We’re updating our mattress review and since it’s been a while since we last surveyed the Community, we’d like to take a fresh look at your criteria for finding a good mattress. There’s some info on how we test mattresses here, it gives you an idea of how we put together our test scores and includes factors such as comfort in a range of positions, wear and tear/sagging and temperature regulation so you don’t get too hot or cold.
What are your thoughts on the various test elements? Add your ratings to the list below - 1 being the least important, and 10 being the most important. You can also let us know your preferences in the comments, or tell us if there is something not listed that you would like us to consider.
How important is:
The mattress sleeping area firmness
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The mattress edges firmness
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The stability of the mattress when other people move around on the bed
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Spine alignment when sleeping on your side
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Spine alignment when sleeping on your back
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The length of time it takes for the smell from manufacturing to dissipate after unwrapping
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The heat distribution of the mattress (could make you hot or uncomfortable)
Something which hasn’t been covered is the base the mattress is designed for. Is there really a difference between slat bed and standard base mattresses? Will mattresses work just as well when transposed between these?
Another related topic that I think will become more and more relevant to our aging population are the adjustable bed mattresses which are substantially different to ‘normal’ mattresses because they are designed to bend. What about a look at them too?
depth and weight. As some mattresses need to be flipped or rotated monthly a heavy deep mattress could be challenging. A weighty deep king would challenge many couples to flip and even a rotation could stress some for really heavy ones.
related to depth is also will ‘standard’ fitted sheets fit? We have different mattresses, and find a fitted sheet will wrap around and under one nicely, while on another the same sheet fits around but doesn’t go completely under, so the sheet doesn’t stay taut with movement.
Something else Choice could comment on is handles. Beds from yesteryear often had fabric handles stitched on the sides of the mattress to allow easy handling/moving. Most mattress which can be bought today are devoid of handles making their turning or relocation a more impracticable task. Knowing what mattresses have handles would be useful in the review.
My mattress company (Makin Mattress) specifically states the reason they do not add handles is that they are invariably ripped, and making them sturdy enough to last under pulling and flipping movements would be prohibitive in a practical sense.
The mattress (king) is light enough to grab onto, pull, and flip, without ripping anything so they may have a point, at least for their own products.
My previous mattress was a gel hybrid that did not need flipping just rotating, but weighed lots and while the handles never ripped, the seams adjacent to them eventually did.
Edit: From the Makin Mattresses website - Handles sewn into a mattress are not designed to support the full weight of a mattress. With mishandling, handles can be torn out which impacts the internal components of a mattress. To increase a mattresses longevity, Makin Mattresses have made the decision not to include handles…
Our first mattress we bought in the 1990s had handles…was turned regularly and relocated. It was very heavy double bed mattress (pillow top and spring). The handles never ripped and had a silicon tube like handle over the fabric attached to the bed. Our current mattress is similar (queen size though) with no handles and it is near impracticable to handle due to its size and weight, and inability to cling onto the fabric as there are no handles.
It could be an excuse of Makin to why they don’t add handles when asked (cost saving measure)…or indicates the quality of the sidewalls of their current mattresses.
or it could be a genuine issue over the wider consumer base; also, economy might be more important today when so many consumers price shop first, and quality shop second so every few dollars matters more?
As I wrote in the second post in this topic, adjustable bed mattresses are constructed substantially differently to regular mattresses. They have to be able to bend at the bed’s flex points (mine has two). Regular mattresses are built in a rigid frame and aren’t very flexible (you would know this if you ever tried to get one around a tight corner).
If you put a regular mattress on an adjustable bed, the mattress would float in the air between the high points of the bed. If one then got onto the mattress it would bend down to some degree (like a leaf spring in a car), but would not conform to the adjusted position of the base of the bed. I imagine it would act like an ejector seat as you tried to get out of bed, as the mattress returned to it’s straight shape.
Also, you want a firm edge on the mattress so you do not slip off the mattress when lying or sitting at the edge.
I don’t know if it’s possible to test for sagging over time, but this seems pretty fundamental to me due to backache from saggy mattresses. At the very least please include manufacturers warranty with regard to sagging. I also wonder whether ‘pillow top’ mattresses are more likely to sag as they can’t be flipped?
Hospital, aged care and others have beds with multiple adjustments. Observation suggests they all use a rubberised/foam type mattress. The outer is a heavy duty waterproof rubber/plastic. The mattress all appear to be thinner than a standard mattress.
Looking to a mattress to suit adjustable beds, in particular for us older ones. It would be informative to be able to compare the models used in health care for comfort and value. They appear in the listings of products for the retailers who specialise in aged and disability care support products.
I wrote recently that on Choice recommendation I purchased an Emma mattress. I reported problems - smell and being too warm, I purchased a “cooling mattress topper” but this did not help. I wrote to Emma about my concerns and still THREE months later - have not received a reply.
So please add customer service and satisfaction to your survey. Thanks
Can the review also make a note of whether the mattress can be flipped to even out wear. Some mattresses have a “topper” which is only on one side, making it impratical to flip if you want consistent sleeping comfort.
Also, as has already been mentioned, is the depth of the mattress appropriate to properly fit a fitted sheet.
I look for cool and comfort mattress over time most of all.
Could Choice please advise if the Insulation (mattress warmth) is tested both when new and after eight years? A legend to help interpret the mattress cross-section material codes would be usual.
My current mattress is ageing and I’m finding it is getting too hot to sleep on. I’m wondering if this is because the foam layers have started to compress, so some information on which layers are more susceptible to compression or to avoid because of warming reasons would be great.
In search of a spring/hybrid mattress which is cool enough.
Valmori spring one is recommended but that’s unavailable until March. Anyone used their hybrid mattress? Is it any good? Is there anything else that I should look into?
“We define hybrids as any mattress with spring coils and more than one-third of its height composed of a secondary materials, like foam. On the other hand, an innerspring mattress features a core of supportive metal coils, often topped with a thinner layer of soft materials, like cotton, for comfort.”
Valmori advertise the mattress was recommended by Choice and March is 2 weeks away.
According to https://valmori.com.au/ they’re offering a 100 night risk-free trial which would give you all of autumn to decide?
