He there SleeplessinFl1,
Welcome to the Mattress UnderGround.
There are a few things here that I would want to understand because I think you may be comparing two mattresses based more on their component names rather than on their actual construction. I’m not sure what the manufacturer means by a “traditional innerspring with foam layers,” and I would want to know exactly what that means before making much of a comparison. An old-fashioned(typically 8-way hand-tied) unit is not automatically comparable to a modern pocket coil, and “foam layers” can mean almost anything. A lot of the better traditional manufacturers, Shifman being one example, aren’t simply putting a bunch of foam over an 8-way unit. They tend to use combinations of coils, latex, cotton, wool, horsehair and other upholstery materials. Something like a Hypnos, or your second mattress, with pocket coils, talalay, wool, cotton and cashmere, is another completely different construction. So I wouldn’t really frame this as “innerspring vs. latex.” I would frame it as one complete mattress construction vs. another complete mattress construction.
This is one of those situations where the materials themselves can speak to the natural or synthetic nature of the mattress, but it doesn’t offer the full scope construction and build. It’s the way they’re constructed and layered that determines the PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief and Personal preferences), and ultimately how the mattress will perform for you. You can take the same basic materials and build two mattresses that feel and perform very differently simply by changing the thickness, firmness, order, quilting, compression, transition characteristics and the way the cover interacts with the comfort layers.
At 5’2" and 150 lbs, sleeping in all positions, I would also be somewhat cautious about zoning unless it can be customized appropriately. Zoning can be useful, but it’s not automatically a good thing. Your proportions are different from those of someone who is 5’10", and a predetermined zoning scheme doesn’t know where your shoulders, waist and pelvis actually fall. A zone that is theoretically beneficial can be completely irrelevant, or even counterproductive, if it doesn’t correspond to your body.
And I wouldn’t give the hand-tied construction a free pass simply because it is “old fashioned.” There is a reason those systems have survived for so long, and a properly built 8-way hand-tied unit can be an excellent support system. But “hand tied” is a construction method, not a quality rating. What are the coils made from? Are they properly tempered/hardened? What is the gauge? What is the coil geometry? How are they tied? What upholstery is being used above and below them? There are a lot of variables. You can have a beautifully executed hand-tied mattress, and you can also have a pretty ordinary mattress with hand-tied coils. The same is true of pocket coils.
In fact, I would argue that the quality of the coil unit is only one piece of the support equation. Alignment is the result of the entire support system working together with the transition and comfort layers and the cover panel along with a proper foundation, plus a quality supportive pillow. You need enough mechanical support to keep your heavier areas from sinking too far, but you also need enough conformance that your shoulders and hips can sink in sufficiently when you’re on your side. That’s especially important in your case because you’ve already discovered what happens when you go too far toward the “firm = supportive” end of the spectrum. Severe pressure-point pain and tingling in the arms and legs is a pretty good indication that the mattress wasn’t allowing sufficient pressure relief for your body in those positions.
For pressure relief, I would be looking primarily at the comfort system and the cover/quilt panel rather than the coil designation. Talalay can be an excellent material for pressure relief because of its resilience and point elasticity, but “6 inches of firm Talalay” doesn’t tell me enough to know whether it will be ideal for you. The actual ILD, the layers underneath it, anything above it, and how the entire assembly is quilted and compressed will change the result considerably. Six inches of firm latex is not the same animal as, say, a thinner soft Talalay comfort layer over a firmer transition layer and support core.
The pocket-coil construction you’re describing, pocket coils with Talalay, wool, cotton and cashmere, could potentially be a very durable construction. In fact, a well-built pocket coil combined with quality latex and natural upholstery materials is a construction is one that could offer durability and longevity. But again, I wouldn’t say “natural materials = durable” or “pocket coils = durable” as a blanket statement. We need to know the actual materials and the actual construction. Durability is about the weakest link in the overall mattress, not simply the component with the best reputation. As we say a mattress only as good as it’s weakest link.
As far as buying a supportive mattress and adding a topper, there is nothing inherently wrong with that strategy. In some cases it is actually a very good way to fine tune PPP because the topper becomes a replaceable comfort component. But you dont want to use a topper to compensate for a fundamentally inappropriate support system. If you’re dealing directly with a manufacturer who is willing to customize the mattress, I’d much rather get the basic support and comfort architecture reasonably close to begin with and then use a topper for fine tuning if necessary. That’s a much better situation than buying an excessively firm mattress and hoping a topper will somehow turn it into the mattress you should have bought in the first place. Toppers should not be considered as an afterthought. Many premium mattress companies build their mattresses around their toppers.
And there is another part of this that gets overlooked all the time: the mattress isn’t the entire sleeping system. The foundation can affect the feel and support characteristics. The pillow affects cervical alignment and can change the way your shoulder interacts with the mattress. Sheets, mattress protectors and even the quilting and cover can alter the surface feel. So when you’re evaluating your PPP’s, I wouldn’t isolate the coil unit from everything else.
The fact that you immediately felt a positive difference on the beds from the family-owned manufacturer is actually useful information. Your body is giving you some feedback. I just wouldn’t interpret that feedback as “this particular coil type is better.” It may be that their overall construction, upholstery, quilting, resilience and pressure distribution are simply better suited to you.
If you’re able to customize these mattresses, I would pause on asking which type is better and start asking the manufacturer for the actual specifications. I would want to know the coil gauge and construction, whether the coils are tempered, the coil count and geometry, the ILD/density of the Talalay, the thickness of each layer, what the transition layer is, how much wool/cotton/cashmere is actually being used, and exactly how the cover is quilted. Then you can evaluate the two mattresses based on their actual PPP and durability and potential longevity characteristics rather than the marketing description.
Oh, one last thing: I wouldn’t overlook the tingling. If you’re getting persistent numbness or tingling that doesn’t resolve with changing position, that’s something I’d discuss with a medical professional rather than assuming it’s purely a mattress issue. It may be, but there is always potential for some other cause. From a mattress standpoint, however, your experience with the extra-firm mattress certainly suggests that “firmer” isn’t automatically going to be the answer for you. And remember, there are different definitions of firm. There is firm vs hard, rigid support layer with firm but forgiving comfort and cover/panel layer. Personally, I have always enjoyed a firm support system with firm flat comfort/cover panel layers. As I get older, now 66, when I test mattresses, I am finding that I still love a mattress with a firm support layer, but am becoming more appreciative of a firm, not hard, forgiving comfort layer and cover panel layer. Definitely not something mushy and sinking, but firm and contouring, offering enough pressure relief.
The good news it seems like you are dealing with a manufacturer who can apparently customize the build. That’s exactly the situation where I would take advantage of the ability to tune the comfort layers and transition rather than getting hung up on whether one mattress has an 8-way hand-tied unit and the other has pocket coils. The architecture of the mattress is what matters.
I know this is not an exact answer to your post, but additional information on the exact builds would be necessary, combined with the foundation being used. And you are correct. It is not that the traditional store mattress is bad. That is a whole another conversation. As there are great mattresses, like those from Hypnos, ViSpring, Savoir, Shifman and others that can be found it mattress stores. But if you referring to the legacy or S brands, your point is very well taken. Also, keep in mind that pocketed coils have been around for over 100 years, and their styles can be very different. You have quad coils, nested honey comb aligned coils and simple x and y row positioned coils.
Hope this helps,
Maverick