Bonnell Spring vs. Pillow Top

Bonnell Spring

Bonnell spring mattress systems are the most traditional type of innerspring mattress. The Bonnell coil has an hour glass shape (wider at the bottom and the top than the middle) and are interconnected with a mesh of metal to make the spring system.

In many traditional innerspring mattresses from the 20th century and still some entry level models today have used the Bonnell spring to create durable and supportive mattresses.

Though this system is good at providing even support, there are complaints of aggravated pressure points and discomfort with Bonnel spring systems.

Pros: Durable materials and traditional even feel.

Cons: Pressure point discomfort and motion transfer issues.

Pillow Top

A pillow top is a surface layer of soft material that is stitched and packed into the cover. This provides a soft as a cloud feel to the surface of the mattress.

There are multiple types of pillow tops, though the most popular recently is a memory foam pillow top. A memory foam pillow top has a thin layer of soft memory foam that is stitched into the cover. Though memory foam is a popular material for pillow tops, you can also find them with latex, cotton, cashmere, wool, or goose down/feathers.

Pillow top mattresses generally have spring support systems in the middle of the mattress, though there could be a pillow top on a memory foam mattress as well (it is just not very common).

Pros: A plush feel on the top of the mattress that pillows the body on top of the support layers.

Cons: The pillow top alone will not make a good bed -- the materials used in the pillow top and the rest of the mattress can sag or have issues if they are lower quality.

Learn More About Bonnell Spring

Learn More About Pillow Top

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Material Scores

Overall Score:
Bonnell Spring: 8.7/10
Pillow Top: 8.9/10

Comfort:
Bonnell Spring: 8.7/10
Pillow Top: 9/10

Softness:
Bonnell Spring: 8.4/10
Pillow Top: 9.4/10

Cooling:
Bonnell Spring: 9.5/10
Pillow Top: 8.2/10

Hypoallergenic:
Bonnell Spring: 9.4/10
Pillow Top: 8.5/10

No Odor:
Bonnell Spring: 9.4/10
Pillow Top: 8.8/10

General Support:
Bonnell Spring: 8.9/10
Pillow Top: 8.3/10

Eco-Conscious:
Bonnell Spring: 8.7/10
Pillow Top: 8.5/10

Price Value:
Bonnell Spring: 8.4/10
Pillow Top: 8.3/10