Hi zebo42,
[quote]I did poke around some other sites, and found the Old Bed guy site. He seems to be in love with Charles ROgers, not sure why entirely. So I looked here on the forum, and and got your views on them and him, no need to provide.
I would be interested in one of his observations, and your thoughts.
he says "The marketplace is filling up with confusing foam mattress ads riding on the popularity of the innerspring hybrid. These “so called” hybrids have the requisite comfort padding on top, but in place of the support and the durable springy comfort of a coil spring, firmer foams provide what support there may be. I have tried to like the idea, because in theory, it could lower the cost without lowering the benefits. However, there is nothing like a spring, to do the work of a spring. …
• Buy an innerspring mattress. University laboratory tests have confirmed that innerspring mattresses are, on average, 28% cooler than common solid synthetic foam, even cooler when compared with memory foam. My experience is that more people are happier on a good innerspring than even the finest solid or layered foams. University Proof of Cooler Innerspring Test '[/quote]
You can see my thoughts about some of the misleading or even deceptive information on the Old Bed Guy website in this topic which will also explain why he promotes them so heavily.
I think that these types of “broad brush” comments or recommendations can often be more misleading than they are helpful and I personally treat the choice of materials or components in a mattress as a preference choice rather than a “better/worse” choice. There are many different types of innersprings that each have very different properties (see this article and post #10 here) and the type of materials and layers that are used on top of an innerspring and the specific design and layering of a mattress can also have a major effect on the feel and response of any particular mattress regardless of what it uses as a support core. These types of recommendations would be somewhat like recommending that everyone wear a suit and tie to work or that everyone should buy a pair of leather oxford shoes rather than making choices that they prefer or that are suitable for their own specific circumstances and preferences.
Materials like good quality polyfoam and latex foam in a suitable firmness level can certainly make a very suitable mattress for a particular person that can be just as “supportive” and “comfortable” and durable as any particular innerspring mattress for people who prefer them.
There is also more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel” and why some mattresses are suitable for some people but not for others that have a different body type, sleeping position, or preferences or sensitivities.
While it’s true that there are more people that are used to an innerspring mattress than other types of mattresses and they are still the largest single segment of the industry … this is also changing and the growing popularity of foam mattresses (latex foam, polyfoam, and memory foam) speaks for itself and they can certainly make a great choice for those that prefer the specific properties of certain foam mattresses vs an innerspring mattress of some type.
In terms of temperature regulation … it’s certainly true that innerspring are more breathable than any foam materials but it’s also true that the layers of a mattress that are closer to the surface will have a bigger effect on the sleeping temperature of a mattress than the deeper support materials or components so if you have an innerspring matttress that uses thicker layers of memory foam as the comfort layers then it may sleep much warmer for someone than a mattress that has a polyfoam support core and more breathable and temperature regulating materials in the comfort layers and the cover and quilting. There is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress in post #2 here.
There is more about the different types of support systems that are generally most suitable for different types of mattresses in the foundation post here and the posts it links to (in the second paragraph). A platform bed that has a support surface that is suitable for a particular mattress and that is designed to support a mattress directly wouldn’t need a foundation since it would already provide suitable support for the mattress without it. A metal bedframe or a wooden bedframe that only has a few slats or cross members that wouldn’t be supportive enough for a mattress (the mattress would sag right through the spaces in the bedframe) would need a foundation on top of them to provide suitable support for a mattress.
There is more about quilting materials in this article and there is more about quilted mattress covers (including wool quilted covers) vs stretch knit covers in post #12 here and the posts it links to. There is also more about the the pros and cons of different types of fabrics used in mattress ticking (covers) in this article and in post #7 here and the posts it links to as well (which is more about sheets and bedding but the comments about the different types of fabrics would apply to mattress ticking materials as well).
There is more about all latex mattresses vs latex/innerspring hybrids in post #13 here and the posts it links to but again this would be a preference choice more than a “better/worse” choice…
Phoenix