Mattress Buying Guide: All You Need to Know

A mattress buying guide could tell you what you should do or help you make the call yourself. Which one would you prefer? Do you say the former? You are with us.

Buying a new mattress or replacing an old one can be exhaustive. A long list of new models only makes the choice more difficult. At the same time, the choice is very private and your personal luxury can be at loggerheads with another person’s backache. For a better sense of perspective, consider this as a product that you will have to use every night for the next few years… maybe 8 years or more. Considering you get a decent mattress which lasts a lifetime and you sleep out the recommended 8 hours in a day, you will be spending a third of your life on it. Read our complete mattress buying guide to know how you should tread through the process.

5 Best Mattress (Editor’s Choice)

As a part of the mattress buying guide, you can also check our editor’s choice 5 best mattress below.

Preview	Product	Rating
	Signature Sleep Contour 8″ Reversible Mattress, Independently Encased Coils, Bed-in-a-Box, Queen		Check Price on Amazon
	Signature Sleep Memoir 12″ High-Density, Responsive Memory Foam Mattress – Bed-in-a-Box, Queen		Check Price on Amazon
	Sleep Innovations Shiloh Medium Memory Foam Mattress, Queen, 14 Inches		Check Price on Amazon
	Zinus 6 Inch Ultima Memory Foam Mattress Pressure Relieving / CertiPUR-US Certified		Check Price on Amazon
	LUCID 10 Inch 2019 Gel Memory Foam Mattress – Medium Firm Feel – CertiPUR-US Certified, Queen		Check Price on Amazon

Understanding The Mattress Type

Given the high importance of the product, let us start by visiting the best types of mattresses. As you might have experienced already, the variety of mattresses presently available in the market is overwhelming. The variety even outleaps choices and enters prices, as we come through mattresses ranging from mere unbelievable to greatly unbelievable prices. But in most cases, our research tells that you will not need to spend astronomically to land a comfortable, supportive and durable mattress.

Here are the 4 major types of mattresses you can find in the market today:

1. Open Spring Mattress

The open spring mattresses have been in use for as long as we can remember. They have pretty much served as the world’s staple bed. The open spring mattress is still a good consideration if you have a shoestring budget.

Various configurations of steel coils and used in these mattresses. The variations of these mattresses include special cushion layers, infused gel, and pillow-top layers. The hybrids in this category are more foam layers above the springs.

The border rod or wire gives the mattress shape and helps define the edges. The sides in an open string mattress are more likely to be machine-stitched and not hand stitched. While shifting positions may be seamless, you may present awkward bounce for your partner while doing so.

2. Pocket Spring Mattresses

The pocket spring mattress serves you best if there is a difference in size between you and your partner. This is because the mattress curbs the risk of both of you rolling toward one another.

Compared to open spring mattresses, the pocket spring ones are slightly more luxurious as individual small springs are housed in separate fabric pockets. The individuality in placement allows the springs to work independently and thus to respond to different body weights.

The sides are stitched for stable and definitive edges. While both hand stitching and machine work are prevalent, hand stitches are signs of quality and craftsmanship.

3. Visco Elastic / Memory Foam Mattresses

These mattresses are made from polyurethane and are favorites among the conscious mattress shopping class. People who suffer from back and joint pains have found this mattress to be of great help. Latex foam, a variation of the memory foam is purportedly hypoallergenic.

Memory foam ‘melts’ or softens when you lie on it. Soon it takes the shape of your body. Once you leave the bed, it gets back into its original shape. While some owners have expressed concerns about the mattress feeling hotter than necessary, most conscious buyers end up happier.

The memory foam does not curb natural movement during sleep. Even when you are lying on your side, it will help in horizontal alignment of the spine. More advanced foams have anti-microbial properties besides being hypoallergenic.

4. Adjustable Air Mattresses

These mattresses allow you to inflate air and achieve the desired level of firmness. There is also a vacancy for foam addition if the users feel the need for it. Also, some mattresses allow you to inflate different volumes of air inside different halves of the bed for the convenience of partners.

But you will not want to change the firmness in the middle of the night as the noise of the electric air pump can be pretty annoying at that time. While most people use these mattresses as stop gap solutions, high-quality adjustable air mattresses can also be used permanently.

Best Place to Buy a Mattress

The inspiring thing about purchasing a mattress is that you always have some choice and this extends to the places from where you can buy mattresses. Here are some options and the pros and cons of each.

Should you shop for a mattress online?

There is always the option to go online. There are several sites to choose from and the variety may even outdo specialty stores on occasion. Other options include big-box retailers, department stores, furniture stores, and mattress specialty stores. Big Box Retailers are essentially places that house ketchup gallons and toilet papers alongside mattresses.

They are good if you can manage to carry back the mattress home. Even department stores have sections that are completely deducted to mattresses. The prices at departmental stores can be a little higher than online stores or big box retailers.

Much like department stores, furniture stores host sections dedicated to mattresses. The mattress section in the furniture store is usually slightly smaller than mattress specialty stores.

Also, the salespersons are not as trained as you would expect. But both these attributes are variable. The mattress specialty stores sell only mattresses and related items. There are some very big chains and some independent stores.

The good thing about online shopping of mattresses is you stay at home. Then, most online stores are not affiliated to single brands and you may find many varieties in a single store. Most online stores are reasonably priced.

How much should I spend on a mattress?

Most first time buyers have no idea how much they should spend on a mattress. TV specials Pillowtop queen size mattresses made available at $299 is often a favorite for most people. In fact, there are options even below that.

Based on the sale prices of mattresses (retail tags might be much higher), here is a break-up of what you can expect in what price range.

• $0-50: These are generally used mattresses you find on local listings. Not a very good choice!
• $51-249: You can be found the mattress within this price range if you are looking for a cheap mattress. Please check out our article twin mattress sets under 100, where you can be found some best mattress idea within this price range.
• $250-450: This range gives you the basic guest mattresses. Here is a great post about the best queen mattress under $500.
• $450-650: This is the range for nice guest room mattresses to maybe the bare minimum requirements for sleeping through the year.
• $650-1050: This is the average price range that most people settle for when buying their daily use mattresses. Expect advanced foams and better coil systems.
• $1050-1550: This is basically the entry level for luxury mattresses. Advanced coil systems and added foam layers mark this entry.
• $1550-2550: This price range will give you just about all that you can hope to have in a mattress. You get the thickest foams, longer warranties, and the largest sizes.

Choosing the right mattress

Choosing a mattress is a composite process and can be divided into three broad steps:

• Knowing about different mattress types
• Considering your physical needs/restrictions
• Finalizing the product based on comparison shopping and other factors

We have already discussed the types of mattresses in our previous section. We will now move on to addressing your physical needs. Consider the following elements first.

Physical Needs

Physical concerns and needs are often major reasons people choose to replace their mattresses.

• Do you sleep on your back, side or stomach? Mattress companies now pay attention to design mattresses based on sleeping positions.
• Are you suffering from mobility issues? There are mattresses that are designed to make getting in and out easy.
• Is there a significant size gap between you and your partner? Pocket spring beds prevent depression on the side of the bed to affect the other half.
• Is one of you over six feet tall? If yes, you may consider a king-size bed.
• Have you been waking up with aches? You may consider buying one of the bio-foam mattresses.

The Regular Checks

While there can be many things that you would want to do before you bring home a mattress, it is good to have a streamlined checklist. First, ensure that these steps are followed.

• Check for right mattress support and head to toe alignment
• Check for the comfort at sensitive parts of the body
• Specialty stores offer better service, while online stores offer better prices
• Draw advantage of price match guarantees
• Avoid cheaper Chinese foam mattresses that prove to be counterproductive in the long run

Always go for a trial: The best way to ascertain the quality of a mattress is to lie down on it. Make sure that you wear loose clothes when you go to try mattresses. Also, a good gesture would be to slide your shoes off before stepping on a mattress. You may even ask the salesperson to step aside for a while if you feel the pressure. Try as many postures as you can while you are still on the mattress.

Study return policies well: There might be a need to return mattresses if they do not fit the warranty guidelines and do not satisfy you. Check at the onset if the store offers a cash refund or forwards credit for the purchase of another product. Some retailers also offer free pickup if there is a need to exchange the mattress. Most of the company do not offer the warranty of the mattress due to any liquid material like water, urine, etc, so you need to check that policy also.

Negotiate well: The next logical step after you have settled for a model is to call it negotiation time. If you are dealing with a store that has a no-negotiation policy, you should avoid haggling with them. But with regular stores, you should always and negotiate. Visiting stores that offer price match guarantees is a plus.

Top mattress brands

Here are some mattresses brands that you will want to check out when planning to buy a new mattress.

Signature Sleep

Signature Sleep mattresses are highly committed to quality and craftsmanship. These mattresses are shipped by the company in a compressed and rolled form. Each mattress is designed incompatibility with federal flammability standard.

LUCID

LUCID mattresses are known for the cutting edge technology the company employs in making these. The company also claims to have a mattress for every person’s needs.

Casper

Casper comes as a new entry in the business. Most parts are manufactured in Illinois, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. Most customers hold positive views about these mattresses.

Kingsdown

Kingsdown is one of the oldest players in the game and they have been manufacturing mattresses from North Carolina for well over 100 years. The brand has climbed up the years to become one of the most acclaimed global brands.

Tuft and Needle

The brand sources, designs and manufactures mattresses solely inside the United States. The final finish to the mattresses is given in California. Read our review on Tuft and Needle mattress.

The Original Mattress Factory

The brand has turned out to be one of the most successful mattress sellers in the United States with factory stores in nine states and nationwide online business in the States.

Saatva Mattresses

These mattresses come out of factories in 12 states and reach user hands through 35 fulfillment centers. Biobased foams and organic cotton covers are the main attributes of these mattresses.

Sealy

The brand has three factories in the US. The house excels both in traditional mattresses and the new memory foam and latex foam mattresses.

Cozy Pure’s

The company is based out of Virginia and manufactures organic latex mattress. Mattress pads and bedding are also produced by the company.

Englander

The multi-chain brand has about seven factories inside the United States. The only issue is that they do not make direct sales to the customers.

Layla Sleep

The Layla Mattress company was established in April 2016. The headquartered of this company is located in California. Two brothers, Mohammed Sheikh, and Akrum Sheikh, and the designer Aniqa Chohan are the founders of this company. They have a passion for helping people sleep and growing up day by day. We have an article on Layla mattress reviews.

Editor’s Choice 5 Best Mattress

Having covered most facets of shopping in this mattress buying guide, it would be wise to shift attention at some specific products we researched. Here are short reviews of 5 such products.

Signature Sleep Contour 8 Inch Mattress

The mattress scores high marks for its independent 15-gauge coils. It comes across a soft, high quality and comfortable mattress after first use. A new purchased piece could smell like fresh paint, but that fades away with just a couple of uses.

Verdict:

While many do not prefer mattresses made in China, the Signature 8 inch Twin Mattress is a very high rated product that ensures great comfort and convenience in its price range.

Check Price on Amazon

Signature Sleep Queen Memory Foam 12-Inch Mattress

The makers of the Memoir 12 inch Queen Mattress have impressed upon making the mattress as relaxing as possible. Sleeping on the mattress relieves pressure from the hips, feet, and shoulder. The mattress ships in a compressed and vacuum sealed form.

Verdict:

The mattress is good with overall features. And if you and your partner are not sensitive to chemicals, you can give it a go.

Check Price on Amazon

Sleep Innovations Shiloh 12-inch Memory Foam Queen Mattress

The DuoComfort(TM) design of the Sleep 12 inch Shiloh Memory mattress imparts a light cradling comfort to the body, claim its makers. The company has also said that the mattress is perfect for the average bigger bodies and people who like to toss around when in bed.

Verdict:

The Sleep 12-inch Innovations Shiloh Memory Foam Queen Mattress could well become the deal cracker within its price range. While the temperature issue is user-subjective, you will not find many reasons to complain.

Check Price on Amazon

Zinus Ultima Comfort 6 Inch Memory Foam Full Mattress

The Zinus Ultima Comfort 6 Inch Memory Foam is a product designed for comfortable night sleeps. The foam layers include 4.5 inches of the base supporting foam and the top 1.5 inches are memory foam. Bio Foam technology employed in this mattress uses natural plant oil instead of petroleum products.

Verdict:

The mattress is great for budget mattress seekers, especially for singles. The great price point beats all cons hands down.

Check Price on Amazon

LUCID 10 Inch Gel Memory Foam Dual-Layered Mattress

The 10-inch LUCID dual layer mattress is divided into 7.5 inches of polyurethane and 2.05 inches of memory foam. The manufacturer claims that the open cell technology employed will allow free air passage, making the mattress comfortable and cool. That is topped by a long time warranty. Please check this product review in details if you are interested on this 10 inch memory foam mattress.

Verdict:

Most users have applauded the great technological built of the product. Combined with the sheer thickness and feel, this could be the mattress to beat.

Check Price on Amazon

Conclusion

As already pressed upon, mattress shopping can be as taxing as it can be difficult, It is important that you pay keen attention to all the points mentioned thus far in this article. In our mattress buying guide article, we have included the types of mattresses available in the market, the best place to shop for them, the price range that you should be looking for and the process which should help you choose the right mattress. You could also have a look at the 5 mattresses we reviewed for you and tell us which one you liked the best.

There is another common question from people is how often should you change your mattress? We have an article about this topic, click here to check the article.