Hi Kriswku,
The durability of an innerspring will have more to do with the amount of working steel and the thickness of the layers above it than it will on coil count. Unfortunately there is no easy way to calculate “working steel”. There are other factors involved as well such as how the coils are connected to each other and whether they work together sharing the load or work more independently) but “working steel” is the biggest factor.
The most reliable way to know this would be based on the weight of the innerspring unit itself which is not a spec you are likely to find. The simplest way to estimate this would be to take the weight of the mattress itself and then subtract the approximate weight of the foam layers and see which one was heavier.
For example … the Doctor’s Choice has 5" of 1.8 lb polyfoam (mostly) which in a queen size would weight about 25 lbs. If you took this off the weight of the mattress you would have the rough weight of the steel (except of course the weight of the ticking and any insulator which would be “close enough” for these purposes.
The Telluride would have 3.75" of about 1.8 lb polyfoam (mostly) with 2" of Talalay latex. The ILD of the latex isn’t known so for the sake of argument I would use about 3.5 lbs density. In this case the polyfoam would weigh about 19 lbs and the latex would weight about 19 lbs as well for a total approximate foam weight of 38 lbs.
If you took these two off the weight of each mattress … you would have a rough comparison of the relative amount of working steel in each mattress.
I would also bear in mind that there are other factors involved as well not the least of which is that in any mattress that has 5" or more of polyfoam in the upper layers, that the polyfoam (even 1.8 lb density) is likely to be the weak link of the mattress not the innersprings even if they are a higher gauge but higher coil count (thinner). The 2" of latex in the Telluride would be more durable and to some degree would improve the comfort life of the other foams in the comfort layer. the polyfoam in both is higher quality polyfoam than is used even in more expensive mainstream mattresses but that doesn’t mean that they will be as durable as a comfort layer that uses more durable foams yet (such as even higher density or HR polyfoam or latex for example).
I would also bear in mind that a pocket coil spring (like in the Telluride) by the very nature of pocket springs could be a little less durable or at least more “risky” than an innerspring where the coils are connected together by helicals (like the Doctor’s Choice) and share the load more. The zoning of the Doctor’s Choice would also put firmer (and more durable) coils under the heavier parts of the body which could make a difference in alignment.
So there are some tradeoffs involved in each that would be part of your value equation including of course the price or each (or other competing mattresses. The first thing I would do is to make sure that they were both equal in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) with both of you on the mattress … fully relaxed … for at least 15 minutes. No matter how good a mattress is in terms of quality and value if it doesn’t provide what you need and prefer when you are sleeping on it, the value to you personally would be little. It’s important that you test each with both of you on the mattress and make sure you are also comfortable with any difference in motion separation between the two.
The next thing I would suggest is to choose the firmest version that still provides good pressure relief for both of you because firmer foam layers will be more durable than softer foam layers. You can always soften up a mattress that is a little too firm by adding a topper (which can be replaced without replacing the whole mattress and will increase the durability of the foams below it) because the upper layers will soften more quickly) but there is little you can do with a mattress that is too soft in the support system or too thick and soft in the comfort layers without removing or replacing components or foam in the mattress.
Any “theoretical” advantages of one over the other that doesn’t translate into something you can actually feel and/or prefer in your testing would also have less value to you. While the comfort layers of the Telluride would be more durable … it is also over twice the price and it wouldn’t likely be twice as durable and may not be twice as suitable either (again depending on the results of your testing).
Hope this helps give you a sense of the tradeoffs that are involved in any decision between the two (or other mattresses).
Phoenix
