Mattress Forum

So I still haven't made up my mind on what I want to do.  But I am leaning towards trying to find a so-called 'good' firm coil mattress with minimal padding and purchasing separate toppers.  I have gone through most all the threads, several more than once.  I see some talk here and there about doing this, but there don't seem to be a lot of recommendations on what makes for a 'good' coil spring and who makes it.  Can I have some advice on that topic?

Second, I feel very insecure about the 2-3" topper recommendation.  Even at my healthy, non-obese female weight I feel concerned about that 2-3" is not enough padding.  It seems like a body would just sink through that amount and feel whatever is underneath.  I'm a side sleeper and right now, more than the body depressions we've got going on in our current mattress, the hardness is what is killing me, especially in my hips.  My hip bones protrude and so I really need some cush there.  Maybe some assurance?  Does anyone find they need to go thicker?

thanks, i appreciate your putting up with my journey for comfort.

thanks everyone.<BR><BR>No, we don't have originalmattress near us.  I looked at the Leggett Platt page however it would have been nice had I found a place where it shows what products use their springs.  I'm sorry to say I still don't exactly know what defines a 'good' coil spring mattress as far as specifications go.  Am I to understand that none of the big S companies offer such a thing (if you buy one with minimal padding)?  I can't afford a Shifman or other handmade mattress.  The only thing I think I understand is to stay away from the Simmons pocket coil system.<BR><BR>Our old S/F mattress still feels uber-firm to me, just sags, which I would think is mostly because of the padding failure but who knows.<BR><BR>I was hoping to find a brand that is readily available.  If anyone has more input on this I'd still appreciate it.  I still haven't made my mind up which way I'm going to go.

I was in this same quandry when I had to return my latex mattress and buy an innerspring. Basically they are all crap and once I came to that conclusion I decided to buy the one that felt the most comfortable and just concern myself with getting a well constructed innerspring unit so I would have something durable to reconstruct the mattress on when the time came in about three or four years.</p><p>No two stores sell the same mattress under the same name, so it's impossible to recommend anything by name. You just have to shop somewhere with a good reputation, tell the salesperson what you want and let them direct you to it. I bought a Spring Air--not because I believe it's better than another brand's comparable mattress. Mainly because I slept on one for 20 years and the innerspring unit held up very well. And I have to say, they may use the same crappy foam as everyone else, but all things being equal, they do know how to finish a mattress very nicely. Too bad I'm going to have to cut it open in a couple of years, but in the meantime, it sure is pretty.

I would say that almost all mattresses are made with Leggett & Platt coil systems, as well as other components. Sure, there are some like McRoskey who manufacture their own. But, most companies use those made by L&P. And, they also make the pocketed coils for Simmons. The mattress companies won't necessarily show the name Leggett & Platt. You can always ask the mattress salesperson (IF they even know!) Here is something I found online:



"Leggett & Platt makes innersprings for nearly all of the mattress companies, so essentially it is the same coil system in all of them. Leggett &
Platt is a diversified manufacturer that conceives, designs and produces a broad variety of engineered components and
products for customers worldwide. While Leggett & Platt may not be a familiar name to you, chances are you sleep on a bed
made with Leggett components - box spring, innerspring, fiber comfort layers; relax in a recliner that has an L&P motion
mechanism powering it; shop in stores that have products displayed on shelving made by L&P; barbeque on a grill that's
made up of Leggett cast aluminum - in short, Leggett products are all around you."

Types of coils

There are four different types of mattress coils:

Bonnell coils are the oldest and most common. First adapted from buggy seat springs of the 19th century, they are still prevalent in less expensive mattresses. Bonnell coils are hourglass-shaped, and the ends of the wire are knotted or wrapped around the top and bottom circular portion of the coil and self-tied.

Marshall coils, also called "pocketed coils," are each wrapped in a fabric encasement and usually are tempered, or in the case of the Simmons Beautyrest carbon magnesium is added. Some manufacturers pre-compress these coils, which makes the mattress firmer and allows for motion separation between the sides of the bed.

Offset coils are designed to hinge, thus conforming to body shape. They are very sturdy, stable innersprings that provide great support. (Open offset is called LuraFlex)

Continuous coils, or Mira-coils, work by a hinging effect, similar to that of offset coils. In a basic sense a continuous coil is simply that, one continuous coil in and up and down fashion forming one row (usually from head to toe) of what appear to be individual coils. The advantages of how firm a support the continuous coil provides it is somewhat tempered with the 'noise' associated from a typical mira coil unit. (Serta uses these)