We believe that trust is important when it comes to reviewing any product. To give you the best idea of how a product functions, you have to trust us. Understanding how we perform our tests, especially when it comes to our mattresses, may shed a little light on how and why we recommend each product to you.
Let’s go over our mattress review process so you better understand how we get our results.
The Mattress Review Process
During our mattress review process, we make extensive notes about every part of the mattress experience. This starts with ordering and unboxing and extends through the sleep trial associated with the mattress. I test every mattress we look at on this website. After my tests are complete, we send the mattress to our testers for additional feedback. Our mattress experts also weigh in on how each mattress performs during its time in our test lab.
Throughout our extensive evaluations, we look at the following features and performance areas before deciding on whether we can recommend the mattress or not.
Ordering, Shipping, and Unboxing
The first part of our mattress experience is ordering and shipping. We try to be as anonymous as possible when ordering each mattress because we don’t want any special treatment. We want to have the same experience as any other potential customer when we place our mattress order.
We order the queen-size mattress most often when it is available. We track how long each option takes to ship and how long it takes to arrive on our doorstep. Once it arrives, we note how simple the unboxing process seems, if the mattress has an off-gassing odour, and whether or not it is easy to set up.
Materials and Composition
Our mattress testing and review process includes research into each mattress. We look at the composition and materials the company states are used in the mattress, taking careful note of what each layer does. This helps us gather a baseline for how the mattress performs. When possible, we unzip the cover to look at each part of the mattress. This in-depth examination of the layers gives us a better idea of how it will feel when we lay down on it.
Firmness and Feel
Each mattress company gives their mattresses a firmness rating. While we take this into account, we also develop our scores based on the feel of the mattress over time. A mattress that is supposedly medium-firm may tend more towards a medium feel over time or throughout the night, so tracking how the feel of the mattress changes is important to us.
We rate each mattress on our firmness scale, which accounts for the average feel of the materials for various testers after multiple nights. The firmness and feel of the mattress are some of the most important factors that most Canadians consider when purchasing a mattress, so we want to make sure that we get it right.
Support
The support profile of each mattress is unique, and it feels different for each type of sleeper. To test support, we look at results from testers in all sleeping positions and of all body types. We take into account whether the mattress is made of all-foam materials or if it uses pocket coils, and whether those pocket coils offer ergonomic zoned support.
These tests seem exhaustive, but it’s worth making sure that we pinpoint who can benefit most from each of the mattresses we review. Detailed feedback from all of our testers, as well as expert opinions and my thoughts, combine to give us a good idea of how supportive a mattress is.
Edge Support
Support at the edge of the mattress can vary greatly between material composition and the body type of the user. We look at how deep the mattress sags at the edge when we sit on it, and how it feels to perch there. In addition to sitting on the edge for long periods, we get up and down periodically to see how quickly the mattress springs back into place.
Temperature Control
Temperature control is another of the most important features that Canadians look for in a mattress. This is one of our most important tests, so we take it seriously. First, we lay on the mattress without using sheets or bedding. We look at how quickly the mattress heats up, and whether that body heat lingers when we move around. After this, we test the mattress with bedding that doesn’t control temperature on its own.
We are careful to note temperature changes using thermal imaging hardware in each round of testing, from bare mattress tests to bedding tests and beyond. We test with those who don’t overheat often, as well as with hot sleepers to get a good feel for how the mattress reacts to body heat and sleeping styles.
Motion Isolation
Motion isolation can ruin your night, especially if you are a light sleeper with a restless partner. To test motion isolation, we perform a variety of tests. We drop weights on the surface of the mattress while someone lays on the other side to see if sudden, harsh movements transfer across the surface. Next, we get up and down repeatedly, getting in and out of bed and moving around. The ‘static’ partner reports how much they can feel concerning how strong the movements are.
While glasses of water can visually show disturbance caused by movements, it’s more important for us to test with real people. This helps us get an accurate feel of how the mattress will perform for you.
Pressure Relief
Pressure relief and sinkage tests are some of the trickiest to perform, but it’s ultimately one of the most important things to keep in mind when presenting our opinion on the mattress. Most of our results are based on how the mattress feels, particularly for different types of sleepers over various lengths of time. We look at how deep the mattress sinks in after you get up from the same position and how long it takes to fully regain its form.
Sinkage and pressure relief are driven by personal preference, so this isn’t a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ category. Instead, we look at the individual results of each sleeper to develop an opinion about whether the mattress sinks too deeply or offers just the right amount of pressure relief.
Conclusion
We want to give you the best possible idea of how each mattress feels and performs for the widest variety of Canadians possible. After all, when you can’t see or feel the mattresses yourself before making a purchase, reliable first-hand accounts are extremely important. We aim to provide first-hand knowledge of each mattress so you can make an informed, responsible decision about your next big mattress purchase.
Sincerely,
