3 Things to know about Bed Springs

Mattresses have traditionally relied on springs to provide the support aspect of beds and mattresses. In the last 3 decades, foams and other materials have appeared as alternatives to springs. To be honest, though, no other material will beat a quality pocket spring in terms of support and lifespan. Foams compress quickly over time meaning that the humble spring really is your best option if you’re looking to invest in a quality mattress.

However, the marketing machine has been in overdrive recently with bed manufacturers choosing the spring count or the number of springs as the next big selling point. To help you avoid being ripped off or sold an unsuitable bed spring system here are our top 3 things you need to know.

1. A Calico Pocket Spring is top dog when it comes to springs

If you’re looking for a mattress that will adjust to your body shape and movements throughout the night then nothing in our experience beats a quality pocket spring. These allow independent movement during the night and are quick to react, unlike foams or micro springs, to your body’s movement. Resulting in a much better and undisturbed nights sleep.

In the past, bed manufacturers would opt for cheaper cage sprung or continuous coil mattresses. These are one massive piece of wire coiled into a crude giant connected spring. Did you ever have a bed that would bounce when you got in it? The chances are it was a cheap open coil spring system.

Springs made of foam, plastic or rubber are all trying to imitate the humble pocket spring. None of these spring types has ever outperformed the heat-treated metal pocket springs in our tests. They all degrade quickly or become unresponsive.

There’s a reason they have been used for the past 100 years in all high-end quality mattresses and that is because they work. Most standard pocket springs are roughly just over an inch in diameter and between 15-20cm in length. If you really want the best of the best then choose a vanadium coated calico pocket spring. These have been treated to stop corrosion and are stitched into a cotton cover making them completely breathable.

2. Micro Springs are a false economy

In the race for sales, mattress manufacturers have now started to market Micro, HD or Cortec springs. Why all of a sudden have these appeared? Is it innovation or the next generation of mattress improvements?

The answer is no.

Micro springs have existed for years for things like seat cushions in old fashioned chairs and babies cot beds. The manufacturers have now realised that they can cram in up to 6,000 or even 8,000 springs to thus increase the price.

Sadly for you the consumer you are persuaded that more is better and so buy one. The issue with Micro Springs is that they completely compress almost instantly so there is little to no use in them. If a spring fully compresses then it becomes redundant. As these springs are only an inch in length they then compress rendering them pointless.

The masses of micro springs also comes at the sacrifice of upholstery fillings. The upholstery fillings are what provide the true comfort, soft medium or firm, feel of a mattress. By adding more springs you’re simply reducing the amount of space left for fillings. You can only make a mattress so deep, 30-35cm usually, so the excess micro springs take the place of comfort layers instead.