Mattress Forum

Failing that, I would either

1. Widen your search a bit to neighboring states and then do most of the work on the phone before you take any trips.

or

2. Go to local mattress stores and lay on mattresses that are mostly latex (Sealy springfree if you can find them or embody, Serta pure response, or Simmons natural care  and natural care elite, or any other latex mattress that they carry that has mostly latex in the top). Do most of the work on the phone so you know where you want to go first. Once you're there, you want to pay attention to how the top few inches of latex feel, how supportive the mattress is, and how it provides the support (poly core, latex, springs etc). Once you have found the combination for the mattress you would buy if price wasn't an object, and you have the specs of that mattress, now you are ready to talk to manufacturers that are further away and talk to them about duplicating the feel of a mattress like that for you. The simpler (fewer layers) the mattress has, the easier it is to duplicate. Many of them have experience in doing this. This will tell you if you trust both them and your own judgement enough to have them ship a mattress to you without actually laying on it.

Phoenix

There are different methods for joining pocket coils together...mass produced ones are usually placed in polyester shells and glued together.  Your best pocket coils are tied together by hand and placed inside a breathable flexible cotton shell, these are also far less likely to migrate.  You can also nest them inline or in a honeycomb pattern. 

Bonnell springs are actually not the cheapest type of spring to make....continuous coils are by a significant margin.  This is actually why they were used in mattresses in the first place, was to cut cost...it is much faster to produce them because you can produce an entire row or column of springs before cutting wire.  A good quality bonnell spring or offset spring is actually more expensive to produce than a cheap pocket spring (even the ones made in the USA). 

And thanks especially for the info about the pocket coils. If I was going in the direction of springs it would almost certainly be pocket coils and for anyone going in that direction I think it would be really important to know how they were made since they can "go wrong" more easily than other types if they are not well designed and constructed.

From what I understand, the Simmons coils are untempered. Just to add to the information in this thread, what are your thoughts about untempered coils vs tempered coils.

Phoenix

If I wanted to get a 3" or so latex topper, do the specs of something like the Bowles Tranquil II sound decent?  http://www.bowlesmattress.com/html/nightrest.htm 13.5 gauge 5 turn 390 count Bonell springs.  I've no idea if the cost is even close to being in my budget, just trying to apply what I've learned ;)

I'm also warming up to the idea of the DIY latex mattress.  I've read a few threads about it and it doesn't sound as overwhelming as it did at first.

Technically speaking Simmons pocket coils are tempered (hardened).  They have a high carbon content, anytime you add carbon to steel it becomes stronger (albeit also more brittle).  They are just not heat treated or electrically treated like the traditional tempering process.  Simmons pocket springs are made in house (atleast up until recently...maybe things have changed) so the coils get made to a 9 or 10" height and then get pre-compressed into an 8" pocket.  Most mass produced springs are made in China or in the USA but not in the same factory the finished mattresses are constructed, the springs are tempered, get compressed to less than 10% of the original height placed into sealed containers and shipped long distance on boat or train to their final warehouse destination where the coils are released and then used to build a mattress. 

In reality the tempering is likely an extra precaution due to the ridiculous abuse that the shipping methods cause to the steel.  I highly doubt the finished product is any better by the time it gets into the end users home.

http://www.beloitmattress.com/mattress1.html

http://www.mattresswarehousenashville.com/tennessee/PN_510_4_nashville_two_sided_mattress.html

In other words you are at the lower end of the pricing scale. Not sure I would go there, although it would certainly be in your budget.

Phoenix

http://www.mattresswarehousenashville.com/tennessee/PN_220_1_nashville_visco_memory_foam_mattress.html

I'm sorta embarassed to admit that I was the one who posted the link (laughing).

I did a search on "corsicana 2 sided" to get a reference price for the previous post and he was the first link that came up.

Think I'm gonna do a search on "mattress salesman of the year" and see what else I can learn.

Phoenix

If he is going to show the mattress, why doesn't he at least take the plastic off!