As you can see from the list above, there are no petroleum products, no foam, and no glues included in this mattress. With the exception of the steel coils, it is made of all natural materials.
Below is a good look at the horsehair (the black fibers); you can see the natural wool fleece above and below the horsehair. In our mattress, horsehair was used in both the comfort and support layers of the bed, and used in the foundation as well.
Construction
All of the layers of the Vispring mattress are compressed with hand-stitched cords called functional tufting. These travel through the entire mattress, anchoring it together without the use of glues. You might see what looks like tufting on cheaper mainstream mattresses, but it is almost always merely decorative, and serves no practical purpose.
Almost every aspect of the Vispring mattress is constructed by hand to your specifications. Layers are stacked by hand, covers are sewn by hand. Workmen and women use long needles to puncture the layers and create the tufting. Huge sewing machines are use to stitch the sides and top together and enclose the mattress.
Stitching on the side of the mattress isn't decorative either; These stitches travel throughout the layers of the mattress as well, lending stability and structure to the edge. Craftspeople use nine-inch long needles to pierce the sides, anchor the progressive layers of material, and cinch everything together.
This mattress is heavy with so much steel and natural materials. Vispring includes sturdy handles to help move the mattress.
Comfort & Feel
There are three aspects that make up our assessment of comfort and feel. We call these "preference-based characteristics" because no rating here is better or worse – rather, the attributes that are most desirable to you will be determined solely by your personal preferences. We apply the same classification standards to each mattress so you can more easily compare apples to apples.
Softness ( what’s this )
The Vispring can be customized (on both sides of the mattress) in one of four firmness levels: extra firm, firm, medium, and soft. Customers work with their Vispring representative to find the right level for each side. The company achieves the variations by changing the gauge of the springs; comfort layers remain the same.
The bed we tested was configured with Medium and Soft sides. Because the mattress isn't "one size fits all" we can't give it a classification as we typically do for mattresses available in a single version.
Cushioning Depth ( what’s this )
Although the mattress appears thick and squishy to the eye, we found cushioning depth to be shallower than average, imparting a more floaty feeling. This definitely is not a mattress that swallows you. It's soft on top, but our tester never felt trapped or stuck in the mattress. Shallower cushioning depth also translates into good ease of movement (see repositioning below).
| Cushioning Depth (1=Shallowest, 9=Deepest) |
4 | Shallower than average cushioning |
Responsiveness ( what’s this )
| Response Rate (1=Slowest, 9=Fastest) |
8 | Fast recovery, lots of bounce |
Back Support & Pressure Relief
The two things that you should always be sure to get from your mattress are spinal alignment (commonly thought of as "back support") and pressure relief. Unfortunately, no mattress will deliver these two things equally well for all sleepers. In particular, spinal alignment and pressure relief capabilities will vary across sleepers with different weights, body shapes, and sleep positions. To help you determine how this mattress will perform for you, we break down our spinal alignment and pressure relief assessments by sleeper type.
Spinal Alignment
The key to good back support is maintaining proper spinal alignment while you sleep. This means that the mattress should hold your spine in roughly the same position it's in when you're standing. The ability of a given mattress to do this will generally depend on your weight, sleep position, and body shape.
Because the Vispring mattress is custom ordered, buyers work closely with their representative so their support needs are met.
The Vispring Signatory Superb we tested was configured with a Medium side and a Soft side. For our 200-pound tester, he preferred the Medium side as a back sleeper. He found his hips sinking perfectly into the bed, while the mattress reached up to support his lumbar area. If you are primarily a side sleeper, we felt the Soft configuration would work best. All of this will depend on your preferred sleep style, your weight, and the shape of your body.
Because the Vispring can be configured in this way, and isn't "one size fits all" it should suit the widest variety of sleepers of any size. Even those on the heavy end of the weight spectrum should do very well on this mattress due to its customized support and excellent construction.
Pressure Relief ( what's this )
When a mattress pushes back against your body with too much force in a concentrated area, the result can be pain, soreness, loss of circulation, excessive tossing, and other problems. In general, such "pressure points" are of greatest concern for side sleepers, since that's the position in which your body's weight is distributed over the smallest surface area. To find the right mattress for your needs, keep in mind that the pressure-relieving capabilities of any given mattress will vary depending on the sleeper. Factors like your weight and body shape (e.g., broader shoulders and/or hips) will determine how far you sink into the mattress, and the pressure relief offered by that mattress will vary widely at different depths.
Mainstream mattresses typically achieve pressure relief through the use of latex foam or memory foam, which can have excellent pressure-relieving qualities. The Vispring mattress has no foam at all, but our tester found pressure relief to be remarkable. The compressed layers of wool and particularly the horsetail, did an excellent job cushioning the pointy parts of our tester's body--his shoulders and hips--while on his side. He did find he preferred the Soft side for pressure relief/side sleeping.
Other Features
Beyond the preference-based characteristics of comfort and feel, and the body matching for spinal alignment and pressure relief, a mattress will have a number of other attributes that can make it a better or worse choice for you. We call these "priority-based characteristics" because they are areas in which a mattress can be better or worse, but that will have differing amounts of importance to each sleeper. So, determining how much importance to give to these features will be entirely a matter of your own personal priorities. As always, we apply the same ratings standards to each mattress so you can more easily compare apples to apples.
Motion Isolation ( what’s this )
With a bowling pin standing upright on the Vispring Signatory Superb bed, we tested motion isolation by dropping a 16-lb. bowling ball on it, as well as the whole weight of our 200-lb. tester. With the bowling ball, the pin wiggled slightly but didn't fall.
When our tester dropped his weight on the bed, however, the pin did fall. This isn't too surprising, given that there are 7,000 coils in this mattress plus its foundation. The coils are pocketed, meaning that they can compress individually. However, all the internal parts of the mattress are stitched and attached to each other, so the bed does move more as a unit.
We felt that the Vispring would be a good choice for those who don't want to feel a partner's movements, but if you are very sensitive to this or very easily disturbed, it could be a deal breaker.
| Motion Isolation Rating | 6 /10 | Good but not the best |
Temperature ( what’s this )
If you tend to "sleep hot" this aspect may be a priority for you. Innerspring mattress are usually a great choice for air flow and heat dissipation, and the Vispring mattress really excels. It's many layers of natural materials are highly breathable, and its pocketed coil layers are made mainly of air between the coils.
We found air flow to be exceptional. Vents are built into the side of the mattress, allowing warm air to exit, and cooler air to flow in. You can feel air puffing out as you sit and move around on the mattress.
If you have a known issue of overheating on other mattresses, we think the Vispring would be an excellent solution.
| Stays “Cool” Rating | 10 /10 | Exceptional |
Edge Support ( what’s this )
If you find yourself often pushed to the very edge of your mattress, this could be a priority for you. Both sitting and laying on the edge, our tester felt stable and supported. Because the Vispring mattress has a significant "crown" -- that is, the middle of the mattress puffs up higher than the edge -- our tester did feel a bit of that angle, but the edge holds up well. Note that these images are from sitting and laying on the Soft side. On the Medium side, edge support was even better.
| Edge Support Rating | 9 /10 | Excellent |
Ease of Repositioning ( what’s this )
Ease of movement was very good on the Vispring Signatory Superb mattress according to our tester, owing to the firm support and shallower than average cushioning of the bed. Our tester had no trouble at all changing sleeping positions, moving around, or getting in and out of the bed.
| Repositioning Rating | 9/10 | Excellent |
Green Features ( what’s this )
For mattress shoppers concerned with the use of natural materials, sustainable manufacturing practices or the like, we offer our subjective evaluation of any efforts taken by the company to make the mattress more green, healthy, or safe.
You cannot find a much more natural mattress than the Vispring bed. As discussed in the Construction section above, its comfort materials include Shetland wool fleece from British-raised sheep, genuine horsehair, cashmere, bamboo, and organic cotton. The company details the sourcing behind each material, and aims to use locally produced materials to reduce carbon footprint. The wool comes from 100% certified British sheep, so shipping distance is minimized. The company makes their own steel coils in its Plymouth, England factory.
The steel in the coils is not a 'natural' material in that it is mined and refined, however it is free of chemicals that smell or off-gas. No glues or chemical coatings are used in the materials or fabrics; the mattress is held together with functional tufting and metal hogties. The foundation support is made of wood sourced from sustainable forests, steel, and horsehair.
Those working at the company's factory are highly trained and specialized craftspeople, and the company says that often, generations of families will work for Vispring. If fair-wage work is a priority to you, Vispring excels in this area, using as much local labor as possible.
If the use of natural materials and chemical-free construction is a priority for you, the Vispring mattress is certainly an excellent choice.
| Green Rating | 10 /10 | Unique array of natural materials, no glues or chemical coatings |
Adjustable Base Compatibility ( what’s this )
We did not test the Vispring mattress with an adjustable base. However, the company does offer an adjustable version of its divan foundations, made to support the heavy weight of its mattresses.
Price, Value & Longevity
How Much Does a Vispring Signatory Mattress Cost?
Prices shown are list prices. Remember that GoodBed keeps our site current with the best available discounts on all online mattresses, many of which are exclusive discounts for our readers.
| Size | Dimensions |
Mattress only (price will vary depending on customization) |
| Twin | 39" x 75" x 11" | $13,700 |
| Twin XL | 39" x 80" x 11" | $14,600 |
| Full (Double) | 54" x 75" x 11" | $17,400 |
| Queen | 60" x 80" x 11" | $21,100 |
| King | 76" x 80" x 11" | $27,500 |
| California King | 72" x 84" x 11" | $27,500 |
What Are You Getting?
The history and legacy of the Vispring company is as much a part of your purchase as the mattress itself. This is a company that's been making luxury mattresses in much the same way since 1901, a company that outfitted all of the first class cabins on the Titanic, a company that pioneered the use of pocketed steel coils in mattresses.
You are getting a mattress that's customized entirely for you and your partner, from 58 types of spring coils, to 90 fabric and upholstery choices. You work with your Vispring representative to specify the right support and comfort levels for you, and only then is the mattress made for you in a factory in England.
Aside from the steel springs, almost all of the materials in the bed are natural, from Shetland wool and fleece, to Turkish cotton, Chinese silk and horsetail from Austria. The layers of the mattress are hand-stitched and hog-tied together without the use of glues or chemical coatings. The mattress itself is 9" tall on the sides, but domes an extra 2" in the middle, owing to the compressed layers of wool batting and curled horsehair.
How Long Will the Vispring Mattress Last?
The Vispring mattress is meant to be your last mattress purchase. There are no materials in this bed that are going to break down significantly. Many of the beds we review are using newer materials like petroleum-based foams, that just don't have a long track record. But that's not the case with the Vispring mattress, whose materials have been tried and tested for more than a century.
Overall Value
It's hard to assess the value of the Vispring Signatory Superb mattress, as it simply exists in a class almost by itself. Assuming that a $30,000 mattress and foundation is in your price range, we do think you are purchasing a mattress that will truly last a lifetime, and one that's tailored from the start for your specific needs. If you value the history and legacy of a company that's been around for a century, and will likely be around for another century, and value a company with highly trained and specialized craftsmen, then the Vispring mattress may be worth consideration. Each mattress takes up to 40 hours to construct, with impeccable attention to detail through the entire process.
So, in many ways including value, it's simply difficult to compare with Vispring mattress with mainstream beds at all. For that reason, we are not giving it a GoodBed Value Rating, as we do for pre-made mattresses you might order online.
Other Factors to Consider
The Vispring mattress includes a 30-year warranty that goes beyond warranting the mattress against defects. Your Vispring representative will provide personalized service to make sure you are always happy with your bed.
Shipping and delivery will depend on the store where you purchase the mattress. Vispring mattresses are available in department stores and luxury bedding shops. A store locator will guide you to a showroom near you.
