Hi Kevin.

Thank you for your question.

Firstly, I agree whole heartedly with you about Memory Foam.

Secondly, there is no mattress out there that will 'cure' any back ailment but the mattress should not be exacerbating the condition.

Spring count alone should not be the measure of whether the mattress will be firm or soft.

We take our leads from the best manufacturers - Vi Spring and Savoir Beds.

Both these companies rely on the quality of the spring - not the spring count.

These springs (Calico encased) come in various tensions (gauge) and so can be tailored to the persons bodyweight.

The average diameter of these springs are around 5cm and so there can only be so many utilised within a mattress.

Spink and Edgar (Harrisons) on the other hand tend to extol the virtue of high spring counts (The S & E Empire has 21700 springs) and I'm sure Vi Spring and Savoir would argue with vigour that there is absolutely no need to include all this metal in a mattress.

The question as to who is right begs an answer which is rather impossible to establish.

With that in mind, we use calico encased springs in our Artisan range [Naturals / luxury / Bespoke / Bespoke 002/ Bespoke 004] that are similar to the calico encased springs as used by Vi Spring and Savoir.

We match the tension up with the end user and with the correct use of natural upholstery (wool and horsehair) gives you a mattress that will be supportive and comfortable.

As you rightly point out there is no mattress that will be suitable for you at 17 stone and equally suitable for your wife at 10 stone.

Bodyweight	Spring tension
Upto 16 Stone / 50-101kg	Medium (1.4mm)
16 Stone / 101kg Upwards	Firm (1.6mm)
Available in Bespoke Products (Please Call)	Soft (1.2mm)

However, using calico springs which are hand formed gives us the ability to use a higher tension spring in your half of the mattress and a lower tension spring in your wife's half of the mattress.

Bodyweight matched to the correct spring support should always be the primary concern.

This is then coupled with the upholstery.

Even though wool and horsehair (as example) is soft in nature, the overall mechanics are altered when the mattress is tufted - fully compressed will give the mattress an overall firmer feel, and a looser tuft will allow for more movement and therefore a softer feel will be gained.

The caveats to all this is that a mattress with the fillings kept in a loose state will be more liable to indents than a mattress with a tighter tuft which initially will feel firm but over time will settle slowly and naturally.

One reason why a soft topper should be used on all mattresses - no matter how much you pay to add the protection enabling you need to squeeze the maximum life out of your mattress.

Despite your bodyweight s being at the far extremes of the average scale, the tension you should be experiencing should be similar.

The springs used have to 'give' enough to support you and yield to the movements you make throughout the night.

Neither of you should be feeling any kind of plateau.

I hope this helps.

Please feel free to add further comment, particularly in response to the firm mattress / bad back theory that has become quite prevalent over the years.

Your professional input will be quite invaluable.

John and Ryan. 0161 437 4419