Mattress Forum

I think in general it is better to sleep on a supportive mattress that has good comfort.  When you get into a pillowtop, some may have lots of ordinary foam which I think is lightweight and pumped full of air.  Over time it breaks down and sags.  You go sinking down into a small pit.  The result is back problems.

I've heard that Serta sells gobs of mattresses to hotel chains, so look them up.  serta.com

What city was this in?  COCO-Mat is getting relatively popular in China.  

What about the hand-made vs mass-produced argument?  Are the hand-made ones actually better quality, enough to make a difference?  Since returning I was in a furniture store which sells Shifman.  Although I was there for something else, I did look at their mattresses.  The construction of the hand-made is different -- more springs, different padding --  and they cost a lot more.  I'm willing to spend more if the product is a better solution.  Thanks so much for your advice!

All fabrics are woven by machine, and they are stitched by machine (hand guided).   

Most mattress upholstery layers (foam in particular) are laid by hand, even in cheap beds.  So in essence just about any brand can claim that they hand make their mattresses.  

Things that are typically not done by machine. 

Side stitching - essentially it is like using twine to reinforce the edges of a mattress, Hastens, Savoir, and Vi-Spring all do this by hand, this is a very labor intensive process but leads to a more comfortable seating edge that cannot be replicated using different materials and cannot easily be replicated by a machine.

Full mattress tufting - (although this is one that in theory could be done by a machine to a higher level of accuracy and consistency than a human, Lavital has a special machine to do this for them and it is brilliant). 

Hand tied boxsprings / 8 way hand tied bonnell springs - this is another thing that cannot be done by machine with the same level of precision as a human hand, and it leads to a more durable more bouyant and luxurious feeling boxspring than regular bonnell springs would.  

Hand sorting and layering of natural fillings, like animal hairs and vegetable fibres. 

Individual pocket coils are far more flexible and durable when tied together by hand rather than glued together by machine as they are in mass production.  Again not a lot of companies do this because of the expense and the simple fact that most mattress companies buy their innerspring systems rather than make them on their own. 

And thanks budgy for your tutorial on hand-made vs machine, I really appreciate the information, I never would have found it elsewhere.  This board is terrific.