Hi Sleepless,
These coils aren’t honeycombed but laid in parallel lines. Honecombed coils are when each coils is placed in between the coils in the row beside them.
The thinner gauge coils would almost certainly be the taller ones as the goal with coil systems is to have a variable spring rate with the softer springs (or part of the springs) compressing first and then transitioning into firmer coils (or firmer compression) after the initial compression. This is to increase the ability of the top part of the coil system to take on a body shape without losing the ability of the firmer coils (or deeper compression) to provide good support.
The higher coil count would provide the equivalent of better “point elasticity” meaning that smaller areas can compress without afftecting the area around it. Higher coil counts are usually an indication of either a honecomb layout (which can fit more coils into a given area with less “gaps” between the coils) or a smaller coil diameter. In this case the coils would be a smaller diameter since they are not honeycombed.
Other factors in terms of how a coil performs would be the number of turns in the coil, the type of steel used, any pre-compression in the coils, zoning, coil height, coil travel, spring rate, fabric used, and many other factors. The manufacturing of springs is a complicated blend of materials and metallurgical science and the math involved in spring performance.
These are clearly high quality coil systems … but how suitable they are for each individual depends on how well they interact with the layers above them to produce pressure relief and alignment. Beyond this it becomes a matter of durability and price. Since most steel coils outside of the cheap imports are usually quite durable … the biggest issue really is how the innerspring interacts with the layers above and below it and with the person who sleeps on it.
A boxspring is usually a good idea with innerspring mattresses if for no other reason than to act as a shock absorber. Innersprings can “take a set” beyond a certain pressure or with sudden shocks and the boxspring can help offset plastic deformation or compression set in an innerspring. In some innerspring mattresses … the boxspring is also part of the designed performance of the mattress.
[quote]Primarily I wondered about the following:-the durability of pocket coils in general, but specifically with the stats above.
- the coil count listed above for a king[/quote]
The coil count is high and the gauge of the shorter springs is also strong. I would expect that this would last a very long time. Pocket coils in general will not last as long as a comparable spring in other designs (which are attached to each other and “share the load” more) because they compress more individually without affecting their neighboring springs. Having said that though, there are so many variables involved that it would really be impossible to generalize. Good quality pocket coils in most circumstances will be quite durable and suitable for most people. For very heavy people it would be more important to pay attention to coil gauge, number of turns, number of coils, and other factors which translate into the amount of “working steel” in a pocket coil innerspring.
Honeycombed (which this isn’t) would add to the number of coils which would improve durability (all other factors being equal). the multilevel structure would have less of an effect on durability as it would on comfort and the ability of the innerspring to be “soft on top” and “supportive underneath”.
This would do more to change the feel of the pocket coil and the latex and the overall mattress than it would add to its life. It would reduce the ability of the latex and to a much smaller degree the coils to act individually under pressure and “firm up” the mattress to some degree depending on the thickness and density of the wool and how much it was compressed and how it was quilted. It would not really have any effect on the durability of the coils.
In the end … there are too many factors in innerspring design to really take all of them into account and/or make accurate predictions and if they are good quality, then they are not normally the weak link in a mattress anyway. Like everything else in mattresses … the most important part of every component is how well it helps each individual with pressure relief, how well it contributes to spinal alignment and the most accurate way to determine this is to actually lie on the mattress. Beyond this, preferences, durability (or likely weak links), and the benefits of the component versus its cost are the most important considerations.
Phoenix