The top-level configuration mattresses that celebrities love, often cost hundreds of thousands to millions. Is it a fool and a lot of money or is it really worth the expensive price?
In order for everyone to buy the right mattress, today I will talk to you about why some mattresses are so expensive, are they really good, and what are the differences between mattresses at different prices?
I. Are mattresses all the same?
Those of you who have experience in decoration must know that picking a mattress is a tiring and embarrassing thing. There are dozens of mattresses of each brand lined up in the mattress stores, and it seems that they are quite comfortable to try to lie down in turns, and there is no difference in sleep in those few minutes.
Every time sales asks you “Are you comfortable?”, you can only answer “Ok, let’s see.”
Indeed, these mattresses all feel the same at first. In fact, when you actually live in and sleep on that mattress for many years, you will realize what it means to “know your horsepower from afar”.
Since you won’t be able to see the difference for a while, it’s better to first understand the pros and cons of the four main types of mattresses on the market over a long period of time.
Spring Mattress
Spring mattresses have the longest history and mature technology. Due to different internal spring structures, there may be problems such as loud turning noise and easy collapse.
Latex Mattress
Natural Latex mattress is environmentally friendly, with good elasticity, but it is easy to oxidize and cannot be exposed to the sun.
Sponge Mattress
The elasticity and impact resistance of sponge mattresses are suitable, but they are easily deformed.
Palm Mattress
Palm mattresses are dry, breathable, and rot-resistant, but they are not well protected and are easily moth-eaten, so they are generally hard.
After comparing the advantages and disadvantages of mattresses, it should be possible to judge that the overall durability and universality of spring mattresses and latex mattresses are better than pure sponge and palm mattresses.
As for why the price range of mattresses in the same category is so large?
Those mattresses that cost more than ten dollars are actually soft cushions, such as pure sponge and latex cushions, which are generally laid on hard bed beds to increase the softness. I won’t go into details here.
There are too many doorways in the mattress of the thousand yuan level and above, so I will talk to you now.
II. Where are the mattresses expensive?
Filler material
In the mattress classification we mentioned above, we have actually mentioned the main materials of most mattresses, or the types of filling materials. Generally cheap mattresses, materials will be relatively simple. For example, a single material mattress such as pure sponge and latex; or a composite material mattress that is supported by springs and simply wrapped with sponge and latex.
The more expensive mattresses, in addition to selecting higher quality, thicker and more durable types of similar materials, will also use some rare materials, such as horsetail hair, cashmere and so on.
Composite material mattresses consisting of springs, latex, cotton, etc.
The overall elasticity and comfort of latex mattresses are better and more popular than sponge mattresses. Although they are all latex, whether they are natural latex or synthetic latex, the difference is big.
First of all, let me remind you that there is no such thing as “100% pure latex” in the mattress industry, because pure latex refers to the juice of oak trees, that is, a pool of raw liquid, you can’t sleep on it.
Freshly Harvested Oak Sap
The latex that can be made into a mattress is made of foamed materials, and after processing, it can be turned into a three-dimensional material to make a mattress. The latex content of a high-quality natural latex mattress should be at least 90%.
The general content of 92% is already very high-quality and can meet the needs of most people. The maximum content is 94%, the support will be stronger, and the price will naturally be more expensive.
Pale Yellow Natural Latex
If you want to buy a real natural latex mattress, I recommend choosing a light yellow mattress first, and it feels smooth and delicate and has good resilience. If the mattress is very white, the rebound is slow, or the tag contains the words “styrene-butadiene rubber”, there is a high probability that it is synthetic rubber.
Latex mattresses are in the same price range, I think “moderately soft and hard + dry and breathable”, which are much better than sponge mattresses and palm mattresses at the same price. The resilience of latex is really just right, and it is well accepted by both elders and young people.
Latex Mattress in Bedroom
As for many top mattresses, why not give up the cost-effective latex, but choose horsetail hair, cashmere and other materials as the main filling materials, I summarize the following two points.
Natural & Durable
Although latex is already very natural, an additional 10% of chemicals are added to make a mattress. However, the pursuit of excellence of luxury brands is that they do not accept this 10%. Materials such as ponytail hair and cashmere that are completely from nature are the perfect 100% natural materials in their hearts, and they will not oxidize like latex.
To add a little knowledge, high-end violin bows must be made of ponytail hair. Repeated pushing and pulling friction will not damage it, and it can also ensure the purity of the sound. It is conceivable that ponytail hair is indeed soft and tough, and it is too durable!
Therefore, these top mattress brands can guarantee that the mattress will not be damaged, and will automatically contact you for maintenance every 15-20 years. The ponytail hair will be dry cleaned and fluffy, and the old bed will be replaced with a new one. Of course, the mattress will be durable!
Natural Air Conditioning
In addition, ponytail hair, cashmere, and wool are all the same in nature. They are actually the hair on animals, so these materials will be like the hair on our bodies, and they will naturally have the functions of heat dissipation and moisture removal.
Moreover, the ponytail hair is still hollow, just like a ventilation system built into the mattress, which can make the mattress dry immediately. It is not afraid to lie on the mattress when you sweat in summer, and it can also reduce the generation of mites. When the sleeping temperature is right, people will naturally sleep better and enter deep sleep faster.
Mattress pad stuffed with ponytail hair, wool, cotton.
However, the cost of obtaining these materials is too high. For some brands, a mattress consumes at least 10 kilograms of ponytail hair, but a horse can only cut its ponytail once a year, and can only take the middle section, which is very difficult to obtain.
Spring Structure
Now that we’ve learned so many little secrets about the material, let’s take a look at the mattress structure that also plays a key role in the sleep experience.
The long-term support inside the mattress is actually the spring, and the structure can be basically divided into two categories.
Whole Net Spring
Connect all the springs into a piece to provide hard support, high durability, more suitable for people who prefer hard beds, but poor anti-interference, easy to abnormal noise, high maintenance cost.
Separate Pocket Springs
Each spring is independently installed in the non-woven fabric, and the force is uniform, the anti-interference is good, it is not easy to have abnormal noise, and the production cost is higher than that of the whole mesh spring.
★ Summarize ★
In general, if you like to sleep on a hard bed, and you are not afraid that the other party will turn over and make a sound to wake you up, you can choose an economical mattress with a whole mesh spring structure. If you are particularly afraid of being woken up and like a mattress with moderate hardness, it is better to choose a mattress with independent pocket springs. That is pocket spring mattress.
But still in the same sentence, the springs are placed under the filling layer, which is thickly covered with a layer of sponge or latex. When you try to sleep, you can’t see or feel the quality and density of these springs. Buy a mattress In addition to asking more, you should choose a reliable brand.
The Internal Structure of Some Sponge Spring Mattresses
My own experience in the past is the “natural latex + independent pocket spring” mattress. After sleeping for a long time, there will be a sunken nest in the place where I often sleep. If you want to prolong the service life, don’t sleep in the same place. The mattress can be turned over.
What is the structure of the top brand mattress?
In terms of springs, they are also the preferred “individual pocket springs”, but their mattresses have a distinct characteristic of being extra thick.
Mattress Layering Details
Putting so many ponytail hairs is not to show off the money, but because the ponytail hair itself has elasticity, which is equivalent to natural springs, which is equivalent to adding countless miniature small springs to the mattress, and it has a dead-end bearing with the tightly connected body. Support, comfort and durability are high, and of course, the price is high.
Mattress Craft
To put it bluntly, the process of mattress is to assemble the various materials above, including springs, to make a mattress. The combination of so many materials requires precise and tight fitting. Most of the assembly processes on the market are “glue spraying”.
A better mattress will try to use formaldehyde-free hot melt glue to reduce the use of glue, because glue is one of the sources of formaldehyde in mattresses. But the price difference between good glue and bad glue is at least 2 times. Those who only want to save costs can imagine what glue they will use.
After all, mattresses are used for sleeping, and we spend 1/3 of our time on them. You don’t want to be dreaming beautifully while breathing formaldehyde, so you really need to choose a brand with guaranteed quality control.
How do luxury mattresses solve it? They just try their best to make a mattress for you by hand, guaranteeing infinitely close to 0 formaldehyde.
Hand Stitched
Take the “independent pocket springs” that are used in better mattresses as an example. Generally, businesses use machines to continuously spray a series of spring belts like an enema, and then seal them with glue.
The springs of the top mattress brands are individually packed in their own non-woven bags, which are truly independent. After they are sewn, they are manually installed into the bed frame one by one.
Including the ponytail hair we mentioned above, there is a professional name for finishing ponytail hair called “horsetail hair groomer”. How a novice combs horse hair to make a flat and elastic cushion, learning plus training At least 3 years before you can work independently on the workbench.
Horsetail hair that must be handled by hand.
Not to mention that there are also masters who specialize in knotting mattresses, and masters who are specially responsible for sewing the waist of the mattress. Just like a high-definition dress, a button is made by a dedicated person and a dedicated team. Assembly is one aspect, and the fabrics of expensive mattresses also tend to be hand-cut rather than machine-cut.
The reason is similar to tailoring. When an experienced craftsman touches the fabric and holds scissors, he or she can make a more sensitive judgment than a machine that does not think, to ensure the symmetry of the fabric pattern and the accuracy of the size.
The blue and white plaid design is not only simple and beautiful, but also facilitates the cutter to compare the size.
In fact, this is not to say that mechanized production is not good. If there is no machinery, the cost will not be reduced, the efficiency will not be improved, and it will not be able to meet such a large demand for us, so that more people can enjoy the comfort of mattresses.
But like the top mattress brand, it still insists on using long and meticulous hand-making. Several craftsmen repeatedly iterate the skills passed down from generation to generation, and it takes a year to make dozens of mattresses that satisfy them.
In the mainstream of the industry that pays attention to increasing sales and delivering goods quickly, they are both extravagant and self-willed, and they can’t do it without perfectionism.
III. The essence of a good mattress
Finally, let’s review again, why are some mattresses so expensive, are they really good, and what’s the difference between them?
High Security
The better the mattress, the tighter the material control, the more durable and the safer.
High Adaptability
A good mattress will spend more attention on the matching of materials and the structure of the spring. In addition to being soft and comfortable for the human body, it also considers the temperature of the human body sleeping on it, so as to improve the efficiency of dehumidification and heat dissipation, allowing people to sleep until they wake up naturally.
More Invisible Costs
Expensive mattresses will be made by hand instead of machines as much as possible, which requires more labor costs and more time, and can achieve more extreme results.
Of course, in the end, the choice of mattress still has to return to suit your needs. Like renting a house, I will try to choose a cheap mattress. Anyway, if I sleep for 1-2 years, I may change the place, and there is no need to be too expensive.
But it is different when you have your own home. The requirements for comfort and durability will be higher. If you are willing to buy more expensive mattresses, it is best to choose a brand with good after-sales service.