Bonnell Spring vs Pocket Spring

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin

Mattresses with pocket springs and Bonnell springs are both examples of “innerspring mattresses.”

The sleeper is supported by the springs or coils that comprise these mattresses’ cores. Beds with innerspring are sturdy, naturally springy, and cozy. These mattresses can support people of various weights since the springs will adjust to the curve of the sleeper’s body.

This bed can hold multiple people, while pocket springs are newer than Bonnell springs. Now, let’s see how these beds are put together.

Coil Jargon

Coil Jargon

Whether referring to Bonnell springs or pocket springs, there are several universal terminologies when discussing the coils in a mattress.

The “coil gauge” refers to the width of the wire used to create the springs. The gauge decreases as the coil becomes thicker. Most mattresses will have locks gauged between 12 and 15, so if you like a firmer sensation, search for coil gauges between 12 and 13 and between 14 and 15 for a slightly stronger, softer feel.

The “working turns” of a coil, or how many loops it creates, are another way to quantify a lock. The spring is wrapped more firmly the higher this number is. The mattress will feel softer and more durable when more wires support the sleeper’s weight.

The coil counts, or spring count, which means the number of springs in the mattress, is the final term particularly related to coils. The ideal range for a queen-sized bed is between 800 and 1000.

Several manufacturers attempt to make the case that the more coils, the better, but once you reach a certain point, this is only sometimes true. This is a small topic because so many components go into mattresses and determine their quality.

Indeed, you should steer clear of queen-size mattresses with 400 coils, but you shouldn’t overpay for a 2000-coil mattress just because it has over 1500 coils. More than simply the number of coils, various materials filling the bed and the coil size and working turns to affect the support level that an innerspring mattress offers. Don’t be fooled by the trick.

Bonnell Spring

What is a Bonnell Spring Mattress

What is a Bonnell Spring Mattress?

The oldest kind of innerspring mattress is one with Bonnell springs. The spring system is made up of an hourglass-shaped Bonnell coil linked to one another by a metal mesh. The coils are joined and curved like an hourglass to make the springs in the Bonnell bed smaller in the centre.

How Are Bonnell Spring Mattresses Usually Constructed?

The support layer, often known as the core layer, is essential to this style of mattress. To avoid piercing any more layers, the extremities of each coil are “pigtailed” and wrapped around one another. The locks are then each connected by extremely tightly “pigtailed” wires.

The stronger wire that forms up the top and bottom of the outer frame helps to provide edge support and makes it possible to sit on the bed’s outer edge without slipping off. The bed’s borders are supported by large steel brackets that are also present.

The comfort layers, frequently quilted and made of foam, wool, or other fibres, are bonded to this steel coil framework. The product is then finished by sewing up the bed’s edges and attaching the bed’s sides.

You can’t only depend on a spring count to determine whether or not a bed will be comfy for you because the quality and kind of these cushion layers also significantly impact the convenience and feel of the bed.

Pros

Although not nearly as comfortable as a pocket spring mattress, this bed supports the body uniformly and is quite resilient. It provides a comfortable feeling for those who grew up sleeping on typical spring beds. 

Most low-cost spring beds will employ a Bonnell spring system, which is significantly less expensive than the innerspring method.

Cons

The linked nature of the springs, though, may produce discomfort at pressure spots that aren’t very well supported. Because of this, you and your sleeping companion are also connected to all the springs. 

The opposite side of the mattress will feel any movement on the other side. Consider this when you or your bed companion move around often when you sleep.

Pocket Spring Mattresses

Pocket Spring Mattresses

What is a Pocket Spring Mattress?

A mattress with pocket springs features separate springs individually enclosed within a fabric pocket. To prevent the springs from becoming tangled or snagging on anything, each spring in a pocket spring mattress stands alone and is surrounded by a cotton pocket. 

They travel separately since they are not attached. These free-standing springs provide the unique benefits sleepers can appreciate in a pocket spring bed.

How Are Pocket Spring Mattresses Usually Constructed?

Although the spring-containing pockets of fabric are attached or stitched to one another, the springs are free to move independently. Apart from that, a pocket spring mattress’ structure is similar to a Bonnell spring mattress.

A comfort layer (which can vary, like the Bonnell spring) surrounds the pocketed coils on top and bottom. The comfort layer is then enclosed around the edges and sewn to create the finished product.

Pros

For couples who share a bed, this autonomous movement does minimise movement transfer, so you’re far less likely to wake your spouse when you get up to fetch a drink of water.

Also, compared to mattresses with Bonnell spring systems, pocket spring mattresses offer better comfort and pressure point alleviation since they fit more to the sleeper’s contour. 

Cons

The price of the innerspring bed is its main disadvantage. As making personal coils and pockets is more expensive than making Bonnell springs, costs for beds will often reflect this.

Be aware that pocket spring mattresses, instead of Bonnell spring mattresses, make up most innerspring beds of an ordinary to a superior level.

One further point to remember is that the pocket springs can reduce motion during sleep because the sleeper is more wholly encased in the mattress. As a result, those who move around a lot when they sleep could feel restricted and less capable of moving around comfortably.

Bonnell Spring vs Pocket Spring Mattress Feature Comparison

Pricing 

Bonnell spring

Mattresses with Bonnell springs often cost less than those with pocket springs. This is due to its decreased durability, lack of support and comfort, and poor motion isolation.

Pocket Spring

Because they are made of better materials and perform better in these areas, pocket spring mattresses cost more money.

Firmness 

Firmness 

A solid Bonnell Spring bed provides continuous support across the bed surface due to its interconnected wire coil structure.

The Pocket Spring mattress’s springs are in discrete and unconnected fabric pockets, making it less firm. This spring system provides plenty of room between the springs, making them breathable and softer.

Warranty and Shipping

Warranty

The majority of respectable mattress manufacturers provide a guarantee on their goods. The warranty period varies according to the manufacturer and the kind of mattress. Since they are built with higher quality components and are more durable, pocket spring mattresses often have a more extended guarantee than Bonnell spring mattresses.

Pocket spring mattresses often have a warranty of 10-25 years, whereas Bonnell spring mattresses typically have a 5-15 years warranty. The warranty covers flaws in the artistry and materials, but paying attention to the small print is critical to understand what is and is not covered.

Shipping:

Before buying a mattress, you should consider how it will be delivered. Most online mattress retailers provide free shipping inside the continental United States. Some vendors additionally offer white glove delivery, which involves the mattress being delivered to your place of residence, unpacked, and established for you. This service is usually charged separately.

When purchasing, it is critical to review the manufacturer’s shipping policy. Some firms may restrict shipment to specific areas or charge extra for delivery to remote places.

Sleeping Style

Sleeping Style

Bonnell spring mattresses

Some sleeping styles may benefit from the support and comfort of Bonnell spring mattresses. The following sleeping methods are typically thought to be the best for Bonnell spring beds:

  • Stomach sleepers: Bonnell spring beds are typically the ideal choice for tummy sleepers because they may give the required support to keep the hips from dipping, causing the spine to be out of alignment. A firmer Bonnell spring mattress can assist in keeping the body in a relaxed position and reducing discomfort and suffering.
  • Back sleepers: Bonnell spring beds are an excellent alternative for back sleepers since they support the spine and encourage proper alignment. An intermediate Bonnell spring bed can provide adequate support while remaining pleasant for back sleepers.

Combination sleepers: Combo sleepers who swap positions throughout the night may gain from a Bonnell spring bed since it may give support and comfort for various sleeping positions. 

Yet, selecting a relatively easy and soft mattress to support multiple sleeping positions is critical.

Children: Because they are inexpensive and may give decent comfort and support for growing bodies, Bonnell spring beds are typical for children’s beds.

Pocket spring mattresses 

Because of their capacity to give personalised support and pressure relief, pocket spring mattresses are often preferable for particular sleeping types. The following sleeping methods are typically thought to be ideal for Innerspring mattress toppers:

  • Side sleepers: Pocket spring beds are suitable for side sleepers because they offer better pressure relief and adjust to the body’s curve. Individual pocketed springs may adapt to the body’s curvature, supporting and alleviating pressure areas.
  • Back sleepers: Pocket spring beds may also give superb back support and comfort. Single-pocketed springs can provide spine support and improve proper alignment. A medium-firm Innerspring mattress can offer adequate support while being pleasant for back sleepers.
  • Combo sleepers: A pocket spring mattress may be helpful for combination sleepers who change positions throughout the night since it may offer support and comfort for various sleeping positions. The distinct pocketed springs can adapt to the body’s contour in multiple postures, delivering the required support and tension relief.
  • Couples: Pocket spring mattresses may give personalised support and motion isolation, making them an excellent alternative for couples. Each pocketed spring may respond separately to each person’s weight and motions, eliminating motion transmission and delivering a more pleasant sleep experience.
Unique Specifications

Unique Specifications

Bonnell Spring

  • Firm & Solid: The Bonnell spring system provides constant support throughout the bed surface since it comprises a network of linked spring coils. The mattress’ firmness offers stable support for the body. rewrite
  • Zero Sagging: The entwined innerspring coils provide one another with stability and prevent drooping. Any applied pressure keeps the surface level, preventing the interior springs and foam layers from drooping and deteriorating.
  • Durable: Regardless of body weight or the number of individuals using the mattress, Bonnell springs provide reliable support, and mattresses equipped with them may endure for as long as ten years.
  • Provide Steady Back Support: Its spring mechanism aids explicitly in raising and aligning the spine and surrounding muscles, giving constant back support. Suitable for those with a curvy or sensitive body type who are older or overweight.

Pocket Spring Mattress

One of the most popular mattress options in the UK is the pocket spring mattress, and for a good reason. They provide many advantages, many of which aim to enhance your sleep. We know how important sleep is to our overall health and mood. Lesser known aspects and advantages are discussed here.

  • Pressure Relief: Your body may be supported totally by them since the pocket springs function independently. It is less likely that pressure will build up in your joints and back since the springs rotate with your body weight. This mattress type can be ideal for back discomfort and other issues. The nights of insomnia are a memory!
  • Full Body Support: Thanks to the pocket springs’ customized body contouring in response to your movements, you will have total support the whole night. Moreover, they come in a range of spring counts to ensure you get the specific support you want from a mattress.
  • No Movement Transfer: Your body is supported and not distributed across the bed surface when pressure is applied since the pocket springs reside in their homes. Because of the decreased “roll-together” times with your mate, this mattress type is especially recommended if you and your partner have different weight ranges.
  • Even Firmness: This mattress type maintains constant tension throughout itself, resulting in an equal firmness, thanks to the individually contained pocket springs. Get a mattress with a higher spring count if you require the most support possible. Generally, a bed will be firmer with more pocket springs. The top layer of foam on the mattress still allows for relaxation while offering plush comfort.
Quality of Materials

Quality of Materials

Bonnell Spring

The comfort, toughness, and performance of a Bonnell spring bed can all be impacted by the materials used in its construction. While assessing the quality of the materials used in a Bonnell spring mattress, keep the following things in mind:

  • Coil quality: One of the most crucial aspects to consider when assessing the excellence of a Bonnell spring bed is the quality of the coils. Choose mattresses with high-quality steel coils, which are sturdy and offer adequate support.
  • Coil gauge: The mattress’s overall performance may be impacted by the coils’ wire thickness. While smaller wire sizes are more elastic and offer more bounce, thicker wire sizes are often more robust and provide more support.
  • Padding and comfort layers: The mattress’s level of comfort and resilience can also be impacted by the padding and comfort layers. Choose beds with high-quality latex, foam, or other materials for support and pressure alleviation.
  • Fabric quality: The mattress’s performance and durability may be impacted by the quality of the material used to cover it. Seek beds with breathable, long-lasting textiles that are simple to care for.
  • Edge support: The performance and overall durability of the mattress might be impacted by the edge support’s quality. Search for beds with strengthened edges to avoid drooping and offer sturdy support.

Pocket Spring

  • Padding and comfort layers: The mattress’s level of comfort and resilience can also be impacted by the padding and comfort layers. Choose beds with high-quality latex, foam, or other materials for support and pressure alleviation.
  • Fabric quality: The mattress’s performance and durability may be impacted by the quality of the material used to cover it. Seek beds with breathable, long-lasting textiles that are simple to care for.
  • Edge support: The performance and overall durability of the mattress might be impacted by the edge support’s quality. Search for beds with strengthened edges to avoid drooping and offer sturdy support.
  • Wire gauge: The thickness of the wire used in the pocket springs can also impact how well the mattress works. Generally, thicker wire gauges are more robust and offer more support, whereas thinner wire gauges are more flexible and offer more bounce.
  • Padding and comfort layers: A mattress’s level of support and comfort can also be influenced by its padding and comfort layers. For beds that offer good comfort and pressure relief, look for those made of high-quality foam, latex, or other materials.

You may also impact the fabric chosen to cover the mattress’s functionality and durability. Seek beds with breathable, long-lasting, and simple-to-care-for textiles.

  • Edge support: The performance and overall durability of the mattress might be impacted by the edge support’s quality. Search for beds with strengthened edges to avoid drooping and offer sturdy support.

Overall Comfort

The capacity of a mattress to alter the surface structure under heat and pressure determines its conformance. Based on how much of your body comes in contact with the bed’ top surface, it will conform to your body like a bodysuit. 

Orthopedic sufferers or those with tight back muscles and bones benefit from a mattress that adapts to the body’s shape. You must thus compare the conformance rate of the Bonnell and pocket spring beds.

  • Coils in Bonnell spring mattresses are linked to one another. Because of this, no matter how much pressure or heat you apply, it won’t conform much since the force you use will be transmitted to the coils around them.
  • The coils of pocket spring mattresses are not linked. Hence, only the locks that are under pressure will compress. These mattresses can give a high conformance level since the force won’t be transferred to the neighbouring coils.

Best Suited For 

Mattresses that need support have innerspring. This means that when you lie on a bed, your body, especially the parts around your spine, gets enough support to maintain good posture. Our back needs support to keep the slight bend that our spine is intended to have.

The two types of springs are intended to help your back, but Bonnell springs give constant, solid support throughout the entire bed, whereas pocketed springs give you a customised level of support since each spring is shaped to fit your unique body. 

Hence, pocket spring mattresses offer tailored support, whereas Bonnell springs provide more substantial support.

Sleep Temperature

The Bonnell Spring mattress will therefore be the most ventilated or breathable bed among the various mattress kinds. Its design provides so much room for ventilation that the mattress remains permeable, and the temperature is maintained throughout the year.

In the same way, as Bonnell spring mattresses have enough space for air to travel through them and prevent heat from being trapped within, pocket spring mattresses are likewise highly breathable and temperature sensitive.

Thus, the Bonnell Spring bed is the most ventilated or permeable mattress among the numerous mattress kinds. Its design provides so much room for ventilation that the mattress continues to be absorbent and that the temperature is constant throughout the year.

Because the Bonnell-like design of pocket springs allows for enough airflow and prevents heat buildup inside the mattress, pocket spring mattresses are also exceptionally breathable and temperature sensitive.

Are There Certifications for Different Types of Coil Mattresses?

The coils themselves lack any special approvals. Steel is typically used to make coils. The locks may occasionally contain steel, manganese, carbon, and steel wire. 

Although this alloy is quite durable, as was already said, the comfort layers often degrade much more slowly than the coils. 

Yet, since these metals don’t release dangerous gasses, coil safety regulations are optional.

You will notice that particular mattresses have specific certifications for these materials because both types of mattresses also employ different fabrics for the comfort layers. 

Products made of textiles that have earned the worldwide OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification are devoid of contaminants that harm human health.

Other standards, like GECA, clarify that the goods carrying this mark are healthier for people and the environment. These requirements may not apply to all Australian beds, but those that do can offer you that piece of mind.

Mattress differences between Bonnell and Pocket Springs

A common query from clients distinguishes a Bonnell spring from a pocket spring. Here is a little explanation to help you comprehend how they differ.

One of the first spring mattress technologies to hit the market was the Bonnell spring system mattress. The term “inter-connected wire coil technology” describes Bonnell spring coils. Due to the inner coil construction, these mattresses typically have a firmer feel. This spring arrangement is more likely to detect motion since the wires are interconnected.

Hence, when somebody moves solely on a single side of the bed, it’s possible for the person at the other end to feel the movement on the bed as well. 

However, the springs used to construct pocket spring mattresses are not linked to one another. As a result, mobility is impossible. One partner may not feel the other move if both toss and turn on the bed.

A Pocket Spring Mattress Is More Expensive Than a Bonnell Spring Mattress.

  • In contrast to Bonnell mattresses, which have springs that move in unison, pocket mattresses can support a variety of body contours. On the other hand, the Pocket mattress’ springs move independently.
  • Mattresses with the Pocket spring system, as opposed to those with the Bonnell spring system, feature distinct fabric Pockets covering each coil unit. A mattress with such a spring structure lowers disruptions to sleep by minimising movement throughout the bed when one person moves on one end of the mattress.
  • Pocket spring systems also offer enough support for the entire body, with each pocket coil reacting uniquely to the various pressure locations and body weights. Comparing Bonnell and Pocket mattresses, the former is a little softer.
  • The Pocket mattress’s air volume circulation ensures a restful sleep and a cozy bed temperature. The Bonell mattress’ springs are connected, whereas the springs in the Pocket bed are not, which is the main distinction between the two mattresses.

Final Thoughts

There are a few factors to consider when choosing springs since they affect how comfortable your mattress feels differently. Yet, there are other sorts of mattresses besides innerspring ones; look at the many foam bed varieties frequently offered here.

Was this article helpful?
YesNo

Share:

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Sarah Williams

Sarah Williams

We help customers with the latest and up to date sleep health information. If you are interesting in picking the best products for your home to assist with sleep we have you covered.

Related Reading

The content on this website is for informational purposes only

Looking for Something Specific?

Fusce placerat pretium mauris, vel sollicitudin elit lacinia vitae. Quisque sit amet nisi erat.