Quote "The foam wrapped in poly will be firmer and will hold shape. Don't need fluffing and turning as often. Can be very firm to start but will soften over time" This is not true of a HR foam, that has a density of 2.0 and higher. HR foam doesnt loose its support factor even after sitting on for many years. This only applies to cheaper polyurethane foam less than 1.8 density, which will soften with use. And will continue to soften till thats not much left.

A spring core will maintain the look over a longer time as it will not break down like foam will. The only con to the spring is they are typically not as firm as a foam cushion can be. So if you are looking for a firm seat that will hold its� shape over the years you would want to go with the densest foam you can buy and will typically be looking at a custom company for this type of offering ( IE Bassett or higher). If you want a seat with more give then go with the springs as they are far less susceptible to wearing down and you can get these in mid line furniture (Jackson Furniture or higher). With most of you low end companies, if they offer springs, use a cheap spring that will not hold up and the foam they use is cheap. They cut corners to keep the cost down.

I can't address Bassett cushions specifically, but generally the industry all uses the same basic format, and from your description you are telling me that you are looking to buy a down-wrapped cushion, not a spring down. Most furniture builder outsource their cushions, so they're pretty commonplace among the major suppliers. Down 'leaking' is a thing of the past, as any maker has down-proof ticking surrounding the actual down itself. As for 'packing down', it sure does take a long time for that to happen, I've seen down cushions routinely go thirty years, much longer than the coverings and frames in some cases. Almost all cushions are lifetime warrantied from all the major premium makers these days, thats not unique to Bassett. Cushion suppliers warranty them, so the furniture makers pass that along to you. Most the time, you only have to pay the UPS charge for a new cushion and they rarely want your old one back. Here's the three basic cushion types, simplified: Qualex (Foam): Just as it sounds, wrapped with a fiber ticking. Better foams can be quite durable and comfortable. For most leather furniture, this is the best choice. They retain their shape and form well. Semi-Down Cushion (Down Wrapped). You have the foam cores, and then 1" to 2" of goods feather down is wrapped in the ticking and surrounds the foam. Usually a nominal upcharge. Spring Down (Marshall Unit). A high tech cushion that replaced the full-down cushion in most applications. A Marshall Unit is a series of small grids (waffle-like) each with a small spring about the size of a pencil inside every individual grid. The down is them placed inside each grid with the spring in each one acting as a shock absorber. There are hundreds of little grids and springs in a typical sofa cushion. All is then encased and wrapped with another layer of down encased in ticking. Marshall units are expensive to make as you would imagine, and carry a premium upcharge. The benefit is all the comfort of a down cushion, but the cushion will return to about 80% of its height after being sat upon, and doesn't need to be fluffed back up like an all-down cushion. It always pains me to hear of an upholsterer throwing out a Marshall unit cushion to replace with conventional, unwrapped foam during a re-upholstery procedure. Rarely have I ever seen a Marshall unit break down, and you cannot simply go do the crafts store and buy one. Most will last through three or four upholstery jobs just fine. They are custom made and usually only available from the manufacturer IF they are still making that specific model frame. Hope that helps explain it some. Duane Collie The Keeping Room

Good to know. The material we have chosen is a very durable, Krypton fabric with some stiffness to it so I don't anticipate too much wrinkling, I'm more worried about the foam breaking down more quickly than a spring core would. Good to know it's not a huge issue to get the cushions refilled if required. I emailed the retailer to ask if he has any advice or customer feedback on either cushion, perhaps he'll have additional insight.