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Understanding and Enhancing Mattress Edge Support

Written by karl the mattress guy in sydney on . Posted in Mattress thoughts.

Methods for Enhancing Mattress Edge Support

Over the years, I’ve tried several methods to improve the edge support of mattresses. Here are some of the techniques I experimented with and their respective pros and cons:

Method Details Pros Cons
Foam Edge Supports Adding dense foam to the mattress edges. Provides solid support for sitting. Can cause condensation and mold; edges soften over time.
Metal Edge Supports Using metal reinforcements along the edges. Initially provides strong support. Can bow out and tear the mattress fabric over time.
Spring-based Edge Support Incorporating strong springs along the edges. Offers firm support for both sitting and sleeping. Requires fine-tuning to balance sitting firmness and sleeping comfort.

Challenges and Trade-offs

Achieving the right balance between sitting firmness and sleeping comfort poses significant challenges. For instance, strong springs provide excellent support for sitting but can cause an uncomfortable elevation when sleeping near the edge. Reducing spring tension can make the edges more comfortable for sleeping but might reduce the support needed for sitting.

I’ve found that prioritizing sleeping comfort can lead to less firmness when sitting on the edge, which is a common trade-off that must be considered. It is essential to find an equilibrium that meets individual needs and preferences.

Optimizing Mattress Edge Support

To optimize edge support, I’ve explored various strategies, including reducing spring tension to ensure uniform comfort from center to edge and considering hybrid approaches that balance foam and spring elements. However, no single method is perfect for both sitting and sleeping.

Conclusion

I’ve concluded it’s best to fully optimize ausbeds mattresses to be slept on. This is why, when you sit on the side of an ausbeds mattress it won’t be “as good to sit on” as say, a retail matress that as foam sidewalls. However it will be better for sleeping on. I believe a mattress should be designed to sleep on first.

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Pressure Distribution: The Secret Ingredient for Mattress Comfort

Written by karl the mattress guy in sydney on . Posted in Mattress thoughts.

My apologies for that oversight. I have now included a UIkit table to summarize the key factors for achieving proper pressure distribution and mattress comfort in the HTML blog post:

Pressure Distribution: The Secret Ingredient for Mattress Comfort

When it comes to mattress comfort, one aspect often gets overlooked: pressure distribution. Yet, it plays a crucial role in achieving our ideal sleeping experience.

Why Does Pressure Distribution Matter?

Every time we lie down on a mattress, our bodyweight interacts with its springs, creating pressure points. Good pressure distribution means that these points are evenly spread across the contact area between our body and the mattress.

If the distribution is perfect, we won’t feel any specific pressure points, resulting in what many consider peak mattress performance. Conversely, an uncomfortable mattress often means that pressure isn’t being distributed properly. And achieving the right balance depends on three main factors: spring design, comfort material, and bodyweight.

Key Factors Description
Spring Design & Count Higher spring count and well-designed springs contribute to better pressure distribution and comfort.
Comfort Material Optimal comfort material thickness depends on personal preferences and bodyweight.
Bodyweight & Spring Tension Finding the right match between bodyweight and spring tension ensures comfort and proper body support.

You should also consider spring design features, such as lack of zoning and stretch fabric above the springs for better conformation. A spring system that addresses these aspects will be better equipped to distribute pressure evenly.

Finding the Right Comfort Material

…

Ultimately, achieving mattress comfort involves finding the right spring count and design, layer of comfort material, and matching your bodyweight with the spring tension. Pressure distribution is a vital element in this equation. With a well-researched approach and consultation from mattress experts, you can sleep soundly knowing you’ve found the perfect mattress for your needs.

The 3 Most Important Things You Need to Know about Mattresses

Written by karl the mattress guy in sydney on . Posted in Mattress thoughts.

The 3 Most Important Things You Need to Know About Mattresses

Hi, I’m Karl, owner of Ausbeds. Below are just my opinions. Don’t blindly believe me though; I’m also selling mattresses, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

If you are interested in crawling deeper into the rabbit hole, I’d suggest the following site: The Mattress Underground. Be warned though, the further you crawl down this hole, the longer it gets.

All content below is carefully written by myself. It comes from my years of mistakes and learning about mattresses. It comes from my extreme belief that this industry should be more transparent. I’ve got nothing to hide and everything to gain by my customers understanding the product they are buying. I aim to be a mattress company that people can rely on.

Comfort

Simple, right? Perhaps not. Many people buy a mattress and only realize when it’s too late that it’s actually not comfortable. Here are a few reasons why this happens.

Misconceptions About Firmness

Somebody told them, “A firm mattress is better for your back.” I hear this almost every day, which is why I’ve created a firm mattress that can be changed to a medium mattress by flipping the springs. You can do this yourself with any of my “6” or “8” mattresses. I’ve found that some people have very straight lower backs, and some people have very curved lower backs. Straight backs require firm springs, curved backs require softer springs. Also, people who sleep on their front require firm springs so they don’t compress their vertebrae. Most companies use foam only to change the feel. These things must be solved deeper in the mattress.

Showroom Illusions

Some people think the problem is solved if it feels good in the showroom. A few weeks later, they find that they have a sore back, often caused by a mismatching of spinal shape to springs. I have solved this problem by offering a service where you can change between all 9 of my models for the first 3 months. In many cases, this process is free. Here is a link to how that process works.

In the showroom, I can often get it right the first time when I fit somebody to a mattress. Other times, it takes some more finesse. I always encourage people to contact Ausbeds if they aren’t quite comfy. We learn something new every time we help somebody with this problem. We’re not focused on selling more; we’re focused on making sure you tell your friends that we solved your problem. This is how we get most of our business. This is why we call comfort “Adaptability.” We can adapt your mattress after purchase. It solves all of the comfort issues.

Durability

There’s no point in getting the above step right and then finding out 6 months later that the mattress is no longer in the same shape. This is the biggest post-purchase issue with mattresses. Here are the reasons why this happens.

Foam Quality

This is the biggest offender. Many people think it’s the springs. However, I own a mattress factory and know 4 other mattress factory owners. We all agree that it’s not the springs. We know because if a mattress comes back faulty, we pull it apart. The springs are always in pristine condition. In fact, I’ve never seen a pocket spring that has any signs of wear. Low-quality cage springs are another story; they wear out, but these aren’t found very often anymore.

The reason I’m telling you this is because if you know this, then you’ll realize there is only one other component that can fail: FOAM. Foam factories produce foam for a variety of reasons. The cheapest foam to produce is plastic foam. It’s plastic, with air bubbles in it. The more air, the less time the foam will last. The more air, the cheaper it is. This foam has many uses and it is great at filling those purposes. However, this foam is definitely not the right foam for mattresses.

This is a conflict of interest as mattress sellers will make MUCH more money if they sell this super airy plastic foam. And the bigger the mattress company, the more they have to gain by using this material. It’s a complicated issue and I genuinely believe larger mattress factories are not trying to swindle people. I believe the problem occurs between retailers and mattress factories. The fact is, people buy with their eyes; the bigger and thicker the mattress looks, the more people see value. So the retailer tells the factory to make the mattress thicker and cheaper. The factory does what they’ve been asked to do. The retailer doesn’t actually realize what they are doing. It’s a systemic failure, not evil people. Small factories don’t have this problem.

How do you know if you are purchasing this super airy foam? There is no way to know unless the company lists these specifications. They just don’t do this. I list all densities and sources of my materials. I use only the highest densities available on the market. Even the best materials, like the ones I use, are susceptible to wear and tear. Our bodies put this material under the full pressure of our bodies for 1/3 of our time. Throw the moisture our bodies give off into the mix and we have an environment that will wear out any foam material over time. No wonder mattress reviews are rife with upset people saying they feel like they are “laying in a ditch.”

The trick here is to understand that foam is like car tires. It wears out. If you get off-road tires for a race car, they won’t last long. You need the right foam for the job. You need to understand the life expectancy of any foam you purchase.

If you don’t want to understand any of these things, there is another way.

Simply find a mattress company you can trust. Find someone to guide you. If you travel through a jungle, you’re gonna want a guide. You don’t want a guide who’s just doing it for some extra side money. You want a guide who’s been slashing their way through the jungle for years. There’s more chance they’ll know what time the lions feed.

Signs of a Company You Can Trust

The truth is all mattress companies have access to the same materials. The real difference in different mattresses is the integrity of the company. Buying from a retailer is like throwing a dart in the dark. How are you going to get a good mattress if they don’t know what a good mattress is? Small factories usually start because a retailer will work out what makes a good mattress tick, then they’ll realize the only way to make one of these mattresses is to do it yourself.

Smaller direct-to-consumer factories have less to gain by using low-quality components. I have a small direct-to-consumer mattress factory and for me it’s much easier to use the best materials and have the easiest ways to adjust mattresses after purchase. If I really am honoring my warranties, it’s much easier to use durable materials. No offense, but I don’t want to see you again for a long time after you’ve bought a mattress and been through the adjustment process. But I do want to hear from your friends after you tell them how well the Ausbeds mattress system worked for you.

Buy from a small factory; they care more. Think independent coffee shop vs. Starbucks. I know where I’m going for a coffee.

We’ve solved the durability problem by letting customers unzip their mattress, roll up the foam layers, and bring them to the warehouse. We will supply you with new comfort layers free of charge.

There is, however, one outlier in the realm of mattress durability. This is a problem that I don’t believe I’ll ever be able to solve. And the reason is, I can’t control what you put your mattress on. Flexible slats will ruin your mattress. However, instead of going into it, here’s a link to a 1-star review I received. I received this review because the person had placed their mattress on flexible slats. I told him to leave the negative review up so I could link to it here. Read the review.

You Need to Know What the Company Will Do If Comfort and Durability Fail

Ok, to summarize: 1. It’s gotta fit your body, and 2. It’s gotta fit your body for a long time – and you’ve gotta know what the company will do if it doesn’t.

The Ausbeds System addresses all of these issues:

  • It’s gotta fit your body: Use our 3-month adjustment process here.
  • It’s gotta fit your body for a long time: Use our foam swap guarantee (make a foam swap page).

The problem with most bed frames

Written by karl the mattress guy in sydney on . Posted in Mattress thoughts.

The Problem with Most Bed Frames

Putting your mattress on a bad foundation will wreck it and your back. It can make the mattress “hammock” into the bed slats, which is why so many companies have rules for slat gaps, supporting beams, and the number of legs.

The Solution: Ensemble Bed Bases

If you want something cheap, the answer is pretty simple: get an ensemble bed base. It’s cheap and solid, and a king ensemble meets all those requirements. It will be more solid than any assembled bed frame as it’s prefabricated in one piece (or two pieces for a king).
  • I sell a king-size ensemble base for $680. I’m not trying to say buy from me; I’m saying ring around and ask for around that price. If I can do that price, others can, too.
  • More independent places will probably have these prices. Harvey Norman-style places were upwards of $1000 the last time I checked.

Avoid Bed Frames with Flexible Slats

Any bed frame in a box that you assemble (in your price range) will not meet that criteria. Any bed frame with flexible slats should not be used, ever. It’s a major contributing factor to probably 70% of the mattress problems I encounter, and I have literally done exactly this all day, every day, for 13 years. This is probably a good time to educate people about the number one thing to avoid when buying a bed base. Seems like the right spot for it.

Real-Life Examples

Whenever a customer calls me and tells me that my mattress is dipping, I ask them to move it over and send me a photo of the slats. It’s always these flexible slats. I had a lady ring me the other day, and she was quite upset. She said, “I bought your mattress 3 years ago, and now it’s sagged, and there is a firm spot going down the centre. I have to sleep in the centre of the bed where it’s comfy, and my husband has to sleep on the lounge.” Immediately, I knew what the problem was. Then she said, “I’m really upset. Your mattress is dipping, and I can’t sleep. Why can’t I buy a mattress that lasts more than three years?” She was quite upset. I told her, “I can answer your question about why the mattress is dipping on the sides, and the middle is firm if you like.” She agreed, so I said, “Move the mattress off your base. Now, pick a bed slat, move your hand 25% of the way along the slat from the outside of the bed frame’s side rail, and push it down. Now, is it flexing down?” She said, “Yes, it’s flexing down.” Then I said, “Move your hand 50% along the slat to the middle of the mattress and push down. Is it flexing down?” She said, “No, it’s not moving. There’s no flex.” I said, “Can you see why the mattress is firm in the middle and soft where you lay now?” She agreed that it makes sense. I said, “If you put your mattress on the floor, you will have even support, and you and your husband can at least sleep properly tonight while you figure out how to get a proper foundation.”

The Root of the Problem

The flexible bed slat problem plays out in many ways, but it’s always the same problem. The source of the issue is companies importing bed frames from overseas. They may be large importers of bed frames, and some larger importers may order 40-foot containers of slats. The thinner the slat, the more you can get in a container. If you make them flexible, you can fit more in a container. It’s a profit thing. And honestly, I see this problem getting worse over the years.

The Best Option

The best option is rigid pine slats and hardwood side rails, head, and foot. Quokka does excellent bed frames. I’m going to use them for inspiration for building my bed frames. In my opinion, they have the best price-to-value ratio of any bed frame in Australia. I don’t know these people, but I gotta give credit where it’s due. They cost more than $600, but if you want a long-term, sturdy bed frame that you never need to worry about again, that would be the one I would get.

Take Action Now

If you are reading this and thinking, “I wonder if my bed frame has flexible slats,” then I think you know what you need to do. You only find out when it’s too late. Get ahead of this problem. Put some 4mm hardwood ply along the middle third under the hips. This is a good solution until proper support can be found. We carry these in our delivery vehicles. We install them for free when we see these flexible slats, and then we tell people that we have slowed down the damage that will occur, but they do need to buy a new base with solid slats.

Here’s why ausbeds mattress are heavier than many other mattresses

Written by karl the mattress guy in sydney on . Posted in Mattress thoughts.

The link between mattress weight and durability

Increased Pocket Spring Density

  • Our mattresses use 1190 pocket springs, compared to the standard 768 pocketsprings found in most mattresses.
  • The higher spring density provides improved comfort and support, while still allowing for softer springs that don’t sag.
  • The increased number of springs results in a slightly heavier mattress, but offers enhanced comfort and support.

High-Quality Materials

  • Our Aurora mattress uses latex, which has a density of 70 kg per cubic metre, compared to the 30 kg per cubic metre density of plastic foam used in most mattresses.
  • Latex is known for its durability and resistance to sagging, unlike plastic foam which is a common cause of mattress sagging.
  • We choose to use latex in our mattresses for its long-lasting, sag-resistant properties.

Balancing Weight and Durability

  • The use of latex in our mattresses results in a slightly heavier product compared to those made with plastic foam.
  • However, we believe that the increased durability and sag-resistance of latex make it a worthwhile tradeoff for a longer-lasting, more comfortable mattress.

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I bought a new bed-in-a-box and it’s too firm, why?

Written by karl the mattress guy in sydney on . Posted in Mattress thoughts.

I hear this alot in the showroom, So I just thought I’d put my thoughts down regarding this. The people I spoke to today were in their 60’s. And they told me that they bought a Sleeping duck mattress. They told me they found it way too firm. And they told me that after reading online, the research told them it was one of the softer ones. It gave me the idea to attempt to dissect the events that led up to this couple in there 60’s having this exact issue. It seems like a simple question on the surface, but this one question can actually teach us quite a lot about mattress. I bought a sleeping duck and it’s too firm, why? Age and your mattress Age plays a critical role on choosing a mattress. If you ask online “what mattress should I buy”, you may get comments from people 25-35. These people have less trouble getting comfy. The younger responders may be telling the truth when they say that the sleeping duck is soft enough. I’m not saying this is what happened here, but from my observations over the years, the older we get, the more comfort we require on the mattress = the more fussy we get. I used to be able to sleep on anything. To put into context how firm the sleeping duck spring and most other springs are, I have firmnesses ranging from 2-15, 2 being softest and 15 being firmest. The way I change between the firmness ranges is by changing the springs. I have 4 springs, the firmest spring that I have is the same firmness as the sleeping duck spring. I know because I’ve cut a sleeping duck mattress open and tested. My firmest spring, is a spring I rarely ever use in a mattress. This is because giving people the choice in the showroom, they will always pick a much softer spring. Sleeping duck use a spring equivalent to a spring that would rarely be chosen in my showroom. This really isn’t surprising, all of the bed in a box companies do this, I used to do this before I really started digging into the function on of the spring. One of the reasons why this happens I believe is that when you start to develop your mattress design the spring makers are very sure that you should use very firm springs in your mattress. So, as a mattress company, you believe them. They’ve been doing this for ages, surely they know. They tell you everyone makes them firmer so the mattress doesn’t sag. It kinds makes sense, firmer springs = less sagging. This is very similar to a lot of things in life, it seems like the best way to do it, and your intentions are good, but reality has other plans. Here’s the reality, firmer springs = more sagging plus sore back, the mattress company loses and you lose.. Let me explain. The more you compress foam, the more it degrades. So you have an extremely firm spring unit, and you put some foam on it, and then you put a 75kg human on top of the foam, the foam will really compress to a huge extent at the hips and shoulders as the springs are not compressing. The more the springs compress, the less the foam compresses. Therefore, we don’t require firm springs to stop the sag, we require the right balance of spring firmness to bodyweight. Macoda have a fairly soft spring though, so if you want a bed in a box with a soft spring, maybe macoda would be a good option. I actually rate macoda fairly highly. I mean, they aren’t perfect, the amount of springs is quite low which can cause other issues. And they use all plastic foams above the springs, but so does everyone in that price range. They have a zipper cover which is great though. To put it simply, mattress in a box = springs are too firm for most people.