Serta Pillowtop Mattress Review

The mattresses from Serta and Simmons are basically the same.  Mattresses have the same basic components and there are certain things you should look for depending on your comfort level.

A mattress is made up of several important features:

Coils
The inside is the most important part of a mattress when it comes to supporting the body.  The core of a mattress is made up of coils.  The number of coils should correspond with how much support a mattress gives.  That is, a mattress with 300 coils will provide less support than a mattress with 700 coils.  Generally speaking, the more support you want the more coils you should get.

Another point to consider is the coil gauge, or thickness.  This relates to the mattresses overall "feel".  The wire in coils comes in a range of thickness and as a rule, the lower the gauge number, the thicker and stiffer the wire and the firmer the mattress.  The higher the gauge, the thinner the wire and the softer the mattress.  Whether you want thicker or thinner coils is up to you, but a problem can arise when someone tries to sell you a mattress with a low coil count and heavy gauge wire as a firm mattress.  Such a product can quickly become lumpy because it simply doesn't have enough coils.

Box spring
The box spring is the foundation of your bed and will significantly increase the life of your mattress.  It is a common misconception that box springs are not an important part of the equation when buying a new bed.  While a mattress sitting on an old box spring might feel the same as a mattress sitting on a new box spring, the fact is that you can add up to 2/3 to the life of your mattress by using a new one.  Today's mattresses should last about 10 years.  A box spring can be a plain, fiberboard-covered wooden frame, a wooden frame containing heavy gauge springs or even a metal frame with springs.  A wood frame is only adequate if the wood is straight and free of cracks.  But remember that placing a mattress on top of a plain wooden frame can make the mattress seem stiffer than it actually is.  Corner guards are a good thing to look for on a box spring.  They protect the fabric and keep it from chafing against corners.

Ticking/Upholstery
Ticking is the mattresses outermost layer and affects your comfort level while awake.  It is usually made from polyester or a cotton-poly blend.  Some inexpensive mattresses are made with vinyl ticking, but these tend to sag before their time.  As you go up in price, ticking will have a more distinctive design.  Fancy mattresses have damask ticking woven right into the fabric (instead of just printed on top) and some even contain a bit of silk.  But The Shopping Bags see that as more of a marketing gimmick than anything else.  Look for stitching that is uniform and unbroken, as broken threads could allow fabric to loosen and pucker.  If you want to feel like you're sleeping on a feather bed while getting the support your body needs, look for a "pillow top" design.  If you want to feel like you're sleeping on a board, look for the thinnest upholstery.  Neither of these choices will lead to a poor night's sleep because the support on the inside is the same.

Middle Padding
Just below the top layer of the mattress lies middle padding, which is usually made of foam.  Look for a mattress with foam shaped like an egg carton (convoluted), rather than foam that is straight and flat. Convoluted foam helps to spread your weight over a wider surface area and should make sleeping more comfortable.  Watch out for foams that feel dry or crunchy to the touch - they won't spring back as readily.  In some mattresses, firmness varies from one area or side to another.

Insulation Padding
Insulation padding is the protective barrier around the coils, which keep you from feeling those metal springs while you sleep.  The most common insulators are made from coco pad, the fibrous matter from a coconut husk, and shoddy pad, pieces of fabric that have been glued together.  Coco pad makes a mattress stiffer.  Also look for a mattress with a plastic webbing between the insulation padding and the coils.  The webbing will keep the coils from chewing the pad above.

Handles
Handles can help you position your mattress properly on top of the box spring.  But most warranties don't cover broken handles, as they're not designed to hold the entire weight of the mattress.  Handles come in a few different designs.  The best are those that go through the sides of the mattress and are anchored to the springs.  The next best are fabric handles that are sewn vertically to the tape edging of the mattress.  And unfortunately the most common handle design is also the weakest - handles inserted through the fabric and clipped to a plastic strip.