Hi Susan,

Many thanks for your comment about mattress pocket springs and the differences between them.

Simply put vanadium is a coating used on high end spring metals. This coating prevents rust and abrasion. It's often used in sports cars on suspension springs. It gives the springs an incredible resilience against wear and any potential moisture.

Non-vanadium coated pocket springs are cheaper to produce but don't carry the benefits of the vanadium coating.

Calico pocket springs relates to the material that covers the pocket spring. Calico is a naturally breathable fabric that makes the pocket spring flex incredibly easily when compared to other synthetic encasements. Cheaper springs use spunbond, polyester or stitchbond covers see the image below.

So a calico spring is the most responsive when it comes to choosing a new mattress. Finding one that's vanadium coated like ours, Vispring's and Savoirs just takes the already high-end spring to the next level.

To help clarify these are the following spring types in quality/price order:

• Cage sprung/ open coil - One big spring intertwined the least comfortable
• FEPS - foam encased pocket springs - slow to react and heat retentive
• Spun bond or polyester encased pocket springs - most entry to mid level beds
• Calico encased pocket springs - most flexible and breathable
• Vanadium coated calico encased pocket springs - most resilient, flexible, and breathable

Our Artisan range of mattresses uses vanadium coated calico encased pocket springs for ultimate in progressive comfort and support.

Mattress Upholstery:

It is also important to take note of the GSM (Grams per square meter) of any upholstery placed on top of the spring unot as well which is where the mattress comfort layers come from. If a retailer can't or won't tell you, ask yourself why not? By understanding the GSM you can then accurately compare and contrast mattresses to see which is the higher quality and value for your budget.

Upholstery Layer	Fibre Type	How it will feel?	Price Point
Polyester	Synthetic	Soft	Cheap
White Fibre	Synthetic	Soft/Medium	Cheap
Recycled Fibre / Eco Fibre	Synthetic	Medium	Cheap
Memory Foam	Synthetic	Medium/Firm	Mid Price
Igel / Hybrid Foam	Synthetic	Medium/Firm	Mid Price
Polycotton	Synthetic/Natural Blend	Soft/Medium	Mid Price
Linen	Synthetic/Natural Blend	Medium	Mid Price
Wool (Pure)	Natural	Soft/Medium	High-End
Cotton (Pure)	Natural	Soft	High-End
Silk	Natural	Soft	Expensive
Horsehair	Natural	Medium	High-End
Mohair	Natural	Medium/Firm	High-End
Hemp	Natural	Medium	High-End
Latex (100% Natural)	Natural	Medium/Firm	High-End
Coir	Natural	Firm	High-End
Flax	Natural	Firm	High-End
Coarse Cashmere	Natural	Firm	High-End
Bamboo	Natural	Super Soft	Expensive / Exclusive
Horsetail	Natural	Firm	Expensive / Exclusive
Alpaca	Natural	Soft	Expensive / Exclusive
Cashmere (Pure)	Natural	Soft	Expensive / Exclusive
Vicuna	Natural	Super Soft	Expensive / Exclusive

There are some helpful budget guides below when looking for a new mattress.

How much to spend on a double mattress?	What can I expect for my money?
Under £500	Will not get you much at best a 13.5 gauge open coil/cage sprung with a thin polyester layer or a solid foam mattress.
£500	Entry level spunbond springs with some form of synthetic upholstery. Usually one sided mattresses.
£750	The beginnings of a basic pocket springs unit with 800 – 1000 count. No substantial amount of filling other than foams and synthetic materials. Two sided models.
£1000	Should get you away from most low ranges and into the mid-range pocket spring models.
£1250	Should get you a decent pocket sprung mattress with some Natural Fibre content.
£1500	Should get you many manufacturers mid-range models with Natural Fibres
£1500-£2000	Should get you a Hand Made primarily Natural Fibre Quality Mattress
£2000+	You should expect 100% Natural Fibres and Traditional Hand Made Construction Method.
£5000+	A Bespoke Hand Made Sleep System, High-end Spring Units & Featuring the Worlds Most Luxurious Natural Fibres.

We hope that helps and gives you further mattress buying guidance. If you have any more mattress related questions please get back in touch on info@localhost or 0161 437 4419.
Sleep well!
John & Ryan