and Springs Mattress Guide from SleepTrain. We hope it helps!
Despite their simple, box-like appearance, mattresses and foundations are actually highly engineered products. Composed largely of precise configurations of tempered steel and polyurethane foam, they are designed to work together to support weight, limit stress on such "pressure points" as hips and shoulders, and comfortably suspend a sleeper's body throughout the night.
Most beds are built to be used as sleep sets - that is as mattress and foundation combinations. The heart of any sleep set is the innerspring unit, which supports the sleepers body. The innerspring unit is composed of either individual steel coils that are laced together or placed in individual fabric pockets, or of one continuous steel wire formed into rows of coils. Both of these constructions create a quality product.
The design of an innerspring unit will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so it is difficult to make direct comparisons between different beds. However, as a general rule, more steel is better. So as the quality of the innerspring improves, so does the amount of steel used. There are two basic features used to measure the relative quality of the innerspring unit: coil count and gauge. The coil count of the mattress is the number of actual coils measured in a full (double) size mattress, the more coils, the more steel, the more durable and supportive the innerspring unit. Coil counts for innerspring units range from as low as the 200's, to as high as the 700's. The gauge is the measurement of the thickness of the steel wire used to make the coil(s). Wire gauges for innerspring units range from as thick as around 12 3/4 gauge, to as fine as around 15 gauge. The lower the number, the thicker the wire. These two features, coil count and gauge, are interrelated: as the coil count goes up, the wire has to get finer to make room for the additional coils and allow the innerspring unit to flex and conform to the body.
The innerspring unit is topped with upholstery, or cushioning layers of foam and/or fiber. These layers determine how plush or firm the bed feels. While many people believe that a bed must be very firm to be high quality - this may have been true in the past - today things have changed. Advancements in technology and design allow beds to be made that are very supportive for back, and maintain a soft, cushiony feel.
The amount and quality of upholstery materials used have a lot to do with the price of a bed. Less expensive beds have less upholstery material, while more expensive beds have more upholstery, much of which is composed of higher density foams and fibers. Many high-end beds feature "pillow tops", or fiber-filled cushions that are sewn onto the top of the mattress, which add a luxuriously plush feel. The most-expensive beds on the market have a very thick appearance and often feature high-end natural materials in the upholstery such as wool, silk, and cashmere.
The second major component of the sleep set is the foundation, which acts as a shock absorber, thus making the mattress more comfortable and longer lasting. A foundation is made of a framework with slats of wood or steel, and steel bars or modules to flex and support the mattress. The general rule of thumb with foundations is that the stronger the slat system, and the more modules or coils used, the more durable the foundation.
You may be considering only replacing the mattress, and keeping your old foundation, to save money. However, an old foundation will negatively impact the feel and durability of the new mattress.
A mattress placed on a platform bed, or an old waterbed frame, with no foundation, may wear out sooner, and feel firmer, than if used on a normal foundation. In order to enjoy the optimum performance in comfort, support, and durability, you should purchase a matching set including the mattress and the foundation that were designed to be used together.
There is a broad range in mattress price and quality, but a few generalizations about price range can be made. A good quality, basic bed will generally cost $399 to $599 in a queen size. A step-up sleep set, say a flagship brand with a premium innerspring and higher-end upholstery materials, can be around $699 to $899. A top-end mattress set, with the firmest support and the most expensive fibers in the upholstery, will run at least $999 - and possibly as much as $3,000 or higher.
Although fewer than 2% of sleep sets are actually returned for structural problems (such a broken coil or ripped cover), mattress manufacturers offer strong warranties to assure the customer that they have purchased a quality product. There are two types of warranties: pro-rated, and non pro-rated. With a pro-rated warranty, the customer must pay a percentage of the cost to repair or replace a defective product during the warranty period based on how long they have had the product. With a non pro-rated warranty, defective products will be repaired or replaced during the warranty period at no charge to the customer.
