We base our ranking on the following:
- The brands website, to compare prices and product features.
- The customer reviews , to know the reality behind the commercial and marketing promises.
- The physical mattress tests: This includes both mechanical mattress tests and subjective mattress tests.
Fortunately, you do not have to try out all the mattresses yourself to find the best mattress. Mattresses are regularly tested by mattress specialists and institutes that test them in a wide number of criteria. In this article, we've decided to reveal behind the scenes of these tests and the criteria that we use to evaluate each mattress.
Mechanical mattress tests
Mattresses are generally tested during the development of a mattress. However, consumer bodies such as Which? and Good Housekeeping also test and review various mattresses. This is in order to give consumers an unbiased and independent review. They usually make use of special machines to test their mattresses, as these give the most accurate results. In these tests, mattresses are evaluated based on certain criteria. These include:
- Durability
- Motion Transfer
- Spinal Alignment
- Zoning Tests
Durability
This refers to the state of the mattress over time, therefore the smaller the change, the better the material. In this test, we simulate the normal usage of the mattress during 8 years and we see how it performs over time. For this, the pressure is exerted on the mattress by rolling a large weight over the mattress several times. The norm says that the mattress should be rolled 30,000 times. However, since the main differences in hardness can be noticed between 100 and 15,000 cycles, we usually shorten the process (4-5 years of use). The best mattress would be the one that maintains the same characteristics and provides the same support as brand new after several years of use.
Motion Isolation
To test the motion isolation of the mattress, we look at the point elasticity. The aim of the test is to check the ability of the mattress to compress in a small area without affecting the area beside it. In other words, we want to check if you are going to wake up or not during the night when your partner moves. The test is performed by an indenter, that applies force to the mattress in 2 specific points according to the norm.
A mattress would have better point elasticity properties when it has a higher value from the middle section of the indenter. It would mean that the mattress can compress more for the body parts that sink in deeper without affecting the support provided to the rest of the body.
Mattress test with test subjects
Depending on the type of test, mattresses are also tested on test subjects. Usually this test uses both a heavier and a lighter person. It can measure things such as comfort, body contouring, support and spinal alignment. You can determine how far a person sinks into a mattress and whether he receives the correct amount of support. A mattress should also contour to the body. This means, for example, that the spine remains in a straight line when in a side sleeping position.
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