Advice for first mattress purchase?

Just moved into my new place and am looking for a new mattress, preferably on the lower budget side of things. Any tips?
I’m currently looking most at the Tuft & Needle 10 inch and the Dreamfoam 12-in-1 queen size options. Accounting for the Tuft & Needle referral link discount combined with the membership discount for this site, the price ranges seem similar, so I’m looking to make a decision more based on quality.

Things that are most important to me is that it has the proper support to prevent back pain, that it is soft enough to enjoy sleeping on, that it provides a cool sleep, and that maintains its shape properly for an even sleep.
I’m 5’10, about 145 pounds, and would be placing this mattress on an Ikea wooden slat bedframe. Would be occasionally sleeping with a partner.

Also intrigued by the Casper because of the extra combination with the latex, but the price point and lack of long term reviews make me a bit wary of it. Any comments there would be great also. Thanks a lot!

Hi terin238,

Hopefully you’ve already read the mattress shopping tutorial here has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines (and tips) that you will need to make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

[quote]Things that are most important to me is that it has the proper support to prevent back pain, that it is soft enough to enjoy sleeping on, that it provides a cool sleep, and that maintains its shape properly for an even sleep.
I’m 5’10, about 145 pounds, and would be placing this mattress on an Ikea wooden slat bedframe. Would be occasionally sleeping with a partner.[/quote]

A mattress that provides proper “support” or what I call PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) can be very different for different people with different body types, sleeping positions, physiology, and preferences so a mattress that works “perfectly” for one person may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on. There are just too many unknowns, variables, and individual preferences involved for anyone to use a formula or specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” to know which mattress may be best for you (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here) but if you follow the steps in the tutorial post then your chances of a successful purchase will be very high.

I’m not sure which type of mattresses or materials you tend to prefer but if you are looking for latex or latex hybrid mattresses in a lower budget range then posts #3 and #4 here include the better options I’m aware of. Post #4 here also has a comparison between the Tuft & Needle and the Dreamfoam 12 in 1 customizable and also includes some of the better “non latex” options in lower budget ranges that I’m aware of as well.

Casper is also an “all or nothing” choice with a good refund policy if the mattress isn’t a good match for you and uses good quality materials that wouldn’t have any weak links in your weight range. They would certainly be a “better than average” choice compared to most mainstream choices but there are also many other options that may be better quality/value for you as well. There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here. You can read more about Casper in this topic and this topic.

Phoenix