As in, put a mattress on the matching box springs, and an identical mattress on a platform bed. Would sleeping on the former be significantly more comfortable than the latter? Would the former mattress last longer than the latter? Some other benefit?
Because my cynical impression is that the major reason for box springs is to average out the cost of the mattress to something relatively less shocking. Otherwise, why would there be all those sales that go like “Just $700 per piece*” with the asterisk leading to a small print “must buy set.”
I don’t know whether they do any good or not, but we tossed ours and I don’t notice the difference in comfort.
I strongly believe, on the basis of anecdotal evidence, that the way box springs are marketed in the US is BS. I’ve heard and read sales pitches that go so far as to say the mattress’s warranty is void if you don’t use it with the matching box spring because the box spring is so precisely calibrated to support the mattress. On the other hand, many thousands of people sleep on platform beds without any box springs at all. The fact that many of them are literally made of fabric-covered cardboard has not helped my opinion. I believe they are useful for people who want their mattresses to be higher, and that’s it.
OTOH, I would love to hear a logical explanation for the things and be shown wrong.
FTR, we now sleep on a platform bed with an old cotton futon with a 3" layer of memory foam on top and love it. We originally gave up the box spring a decade ago because we couldn’t get it up a narrow windy staircase to a new bedroom.
Thanks for the replies!
I’ve also heard that ‘you have to match the boxspring to the mattress’ and think it has to be guff. I mean, a platform bed provides solid support beneath 100% of the mattress, what else could it need?
As a short person, I find the stacked boxspring/extra-super-thick-mattress-with-additional-pillow-top just too damn high to slip into bed easily, so I’m seriously looking at a platform bed…
Now I suppose the problem will be finding a store to sell me just the mattress.
Not at all. All places sell mattresses by themselves because so many beds are set up for no box spring.
i’ve never had a box spring bed at home. while staying at hotels, b&bs, guest beds, etc i’ve never noticed the difference.
You can get a mattress designed for a platform bed at Ikea. Last time I was there, nary a box spring in sight. We actually do have an older (9 years old) mattress/box spring set from there, and it’s wonderful. But, like you, I think it’s the mattress that’s wonderful, and the box spring merely brings it to an appropriate height for my bed style.