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We opened up the original purple mattress to see the layers and contents inside — take a look.
firmness: Using our experience testing over 100 different beds, we analyze how firm or soft a bed feels compared to other beds. We use a scale of one to 10 with 10 being the strongest.
seems: We get physical with the mattress and see how the material feels. This is different from firmness. Depending on the foam and material of the mattress, we see that the bed is bouncy, slow-responsive, pressure-relieving or soft and fluffy.
Durability: It’s hard to say exactly how long each bed will last because we don’t test them for years. However, we can infer the firmness of a bed by looking at its construction. Hybrid or innerspring beds are more durable and last longer than foam mattresses.
Best body type: Based on the person’s body weight, we decide how comfortable the mattress is. We use different sized sleepers to test the bed and pay close attention to the construction of the bed.
Best sleeping position: Using different sleepers, we test the mattress in each sleeping position: side, back and stomach.
motion isolation: We use two people to test how well the motion transfer is dead across the bed, or put a glass of water on the edge of the bed to see how much it moves if we bounce around.
Edge support: We analyze the construction and physically lay on the sides of the mattress to get a measure of how supportive it feels.
temperature: Rather than getting fancy, we rely on our own experience of sleeping on a couch and a temperature gun. We can tell if a bed is cooling, breathable or warm by sleeping on it for a few nights.
the smell: Mattresses in a box smell like a new car when unpacked. Don’t worry, it won’t stick around. After 24 to 48 hours the odor will be gone. However, some beds emit less odor than others.
Read more on how we test mattresses.
