Hi NatalieC,
I think “industrial espionage” is a very poor reason to refuse to disclose the most basic quality information that consumers need to make informed decisions. Foam density is an important measure of quality and one of the most important criteria in making meaningful comparisons. Knowing the foam density has nothing to do with the feel or performance of the mattress or being able to duplicate it because regardless of the density there are other specs such as firmness or softness, their foam source, or other foam specs that have nothing to do with quality they still wouldn’t need to disclose. For that matter … if another company was intent on knowing foam density information for some reason then all they would have to do is buy one of their mattresses and then weigh and measure the layers or a measured sample of each layer for themselves. It’s not rocket science.
In most cases … the real reason that manufacturers don’t disclose the quality specs of their mattresses is because they don’t want consumers to have a meaningful way to make quality or value comparisons with other mattresses. Visiting the factory still wouldn’t tell you the quality of the materials in the mattress and a 30 day trial period also won’t provide any protection against the softening or breakdown of lower quality materials because it would normally take longer than that.
In most cases … warranties also don’t provide any protection against foam softening or the more rapid loss of comfort and support that comes with lower quality materials and is the main reason most people would need to replace a mattress (see post #174 here).
While the quality of the materials is not the only part of making a good purchase decision and the suitability of a mattress in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and other parts of a good purchase decision are just as important … it is certainly one of the most important parts because no matter how a mattress feels and performs in the showroom or the first few months after that … if you can’t sleep on it after a year or two because the materials have softened or broken down and the mattress is no longer inside the range of your needs and preferences (see post #2 here) then how it felt when it was new wouldn’t be important unless the price you paid justified replacing it in a very short period of time.
“Industrial espionage” just doesn’t cut it IMO as a reason not to disclose one of the most important parts of a good purchase decision.
Phoenix