So I'm about 280 lbs and have been through a few memory foam beds that sagged way too fast. Last month I stayed at my parents' place and slept on their old innerspring mattress from the early 2000s. I expected to hate it but honestly it felt more supportive than my current hybrid. Now I'm second-guessing if I should go back to a basic innerspring. Anyone else had this experience?
Mattresses
I tried an old innerspring mattress and liked it more than expected
That's interesting. I've always heard heavy sleepers should avoid old innersprings because the coils break down. But maybe the older ones were built with thicker gauge wire? What brand was it tbh?
I'm 310 and slept on an old Sealy Posturepedic for years. It held up better than any foam bed I've tried. The problem is finding a new one that's not junk. Most modern innersprings use thinner coils to save money.
It was a Stearns & Foster, not sure the model. My parents Said they got it in 2003. Still no visible sagging.
Old innersprings can be great if they were quality to begin with. But be careful buying used—you don't know how it was treated. Also, the comfort layers might be shot even if the coils are fine.
I had the opposite experience. My old innerspring gave me back pain after a few years. Switched to a latex mattress and never looked back. But latex is expensive.
Coil gauge matters a lot. Older mattresses often used 12.5 or 13 gauge coils. Many modern ones use 14 or 15 gauge to cut costs. For heavy sleepers, you want thicker wire.
Coilcount, do you know if any current brands still use thiicker gauge? I'm also in the market.
Some smaller brands like Saatva or WinkBeds offer heavier gauge options, but you have to check the specs specs. Also, pocket coils can be fine if they're dense enough. It's not just about gauge.
I've heard good things about Saatva for heavier folks.But I haven't tried them myself.
One thing to consider: old innersprings often had less padding, so you feel more more of the coil support. Modern pillow-tops can feel great at first but break down quickly for heavy sleepers.
That makes sense. My memory foam beds had thick comfort layers that just compressed. The old innerspring had a thin quilted cover and that was it.
Have you considered just buying a firm innerspring and adding a topper? That way you can replace the topper when it wears out.
That's a good idea. I might try that. But finding a firm innerspring that's actually firm is hard these days.
You could also look at mattresses with dual-sided firmness or ones that are flippable. They tend to have thicker coils and less foam.
Flippable mattresses are rare now. Most are one-sided. It's frustrating.