How Much Should You Really Spend on a Mattress?
You get what you pay for. We trust you’ve heard that adage before. It’s the vague, unhelpful answer you often hear when you ask, “How much should I spend on a mattress?”
Well, are you getting what you pay for?
x You do unfortunately get what you pay for when you penny pinch.
You choose an unbelievably low-priced foam mattress at a mattress store. It’s stiff, but it’s cheap. A steal, right? Only if you actually like mattress shopping because in 2 to 3 years you’ll be back in the mattress store. Why? Not all foams are formulated equally and that cheap foam mattress will deteriorate right under you as you sleep. (Not to mention, it’s as uncomfortable as heck.)
You choose the $2,999+ mattress with the fancy name made by the big brand that you saw in a shiny ad. Wait a second. THREE GRAND!? What exactly are you paying for again? To name a few things, you’re paying for multi-million dollar ad campaigns and an additional spring or inch of cushioning—none of which are going to make a difference in your quality of sleep.
It’s not easy judging mattress prices when price tags range from $199 to upwards of $4,999 to infinity and beyond. With such a wide discrepancy in pricing, how do you truly get what you pay for in a mattress? While paying too little often means cheaper materials, paying a lot more does not necessarily mean you’re getting better quality sleep.
A high-quality mattress near the $1,000 price point in the Queen size will have the following features:
1. High-density foam. If you’re taking the memory foam or hybrid mattress route, choose high-density memory foam for its longevity and resiliency. Low-density foam (e.g., poly foam) is likely to deteriorate in a short amount of time.
Here’s how you can easily test memory foam density: Press your hand firmly into the surface of the mattress for a few seconds, then release. Notice how quickly the memory foam recovers. High-density foam will slowly recover its original shape, while low-density foam will immediately pop back into place.
2. Individually pocketed coils.
If you’re going with an innerspring or hybrid mattress, choose individually pocketed coils for their strength and ability to flex independently. Individually sleeved coils do not touch, and this means there is less motion transfer between them. The knotted, hourglass-shaped coils of the olden days are ancient technology with less comfort and more creak that will carry motion across the surface of the mattress.Now, why might a mattress be priced in the marginally more expensive price range of $1,200 to $1,400? (Don't pay more than that!) Three big reasons: (1) Hand tufting for prolonged longevity, (2) quality latex for ultimate rebound, and (3) greater thickness for supreme softness—all of which are fantastic features, but none of which are entirely essential for a great night’s sleep.
Stop overpaying (or penny pinching) for your mattresses! Fair, affordably priced mattresses by trustworthy mattress brands exist. Hint: you probably won’t read about honest brands in flashy headlines.
Find out what you are paying for in a Bed Boss mattress in our follow-up post next week. You'll get to see the pricing breakdown of three of our popular mattresses: Heavenly Hybrid, Heir Et, and Revolution Hybrid.
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