Confusion on spring gauges

Hi Anthony.

Thank you for your question.  The weight guidelines were put on site quite a while ago to give quite an accurate guideline of which mattress is most suitable – or indeed quite unsuitable – for a particular body weight.  Firmness levels can be attributed to a myriad of factors with the actual spring unit and count only playing a supporting part.

The amount of upholstery used on top of the springs can influence the tension, whether the mattress is tufted or quilted can influence the tension, the type of spring, what the encasement is, the gauge of spring, the height of the spring, the number of turns on the spring, what the insulating layer is composed of ..and so on and on.  It also has to be understood that it is virtually impossible to blanket define a mattress as Soft, Medium or Firm as it all depends on the weight and of course the personal requirements of the end user.

I am assuming you are referring to The Origins Pocket 1500.  Taking into account how this particular mattress is upholstered a 12 st bodyweight will find it to have a medium tension ie. not too hard and not too soft. Your wife at 10 st will, of course, find it relatively firmer than you do but not enough to warrant the impression that this particular mattress will be unduly firm under a 10 st bodyweight.

The most important thing to take away from all of this is to understand and accept that the bulk of all polyester based (white fibre) pocket sprung mattresses will utilise a spunbond pocket unit with a ‘one tension fits all’ spring.  Although the available models can be counted in the thousands the actual constructual make up of these mattresses are so similar it would make your hair curl. If ever there was a law passed that forced manufacturers and retailers to itemise the components by type and weight you would see how evident this is. Unfortunately for the consumer, it is quite unlikely for obvious reasons that this will ever happen.

To summarise Anthony, our Origins 1500 is a two-sided mattress that retails  £620 (Kingsize – Sep 2018). The spunbond spring unit is capable of supporting your weights and contains an above average amount of upholstery.

Ideally, I would like you to opt for our Artisan Naturals – Absolutely worlds apart in terms of quality of spring unit and upholstery but comes in at nearly twice the price! Nevertheless, the nearest comparable models (and we’re talking Vi-Spring here) retail far in excess of this particular model.  Even though your question seems simple, the answers form the entire content of this site.  Your mattress purchase should not rest on the springs alone.  Every other part of manufacture has to be considered and the inherent variables are immense.

If you would like any further information please do not hesitate to contact the office on 0161 437 4419.  Our office hours are 8 am – 8 pm Monday to Friday and 10 am – 4 pm Saturday and Sunday.

Kind Regards

John and Ryan.