Best mattress Reviews

Simmons Beautyrest 
Best innerspring mattress

Mattress Reviews

Confused about mattresses? You're not alone. Shopping for a new mattress can be almost as overwhelming as buying a new car. Knowing the differences between types and understanding 
pricing can help you make a purchase you won't regret. Rest assured, ConsumerSearch.com consults objective buyer's guides and user ratings to identify the best brands among different 
types of mattresses.

Top 5 Best Matress

Simmons Beautyrest, Tempur-Pedic, Ikea Sultan, Comfortaire
 and OrganicPedic by OMI

Simmons Beautyrest

Best innerspring mattress

Pros

Good initial comfort

Pocket coils isolate motion well

Variety of styles and prices

Cons

Premature sagging is common

Little warranty coverage for sagging

Complaints about customer service

Bottom Line

The biggest advantage of the Simmons Beautyrest line is its superior motion isolation provided by its signature pocket-coil design. These mattresses are very comfortable and supportive when new, but they often begin to sag within a few years, becoming less supportive and even painful to sleep on. Simmons' warranty is average for an innerspring mattress, but the company gets more complaints about its service than any other.

Comfort

Very comfortable, at first. Owners of Simmons Beautyrest mattresses say they're very comfortable when new, providing good support that minimizes pressure points, reducing pain and improving sleep quality. Professional tests say the Beautyrest mattress provides better support for side sleepers than for back sleepers, but premature sagging tends to undermine their long-term supportiveness. At least 16 percent of owners experience pain, usually in the back, as a result of a sagging mattress. Another 10 percent find the mattress uncomfortably firm or uncomfortably soft, but with a good range of firmness levels to choose from, consumers should be able to avoid that problem by shopping carefully.

One strong suit of the Simmons Beautyrest is its ability to isolate motion. Mattresses are constructed with each spring encased in its own fabric pocket, so less movement transfers across the bed. This makes them more couple-friendly in one way, since partners are less likely to disturb each other at night, but it also eliminates much of the bounciness that makes innerspring mattresses good for sex. As for temperature, it's not a problem for most users: Only about 6 percent say the mattresses feel uncomfortably warm at night. This problem is most common with models that have a thick pillow top or contain a lot of memory foam.

Value

Don't expect great service. Simmons Beautyrest mattresses come in a wide range of styles and prices. The basic Classic model can cost as little as $880 for a queen size, while the top-of-the-line Beautyrest Black may cost more than $5,000. These are list prices and sales are common, so the price you pay should be considerably less. Beautyrest owners don't often grumble about the price, but they do complain at length about Simmons' customer service, especially for warranty claims.

The warranty on Beautyrest mattresses is typical for an innerspring. Lower-priced models are covered for 10 years while high-end models are covered for 20 years, prorated after the first 10 years so the customer pays a share of the repair costs. The most common problem with mattresses is sagging and the Simmons warranty covers this, but only if the mattress has developed an indentation at least 1.5 inches deep.

Although this is typical coverage, many customers consider it inadequate. Moreover, reviews at Viewpoints.com report a variety of additional service problems. After paying $100 to return the old mattress, one owner received a defective replacement that began falling apart within two weeks. Another was denied coverage because of three tiny stains on the mattress cover. And these don't appear to be isolated complaints. Simmons' current rating of C with the Better Business Bureau is the lowest grade for any major mattress manufacturer, and most grievances concern warranty and quality-control problems.

Durability

Premature sagging is common. Many innerspring mattresses have issues with sagging, and the Beautyrest line is no exception. At least one in four owners say that within a few years, their mattresses began to sag or develop impressions from the weight of their bodies. Posts at Viewpoints.com report sagging problems starting anywhere from five months to five years after purchase. Models with a thick pillow top or comfort layer are most prone to sagging, while firm ones hold up better; one owner at Viewpoints.com who bought "the firmest mattress Simmons had on the market" says that after 13 years, "it is still as firm as the day we bought it."

However, even the firmest models in the Simmons Beautyrest line are one-sided, which means they can't be flipped to extend their lifespan. Owners tend to keep this mattress about six years, and reduced comfort or support due to sagging is the most common reason for replacing it. This puts the longevity of a Beautyrest mattress pretty close to the average for innersprings.



Others

(Tempur-Pedic, Ikea Sultan, Comfortaire and OrganicPedic by OMI)

Tempur-Pedic

Best memory foam mattress

Tempur-Pedic is the leading brand of memory foam mattresses, and it earns high overall satisfaction ratings from buyers. Owners praise the mattresses' comfort, durability and long warranty, but many find them uncomfortably warm and say their body-molding surface makes moving around difficult. 

Pros

Contours to body and isolates motion

Can reduce pain

Excellent warranty

Cons

Costs more than other foam mattresses

Hard to move on; not good for sex

Retains body heat

Ikea Sultan

Best latex foam mattress

Although there are few latex mattress reviews, the Ikea Sultan receives positive feedback from multiple sources. About four out of five owners like the mattress, especially its overall value. Most find Sultans comfortable, but they may be too firm for side sleepers. They also have a tendency to sleep hot.

Pros

Comfortable for most users

Good value with long warranty

Environmentally friendly

Cons

May retain body heat

Return policy allows exchanges only

Warranty doesn't cover sagging

Comfortaire

Best air mattress

Although Comfortaire mattresses aren't covered in many sources, they earn better overall ratings than any other air mattress. Owners say they offer good comfort and pain relief, and there are no significant problems with bunching or sagging in the middle. The air pump can be noisy, however. 

Pros

Adjustable firmness

Isolates motion well

Long lifespan

Good customer service

Cons

Requires assembly

Air pump can be noisy

Mechanical problems are common

OrganicPedic by OMI

Best green mattress

No mattress gets better marks for eco-friendly design than the OrganicPedic line by OMI; both innerspring and latex models are made entirely from natural and sustainably produced materials. Many mattresses have a separate pillow top that can be replaced if it starts to sag, rather than replacing the whole mattress. However, it all comes at a steep price. 

Pros

Handmade in the U.S.

All-natural, sustainably sourced materials

Wide range of prices and styles

Latex foam isolates motion well

Cons

Not widely available

Costs more than any other mattress


Take note:

An ancient Egyptian bed has a wooden frame carved to re­semble the legs and head of a cow.

A Chinese bed of the 1400's rests on a low platform and in­cludes curtains, a canopy, and carved wooden railings.

A French bed in the Empire style of the early 180o's is made of mahogany and decorated with metal designs coated in gold.

large timber rails supported by heavy square posts.

A truckle bed is a low bed on wheels that can be stored under a larger bed. Such beds were popular in the 1800's.

An aluminium bed has a slender framework that create the streamlined effect typical of modern furniture design.

Bed is an article of furniture used for sleeping or rest­ing. Throughout history, beds have ranged from simple, straw-filled mattresses to elaborate pieces of furniture with elegant frames and decorated with rich fabrics. Like other furniture, beds often have served as symbols of social rank and wealth.

Types of beds. Most modern beds consist of a frame, also called a bedstead. Accessories called bed­ding are usually added. These accessories generally in­clude a mattress, sheets, blankets, and pillows. Bedding may also consist of a duvet (a down- or fibre-filled cot­ton bag). A waterbed is a frame bed with a mattress that consists of a vinyl bag filled with water. Dual-purpose beds can be used as sofas. A Murphy bed folds up on hinges into a cupboard. In Japan and Latin America, many people sleep on straw mats laid on the floor. The Japanese futon has a layered cotton mattress on a fold­ing base. Some people in hot climates sleep in ham­mocks (hanging beds made of cloth or net with ropes at­tached to each end, which are themselves tied to hooks in walls, to posts, or to trees).

History. Early civilizations had beautifully decorated beds. The ancient Egyptians, who created the first fine furniture, slept on low wooden couches with legs shaped like animals. Some couches were covered with gold, ivory, or paint. Instead of pillows, the Egyptians used curved, wooden headrests. Ancient Greek and Roman beds resembled Egyptian couches. Because the Greeks reclined while they ate, couches were used for dining as well as sleeping. The Chinese used beds with ornamental canopies. However, for thousands of years, the most common type of bed was the pallet, which was a mattress laid on the floor and filled with straw, reeds, wool, or feathers. The quality of the filling depended on the wealth of the owner.

During the Middle Ages, few European houses had a separate room for sleeping. Instead, all members of the household slept on pallets arranged around the central fireplace of a common room. Only royalty and the wealthy had bedsteads, which generally consisted of large timber rails supported by heavy square posts.

Most beds were placed against a wall or in a corner. Curtains or sliding wooden panels surrounded the bed to provide warmth and privacy.

By the late 1400's, tall, sometimes intricately carved posts had been added to the rectangular frame to sup­port the canopy and curtains. Elaborately decorated beds of the nobility and the wealthy, called state beds, were hung with velvet, silk, and other luxurious fabrics. Such beds frequently became the most expensive piece of furniture in a household. During the 1600's, beds first became fairly common in middle-class homes. The frames were light with carved wooden posts. Some beds of this time had a truckle bed, a low bed on wheels that could be rolled under the main bed.

Beds of the 1700's and 1800's generally took on a simpler, more graceful appearance. Canopies and hanggings became especially elaborate.

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Other Brands
Comfortaire, TempurPedic, Ikea Sultan and OrganicPedic