The mattress market is full of best brands, flashy names, and lots of producers. So, whether you want to make your purchase online or from a brick and mortar store, you’ll have to browse through a lot of products.
Now, I know diversity is a good thing, but in this niche, many products promote the same features. Even more, there is a big chance that you’ll find products with the same settings, but they will feel different when you get to test them. This happens with settings like density (in memory foam mattresses), firmness, and even back support.
So how can you choose the best mattress brand possible product for your needs? Is it enough to base your choice on the brand name? Sadly, with mattresses, you can’t make the entire decision just on what you know about the brand. Even if a product is good and implements a lot of cool features, there’s a chance it won’t fit your personal needs.
You are choosing a product that will be with you for a long time and this is why it is very important to make the right choice. It matters if you are a side sleeper or you like sleeping on your back or stomach. Also, you must make sure you get the right level of firmness for your back. As we age, our preferences change so the mattress you bought when you were 20 may not fit the one you need when you’re 30. There are other features that matter so before you make the decision it’s important to do some research.
You should start with the most popular brands first, as these are most likely to have the best products on their offer. Since many people like them, they also should have a diverse range of mattresses so everyone can find their pick. If you don’t know how to find the brands that are well-received by the public, do a bit of online research, read some reviews, or ask around. It shouldn’t take long until you find some useful pointer.
It’s also helpful to visit a brick and mortar store that promotes an array of producers. If you go in a producer’s store, you’ll only get advice on the brands they have and this is not exactly helpful in the research phase.
Another important step is the testing phase: once you find the brand you like, make sure to test at least several models. You can do this by going to their store or asking to test some of their products online (be careful, not all companies offer this option). This is important because you must see how the mattress reacts to your body and how it fits in your home.
Now that you have an idea of what to consider, I think we can get more into details on how to find the best brands in the niche. Below I put a step-by-step guide that can help you choose the best products for your needs.
Guide to Finding the Top Brand
But why do I need a guide to find the best brands? Aren’t these the same brands that are promoted everywhere I go? Well, sadly, the size of the marketing budget is not directly proportional to the quality of products. So you can’t let the commercials guide you.
Even more, the best brands are promoted by users and not by billboards and magazine commercials. This is why you should put a bit of time in your research – brands that have a long history and are supported by users all over the world are not hard to find, but it takes a bit to find them.
Also, I recommend starting with the basics. Mattresses today have lots of features, but as the price goes higher, there is not much producers can add. This is where you’ll start seeing fancy names for materials, or useless additions that are designed to take the eye and lift the buyer’s ego. However, if you compare them with a mattress in a lower-price category, you’ll notice there’s no difference in the comfort and features areas.
So, since a mattress is not a purchase to take lightly, I decided to take a short trip through price points as well. Below you can read about this and other aspects that may help you take the right decision.
#1: Online Reviews of Mattress Companies
Online reviews should be your number one stop when you start your research for great brands. This is where you’ll learn about various aspects that most producers don’t like to promote like how the mattress feels after several weeks of use (some products change their structure once they are being used constantly) or how it holds up after years of use.
People tend to share lots of details in their reviews and you can learn a lot without having to go and test for yourself. It’s also something you can do from the comfort of your own home, and in your own time. Still, to give you a head start, below are the online resources where you’ll find the most and the best reviews.
Google Search
Yes, the good old Google search is a fantastic way of tracking down details about a model or brand you like. Still, it’s best to search once you already have an idea of what you want. Otherwise, you may get lost in the results and the research will take longer than you initially expected.
Great Retailers
There are lots of online retailers today, but Amazon and eBay are among the greatest. The fact that they offer such a vast range of products may seem scary at first, but you can filter the results on the products you want. This means you can use a targeted search to narrow down the offer, which is really helpful for those buyers who don’t really know what they want yet.
The cool thing is that you can see reviews from real users on each product. Even more, some reviews are really well-detailed and come with pictures so you can make a realistic idea of the mattress.
Review Sites
Another great online resource is represented by review sites. These are special pages, dedicated to reviewing mattresses according to size, quality, type, and so on. I honestly like this resource the best because most of the work is done for you.
Specialized teams browse the available products in order to create high-quality reviews based on a wide range of criteria. For instance, you can find details on the best brands aimed at side sleepers or best brands of mattresses for people who like memory foam. There is lots of information offered in these reviews and most of the research is already done. You just have to read and choose the products you like best.
#2: Price Point
As I already mentioned, the price is an important factor in the decision you’re about to make so it’s absolutely natural to want to know what to expect. However, I should first mention that you must be wary of prices that look too good to be true (they usually are).
Most producers practice a palette of prices, and if you know what to expect from each price point, you’ll know how much to spend on the type of product you want. Below you can see the most common price points you’ll see in the market.
$600 – $1000
I first have to say that you will find mattresses that cost less than this, but they won’t be of any good in the long run. So, if you’re looking for a sleeping surface for everyday use, this is the starting point for a product of medium to good quality. While you won’t find any memory foam products within this budget, you can find some great innerspring mattresses that are both durable and comfy.
$1000 – $1500
Here the products are of better quality and you can get some great entry-level luxury mattresses with thicker padding and better coil systems. You can even find some great foam mattresses signed by reputable producers.
$1500-$2500
This is the sweet spot of mattress budget as most products have all the features one can hope for. You high-quality foams, thicker layers, better back support, and great build. Even more, you have access to better warranties as the mattresses are designed with care for the final result and producers are ready to stand by their product.
$2500+
Now, we’re entering the domain of luxury mattresses and you’ll start to hear lots of fancy names for the material and inner structure. However, besides expensive materials, these mattresses don’t bring anything else to the table (comfort wise). However, if you feel the ones the previous category don’t offer the correct back support, maybe this is where you’ll find the perfect match.
These are the main price categories you’ll find with most mattress brands, but the lat can go as high as you want. Still, if you have a bigger budget and you want to spend it, I recommend going with an adjustable bed and a mattress that fits. This will definitely change the level of comfort in your bedroom!
#3: Reasons for Buying from a Specific Brand
You may ask yourself: why do brands matter when choosing a mattress? Well, most brands were born from a long relationship with customers and they target a certain segment of the population looking for a new mattress. This means that not all brands fit everyone, and this is a good thing because it allows you to find the ones that fit your specific needs.
Below I listed some of the reasons that may drive you towards a certain brand and may also guide you through the shopping process.
Brands for Side Sleepers
Yes, there are producers specialized in making mattresses for people who sleep on their side. Because most of the population is a side sleeper, it’s only normal to have more brands that cover this segment. Still, with each brand you’ll have to choose from different materials, builds, and firmness settings.
Brands for Couples
Designing a mattress that satisfies the needs of two people at once is pretty difficult but some brands specialized in this area and now they do it better than other producers on the market. So, if you are part of a couple and you’d love to have a mattress that allows you both to feel comfortable (no motion transfer or too much heat during the night) you should look for mattresses designed with this in mind.
A useful hint: The best designs for this purpose are supported by memory foam mattresses.
Best Brands for People with Back Pain
If you run the numbers, you’ll be surprised by how many people suffer from lower back pain. We live in a world where half of our life is spent seated or laying on a surface and this affects our spine in ways we don’t even know about. This is also why most people don’t know that a mattress can cause back pain if it’s not designed to support the spine in a proper manner.
So, there are brands in the market that focus on delivering the right type of surface for people who want to reduce pressure in the spine and alleviate or release the pain. Most of the mattresses in this category are equipped with memory or latex foam back support and promote firmer surfaces but are also a bit more expensive than the rest.
#4: Customer Service and Return Policies / Warranties
One final aspect to consider when choosing the brand for your mattress is represented by the benefits you’ll have as a customer.
Customer Service
A purchase of this magnitude may require some extra assistance from the producer so you should check if they offer a line (or several) of communication. Also, test their customer service before making the purchase by sending a few questions. This helps you see how helpful they are and their response time. After all, when you have a problem with their product, you don’t want to wait for weeks for their answer.
Reviews also help in this case as users don’t just leave their opinion on the product, some also say something about the company and how they were treated. So do your research and choose wisely as this is a long-term commitment!
Return Policies
Did you ever wonder how things will go if you want to return the mattress? Most buyers ignore this aspect and end up stuck with a product that is not 100% what they want. To make sure this won’t happen to you, ask if you will get a full refund in case of a return (some retailers only offer store credit). Also, check the time you have for testing, the return conditions, and if you will have to take care of transport.
Some companies offer 100 days for testing and will be happy to send a different product for another testing period. Even more, they will be the ones to pick the product from your home so you don’t have to worry about preparing the mattress for shipment (which is a huge inconvenience).
Warranties
I can definitely say that there is a huge difference between the best mattress brands with just 1 year of warranty and one with 20 years. First, the mattress that has 20 years warranty gives you a lot more confidence in the product, but there’s also a difference in build and general aspect.
Still, the warranty is not equal to the lifetime of a mattress! So, neither of the terms specified above mean the mattress will hold for a specific period of time. Also, you must read the agreement carefully as some warranties come with limited coverage, avoiding important elements such as the innerspring system (where this is the case) or the memory foam’s sagginess.
My recommendation is to check every aspect carefully and only make the decision when you have all the data.
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