Our sleep experts have been testing mattresses, mattresses, and accessories for years (some testing for up to eight years). At this point, we've tested more than 300 mattresses from dozens of brands, from bigwigs like purple and Tempur-Pedic to more niche companies like Sonu and Airweave.
Our team consists of bed testers of different weights and body types, heights, genders, and sleep preferences, which helps us provide an overall assessment of each mattress from multiple perspectives. Many mattresses are tested over a long period of time, from a month or two up to five years.
We test king-size mattresses like we do any other bed. When a new mattress arrived at our testing facilityit undergoes rigorous, hands-on testing by each of our experts. We examine specific characteristics, including firmness, feel, temperature, motion isolation, side support and other special features the mattress may have.
Stability
Firmness is rated numerically on a scale of 1 (the softest) to 10 (the firmest), and we use industry terms such as soft or moderately firm to describe it. Our entire team takes turns assessing and ranking the firmness of each mattress, allowing us to make recommendations about which sleeping position and body type are best suited. After subjective firmness evaluation, we let our one-of-a-kind Mattress Smasher 9000 do its thing and give us an objective firmness score.
A close-up of the Mattress Smasher 9000 in action.
feeling
Another subjective element we evaluate is the feel of a mattress, separate from its firmness. Does it feel springy and responsive when lying on it? Is it easy to switch positions? Or the dense memory foam that conforms around our bodies and holds our shape for a while? Is the mattress soft, plush? feeling like a pillow topor is it more neutral? Can we feel any coils or zoned support? We do our best to describe exactly what it feels like to lie on each bed to help you determine if it's right for you without having to try it all on yourself.
Read more: Why Foam Matters in Your Mattress
Temperature
Temperature can be difficult to evaluate when considering the personal preferences of each sleeper and the fact that many mattress brands oversize their beds. cooling capabilities. When testing and evaluating mattresses, we detail how warm or cool the mattress makes the sleeper. Many external factors come into play here (such as climate and environment, bedding, pajamas, etc.), so we test beds in temperature-controlled rooms with or without bedding. Using our extensive knowledge and experience, we analyze its construction and materials and explain how they affect temperature.
Movement separation
Testing the motion isolation of the WinkBed mattress using a glass of water.
Motion isolation is a term we use to describe how well a mattress deadens movement on its surface. This is a particularly important feature for heavy sleepers or those who share a bed with a partner or pets. We test its motion isolation capabilities by having one expert lie on the bed while the other floats around and switches positions. The second method is by placing a glass of water on its side, rotating it to and fro to see if the glass is tipped or falls.
Side support
Side support is usually not as important for king-size mattresses as compared to smaller sizes such as queen or twin. Regardless, testing the edge of the support allows us to assess how well it holds its structure and support around the perimeter. We sat and lay on the side to see how the bed responded. Does it give way and give the sensation of rolling over, or is it firm and supportive? We also push the edges down with our fists to observe how much the edge compresses under pressure.
Special features
Some brands include special features in their mattresses, such as cooling covers for hot sleepers or zoned support for back pain sufferers. We analyze and evaluate these additional features and determine which type of sleeper will benefit the most.
