I’ve tested a few hybrid beds here and there and what I seem to like best is a firm coil base with a soft Dunlop latex topper.
I’ve heard that there’s a lot of variability in coil quality (no idea if true) and at Naturepedic one of the salesmen told me that buying through them you can pick coil firmness (also not sure how true).
All the DIY companies seem not to have any firmness options when selecting coils - is there such a thing as variable/customizable coil firmness? And if not, which could would you recommend going with to have a firm base?
[quote] I’ve tested a few hybrid beds here and there and what I seem to like best is a firm coil base with a soft Dunlop latex topper.
I’ve heard that there’s a lot of variability in coil quality (no idea if true) and at Naturepedic one of the salesmen told me that buying through them you can pick coil firmness (also not sure how true).[/quote]
All the DIY companies seem not to have any firmness options when selecting coils - is there such a thing as variable/customizable coil firmness? And if not, which could would you recommend going with to have a firm base?[/quote]
While a coil layer can have some effect on the ‘comfort-feel’ of the mattress, its primary function is to support and keep the spine in neutral alignment. The comfort is more directly tied to the layers above it; when I talked to Naturepedic they said they use basically the same coils on both the Azure and the EOS; the difference in feel is due to the alpaca/cashmere/cotton quilted cover according to the rep I spoke with. Any good company will have good quality coils, but the springs work together with all other layers in a mattress. Layer firmness and mattress thickness are dependent. The thicker the mattress the firmer the layers.
I haven’t’ heard about any company providing variable/customizable coil firmness, but you can choose the same type of pocket coil but in different thickness. The shorter coils will feel firmer and more supportive as they have less travel. Arizona Premium has 6" and 8" coil units (give link to Ar Pr Mattress)
Continuing the train of thought from your previous thread Naturepedic - affordable alternatives? you can also select a sleeping system that is a tad firmer that your ideal comfort ( such as a DIY hybrid latex mattress) and then add a softer wool topper - Cashmere, alpaca and merino wool and similar toppers are available from many retailers including Amazon.com - like thisqueen Cashmere topper. Also Trusted Members
LikeNest Bedding has an Organic Australian Merino Wool Topper here
And Shepherd’s Dream has several wool toppers as well. While it’s almost impossible to exactly match the feel of the Naturepedic mattresses you looked at, you can replicate a similar feel with a little experimentation for far less than the cost of the Eos or Azure.
Thanks Basilio, that’s super helpful, really appreciate the insight.
I suppose what I’m getting at here is that I want to make sure I get the coil system right for my DIY build (I’ve decided that spending 3-4x as much on the Naturepedic is not a worthwhile investment). I’ve narrowed down my build to as follows:
Split layer Dunlop topper (plush for my side, firm for my wife’s side)
Pocket coil base (I tested both a “firm” and a “plush” coil system at Naturepedic and both my wife and I preferred the firm)
Looking at the DIY companies though, everyone seems to have migrated to the Brooklyn Bedding Ascension coils, with the exception of Arizona Mattress. I have read a lot of complaints on reddit, here and elsewhere about Brooklyn Bedding’s change to in-house coils - complaints of sagging and poor durability on posts about both BB itself and Nest. This has given me pause about using their coil system. I don’t know how warranted that concern is, but there are a bunchbunch of posts complainingcomplaining about them.
As I say, the only DIY company that seems to still offer L&P coils at this point is Arizona Mattress. They offer both the Caliber Edge 6" and the Quantum Edge Elite 6"Quantum Edge Elite Bolsa 8". Looking at L&P’s product specs, I’m not entirely sure I understand the difference between the two spring systems but it seems like the Calibre Edge 8" has fewer coils and and a firmer ILD than the Quantum Edge:
Wondering what the trade offs are? Does more coils usually mean better quality or better motion isolation? And how significant would the ~100 ILD difference in firmness feel, assuming the exact same topper?
If this is all a moot point and Brooklyn Bedding’s coils are largely considered to be of equal quality to L&P, then that would certainly save me a lot of headache here.
[quote] I suppose what I’m getting at here is that I want to make sure I get the coil system right for my DIY build (I’ve decided that spending 3-4x as much on the Naturepedic is not a worthwhile investment). I’ve narrowed down my build to as follows:
Split layer Dunlop topper (plush for my side, firm for my wife’s side)
Pocket coil base (I tested both a “firm” and a “plush” coil system at Naturepedic and both my wife and I preferred the firm)[/quote]
I understand! From the budgetary point of view a 3-4K pricing does not make sense for you. The setup you describe can work quite well if you make the correct choice of firmness. Remember that firmness and thickness work together and that the thicker the finished mattress the more firmness you’d need to get the similar effects. Your plan for your DIY looks good, no issues jump out for me - as long as you enjoy the feel, looks like you have a winner!
As for the coils…yes there seems to have been a lot of flack last fall about manufacturers failing to announce coil source changes, which seemed to be primarily that they did not disclose that they switched from Legget & Platt for the 8" coil. I saw just as many people saying quality wasn’t the issue as ones that said the opposite- this is the downside of Reddit; like review sites it gives individual opinions on a very subjective topic. Hopefully people who own mattresses that use the Ascension coils can return with some feedback given a couple of years or so as they are the best to notice any change over time.
That’s correct! There is a direct dependency between firmness and number of coils all else being equal. There’s also a inverse dependency between coil height and firmness (higher the coil with same material, diameter, gauge, etc.) the longer the travel and the softer will feel. In the case of the two systems you are looking at, even though the coil height increases the number of coil count increases which can make it softer or firmer depending on the coil count.
The way coils ‘feel’ are a combination of materials used, gauge of the coils, height, and number of coils. You can read a more detailed discussion of coils and coil ILD vs foam ILD in phoenix’s reply in post #2 here . I would say that as Ken from Arizona Premium’s description of the Caliber edge vs Bolsa that he mentions in this post. Are you considering the firmer Caliber Edge or the more body conforming, higher coil count Quantum Edge, as it sounds like you want to stick with Leggett & Platt coils; the tradeoff is higher the coil count the less motion transfer, so that’s the final consideration.
Sounds like you’re almost there but remember nobody can say for sure how the final combination would feel for you and your wife as each sleeper is unique and has different perceptions, needs, and preferences. I’d suggest that you work closely with Ken at Arizona Premium Mattress as he is familiar with Naturepedic and has the coils you want and are time tested. He will be the best to guide you towards the best possible outcome for your mattress.
