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Vi Spring beds sold through John Lewis?

Chris asked
1st May 2012

Hi John, Do you know if the Vi Spring beds made for John Lewis are of any lower quality than those sold through other distributors?

The John Lewis versions have different names but all the specifications appear to be the same and the John Lewis prices are substantially less. We would like to purchase a Super King Exeter Divan set but am concerned that the quality is not the same as the models which Vi Spring sells through all other distributors. I am in the USA and would like to purchase this bed for export as the Vi Spring prices in the UK are substantially less than here. Many thanks and great website!

Chris .

1 Answer
Lee Staff
answered 12 years ago

Hi Chris.

I’m sorry but we cannot answer this with any degree of certainty. We would very much doubt so, knowing how well constructed Vispring beds are. We do have a page here that provides comparisons to the John Lewis Vispring range, but sadly theres no GSM to assist you from John Lewis.

Aside, it also begs the question as to what you mean by lower quality. If the specifications are the same then it stands to reason that the end product will be the same.

However, you need to be certain that you are comparing apples with apples. This applies to more companies than Vi-Spring, if a component is described as wool and Silk for example, then you as a customer should know exactly what that means.

What kind of wool and how much wool? Is it a blend? Is it blended with the silk for example or cotton?

Wool as a staple component is graded by quality of fibre and also the breed of sheep. Vi-Spring as a manufacturer has recently chosen to use Shetland Wool as a component in many of their mattresses. They also use blends which they usually disclose on their listings. This is where two fibres or more are mixed together.

This is one of the most expensive wool fleece available, not as much as Swaledale wool though. By knowing the quality of this one component alone, and of course, how much of it is actually used, enables you to make an informed choice. Whether you want this level of quality or would British fleece Wool, equally luxurious but at a lower price, be just as good?

The crux of your question is one that we keep banging on about.

The components of a mattress should be listed the same as ingredients on food products are. Then you can compare the GSM (Grams per square metre) of each mattress. This would make mattress comparison far easier for you the consumer but it is very unlikely for it to happen.

Why? Because you will soon see that out of the 4000 or so mattresses out there, they are predominantly all the same by type, and that’s less than 25. Why is it that John Lewis sell similar/same Vi-Spring products under The JL label anyway? Vi-Spring has a more than adequate product offering. Is it because JL can retail a premium product cheaper than the manufacturer can due to an economy of scale?

Are Vi Spring beds made for John Lewis of any lower quality than those sold through other distributors? Who knows without being able to match the specifics side by side. Our Artisan range has a similar feel to some of the Vi-Spring range we also use calico spring and similar fibres, unfortunately, we do not ship to the USA so you would have to source your own courier

Excellent question Chris.

Sorry there is no definitive answer.

John and Ryan.

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