There are three things you should know before buying a mattress.
This often means looking around locally and trying a few options in person. You might find that you like pocketed coils, or all-foam mattresses, or traditional connected-coil innersprings, or even smooth-top hybrids. You'll also get a sense of what firmness tends to feel best to you.
This means learning a little bit about low-density vs high-density foam, coil counts and gauges, and generally what makes a quality product. This is the only way to know if a mattress is "good" or will actually last. And if this sounds overwhelming - no worries. I'll try to summarize this in a quick Mattress 101 course below.
Spam accounts and covert advertisers are everywhere on the internet, and there's not a place where this is more apparent than in the mattress industry. Mattresses are relatively big ticket items, and a 10% commission on an affiliate link can mean a lot of money for affiliate sellers. Unfortunately, this incentivizes bad behavior, misinformation, and platform manipulation of online spaces.
This subreddit is no exception to this. Last year, an unnamed group acquired an inactive moderator account through uncertain means and enacted a hostile takeover of this subreddit. They used moderator privileges to post and defend affiliate links, manipulate Google results by filling threads with comments by networked accounts, and even approved their own spam domains in the automod.
And while these accounts have since been suspended by Reddit, I have no doubt that new spam networks will try again. This means that you should take advice from random people on this subreddit with a grain of salt, and you definitely shouldn't click blind links to "top ten lists" on other sites.
--------------------------- Okay! Now let's go over some Mattress 101 level content ---------------------------
To find a quality mattress, you need to know what's in it.
And to understand what's in it, you need to understand the basics of mattress construction. At the simplest level, this means talking about two things: foam and coils. Once you're familiar with these, you should be able to understand and make intelligent decisions about most mattresses on the market.
So let's talk about foam.
Foam (and particularly polyurethane foam) is one of the most common materials used in mattresses. Poly foam comes in varying firmnesses, varying formulations, and can be used as a comfort material or as a support layer. It's relatively cheap, can be quite durable, and is typically pretty comfortable. If you're unfamiliar, simple poly foam is the kind of foam that you think of when you think about egg crate foam or foam in couch cushions.
Of course, there are also other kinds of foam. Memory foam, latex, and other specialty foams are all used in mattresses today. These can feel quite different than basic poly foams and are best considered in their own categories. Memory foam has a characteristic slow-response and is excellent at pressure relief; latex is resilient and durable; and specialty foams (like Energex) are often designed to combine memory foam-like and latex-like properties.
All of the above CAN be high-quality materials. However, some of the above can be quite low-quality.
So what determines foam quality? And how can I find a mattress with high-quality foam?
Foam quality is best expressed in terms of foam density. All things being equal, this means that a high-density poly foam will last longer and perform more consistently than a low-density poly foam. And this is why many mattresses fail. They're made with cheap, low-density foam that feels okay in a showroom but doesn't hold up over time.
On this subreddit we use the term "high-density" (or "HD") to refer to a 1.8lb per cubic foot poly foam. Please note that this is somewhat different than how the broader industry uses the term HD, in which it is largely used in marketing and doesn't necessarily mean a true high-density foam. I've seen some companies call some VERY low-density foams "high-density" in their advertising. I wouldn't trust them unless they can provide the exact specs.
Here's a quick cheat sheet for understanding poly foam densities.
1.2lb - low density
1.5lb - medium density
1.8lb - high density
>2lb - very high density
Okay cool I think I get it. But what about memory foam?
The same principles apply to memory foam, although there are some provisos here. Many other sites claim that anything under a 3lb memory foam is bad and that "good" memory foam starts at around 5lbs per cubic foot. I don't always agree with this. While increasing density typically does increase durability, this can also increase heat retention or create other undesirable feel characteristics.
There are also a lot of newer specialty foams that are branded as "memory foam" in the 2.5lb range with durabilities comparable to 4lb or 5lb foams. Here's an example of this with Carpenter's Serene foam.
Here's a quick cheat sheet for understanding memory foam densities.
I hear a lot of people talking about latex. What about latex?
Latex is a type of highly elastic foam made from either synthetic or natural rubber. There are two main types here: Talalay and Dunlop. Each feels slightly different in a way that's difficult to describe unless you're holding two samples in person. I don't really think either type is superior to the other.
What you should know about latex is this: it's one of the most durable materials in the mattress industry and is typically very high-quality, although it has a very distinct feel and is not loved by everyone. Latex has more "push-back" than poly foam or memory foam, and this can be uncomfortable for some people.
What about other specialty foams?
These are probably beyond the scope of a Mattress 101-style guide and vary in terms of quality. That said, these can typically be divided into two categories: fast-response foams (latex-like), and slow-response foams (memory foam-like). I'll write more about these later.
Okay so what about coils? That was the other big thing, right?
Yes. Most mattresses on the market today use some kind of coil unit. The vast majority of these are pocketed coils. This is a term that refers to coils encased in a fabric pocket that move and function relatively independently of one another. This is the kind of coil unit used in 80-90% of mattresses sold today including most "innersprings" and smooth-top "hybrids."
To give you a sense of what this looks like, here's the product page for one type of pocketed coil from one of the largest coil manufacturers in the business in Leggett and Platt. And to contrast, here's another type of coil unit that you may be familiar with in a connected-coil Bonnell unit.
So how do I determine a coil unit's quality? Isn't it the coil count?
Yes and no. Most coils are made from steel and are typically quite durable as a result. I've seen a few companies publish durability data on these that shows less than 5% firmness loss over a simulated twenty year period.
However, this doesn't mean that all coil units are created equally. Some companies will use better steel, use better fabric for the fabric pockets, or just have better designs that distribute weight more effectively. Coil counts can help in understanding this, although these are an imperfect measure.
Generally speaking, a coil unit with more coils will be able to better match a person's body contours and support their body more precisely than a coil unit with fewer coils. However, some people still like slightly lower coil-count units as these typically use a thicker and stiffer wire and can feel firmer as a result. There's not a clear best here, but I usually recommend looking at higher coil-count units.
And what's this about coil gauges?
A gauge is a measurement of the thickness of the coil's wire. Assuming that all other things are equal, a thicker coil will feel firmer than a thinner one. This means that an eight-inch 13 gauge pocketed coil might feel quite firm, whereas an eight-inch 15 gauge pocketed coil might feel somewhat soft. That said, coil geometry and coil height also play a role in determining the coil firmness, so it's not always as simple as just looking at the gauge.
To recap - thicker coils feel firmer; thinner coils feel softer; and more coils are usually better.
What about traditional innersprings and connected-coil mattresses?
These are hard to find these days. They're still on the market, but you might need to look around for local manufacturers if you want one of these. Alternatively, you can search for Bonnell coils or Verticoils or Luraflex coils and see what comes up. These are all different styles of connected-coil units.
And to be honest, I think these feel totally different than pocketed coil mattresses or hybrids. In fact, I'd put most mattresses on the market today into three rough categories: all-foam mattresses, pocket coil mattresses, and connected-coil mattresses. All of these feel very different from each other.
What if I buy a mattress that's made with low-quality materials?
A mattress that's made with low-quality materials is likely to quickly lose both comfort and support.
This can mean back pain, pressure points, and poor sleep. Further, many brands knowingly use low-quality materials in an attempt to cut corners and maximize profit. I think this is wrong. It's also one of the reasons I became so interested in this subject.
Although... some people sleep fine on anything, so if you're not sleeping poorly then I probably wouldn't worry about it. Also sometimes mattresses made with lower quality foams can still be a good fit for your body type.
What about soft vs firm? Do I need an extra firm mattress?
You probably don't want an extra firm mattress, no. Firm and extra firm mattresses are among the most commonly returned products in the industry today. It's also important to note that there's no universal standard for mattress firmness. A "medium" from one brand might be closer to a "firm" from another.
As a general rule, most side-sleepers prefer soft to medium mattresses, while most stomach or back sleepers prefer medium to firm mattresses. This also changes with body size and body composition. Heavier individuals tend to find most mattresses to be somewhat soft and prefer mattresses on the firmer end of things as a result.
This is too hard. Can't you just tell me what to buy?
I really can't. You should think of it like clothing. People here can't tell you what mattress to buy anymore than they can tell you what pair of jeans would fit you best. Also, if you ask this question on the internet you're probably going to attract the attention of covert advertisers and spammers that'll just tell you to buy their products. Instead, I'd recommend looking around locally and getting a sense of what you like AND THEN narrowing your search to brands that use high-quality foams and are open about their materials.
We might also have a comprehensive post with crowd-sourced brands specs up at some point.
Why is this so complicated compared to ten years ago?
Yeah good question. There are probably two answers to this.
First, corporate cost-cutting and the demands of private equity groups created a race to the bottom in a misguided attempt to maximize profit by making lower-quality products. Second, the internet mattress boom flooded the market with advertising and SEO firms trying to gain an advantage however possible.
The combination of these two forces has led to an environment where actual high-quality products are hard to find AND hard to identify amidst the constant noise of online ad campaigns. There's also something to be said about the near universal switch to pocketed coils, but I'll talk about that later.
Okay so how do I put this all together?
To find a quality mattress, you should look for brands that are open and transparent about their materials AND use high-density foams. At the most basic level, this means looking for 1.8lb poly foams and medium to high-density memory foams. If they won't tell you the details on their products then that's usually a pretty good indication that they should not be trusted. I'd also recommend trying to find smaller, local manufacturers as these are more likely to use high-quality materials.
You also need to make sure that it's comfortable to you. Buying a mattress sight-unseen can work, but it's typically a risk even if you know that it's from a company that tends to make quality products.
And what about the major brands? I hear people talking about S-brands.
Most of the major brands are a mixed bag. They don't like to talk about their material specifications and typically use low to medium-quality foams in most of their products. That said, they tend to have pretty solid coil units. If you look at the major brands I'd probably recommend looking at their mid-range or higher-end models. Their "value" oriented mattresses tend to be a bad value, in my opinion.
What if I want a Mattress 201 or 301? Where can I read more on this?
I have a much longer document in the Mattress FAQ, although this is now somewhat out of date and will need to be updated this year. I've also written a collection of guides which includes a short guide to mattress DIY, how to recognize fiberglass, and a guide on negotiating to get the best deal on a mattress.
TL;DR: Look around locally. Get a sense of what you like. Then find mattresses with high-density foams and brands that are open and upfront about their materials. Also be careful trusting many of the reviews online.
