Search Results For "horsehair"

You might take a look at Charles H Beckley mattresses.  That is what we have,  a very firm innerspring with cotton and horsehair for the padding. You add your own toppers to make it softer.  It does have some motion transfer because of the type of innerspring, but we still like it after about 1 1/2 years.  Found out about them through Martha Stewart program on beds.  They have a website.  Talk to the people at the factory, not the design center - prices are better....

My choice was the Beckley over the latex and we are happy with it.  It is sturdy and stands up - after a year or so it looks brand new.  Yes, we do use toppers, it is too firm otherwise BUT there is nothing that can compress to any great degree.  My partner has herniated disks and cannot handle the latex at all.  Doing fine on the Beckley springs.

The only thing I wish we had done differently is to get a king size, and probably, a split one as we do feel some motion transfer.  We went with the Hastens topper because we wanted to preserve that horsehair feeling but you could certainly do it cheaper with memory foam and other types of toppers.  Good luck with your choice....

Hello and Welcome,

First, please do not let yourself be caught up in the ridiculous marketing schemes of mattress companies. Every mattress is man (or robot) made and all foam products, including latex, are man made and contain artificial substances in some form. Calling any mattress "organic" is a joke. Mattresses are not food and what kind of fertilizer used on the rubber tree plants or the cotton or what is fed to the horses has no bearing whatsoever on the quality of the mattress or if it is healthy for you or not. Frankly I would stay away from almost any company advertising "organic" mattresses.

That being said, there are mattresses that are more natural then others. At the top of the chain are companies like Hastens of Sweden and VI-Spring of the UK that use primarily horsehair and cotton for their comfort layers. They...

Sleeptight,

Yeah, I remember your posts because I used to be a 'regular' but haven't posted here in a long time until a couple of days ago.  (Refer to my post, in the end I'm very happy with my current bed with the topper configuration I'm using).

Can I be honest here?   Look, I'd be pretty surprised if Hastens did not respond by giving you a new mattress, but quick.  The bed is astronomically expensive and if a problem arises, since they don't do returns I would expect nothing less than A-1 service  I'd be much more surprised if you told me you got great service from one of the "S" companies since everyone knows that there have been problems with used and soiled mattresse being sold as "new," and there has been much negative press.

However, I totally disagree with you that you cannot comment on Hastens unless you have owned one. ...

ga99 wrote:

Well, you could always try mattress surgery first. Especially if you're planning on replacing a fairly new mattress you really have nothing to lose by cutting open the top and replacing the indented foam layers. Since you don't care for Talalay latex (and I sympathize having had a similar experience myself) I would recommend replacing the low density PU foam with HR foam available from a local foam supply store. Using one inch increments makes it easier to build up to the comfort level you prefer. You can even splt the layers if one partner prefers a firmer or softer mattress than the other.

If you prefer to simply get a new mattress, see if there are local businesses in your area that make their own mattresses. Sometimes they can customize them to your needs. You expressed an interest...

To dodo;
I have no idea why horsehair would be a good idea in a bed...just because it used to be plentiful and cheap doesn't mean it is a better padding.  Horse hair is used in old saddle pads, too, but it packs hard over time.
I think that cotton batting is good, tho.  It is super soft and has a wonderful feel.
Kait...

That sounds like one old-fashioned type mattress!   They must have realized, just as we have,  that foam is very short lived and costly too, so they are going back to basics.  I've heard of beds with only cotton batting for stuffing, but none with horsehair and hog hair!  Does it smell odd?  What do you think makes it so comfortable(spring type, etc)?  Should last a lifetime.
I have experience in saddles and saddle pads, and a good old fashioned horsehair pad is highly prized among the old timers.
Hey, I have three horses which are shedding their summer coats out right now...maybe I should save it!!!
Kait...

Karsha, you're welcome!  When you go back to the Hastens store, if the Excel feels too firm on the floor, try their Superia model.  It uses 15cm, 8-turn springs instead of the Excel's 13cm, 6-turn springs.  The extra coil height in the mattress will probably make much more of a difference on a platform bed.

You can always add a box spring later, if you find you need it.  Hastens was our first choice for a mattress (nothing beats cotton, wool and horsehair for comfort layers), but boy are they expensive!

Good luck, and please let us know how it works for you.

Jim...

I'm well aware of my spelling.   And you may think your fussy because you neighbor can sleep on foam and latex.   Well my advice to that is that there are people who can sleep on anything and there are alot people who can't.    I've never met anyone who've had a horsehair mattress and traded it in for a foam or latex mattress and got a restful night sleep.  A good mattress consist of good stuffings and springs.  ...

I'm about to talk about some of the highest quality brands i've found. 
Pros:  Hastens seems to have excellent stuffing some of the best I've seen.   Cons:   But I question the springs spacing and quality plus the fact that they are not honeycombed pockets so they can move around  over time That being said for all i know they may be the best.  Pros: Vi spring seems to have good springs on first impressions from there website.  I am going to lay on them in the next week   Cons:   But they seemed to have watered down there horsehair with other materials mohair,  wool... 

ex..  this is off there website 

"1,200 gsm of hand-teased loose long-stranded black horsehair, lambswool"


but they don't say how much is actually horsehair and how much is actually lambswool


and lambswool is dirtcheap compared to horsehair.   and in the vispring video you can...