Our sleep experts have been testing mattresses, bedding and accessories for years (some have been testing for eight years). At this point, we’ve tested over 300 mattresses from many brands, from the big ones like Purple and Tempur-Pedic in more niche companies like Sonu and Airweave.

Our team is made up of bed testers with different body weights and types, heights, genders and sleep preferences, which help us give a comprehensive assessment of each mattress from the many views. Many mattresses have been tested for a long time, from a month or two until five years.

We test king-size mattresses as we do any other bed. When a new mattress arrives at our testing facilityit undergoes rigorous, hands-on testing by each of our experts. We analyze specific characteristics, including firmness, feel, temperature, isolation of movement, edge support and other special features that the mattress can have.

Strength

Firmness is rated on a numerical scale of 1 (softest) to 10 (firmest), and we use industry terms like soft or medium-firm to describe it. Our entire team takes turns evaluating and ranking the firmness of each mattress, allowing us to make recommendations on what sleeping position and body type are best suited. After subjectively analyzing the firmness, we let our one-of-a-kind Mattress Smasher 9000 do its thing and give us an objective firmness score.

felt

Another subjective element we review is the feel of a mattress, apart from its firmness. Does it feel springy and responsive when lying on it? Is it easy to switch positions? Or does the dense memory foam conform to our bodies and hold our shape for a while? Does the mattress have a soft, plush feeling on the pillowor is it more neutral? Can we feel any coils or zoned support? We’ve done our best to describe what each bed feels like to help you decide if it’s for you without having to try it all yourself.

Read more: Why Foam is Important in Your Mattress

temperature

Temperature can be difficult to review considering the personal preferences of each sleeper and the fact that many mattress brands overstate their beds. cooling capability. When testing and reviewing mattresses, we detail how hot or cool the mattress is to sleep on. Many external factors come into play here (such as climate and environment, bedding, pajamas, etc.), so we test the bedding in temperature-controlled rooms without sheets or bedding. Using our extensive knowledge and experience, we will analyze its construction and materials and explain how they affect the temperature.

Isolation in motion

Motion isolation is a term we use to describe how well a mattress deadens movement on it. This is an especially important feature for light sleepers or those who share a bed with a partner or pets. We tested the motion isolation capabilities by having one expert lie on the bed while the other flopped and shifted positions. The second method is to put a glass of water on the edge, roll it towards and away from it to see if the glass tips or falls.

Edge support

Side support is generally not as important for king-size mattresses as it is for smaller sizes such as queen or twin. Regardless, the edge support test allows us to evaluate how well it holds the structure and supports around the perimeter. We sit and lie on the edge to see how the bed responds. Does it sink and give the sensation that we move, or is it stable and supportive? We also pushed the edges with our fists to see 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 those with back pain. We tested and reviewed these additional characteristics and determined which type of sleeper would be most beneficial.