Hi dogs_007,
Not surprisingly (since he is so knowledgeable about mattresses and mattress materials in general) I would completely agree with all of Daniel’s comments … including his comments about pocket coils vs other types of linked coils in terms of what most people would find most comfortable. Wool is also a more resilient fiber than cotton and will tend to pack down less and maintain it’s softness and comfort better than cotton batting over the course of time.
Just to add a few comments that would also be worthwhile considering …
There is more information about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or any exchange/return options that are available to you).
I would always keep in mind that the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase is how well you will sleep on it because no matter what the cost … there is very little value in purchasing a mattress that you don’t sleep well on.
Vi-Spring is certainly an exceptionally high quality hand built and tufted mattress with great materials and components that uses natural materials and innerspring/natural fiber mattresses would be more temperature regulating than any other type of mattress but as you probably know it’s in a much more premium budget range than many other mattresses that also use natural materials. There is more about Vi Spring and other “ultra premium” mattresses in post #2 here and post #2 here and post #2 here may also be of interest as well but I would be very careful to differentiate how you feel “about” a Vi Spring and how you feel “on” a Vi Spring. There are certainly cases where a mattress in this budget range may be “worth it” for a particular person that isn’t price sensitive and that has specific criteria that aren’t available in lower budget ranges but this would be unusual and in general I would need a compelling reason that clearly indicated there was “enough” of a difference in “real life” compared to many other mattresses that may be just as suitable in terms of comfort and PPP, just as durable, and that are in much lower budget ranges to justify the higher cost.
While I can’t speak to how any mattress will feel for someone else or whether it will be a good match in terms of firmness, “feel”, or PPP … all of the mattresses you mentioned use good quality materials and there are no obvious weak links in any of them that would compromise the durability or useful life of the mattress.
Yes … hand tufting can make a significant difference in how well a mattress maintains it’s comfort, shape, and resilience and help prevent the shifting of materials over the course of time.
[quote]Are there other innerspring mattresses I should be looking at too?
My budget can afford the more expensive mattresses but if I can get something comparable for cheaper it would be preferable.[/quote]
Outside of any local manufacturers that may be close to you that still make innerspring/natural fiber mattresses … there are also some other innerspring/natural fiber options that may be worth considering in post #4 here.
As Daniel also mentioned … there are many people who also do very well on a latex/innerspring hybrid (see post #13 here) and some of the better innerspring/latex options I’m aware of (including a few component mattresses) are listed in post #2 here and the post it links to but you would need to check their websites or call them to see if any of them have a dealer close to you if you wish to test them in person before considering a purchase.
Phoenix