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Consumer Reports’ 2015 Mattress Picks: Innerspring Edition

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Consumer Reports, a publication that tests and reviews a variety of products, recently announced their first ratings on mattresses for 2015. Each year they test a variety of beds on durability and comfort, aiming to highlight the best potential values for readers.

The magazine offers an unbiased perspective on a variety of beds and brands, but in this guide, we’re focusing on current ratings and tips exclusively for innerspring mattresses. Read on to see which mattresses fared best and worst, and see how Consumer Reports’ ratings compare to real world reviews.

Consumer Reports 2015 Mattress Ratings

The Consumer Reports 2015 mattress guide includes several newer entrants as well as long-standing brands.

One thing that’s interesting to note is that no mattresses they’ve tested rate perfect across the board. What may surprise many people is that mattresses in the middle price range tend to perform best, while higher end and luxury mattresses often fall short, as has been the pattern for several years. In fact, many of this year’s top picks come in around or under $1500, and are largely from smaller brands.

Now you may ask, how can mattresses be tested for objective comfort when every person has unique needs and considerations? It’s a pretty important point, since everything from weight to age to sleep style can influence how a mattress feels (and why there’s so many brands and options out there).

Rather than looking specifically at comfort, Consumer Reports’ testing process aims more to gauge potential durability and capacity to provide support. They measure durability with a roller test, measure support for both back and side sleepers, map pressure points, test for firmness using the indentation method (compared with manufacturer statements), and check for bounciness that can signal motion transfer.

Consumer Reports 2015 Innerspring Mattress Tests

Here’s a look at the best and worst innerspring beds from this years group, which included nearly 20 models from Sealy, Serta, Ikea, Simmons, Ashley, Shifman, Saatva, Stearns and Foster, Duxiana, The Original Mattress Factory, and Charles P. Rogers.

The full ratings and test results from Consumer Reports are available to paying subscribers only, however OldBedGuy.com published the ratings and firmness scores from this year’s test.

Top 5: Best-Rated Spring Mattresses

These five mattresses topped the ratings from the selection Consumer Reports tested this year (higher ratings are better):

NameCR RatingCR FirmnessPriceSpecsReviews
Charles P. Rogers Powercore Estate 500071Medium$1,500Talalay latex
(?) Pocket coils
(No data)
Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid Trust71Soft$1,250Memory foam, gel foam, poly foam
825 Pocket coils
4.8 / 5
(Mattress Firm)
Beautyrest Recharge Hybrid Jeffery’s Bay70Medium$1,800Memory foam, gel foam, poly foam
1000 Pocket coils
(No data)
Charles P Rogers St. Regis Pillowtop68Medium$1,100Memory foam, cotton, poly foam
1000 Pocket coils
(No data)
Stearns and Foster Estate Scarborough Luxury Firm66Soft$1,575Gel memory foam, poly foam, blended latex
1302 Pocket coils
5 / 5
(Macy’s)

The five mattresses at the top of this year’s ratings include beds from major brands, and a lesser known factory.

Sealy’s Posturepedic Hybrid Trust and Charles P. Rogers Powercore 5000 both came out with the highest numbers, but CR names the Powercore as their top pick for back sleepers. The Powercore line includes high-quality coils and Talalay latex, and rated best overall for back pain. Also in the top five was the Charles P. Rogers St. Regis at slightly lower price point, which uses memory foam and poly foam. Both beds have 90 day return periods, but warranties are unlisted on their website.

The Sealy Hybrid Trust features memory foam, gel foam and poly foam layers, with pocketed coils. It has a 10 year warranty, with return policies varying by retailer. The small number of reviews on retailer websites place this mattress well above average for other innersprings.

Both the Beautyrest Recharge Jeffery’s Bay (Sears) and Stearns and Foster Estate Scarborough (Macy’s) appear to be discontinued or currently unavailable from an online search. Both lines still have similar options available (though CR advises mattresses touted as similar may not always measure up).

Worst 5: Lowest-Rated Spring Mattresses

These five mattresses came in at the bottom of the list compared to this years group (higher ratings are better):

NameCR RatingCR FirmnessPriceSpecsReviews
Stearns and Foster Megan-Rose Luxury Plush42Soft$2,075Gel memory foam, poly foam
1302 Pocket coils
4.5 / 5
(Mattress Firm)
Ashley Sleep Destin Beach44Soft$850Memory foam, poly foam
? Pocket coils
(No data)
Shifman Anniversary Collection52Medium$3,025Two-sided
Cotton, poly foam
? coils
(No data)
Beautyrest Recharge Castleton55Soft$1,490Foam, memory foam, gel foam
800 Pocket coils
(No data)
Ikea Sultan Holmsta58Soft$550Poly fiber, poly foam, 80% synthetic latex
484 Pocket coils
3.4 / 5
(SLTD)

On the other end of the spectrum, beds from Stearns and Foster, Simmons, Ashley, Ikea and Shifman make an appearance.

The Stearns and Foster Megan Rose and Ashley Sleep Destin Beach came in at the bottom for springs, scoring in the 40s. Both are memory foam and foam hybrids with pocket coils, though the Stearns and Foster model is positioned at the luxury end of the market. The few reviews of the Megan-Rose are mostly positive, so this seems surprising.

Another luxury option, the Shifman Anniversary Collection from Bloomingdales, also underwhelmed CR researchers. Coming in slightly higher but still below average were the Beautyrest Recharge Castleton (appears to be discontinued) and the budget-priced Ikea Sultan Holmsta. While there is limited to no review data on the Shifman and Castleton, the Holmsta rates about average for spring beds.

Other mattresses from the middle of Consumer Reports’ rankings (between 60 and 64) included the Duxiana DUX 515 and 101, Original Mattress Factory Orthopedic Luxury Firm (a “Best Buy” despite mid-level ratings), Serta iSeries Vantage, Stearns and Foster Estate Walnut Grove, and Saatva Luxury Firm Euro Pillowtop.

Interestingly enough, nearly all of the high-priced, luxury models performed no better than average, with mattresses in the $1000-$1500 outdoing beds priced over $3000.

How Do The Ratings Stack Up? Consumer Mattress Reports Picks

As the the tables above demonstrate, Consumer Reports rankings don’t always line up with price, nor do they necessarily match owners’ reviews. There are plenty of well-reviewed mattresses that don’t do well on the tests, and some poorly-reviewed ones that seemed to slip by. They also only test a very small percentage of the market, leaving hundreds of models and dozens of brands entirely out of the mix.

Based on our research, here are the lines with best owner review scores and overall values in our opinion (price versus quality), sorted by type.

Consumer Mattress Reports Best Innerspring Buys

ModelSpecsPriceReviews
Signature Sleep 13" Pillow TopMedium
Memory foam, foam
744 Pocket coils
$2994.6 / 5
(Amazon)
Serta iSeries Vantage FirmFirm
Gel memory foam, foam
1008 Pocket coils (coil-in-coil)
$1,0744.4 / 5
(Multiple sources)
Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid TrustSoft
Memory foam, gel foam, poly foam
825 Pocket coils
$1,1754.8 / 5
(Mattress Firm)

For those seeking a budget or short-term option, the Signature Sleep offers a decent value using 3 inches of foam for cushion and individual pocket coils for support and motion resistance. While it likely won’t prove the most durable bed and may not be suitable for larger individuals, reviews indicate it provides decent comfort and support for short or occasional use.

In the middle price range, both the Serta iSeries Vantage Firm and Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid Trust offer good value. Both feature memory foam and foam toppers with pocket coil systems.

The Vantage is a newer model of a previous CR Best Buy, the iSeries Applause, and the new model also earns above average reviews. Reviews typically find the Vantage to be supportive and comfortable. The Serta iSeries brand also comes with a 120 day trial, which is very generous for innerspring beds.

The Hybrid Trust was tied for top-rated this year, and it also performs very well in reviews. It outdoes many of the mattresses that are priced hundreds of dollars higher, and reviews indicate good comfort and support. Return policies depend on the retailer.

Advice from Consumer Reports on Mattress Shopping

Consumer Reports mentions in their online buying guide that innersprings are good starting point for many people, since they are most common and often less expensive than specialty beds (however, mattress review data indicates that innerspring owners are significantly less satisfied overall compared to memory foam and latex beds). In their overview of mattress types, they say innersprings are typically easy to move on, but motion transfer can be a problem.

Here’s a brief look at other tips the magazine recommends for consumers:

  • Pick the right mattress size for your needs.
  • Don’t rely on retailer descriptions of firmness (one man’s firm is another’s soft).
  • Some brands offer retailers “unique” lines with similar beds under different names, which can make comparisons harder.
  • Don’t take “comparables” at face value; mattresses said to be comparable to another often aren’t.
  • Try out mattresses in person for several minutes ideally.
  • If your foundation is in good shape and still supportive, you may need a new one.
  • Return policies and details are important.
  • Warranties may be less important; some may only cover deep sagging, may be hard to claim against, and can be voided by removing takes, getting dirty, or poorly supported bases.
  • Waiting for a holiday sale may give you a better deal, and you can also haggle with many stores and retailers for better pricing or to include extras like delivery, pickup etc.
  • Inspect beds on delivery for order accuracy, damage or defects, and always leave the tags on for warranty integrity.

They also recommend buying in stores, or at least checking out return policies in detail when buying online. Another pointer was to start from the bottom of the line and work up, rather than starting your search with the top-of-the-line.

If you’re curious to see how other mattress types compared this year, take a look at our Consumer Reports’ 2015 Mattress Picks: Memory Foam and Latex Edition for more information.

Let us know: What do you think of Consumer Reports mattress ratings? Do you think the innerspring results seem accurate, or how does your experience compare?


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