What is best type mattress for adjustable bed?

I’m shopping for an adjusable bed (king split) and want to get information on the best type mattress to go with an adjustable bases. Should I stay away from coil mattresses?

I’ll likely purchase a Reverie or S-cape adjustable base. I understand that I should keep the mattress thickness at 10" or less… should I stay away from pillow top mattresses?

Hi Chris M,

Your questions are very broad so I will give some general guidelines that will hopefully be helpful.

Adjustable beds need a mattress that can repeatedly bend to the contours of the bed without damage which generally means either a foam mattress core (polyfoam or latex) or a pocket coil innerspring without a border wire. There are also some other types of innersprings which use a hinged construction which would be suitable as well. These are general guidelines though and there may be some exceptions (such as some foam mattress where the manufacturer doesn’t recommend them for adjustables) so it’s always best to check with the manufacturer to make sure a mattress is suitable.

A mattress that is too thick will also not bend as easily but there is also a difference between materials. Latex for example is more elastic and flexible than polyfoam so it can bend more easily than most polyfoam and a slightly thicker mattress would work OK. In general though … 10 - 12" would be the typical limit that a mattress would work well with an adjustable bed with exceptions based on the materials and construction of the mattress.

There are hundreds or thousands of mattress brands and models that would be suitable for use on an adjustable bed and like with any mattress purchase … there is no “best” overall but only the mattress that is best for the unique needs and preferences of each person and provides the best possible PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences). The simplest and most effective way to find your “ideal” mattress is to follow the steps listed in post #10 here (which will hopefully help you avoid the major brands and typical chain stores and mass market outlets).

A pillowtop construction is not a “bad” construction per se but the problem is that most of them contain low quality and density materials (especially lower quality polyfoam) which will soften and degrade much faster than higher quality and more durable materials. Even non pillowtop mattresses (especially made by major brands) will often have similar thick layers of lower density/quality foams and these too should be avoided. If a pillowtop or any style of mattress has high quality and more durable materials in the upper layers (such as latex or 5 lb density memory foam) … then durability and foam softening would not be nearly as big an issue.

So rather than just staying away from most pillowtops … it is more important to know the details and quality specs of every layer in your mattress and avoid any mattress that uses low density/quality materials in the upper layers no matter what style of mattress you are considering.

Phoenix