Mattress Forum

We are looking for a mattress using pocket coils in order to isolate movement. We have been using a Simmons Beautyrest (I'm not sure of the exact model, but it was a pillow-topped model and has served us well.).  One note -- We're primarily side sleepers. My wife and I occasionally will sleep on our backs, while she, at times, sleeps on her stomach. I weigh about 225 lbs, and that seems to weigh into choice of support material. I have been getting some back issues as I get older, so proper support and a good night's sleep is important.

Gardner offers three varieties of comfort layers over pocket coil innerspring mattresses -- Memory foam, talalay latex, or a cotton/wool. We have experience with none of these (I'm not sure what the Beautyrest is -- it was purchased about 13 years ago). I read that memory foam is potentially the warmest, and that's not good as far as my wife goes (getting the occasional night sweat thing). Latex seems pretty bouncy in comparison to what we're on, though it seems pretty good for side sleeping. Gardner does not apparently offer different firmnesses of latex -- only 2" or 3". Finally, they have a relatively new model, one they have only offered for 2 years -- a wool/cotton combination over the coils. The salesperson said that the cotton/wool is worked in and around another layer of coils.

This wool/cotton bed felt firmer than the latex ones, but there were more traditional mattresses in there that certainly felt firmer. The thing we noticed most, though, was that even though the salesroom was climate controlled, you could feel a bit of warmth reflecting back while on the latex bed. On the wool/cotton bed, it remained cool the entire time. The difference was definitely noticeable (and yes, they have cutaways so you can see all of the holes drilled into the latext). Incidentally, the cotton/wool mattress was absolutely the best at isolating movement from the other person on the bed. The latex wasn't bad, but you could feel a bit of movement when the other person moved.

The salesperson could not say anything about the durability and longevity of the cotton/wool mattress since they have only been making it for 2 years. Their retail on the 2" latex over pocket coil Queen size mattress is $1700, I think the 3" latex over pocket coils is $1900, while the cotton/wool over pocket coils Queen is $2000. Not cheap (yet I know that there are more expensive mattresses to be had). They offer a 10 year non-prorated warranty on all but their least expensive mattresses, but I asked what exactly that would cover with the cotton/wool one and the salesperson couldn't say exactly. He recommended I talk with the general manager, who would probably know more. (By the way, as an aside, I heard this salesperson say to another couple that they use talalay latex because it's 100% natural whereas dunlop is partially synthetic -- I know that's inherently wrong.).

All of their pocket coil innerspring mattresses are one-sided, that is they will need to be rotated, but can't be flipped (I have seen other, similar designs from other high end companies which are dual sided). Gardner does make dual-sided mattresses, just not any of the pocket coiled ones. (and they use 15.5 gauge for their pocketed coils, FYI)

Here's my query:

I see many write-ups of people who have memory foam or latex mattresses of some sort, but it's hard to find many users of cotton/wool over innerspring. The few I have read mention how temperature regulating wool can be, that it allows perspiration to pass through easily, that it can compress down over time making it a bit firmer (which is the opposite of most beds which seem to get less firm).  Can anyone who uses this style mattress (from any brand, I suppose) chime in on their experience? It would also be particularly useful if you also have experience with latex.

Another thing of which I'm leery -- regarding dust mites, I read on some mattress-related pages (particularly those touting their mattresses using wool) that wool has a natural ability to either repel dust mites or at least not encourage them, either due to the lanolin or lack of ability to hold moisture. On the other hand, I have also seen websites, particularly on medical oriented websites, that say to get rid of any wool related bedding, that wool can be a haven for dust times. Confusing? You betcha. Those different pages seem to be absolutely contradictory.

In the long run, I can see the relatively cool sleep temperature of the cotton/wool over pocket coil mattress being a really good thing. The slight warmth after spending a few minutes on the latex would concern me if we were sleeping on a warm evening without the benefit of air-conditioning. There may be holes in the latex for attempting air flow, but there is plenty of surface area in places without the holes, and that's going to absorb and reflect the heat.  Perhaps not as bad as memory foam, but the cotton/wool bed remained absolutely cool and felt the airiest.

$2000 is a lot of money for us, more than we have even spent on a mattress. In contrast, though, cotton/wool over pocket coil inner spring mattresses from some other companies can run from close to $3000 to more than double that (for instance, from ViSpring). Do we really need to spend all of this for a good night's sleep?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.