The general consensus amongst the public is that mattress manufacturers and retail salespeople make things up at will, to bring sales their way.  True or not, sometimes things are made up that can actually benefit you.  I’m talking about the “plush-firm” by Beautyrest and BeautySleep.  Simmons came up with this new feel to further refine their beds and make them easier to choose and buy.  That’s right, easier.  Who knew!?!

It’s frustrating when you go to a mattress store, or shop online, and there are a bunch of different comfort level descriptions and arbitrary scales that don’t really tell you much.  For many brands, there is just a firm, a plush, and a pillow top.  But what does that really tell
you about the feel of the bed?  Nothing.  Other brands have expanded to include feels such as luxury firm, cushion firm, ultra plush, etc., but what does this tell you?  Nothing.  This is because most manufacturers change the feel of the mattress by changing the padding; they use firmer padding, or add more cushion, depending on the comfort profile that they are trying to achieve.

But not Beautyrest.

Beautyrest actually changes the coil system.  They use a firmer coil system for their plush-firm beds, and a softer coil system for their plush beds.  In fact, there is no difference between the padding for the plush-firm and plush models, just the coil difference.  Why is this important?

For many years, Beautyrests were known as very firm mattresses, due to their durable, firm, and supportive coil systems.  However, this feel was not always pleasing to those who liked a softer bed, without feeling the firmer coils underneath.  Beautyrest found a way to keep their coil systems supportive, while providing that softer feel.  Enter the softer coil system in the plush version mattresses.  But what about those who liked the firmer feel of the coils?  We’ll just call it plush firm, since it’s a plush top over a firm coil, and call it a day.  Brilliant!

So instead of going with a manufacturer who just changes their padding to make the bed softer or firmer, check out a brand that actually changes the whole support of the bed to give you the feel that you want.  This is also true with their plush-firm pillow tops, euro tops, and box tops.  All the way up the line, the plush-firm beds have a firmer coil, while the plush beds have a softer coil.

FYI, BeautySleep, while they don’t change the actual coil, does have beds with a plush-firm feel; it’s the Anthem and the Remix, for those on a budget, who still want that great in between feel.