Brooklyn Bedding Best Mattress Ever

Hi chadb97,

Congratulations on your new mattress … and thanks for the update.

I’m not surprised that the Brooklyn Bedding soft feels softer to you than the Leesa.

I would keep in mind that there are no “standard” definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer. Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like “medium” for someone else or even “soft” for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they “rate” a mattress as well (see post #15 here) so different people can also have very different opinions on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness and some people may rate one mattress as being firmer than another and someone else may rate them the other way around. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science.

While your own careful testing or personal experience is the most reliable way to know whether any mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP or how it compares to another mattress … when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with (which would likely include Leesa) based on the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences or to other mattresses that they are familiar with than anyone else.

Phoenix

Chad, we have a very similar story to yours.

We started out on the Leesa, but found it too firm for side sleeping.

This drove us to order a Brooklyn Bed Soft. It definitely has a lot of give. The good thing is I don’t feel the pressure spots on my hip bones and shoulders I feel when sleeping on the Leesa. What worries me now is that I seem to have developed a lower back soreness that may be due to the mattress. I’ve been switching between the Leesa and BB, and it seems things improve when I’m on the Leesa. The soreness occurs the morning after, though I think I do feel a bit of flex in my back when side sleeping. But, I’ll keep testing until I know for sure.

Brooklyn bed did tell me that their medium is “definitely softer” the the Leesa mattress. I don’t think I would switch out for a medium though since the “free return” can only be used once. So if the medium doesn’t work out, you are stuck with it. Pretty risk for a mattress you’ve never tried. It is a reasonable policy on their end I think since each return probably costs them a few hundred.

We have plenty of time left to test the BB, though my current thinking is if it doesn’t work out is to look into the Plush Kiss Bed that is also recommended. Since they offer a Plush and a Firm- their Plush may be slightly softer than Leesa’s one size fits all firmness. I’ll call them up for their input if that time comes.

Hi matressshopper123,

Thanks for the update.

While the most common cause for lower back pain is a mattress that is too soft … as you probably know there will be a break in and adjustment period with any new mattress (see post #3 here) and it’s not unusual to experience some “symptoms” during that time as your body gets used to a new sleeping surface that is different from what it’s used to so I would try and give any new mattress a month or so if possible (or at least a few weeks) until any “symptoms” have “stabilized” and are consistent before deciding deciding on any changes.

Phoenix

This thread seems like deja vu, except I started with a Casper and not a Leesa and switched to a soft Brooklyn Bedding. I too am a side sleeper and the Casper was too hard - I basically lost sensation in my arms and hands during the night and after a few days had to force myself to sleep on my back. yuck. Brooklyn Bedding was a miracle until my lower back began to hurt. I only sleep on one side of the mattress and was able to eliminate the pain by sleeping on the other side. Once broken in the mattress won’t provide enough support even though I really like the way it feels. Rather than take that risk of going to a medium and getting stuck, I decided to return the Brooklyn Bedding for a Spindle. Spindle costs more but if the medium doesn’t work out I can contact Spindle and figure out how to adjust the layers of the mattress so that it does. Spindle is a little more money than Brooklyn Bedding but I figure it’s worth paying extra to get a configurable latex mattress.

Thanks for the input everybody! I’m tempted to switch back to the Leesa because I’m having trouble getting over the feeling that my hips are sinking on the #bestmattressever-soft. (no lower back pain yet though) Today is 1 week with it, so I want to give it at least 1 more week. The last few nights both my wife and I have noted that we are feeling each other move. With the Leesa, I could probably have jumped on the mattress and my wife wouldn’t have felt me. So as of right now, I"m still sleeping on the #bestmattressever-soft, but will hold onto Leesa. Maybe adding a good thick mattress pad to the Leesa would help?

These trial periods are great! Way better to actually sleep on mattresses for an extended period of time, rather than try to make a decision on a mattress after laying on several of them for 5-10 minutes apiece.

Hi chadb97, matressshopper123, tdoyon,

I switched the last few posts to a new topic with a different and more relevant title because they were starting to stray outside the scope of the original topic they were posted in.

@ tdoyon

It sounds like the medium may have been a better firmness choice for you. It can be somewhat misleading to compare one company’s “medium” with the same “rating” with a different company because there are no “standard” definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being medium could be either firmer or softer than another mattress made by a different manufacturer that is also rated as a “medium”.

In any case … congratulations on your new Spindle mattress :slight_smile:

As you know they are also a great quality/value choice and I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback once you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.

@ chadb97,

I would keep in mind that the first two “P’s” in PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) are what you “need” and the last “P” is about your personal preferences so if you aren’t experiencing any “symptoms” on a mattress (lower back pain or pressure points etc) that comments about what a mattress “feel like” may just be part of the initial adjustment period on a new mattress (see post #3 here). I would be cautious about changing a firmness level based on preferences alone because it may compromise what your body “needs” and any actual symptoms you experience (or lack of any symptoms) are the most reliable indication of whether a mattress is a good “match” for you. Don’t forget that you can’t “feel” a mattress when you are sleeping.

If a mattress is too firm and there are no soft spots or sagging in the mattress then a good quality topper or mattress pad can certainly be an effective way to add some additional softness, “comfort” and pressure relief to your sleeping system but the only way to know whether a specific mattress pad or topper in combination with your mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) would be based on your own careful testing or personal experience. If you can’t test the combination in person then there is always some risk and uncertainty involved in adding a mattress pad or topper because the specifics of the mattress itself along with your own body type, sleeping position, and preferences can affect which specific mattress pad or topper would be a suitable choice on any specific mattress.

The type of mattress pad or topper that you may wish to add would would be a preference choice rather than a “better/worse” choice and would depend on how much additional softness and pressure relief you would need and on the types of materials and the “feel” that you tend to prefer.

You can read a little more about fiberbeds and mattress pads (which use polyester fibers) in post #10 here and in post #2 here.

If you decide to make more significant changes to your mattress and add a topper then there is more information about choosing a topper in post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to which along with a conversation with a reliable supplier that can provide you with good information about how their toppers compare to each other or to other toppers they are familiar with that are available on the market can help you use your sleeping experience as a reference point and guideline to help you choose the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least possible risk and the best chance for success.

Phoenix

I’m probably on day 100 of a medium BME and I’m still on the fence on whether I want to keep it. By itself it’s painfully firm for me. If I sleep ramrod straight on my back it’s somewhat tolerable, but any angle beyond that and it’s very uncomfortable. I’m using the memory foam topper that I already had which makes it OK but not great. The topper is around 3.5 inches, two layers, it was probably the firmest available which I got in a fruitless attempt to extend the life of my old mattress. I don’t know the brand since it’s just the foam without any tags.

I don’t know if I really want to exchange for the soft because I would be stuck with it if I don’t like it. I’m around 250 lbs which would imply I should stay away from soft mattresses, but I am also 6’7’’ with wide shoulders and have always tossed and turned into various positions when falling asleep.

I was interested in latex since I hate how hot the memory foam gets in the summer but maybe it’s not the material for me. It’s weird how when you press on it it’s soft until it’s suddenly not. I don’t know if that’s a general latex thing or due to the construction of the BME.

Hi david_a,

You certainly made a great quality choice and your mattress uses high quality materials that would be suitable for your weight range in terms of durability but the most important part of any mattress purchase is PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) and the only way to know whether any mattress is a good “match” for your body type and sleeping style will be based on your own careful testing or personal experience.

The medium firmness would normally be “in the range” that had the best chance of success and would be most likely to be suitable for you based on “averages” but unfortunately each person is unique and not everyone fits inside the averages of other people even if they have a similar body type and sleeping style.

If I was in your shoes I would probably try your mattress without the topper for a few weeks (if you haven’t already) to give the mattress a chance to break in and for you to adjust to a sleeping surface that is different from what you are used to (see post #3 here) because the comfort layers in the mattress may be softer than your firm topper and your topper could be part of the cause of your discomfort. If you are experiencing pressure points in your shoulders then it’s also possible that your “symptoms” are a pillow issue rather than a mattress issue.

While it’s not possible to “diagnose” mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because there are too many unique unknowns, variables, and complexities involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) or any “symptoms” they experience … there is more about the most common symptoms that people may experience when they sleep on a mattress and the most likely (although not the only) reasons for them in post #2 here that may be helpful.

If your mattress is too firm then the information in post #2 here may also be helpful and I would make sure that you have a suitable support system under your mattress and also confirm that any mattress pad or mattress protector you are using isn’t contributing to the issues or “symptoms” you are experiencing as well.

Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here (which they do) … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article).

There is also more about the pros and cons of memory foam vs latex in post #2 here but the best way to know which type of material you tend to prefer is based on testing a range of mattress in different firmness levels in each category to see if you can identify any “pattern” in your preferences.

Every category of mattresses can include hundreds (or thousands) of different mattresses with different designs and different firmness levels so each category will generally include some mattresses that you will sleep well on and other mattresses that use the same type of materials and are in the same category that may be unsuitable for you to sleep on (regardless of which materials are used in the mattress).

In other words … how well the specific design of a mattress “matches” your body type and sleeping style in terms of Posture/alignment and Pressure relief/comfort is generally more important than the type of materials themselves (which is more of a preference based on the “feel” and response of different materials). Like most things … different people can have very different preferences.

Phoenix

Happy Holidays to all! I came across Brooklyn Bedding by accident and it has been so far the best experience. Due to a home renovation, we were not able to get a regular Queen size mattress thru our bedroom door. After much extensive research I found Brooklyn Bedding. Customer service which I thought was dead in all industries, my faith has been restored. I have had many many questions throughout the whole process and Mario in customer service has answered every single one in a timely manner. The reviews have been great throughout all sites on the internet. I finally placed my order today and look forward to receiving the mattress soon. Will be back with an update.

Hi nycmomma319,

Thanks for taking the time to share your comments and letting us know what you decided to purchase … and congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

As you probably know from your reading here you certainly made a great quality/value choice and I’m looking forward to your feedback once you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.

Happy Holidays to you as well!

Phoenix

A few questions:

  1. How suitable is this mattress for very large people? I weigh #300.

  2. I am looking for a bed and am on a tight budget, so IKEA is of some interest. How well does this mattress work with IKEA’s slat offerings? Which model of slats is recommended?

Hi Another Heavy Sleeper,

There is more information about the 3 most important parts of “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).

While I can’t speak to how a mattress will feel for anyone else because there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person … outside of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress always depends on knowing the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new) so I would always make sure that you can find out the information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to confirm that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.

The BestMattressEver uses latex comfort layers and a 2 lb density polyfoam support core which are all high quality and durable materials and there are no lower quality materials that would be a weak link in the mattress relative to your weight that would be any cause for concern and it would certainly make a great quality/value choice for any weight range in a suitable firmness level.

While your own careful testing or personal experience is the only way to know for certain whether any mattress or combination of layers and components is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) … when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
.

Any mattress with a polyfoam support core will do best with a firm, flat, and evenly supportive support surface underneath it that has minimal to no flex under the mattress and for larger sizes with at least one center support beam that has good support to the floor to prevent any sagging in the middle of the mattress. The components need to be strong and durable enough to support the weight of the mattress and the people sleeping on it without some of the parts bending, sagging, shifting, or breaking with extended use. The support surface under the mattress should have enough surface area to prevent the mattress from sagging through any gaps or spaces in the support surface over time but still allow some airflow under the mattress. I would suggest that the gaps between any slats are no more than about 5" (with 1 x 3 slats) although less than 4" would be better yet.

There is more information about the different support systems (bedframes and foundations or platform beds) that are generally suitable for different types of mattresses and some examples of each of them in post #1 here and some of the information and comments in this topic may be helpful as well.

The Ikea support systems are flexible slat systems that can change the feel and response of the mattress and they wouldn’t be my first choice for your mattress.

Phoenix

My husband and I after searching the Mattress Underground purchased Brooklyn Bedding’s Best Mattress Ever in late August (2015) We have just completed our 120 trial and would not even consider returning it. We got the medium firmness for both of us and 2 Twin XL mattresses to be used on our Leggett and Platte split king frame. I was looking for memory foam, but did not hear anything positive from my friends. So…(now this will age me) since I still had a latex pillow that has been mine for the past 50 years and is still comfortable I began researching latex. I have a really bad back so I needed something that would help. I can’t believe I don’t have pain any more. I get up and out of bed with absolutely no problems. The price was also very attractive and if for some reason, I need a new mattress down the road, a replacement would not be cost prohibitive.

Below is a modified version of the review I posted on the Brooklyn Bedding website after one week of use. My opinion has not changed in the 120 day. In fact, you wouldn’t be able to pry the mattress out from under me if you tried:

I love this mattress so far. I thought I would address a couple of concerns that people have raised in other forums.

  1. Does the mattress sleep hot?: No - we are 63 years old and haven’t had any problems. I do have a nice mattress pad and some wonderful sateen sheets on the bed, but those would be on any bed that I own.
  2. Does the mattress leave imprints?: No - we have not had any sagging or noticeable imprinting. The mattress bounces back quickly.
  3. Does the mattress reflect motion from others?: Yes, but not to the degree of my old innerspring mattress.
  4. Does the mattress collapse when sitting on the edge, or is it too firm? No - it is easy to sit on and/or get out of bed.
    I have serious back problems and have noticed that I do not wake up and have trouble stretching out my back and walking straight. I have no more sleeping pain. I feel much more rested. I got this mattress because I have an old latex pillow that I have used for over 50 years and it is still in good shape. I hope this mattress proves to be just as reliable. I like that fact that this mattress does not need to be flipped. I will just need to rotate it occasionally. I have a schedule that I have been following for years: First day of fall, winter, spring and summer.
    It was fun to watch this mattress unfold. We cut the plastic and it was totally plump after only a minute or two. WOW! It did scare our dog.

I did post a review of the “free” pillows. At the time of delivery, I was unaware that they would be shredded foam (scraps). They do indicate that on their site now. They are horrible and I gave them a one star rating. Brooklyn Bedding removed my post from their site. They sell a latex pillow that looks good, but I already purchased new pillows elsewhere. I am going to use the shredded foam to make decorative pillows for my room. We also got the Leggett and Platte adjustable frame from them and it is wonderful.

Hi clamend,

Thanks for taking the time to share such detailed comments and feedback about your mattress purchase … I appreciate it.

As you know you certainly made a great quality/value choice … and congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

It’s also great to hear that your choice worked out so well for you and now that you are past the initial break in and adjustment period it would be reasonable to expect that you will be sleeping well for many more years.

Phoenix

Hello all! I have been in the hunt for a new mattress, though until recently I hadn’t done a whole lot of research. I had been looking at a few reviews online and was thinking of trying to make good use of my credit card’s double cash back for the holidays - and then I stumbled upon this forum. Phoenix, what can I say? You are an absolute guru. I didn’t know how much I didn’t know! I’d like to take a minute to just say thank you a million times over for your informative and thorough posts! I nearly bit on a couple of Amazon deals earlier in the week, but with dubious material quality and a swath of bad reviews, I was a bit scared to jump in blind.

After reading through everything here, weighing some of the Nest options, Kiss Mattress, and a few others, I landed on the Brooklyn BME. For what I’m looking for, it really does seem to check all of the boxes and the price is really quite good. I jumped in on their holiday promotion (5% off + free shredded latex pillows, which Keaton was very quick to explain within seconds of me asking if there were any promos going on). My medium queen should be on the way shortly, and I’d love to come back and leave some feedback after I’ve given it some testing :slight_smile:

Cheers!

Hi Vrenlos,

Thanks for the kind comments … and congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

As you know you were certainly looking at some great options and ended up making a great quality/value choice.

I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback once you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.

Phoenix

Here’s an update:

My wife and I both liked the comfort level of the #bme-soft a lot! We definitely prefer soft comfort levels. However, we have two complaints about the #bme-soft.

1). The motion transfer of this mattress is a little bit more than we would like.

2). The support level is just not ideal for us. (Close, but not ideal)

Thinking of switching to the #bme-medium, but I’m kind of making some assumptions I’d like some input on. As far as the motion transfer the soft has an ild 19 top layer and the medium a 28 ild top layer. Would it be reasonable to assume that a firmer top layer would reduce the motion transfer?

I’m also assuming that the support level of the medium will be better than the soft. The second layer of latex is the same in the soft and medium, so not 100% sure the support would be more or not.

If I do switch to the medium, that’s it for me. I lose my trial and the medium is mine. Like I said, we really liked the soft, and I think the medium will hit the sweet spot. My wife and I really liked the support of the Leesa, but it’s was to firm (for her) and I bought it before knowing it only had a 3 lb. memory foam layer. So the Leesa is going back.

Hi chadb97,

Latex in general is very point elastic (contours well to the shape of the body) and is “good” in terms of motion transfer but not as good as memory foam which is the most motion isolating of all the foam materials. Motion transfer is also a function of how all the layers and components in a mattress and the cover interact together with the people sleeping on the mattress so even mattresses that have similar materials can be somewhat different in terms of motion transfer. Different people with different body types or sleeping styles or sensitivities can also affect motion transfer. I doubt that there would be many members here that have compared their soft and firm mattresses (and even if they had their experience may be different from yours) so a conversation with Brooklyn Bedding would probably be the best source of guidance about how their soft and firm options compare in terms of motion transfer.

“Support” is often misunderstood because the goal of a “supportive” mattress is to keep the spine and joints in good alignment and this requires the type of contouring support that allows some parts of the body to sink in more and some parts of the body to sink in less and this will vary on an individual basis. There is more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support/alignment” and “comfort/pressure relief” and “feel” and how they interact together.

The only reliable way to know for certain whether any mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of PPP will be based on your own personal experience.

Phoenix

Thank you for all the help! I ordered my mattress during the Christmas Holiday. Great customer service! Looking forward to a good nights sleep, I ordered the firm and I do not see too many reviews on that comfort so I will be sure to report back once the mattress arrives.
Thank you

Hi jai.wu23,

Thanks for letting us know what you decided to purchase … and you certainly made a great quality/value choice.

Congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

While your experience on their firm mattress or your assessment of how firm it feels to you may be very different from others that have a different body type, sleeping style, sensitivities, or preferences or that are using a different frame of reference for how they define “firm” … I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback once you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.

Phoenix