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| Difference in Mattresses Some of the most popular types of mattress construction are:
1. Innerspring
2. Memory Foam
3. Latex Foam
While we have attempted to highlight differences in construction and features between these mattresses, nothing takes the place of visiting a Sleep Masters showroom to lie-down on these mattresses and experience the differences firsthand.
Innerspring mattresses use coil springs for support. Over the coils, a variety of padding and upholstery provide the mattress a comfortable feel.
Coils
Innerspring mattresses differ on a number of important factors, including the number of coils used in the mattress, the construction of the coils, and the shape of the coils.
Coil Count
A typical mattress contains between 250 and 1,000 coil springs. However, coil count is not nearly as critical as the construction of the coils.
Coil Design
There are three main coil designs typically found in mattresses: Hourglass, Pocketed and Continuous.
Hourglass Coils:
These coils come in two varieties — Bonnell and Offset.
Based on 19th century seat buggy springs, the Bonnell coil has an hourglass shape with a knot at each end. The Offset design shares the hourglass shape, but the circles at the top and bottom of each coil are flattened to create a hinging action within the mattress. The Offset design is said to better conform to the body, reduce noise (compared to Bonnell coils) and allows the coils to be connected to each other.
Pocketed or Marshall Coils:
Each of these coils is individually wrapped in a fabric pocket. Regardless of whether the pockets are connected or not, the springs move independent of one another. This is said to increase the motion separation of sleepers.
Continuous Coils:
Continuous coil springs are made by shaping a single length of wire into a series of S-shaped ringlets. Manufacturers using this coil construction claim the mattress core will be stronger, more stable, and more durable. Continuous coil designs also allow for significantly more coils per mattress, making it difficult to compare coil counts with non-continuous coil designs.
Padding and covers
Inside the mattress, padding is added on top of the coils for insulation and cushioning. The method used to stitch the padding into place, known as "tufting," will affect the durability and price of the mattress.
“Cushioning” itself refers to the middle layer of padding. Mattresses with the identical innerspring construction may vary in durability, comfort and price due to the quality of the cushioning materials used.
Quilting is the top-most layer inside the mattress. In addition to providing additional padding, it enables the mattress to “breathe.”
For additional cushioning, some manufacturers feature “Pillow top” or “Euro-top” quilting. Both essentially refer to a soft, cushioned layer (of memory foam or latex foam), attached to the top of the mattress. “Pillow-tops” are loosely attached and “Euro-tops” are attached more firmly.
Foundations
The majority of foundations sold today are box springs.
A box spring is a wooden box with heavy coil springs that take some of the load off of your mattress.
Memory foam, also known as visco-elastic foam, was originally developed by NASA for use on the chairs inside space capsules. Mattresses made of this material mold to your body and provide even support. Because the foam is slow to regain its original shape, it earned the name “memory” foam.
Memory foam is made from polyurethane and is comprised of billions of little air-filled cells. Like a tiny balloon, each cell contains a small amount of air that decompresses under pressure, particularly when that pressure also includes some heat.
Most of these mattresses also have a bottom layer (core) of regular polyurethane foam covered with a top layer of softer memory foam. So, in general, the thicker the layer of memory foam, the deeper your body sinks into the mattress.
Manufacturers combine layers of foam thickness and density to create various kinds of supportive feel.
Compared to memory foam, latex foam offers a firmer support and excellent durability. Latex foam features a faster recovery time to its original shape.
Latex foam mattresses are also often said to provide a long lifespan (20 years or more) and allergen resistance.
These mattresses can be made from natural or synthetic latex, or a blend of both.
Some latex foam may also include "fillers." This refers to small particles of clay or other materials mixed into the foam. While this reduces the cost of the latex foam, it also makes it stiffer and less durable.
"Pure latex" refers to synthetic or natural latex foam that does not include fillers.
Latex foam mattresses are constructed with a series of layers that differ with firmness. Typically, latex foam mattresses also contain "pincore holes.” These are cylindrical holes spread throughout the mattress to help soften its feel. The larger the pincore holes, the softer the feel.
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