When shopping for a mattress, you learn a lot of new terms. One of those terms is "coil count". What is coil count? It refers to the total number of coils contained in a mattress, and at some point in the mattress industry, it became a way to compare quality. But coil count is no longer that important, and here is why.

It only stands to reason that more steel means something would be more durable, and while that is true, most consumers don't take into account factors such as steel gauge, tempering, etc. However, coil count has become a giant ruse perpetrated on the public. Why? Coil count is, for the most part, almost completely irrelevant.

Recently, I stepped into a Sleep Number store (air mattress, no coils) and asked the salesperson about the density of the foam they use in their mattresses. He laughed and said it was not relevant, as the air chambers support your back. This gives you a clue about the mattress industry's motives: They don't want to talk about foam density, they want to focus you on coil count. The reason for this is because the materials companies use ABOVE the coils is what will wear out LONG before the steel coils, and it's the material above that they don't want the public going around comparing. If major brand mattress companies started divulging the density of the foams they use and the true quality of ALL the layers they use, consumers then could compare and see how inferior they really are. 

Most consumers are under the impression (pun intended) that when a mattress develops a body impression, then the coils are wearing out. And while that could be true, more often than not it is the fiber layers and foams above the coils that mash down and lose their support. 

Bottom line: Don't be fooled by coil counts. Research the density of the foams and the exact construction of the layers above the coils to discover the quality, or lack thereof, of the mattress you are consider.