While shopping for a mattress recently, I found that my usual methods of researching a big purchase were stymied. Objective websites and message boards with informed commenters were few and far between. I eventually did find some resources that helped me investigate mattresses and the whole buying process, but they were hard to come by. Those sites I thought were helpful are listed below – hopefully they will make life a little easier for others who are contemplating a mattress purchase.
Very early in this process, I learned that mattress shopping (like to car shopping) involves lots of marketing tricks, haggling & other high pressure sales techniques. Here are some of the best articles I found that described the mattress-buying process:
- What is the Best Mattress Buying Guide – One of the more comprehensive resources out there.
- The Mattress Scam - a somewhat amateurish-looking website, but lots of good information overall
- Going to the Mattress – Despite being published in 2000, this article from Slate.com is one of the most frequently cited. A decent primer
- Consumer Reports Mattress Guide – this is actually a huge disappointment, from this consumer’s view. They don’t provide any substantive information, because they say it’s too hard to compare mattresses.
- Get Rich Slowly: How to Buy a Mattress – This is a guest post from a mattress salesman. Both the post and the reader comments provide some insight into the process
What the articles above lack is any kind of objective review of mattresses themselves. When it comes to things like electronics or cars, there are lots of enthusiasts out there who are discussing the pros and cons of various features. Mattresses don’t seem to inspire the same enthusiasm. That said, there are a few online forums and other sites that are worth checking out when trying to figure out how to rate the various makes and models out there:
- Consumer Reports Mattress Forum – Consumer Reports has a fairly active mattress discussion forum.
- What is the Best Mattress User Forum – the people who post here probably are the most educated about mattress types and brands. They also seem to tend towards having more specialized problems like fibromyalgia or lower back pain which forced them to become experts. Not always your “typical” consumer.
- Sleep like the Dead – Features in-depth ratings for a variety of mattresses. Definitely more comprehensive than anything else I’ve found They do not disclose where those ratings come from, however, which makes the site a little suspicious. Even so, I used it as a resource during my search and purchase process.
- Mattress Reviews Ratings Prices – one of the only review sites with information comparing prices. Unfortunately, they also don’t give their methodology, so I have to take everything on it with a huge grain of salt. Then again, I did look at it for comparison information.
- Apartment Therapy: A Year in Bed Posts – a series where the author reviews a different mattress each month. I haven’t seen mattress reviews this comprehensive anywhere else.
- NY Times Graphic from 2009 – Comparison of mattresses based on “organic” content vs claims
- Fat Wallet Forum Deal Discussion: How to Buy a Mattress – one of the more recent discussions on the topic that I have found.
If I missed any important resources, let me know in the comments. I will write about the experience I had when actually making my mattress purchase in a future post.
