How to Choose the Best Mattress

Relative to most products, mattresses last a long time. So when it comes time to purchase a new mattress these days, most people find themselves a bit rusty on the features that distinguish one mattress from another (what is an acceptable coil count? how much firmness do I want? why does quilting matter?…).

Making matters more complicated, many people find that the overall selection of mattresses has changed dramatically since their last purchase. New types of “specialty” mattresses — such as air beds, memory foam, latex, and adjustable beds — have come to occupy a significant portion of the market. And even classic innerspring mattresses now boast dozens of new features such no-flip, motion separation and edge support… Suddenly, an industry once known for producing seemingly identical boxes of fuzz and foam is alive with variety and buzzwords!

At Best Bed Guide, we recognize the challenges inherent in buying a mattress today, and our mission is to provide useful information to make this process easier. To help you sort through all of your options, we provide a road map to guide you through the entire mattress purchase process:

1) What to Buy — To get you started, our series of expert guides begins with a general framework for evaluating all beds, then addresses each of the various types of beds on the market today. These resources will help you determine what type of bed to buy, and then help you learn what features to look for in a given type of bed. Soon, we will be adding a product reviews section, offering unbiased information on specific mattress brands and models.

2) Where to Buy — Once you’ve decided what you’re looking for, our store locator will provide a full map of all the mattress stores in your area. We also provide advice on what to look for in a mattress store, including an overview of the many ways that mattress stores distinguish themselves from one another, so that when you walk into a mattress store, you know what to ask for. Soon, we will be adding mattress store reviews in order to provide you with objective information about specific retailers and store locations.

3) How to Buy — Once you know where you’re going and what you’ll be looking for, be sure to check out our helpful shopping guides and mattress resources before you find yourself face to face with a mattress salesperson. These guides provide advice on everything from negotiating for a mattress to evaluating a mattress warranty to choosing a mattress size. We also provide perhaps the most comprehensive mattress glossary on the web, and will soon be adding a forum to answer your specific questions.

As you can see, we’ve been busy thinking about all the ways we can help improve your mattress shopping experience. We look forward to your feedback as we add new features, and hope you find our site to be a useful resource for your mattress purchase.