Latex versus coil and latex

[phoenix]

Hi fulen,

The one they recommended and I liked was a single coil -Oslo- with a soft latex layer and an additional 2" Talalay topper. When I spoke to someone at the Mattress and Sleep Company they suggested the three coil model - Sonata - and said I wouldn’t need the topper for it and then the two layers wouldn’t shift as the bed moved. Meanwhile they said they couldn’t sell me Berkeley mattresses since there is a dealer in NY. Back at Scott Jordan they told me the single coil is the only one that would work on a mechanical bed so I’m now waiting to call Berkeley directly to see what they think. I’m confused about what I should do, also the coil one has a 10 year warranty while the pure latex has 20 years. I’m not sure what the significance of that is.

All of the Berkeley Ergonomics mattresses would certainly be flexible enough to use on an adjustable bed but there are 5 separate layers and components (besides the cover) in the 3 coil system and the information you are getting from Scott Jordan is probably based on the higher possibility that multiple layers that include microcoils would have a greater chance of interfering with each other and shifting inside the cover than a mattress that has fewer layers and components. BE’s “standard” suggestion for their customers that have an adjustable bed would either be their all latex mattress or their mattress with the bi-level coil and latex comfort layer although the others would “probably” be fine as well. If a topper shifts with the movement of the adjustable bed over time it would be much easier to put it back into alignment than opening up the mattress and realigning any individual layers that have shifted although IMO don’t think it would be a significant issue with any of their mattresses.

I would also keep in mind that each of the Berkeley Ergonomics mattresses will have a different “feel” and there is also a lot to be said for choosing a mattress that your actual testing and experience indicates is a good “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).

also the coil one has a 10 year warranty while the pure latex has 20 years. I’m not sure what the significance of that is.

All the BE mattresses (including their all latex mattress) have a 10 year non pro rated warranty but either way the length of a warranty has very little to do with the durability or useful life of a mattress anyway because a warranty only covers manufacturing defects in a mattress (which tend to show up early in the life of a mattress) and not the gradual loss of comfort and support which is the main reason that people will need to replace a mattress (see post #174 here). I certainly wouldn’t use the length of a warranty as a meaningful way to compare mattresses.

From what I’ve been advised by my local mattress manufacturer is that a coil bed’s lifespan is shorter on an adjustable bed, if you’re changing its position. I would ask the manufacturer if that’s the case with either their single or triple coil mattresses.

This would be true to different degrees for any mattress because the constant bending and the shifting of greater body weight to the center of the mattress when you raise the head of the bed will cause greater wear on the mattress with an adjustable bed than on a non adjustable support system. With a good quality pocket coil or foam mattress this wouldn’t be as big an issue as it would for a mattress that uses lower quality materials and the benefits of having an adjustable bed would be enough to offset the decreased durability for many people but I would agree with Daniel that an adjustable bed would reduce the useful life of any mattress to some degree (depending on the quality and durability of the materials).

The use of an adjustable bed would be an even bigger durability issue with other types of innersprings which use coils that are connected with helicals and need to be specially made with either a hinged border rod or no border rod at all to be suitable for use on an adjustable bed.

Aside from the adjustable foundation question, this post is one to read. Now, I personally feel that coil spring mattresses tend to sag too soon for my liking whereas latex should be be more resilient longer.

In addition to the post that LJGMDAD linked post #13 here also has more about the differences between an innerspring support core vs a latex support core. I would treat this as a preference choice rather than a “better/worse” choice and if both mattresses use good quality and durable materials and don’t have any weak links in their design (which would certainly be the case with any of the BE mattresses) I would base your decision on which one is the better “match” for you in terms of PPP. Some people will tend to prefer one type of mattress while others will tend to prefer the other but both of them can make great choices.

The relationship between innersprings and mattresses sagging or other durability issues is more correlational than causal. A mattress will tend to soften and break down from the top down and since so many of the innerspring mattresses sold in the mainstream industry are made by major manufacturers that all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their comfort layers … innerspring mattresses have developed a reputation for being less durable and when in fact it’s the softening and breakdown of the comfort layers on top of the innersprings that are by far the biggest cause of the sagging issues that have become so common in the industry and not the innerspring itself. A well constructed innerspring mattress that uses high quality and durable materials in the comfort layers won’t have the same sagging issues that you tend to see in so many of the mainstream innerspring mattresses although marketing “against” innerspring mattresses has led many consumers to believe the “story” that “innersprings are bad” that would apply more to mattresses that use lower quality and less durable comfort layers than to the actual innersprings that are used in a mattress. As Daniel also mentioned the innersprings in a mattress willl often outlast the comfort layers on top of them.

And, perhaps most importantly for me, the configurability of a latex mattress with zippered cover opens a lot of possibilities in terms of rearranging layers, swapping layers, and even periodically flipping layers (certainly Talalay can be flipped). So even if 2-3 years from now I feel a bit of a sag, I could for example, just replace one layer and get back to a firmer feel.

One of the benefits of the BE mattresses is that they are also component mattresses with zip covers where individual layers and components can be replaced or exchanged for firmer or softer versions as well.

Phoenix