No Flip Mattresses - The Real Scoop

by: Mitch Endick

I have been in the mattress business a long time and recently many mattress manufacturers have gone to one sided mattresses, also called no flip mattresses, no turn mattresses and freedom from turning mattresses, etc. The mattress salesman must convince you, the consumer, that a one sided mattress is actually better for you. Now you don't have to turn the mattress over anymore. It saves you work and the product is actually better then a two sided mattress and should cost more. The national mattress manufacturers claim that they put more resilient materials in the one sided beds and mattresses, so the mattresses don't need to be turned. Just a note that we turn mattresses because the cushioning materials of mattresses tend to compress and form body impressions over time. Previous to the no turn mattresses, mattress manufacturers often could void your warranty if you didn't turn your mattress every so often.

So, is the no turn mattress a good deal? The answer is yes and no. In the future, we will see more and more no turn beds. First to answer the question. No, I personally feel that a no turn bed is inferior to a regular mattress that you can turn. I have sold Sealy brand mattresses for years and I have carried these heavy beds off the delievery truck for years. (I don't mean to pick on Sealy, Serta and Simmons are similar, I just have personal experience with Sealy.) You can't see inside of a mattress but one rough way that I can tell if a mattress is a good one is by weight. If a mattress weighs a ton, it has more springs, heavier duty springs and more cushioning material and less air then a mattress that is as light. A heavier mattress is just better, generally speaking. When I received my first shipment of Sealy mattresses in that were one sided, they weighed considerably less then two sided regular mattresses. I love unloading the lighter mattresses. But are they as good? Basically no. I have had national mattress manufacturer salesman confide in me that they are very worried about the longetivity of their one sided mattreses. Unfortunately for them, long warranties and one sided mattresses don't go well together. So, if you have a choice between a two sided mattress and a one sided mattress, all things being the same, go for the two sided mattress.

Lastly, unfortunately, the two sided mattress is getting rarer and rarer. The two sided mattress is a good and sound design. It helps the mattress to turn it and let the cushioning materials rest and resume their shape. But the two sided mattress costs far more to build then a one sided. Even if mattress manufacturers use better materials in the one side, which most manufacturers do, some discount manufacturers don't. The second reason that we will see more and more one sided mattresses is the California mattress fire law. There is a Federal law which governs how fire retardent a mattress needs to be. California took the fire rule much further and a mattress cannot be California legal unless it passes their stringent tests. The California test consists of two open active flames, one burning on top of the mattress and the other hitting the mattress where it sits on top of the boxspring. Well, a one sided mattress sits more flat on the boxspring while a two sided mattress has a bit of an opening where the mattress meets the boxspring. The two sided mattress lets lots more flame into the opening and ignites faster. So, in order to meet this California test, most mattresses need to be one sided. Unfortunately, this really does not mean that the two sided mattress is any different fire protection wise, it just means that it fits a bureaucratic rule. So there you have it.

About the Author

Mitch Endick
www.abefeller.com