Mattress Ratings > Innerspring / Coil Mattress Reviews
Innerspring / Coil Mattresses → Reviews, Ratings, Complaints and Comparisons Based on Data From 3,316 Owners
Updated May 1, 2012
What You Need To Know
The Good. Innerspring beds have been the most popular mattress type for many decades. Their popularity is due mainly to three factors: 1.) People are familiar with them; 2.) they are widely available, and; 3.) they come in a variety of firmness and comfort levels to suit personal preference.
Innerspring beds often provide good initial comfort and pain relief, and several models can be inexpensive. Some provide good motion isolation making them couple friendly. They may also be more suitable in certain ways for romantic activity than other mattress types.
The Bad. Compared to other mattress types overall, innerspring beds have significantly lower owner satisfaction due mainly to below-average durability and longevity.
Product durability / longevity complaints from owners contribute to many innerspring mattress manufacturers having less-than-stable Better Business Bureau ratings. In addition, some models have poor motion isolation and can squeak and creak when moved on.
Contents
Innerspring Mattress Ratings: Overall As a Group
Innerspring Mattress Ratings: By Brand
Analysis of Main Owner Complaint: Sagging
Warranty Coverage For Sagging
Coil Type Comparison
Coil Count: Does It Matter?
Coil Gauge: What Is It?
Comfort Layer Material Comparison
About Our Innerspring Mattress Research
Our innerspring / coil mattress ratings and research findings are based on over 3,300 consumer experiences that were collected from diverse and credible sources, namely online message boards. Learn more about our unbiased, accurate research methodology.
Innerspring Mattress Ratings: Overall As a Group
The ratings and comments below describe how innerspring mattresses overall are evaluated by actual owners. For information on specific brands, see the sections following this one.
| Owner satisfaction | d | Owner satisfaction among the various innerspring mattress brands can vary somewhat, but overall innerspring mattresses have 62% owner satisfaction. In comparison, the other mattress types (memory foam, air, latex, water, futon) all have 75% or higher satisfaction. It should be noted that owner satisfaction for innerspring mattresses is often high initially, but tends to fall significantly as durability / longevity problems emerge. |
| Durability / longevity | d | Significant mattress sagging that occurs within three years and undermines comfort and / or support is reported by at least 25% of owners. No other mattress type has as high a rate of sagging. Innerspring mattresses with pillow tops / thick comfort layers are especially likely to have longevity issues. Learn more. |
| Price | c | Prices for innerspring beds can vary widely ($300- $10,000+) mainly due to the type of design and amount of material used. The average price paid is around $1,600 for a queen. Owner experience data shows that higher priced brands / models do not tend to provide higher satisfaction than lower priced ones. However, low-priced innerspring mattresses (those below $600) are often purchased for temporary or occasional use and are often not well suited for long-term, regular use. |
| Firmness variety | A | The beds are available in a wide variety of firmness levels, from ultra firm to ultra soft to everything in between. |
| Less pain / pressure points | c | Innerspring mattresses – initially – often provide above average relief for pain and pressure. As the beds age, however, mattress sagging and compression can result in significant discomfort and even pain, including back pain, for about 20% of owners. See mattresses and pain for more analysis. |
| Motion isolation | c | Motion isolation refers to how well the bed keeps movement made by one person from being felt by another. Motion isolation for innerspring mattresses can vary from poor to good depending on the innerspring / coil system and materials used. Pricier models tend to provide fair or better motion isolation. |
| No initial odor / off gassing | c+ | About 10% of innerspring mattress owners complain of off gassing, which is the release of a chemical-like odor that occurs when the mattress is new. Those models with a thick regular foam or memory foam comfort layer tend to have the greatest off gassing problem. |
| No sleeping hot | c+ | Innerspring beds overall tend to not act as a heat trap. However, 10% of owners with models that have a memory foam and or latex layer report substantial heat buildup. |
| Good for sex | b- | On this issue, innerspring mattresses have certain attributes that most other mattress types lack, such as a bouncing effect. Poor durability and a resulting lack of comfort can, however, undermine romantic activity. See mattresses and sex for complete analysis. |
| No noise | c | Innerspring beds may squeak, creak or make some other noise, especially as they age. Cheaper models with unsophisticated coil systems tend to be noisier than more expensive, advanced models. |
| Dust mite resistant | d | All mattress types can have dust mites, but innerspring beds likely attract more. See mattresses and dust mites for more info. |
| No flipping / rotating | c+ | Most models are "no-flip," but some are double-sided. To combat sagging, owners often report the need to rotate their bed fairly regularly which can be difficult given the weight of the beds. |
| Lightweight | c | Pricier, thicker models tend to weigh the most. |
| Warranties | c | About 20% of owners say that warranties lack adequate coverage for sagging. Warranty lengths tend to range from 10-25 years. See mattress warranties: what you should know. |
| Return policies | c | Policies depend on retailer, but most returns are accepted for 20-90 days and usually only for exchange. Return fees are common. See returning a mattress: what you should know. |
| Availability | A | Innerspring mattresses, unlike some other bed types, are widely available both in showrooms and online. |
| Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings | b | BBB ratings among innerspring bed manufacturers can vary significantly; ratings also tend to fluctuate. On average, however, the manufacturers have a "B" rating. Unlike the major manufacturers of other mattress types, innerspring mattress companies are seldom BBB accredited. |
| Number of BBB complaints | c- | The innerspring mattress manufacturers tend to each have a similar number of BBB complaints when factoring in their company size. As a group, they tend to have at least somewhat more complaints than manufacturers of most other mattress types. Most complaints are filed for product quality issues likely related to sagging. |
Innerspring Mattress Ratings: By Brand – Part 1
Click on a brand for more detailed research findings based on actual consumer experience data.
| Sealy | Serta | Simmons | Stearns Foster | Kings- down | Spring Air | ||
| Owner satisfaction | D+ (65%) | D (63%) | D (62%) | D- (57%) | D (61%) | F (46%) | |
| Sample size | 831 | 638 | 502 | 251 | 191 | 159 | |
| Durability / longevity | c- | d+ | D+ | d | d+ | D- | |
| Less (back) pain | c | c+ | c | D+ | c | D | |
| Motion isolation | c | c+ | b+ | B | C | C | |
| No Off Gas Odor | b- | B | b- | C+ | C+ | C+ | |
| No noise | c- | c+ | C+ | B- | c | c | |
| No sleeping hot | b | b- | b | b- | b | b | |
| Sex friendly | b- | b- | b- | c | b- | c- | |
| Customer Service | c | c | c | c | c | c | |
| Price* | $500- $3000 | $350- $2200 | $500- $4000 | $1110- $4300 | $800- $3000 | $500- $1700 | |
| BBB rating | A+ | B- | C | A+ | A+ | F | |
| # of BBB Complaints** | C- (216) | C (127) | C (162) | C- (216) | C (23) | C (14) | |
| Warranty | 10-25 yr | 5-20 yr | 10-25 yr | 10-25 yr | 10-20 yr | 10 yr |
* Prices shown are for a queen,
usually with no foundation. Foundations often cost $100-$300.
** Ratings for the number of BBB complaints takes into consideration the estimated size of the mattress manufacturer.
Based on size, all manufacturers have a similar number of complaints.
Also see the mattress comparison for how these brands compare to non-innerspring mattresses including air, memory foam, latex, futon and water.
Innerspring Mattress Ratings: By Brand – Part 2
The mattresses below are not included in the Part 1 comparison above because their sample sizes / amount of owner experience data / number of credible sources is too small to give a fair head-to-head comparison. We provide, however, the limited consumer data we have collected for them as well as other relevant facts. For more detailed ratings and information, click on a mattress below.
| Owner satisfaction | Sample size | Price (queen) | BBB rating | Warranty | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aireloom | 60% | 50 | $1200-$7000 | A+ | 10-20 yr ltd | Prestigious |
| Duxiana (Dux Bed) | 64% | 69 | $4570-$9100 | NR | 20-yr ltd | Prestigious |
| Denver mattress | 58% | 58 | $300-$1600 | A- | 5-15 yr ltd | Best for Temporary / Occasional Use |
| Englander (Tension Ease) |
61% | 37 | $1200-$1700 | F | 10-yr ltd | Limited availability |
| Hastens | 70% | 26 | $4000-$35,000+ | NR | 25-yr ltd | Prestigious |
| Heavenly Bed (Westin) | 74% | 83 | $1400-$2600 | C | 10-yr ltd | It's a Simmons Beautyrest |
| Ikea (Spring) | 64% | 64 | $180-$850 | A+ | 20-yr ltd | Best for Temporary / Occasional Use |
| King Koil | 60% | 52 | $370-$2500 | A+ | 5-15yr ltd | Fairly Limited availability |
| Laura Ashley | 74% | 26 | $600-$2500 | A+ | 10-yr ltd | Limited availability |
| Restonic | 58% | 83 | $600-$3000 | NR | 10-15 yr | Limited availability |
| Sealy Brand | 75% | 162 | $250-$700 | A+ | 5-yr ltd | Best for Temporary / Occasional Use |
| Signature Sleep / Dorel | 83% | 176 | $230-$350 | NA | 5 years or less | Sold at Walmart.com. Best for Child's Bed or Temporary / Occasional Use |
| Simmons Beautyrest NxG | 74% | 43 | $1500-$3500 | C | 20-yr ltd | Memory foam / innerspring hybrid |
Textrade
|
79% | 110 | $285 | NA | 5-yr Ltd | Best for Temporary / Occasional Use |
| Vera Wang | 62% | 91 | $1300-$3200 | B- | 10-yr ltd | Appears to be discontinued |
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Main Owner Complaint: Mattress Sagging / Compression
As most mattresses age and wear, regardless of their type, they tend to sag or compress and, as a result, lose at least some of their supportiveness and comfort. This is normal. Premature sagging / compression, however, occurs when the mattress is relatively new, namely within three years of ownership.
According to our research, innerspring mattresses have the most problem, by far, with premature sagging / compression compared to the other bed types. At least 25% of innerspring mattress owners in our research report the problem. Sagging / compression-related problems are by far the top innerspring mattress owner complaint.
Causes of Sagging / Compression
A lack of mattress turning and or flipping is not likely the main cause of premature sagging / compression in most cases because many people who report a problem claimed to turn / flip their mattress regularly if possible.
In addition, a person's weight does not appear to be a main cause for the problem since many people who said they weigh less than 170 pounds reported sagging / compression.
The cause of the problem seems to be largely related to the comfort layer. Thick pillow top / comfort layer models tend to be at least two times more likely to have sagging / compression than those with thin comfort layers. However, there seems to be other causes as well including but not limited to the following: a one-sided mattress which cannot be turned to avoid uneven wear / compression; the type of upholstery used as well as the upholstery's grade of quality; the type and quality of insulator, padding and wire or netting layer that keeps the upholstery from sinking into the coils; the quality of steel used for the coils; the number of helicals (connecting wires) used and; the overall quality of construction.
Improvement?
Our most recently collected owner experience data suggests that the durability of innerspring mattresses overall may be improving somewhat. But more data will have to be collected as it becomes available to determine if this is true.
Sagging / Compression and Warranty Coverage
A fairly common complaint from innerspring mattress owners is that, in their opinion, their mattress warranty does not provide adequate coverage for sagging and compression. Owners may say their mattress is sagging / compressing badly (often to an extent that causes the bed to be uncomfortable and even pain causing), yet the sagging / compression is not deep enough to be covered by warranty.
The table below shows, by mattress type, the sagging / compression depth often needed for warranty coverage to begin. The smaller the number (depth in inches), the better the warranty coverage. Consequently, innerspring mattresses tend to have the poorest sagging / compression warranty coverage.
| Sagging / Compression Depth Required | |
| Innerspring | Greater Than 1.5 Inches |
| Memory Foam | Greater Than 1 Inch |
| Latex | Greater Than 1 Inch |
| Air | NA |
Although the half-inch difference above may not seem significant, our mattress pain research suggests that even a small amount of or small increase in sagging / compression can cause pain, especially back pain.
Coil Types
There are seemingly countless coil types, but almost all of them fall under one of the four types discussed below. As you will see, each coil type has its own advantages and disadvantages.
1. Bonnell Coil. Bonnell coils are hour-glass shaped and a simple design. They are typically found in low-priced mattresses. They are generally supportive, but they tend to have no better than fair durability / longevity and motion isolation.
2. Offset Coil. Offset coils tend to be widely used in mid- to higher-priced mattresses. They are similar to Bonnell coils but have better spring action and supportiveness. Some variations have good motion isolation. Durability / longevity, however, can be a weakness as the mattress may sag toward the middle as the coils wear and age.
3. Pocket Coil. Pocket coils are individual coils wrapped in advanced fabric designed to minimize friction and maximize strength. The coils tend to provide consistent distribution of support as well as good motion isolation. Pocket coils are typically found in mid- to higher-priced mattresses because of their advanced manufacturing and assembly requirements.
4. Continuous Coil. The system consists of coil rows made of continuous wire that run head to toe. This system is often present on low- to mid-priced mattresses. While it is durable because each coil gets support from ones next to it, the system tends to not be especially supportive. In addition, because the system consists of one piece, it tends to provide no better than fair motion isolation making it a less-than-ideal choice for couples.
Coil Type Comparison
The following comparison (based on actual owner experiences) shows what tends to be true; a particular brand, model or individual mattress may go against these findings.
| Offset | Continuous | Bonnell | ||
| Owner satisfaction | c | c+ | c | d |
| Supportiveness | b | b | c | c |
| Durability / lifespan | c- | c | c+ | d+ |
| Motion isolation | c+ | a- | d | c- |
| Price | c- | c- | b | b+ |
Coil Count
Coil count refers to the number of coils in the mattress. Most queen innerspring mattresses have a coil count of 450-900 with 725 being about average. Mattresses with a higher coil count are more expensive than mattresses with a lower coil count, all other things being equal.
Our research that is based on thousands of actual owner experiences, however, shows little correlation between coil count and owner satisfaction or coil count and mattress longevity / durability overall. Nevertheless, heavier persons should probably buy an innerspring mattress with a high coil count as this may result in improved supportiveness and mattress strength.
Coil Gauge
Coil gauge is a measurement of how large the coil wire is in diameter. Mattress coil gauge often ranges from 12 to 15. The higher the gauge, the thinner the coil wire and the softer and springier the feel of the bed. Coil gauge in conjunction with the thickness of the comfort layer largely determine the firmness level of a mattress.
Innerspring Mattress Comfort Layer and Quilted Top Layer Material Comparison
In addition to coils, innerspring mattresses have a comfort / upholstery layer and, over this, a cover which is usually quilted.
Comfort layer materials
1. Regular polyurethane foam. This material is widely used and its purpose is to provide softness and support. Its durability tends to be questionable; those mattresses with a thick layer of regular polyurethane foam tend to have the most sagging / compression complaints. This foam can also off gas, that is, release a chemical-like odor when it is new. A greater quantity / thickness of foam present on the mattress means a greater likelihood of noticeable and potentially bothersome off gassing.
2. Memory foam. This material is used only occasionally but is becoming increasingly common. When used, it is often used with regular polyurethane foam. Its purpose is to provide a contouring and cradling effect for the sleeper. It can be effective in reducing motion transfer and minimizing pressure points. Memory foam is more likely than regular polyurethane foam to off gas. A greater quantity / thickness of memory foam present on the mattress means a greater likelihood of noticeable and potentially bothersome off gassing. In addition, a mattress with memory foam, especially memory foam which is high density, is two to three times more likely to act as a heat trap than a mattress without memory foam.
3. Latex. This material is used occasionally and less often than memory foam. When used, it is often used with regular polyurethane foam. Its purpose is to provide pressure relief. The latex used is often blended latex, that is, a combination of natural and synthetic latex. The durability of latex that is often used in innerspring mattresses is questionable as it can develop body impressions. In addition, the latex may off gas due to synthetic content. It may also act as a heat trap, but usually not to the extent of memory foam.
Comfort Layer Comparison
| Regular Polyurethane Foam | Memory Foam | Blended Latex | |
| Durability / longevity | c | b- | c- |
| Pressure relieving | c+ | b+ | b |
| Not a heat trap | b | c | c+ |
| Motion isolation | c+ | b | b- |
| No off gassing | c+ | d | c- |
| Availability | a | c | d |
| Price | b | c | d |
Quilted Layer Materials
The following materials are commonly used for the quilt layer which is the top layer of the mattress.
1. Fire resistant fiber layer. Government regulations require a flame retarding top layer. Silk or cashmere may be included in this layer on more expensive models.
2. Regular polyurethane foam. The quilted layer often includes a soft polyurethane foam.
3. Memory foam. Some quilted layers may include memory foam.