I am torn between Tuft and Needle, Casper, Leesa, Brooklyn Bedding, Novos on which I should get. Read so many reviews on Reddit and other places and still doesn’t help. I am a side sleeper 5’7 150lb. Also curious if I buy one of these will I need to buy the foundation they sell to keep it all together or is just a box spring fine? Please help 
Hi bknox3,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum!
Your question is common, with many people trying to decide between the many boxed-bed offerings available.
The first thing to focus upon is learning about mattress componentry and how to go about selecting a mattress. To do that, I recommend that you start by reading the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase 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 all the 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 again nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next 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 see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and 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 find out the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure 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.
I agree with you 100%. While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful … I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).
Here’s a good article that speaks to different sleeping postures and things to look for.
You’ll always want to check with each manufacturer as to what is appropriate for their mattresses, not only for support but also to maintain a valid warranty. Most manufacturers recommend some sort of a solid foundation, with slats spaced anywhere from 2" – 5" apart (it varies by manufacturer and model). A true “box spring” would be an active unit with coils that flexes, and generally would be contraindicated by the manufactures you mentioned. There’s much more about foundations and the differences between them in this thread.
All of the brands you mentioned have been discussed quite a bit here on the forum (Brooklyn Bedding and Novosbed are site members here, which means that I think highly of them). If you want to perform a forum search on these or any other brand, just click on this link and enter the name of the brand you might be curious about.
Boxed-bed “Simplified Choice” mattresses are discussed in greater detail in this thread. The specifications for the Tuft and Needle, Casper, Leesa Brooklyn Bedding Signature, and Novosbed are all listed in that thread.
If you have more specific questions after reading through this, feel free to post them back here and I’ll do my best to be assistive.
Phoenix
Not sure if this is the right way to post this, but I need help.
For the last 13 years or so, my husband and I have slept on a traditional innerspring mattress with a pillow top. It was great in its time, but it has gotten lumpy and it was time for a change. I had experienced memory foam at friends’ homes and I decided to give it a whirl. Our first attempt was a Casper. My husband liked it, but I found it to be hard as a rock. After a month or so, we returned it. I thought maybe the problem was that we were missing the feeling of coils, so I ordered the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora in soft. It was better, but too bouncy, too much movement transfer, didn’t like the feeling of the top. So, the next thought was go back to memory foam but get something that comes with choices and order soft. We ordered the novosbed in soft. We have been sleeping on it for about 10 days now. I find it hard, though not as hard as the casper, and some mornings my shoulder and neck hurt. (I sleep on. my side, I am 5’6", 135 lbs.) Novosbed says it can take 30-60 days for the memory foam to soften up and after 30 days they can also send us a comfort layer. Is this true? Will it soften up? Or do we need to try another mattress and if so what? Thanks!
Hi rgshapiro.
Welcome to our Mattress Forum!
[quote] We ordered the novosbed in soft. We have been sleeping on it for about 10 days now. I find it hard, though not as hard as the casper, and some mornings my shoulder and neck hurt. (I sleep on. my side, I am 5’6", 135 lbs.) Novosbed says it can take 30-60 days for the memory foam to soften up and after 30 days they can also send us a comfort layer. Is this true? Will it soften up?
Or do we need to try another mattress and if so what? Thanks! [/quote]
This is correct… memory foam, will soften somewhat over time, but there will always be a period of retrogression where you lose some of your “learned alignment” to your old mattress combined with a break in and adjustment period for any new mattress or sleeping system as the mattress loses any of its “false firmness” and the cover stretches and loosens a little and your body gets used to a sleeping surface that is different from what it is used to (see post #3 here). This would typically be a few weeks but it can be shorter or longer depending on the specifics of the person and the mattress.
I would definitely agree that you need to take more time adjusting to the new mattress, and hopefully as time moves on you’ll lose more of your previous “learned alignment” and the mattress will also lose more of its “false firmness”.
One thing that you may wish to investigate right now is your pillow. Issues in the upper back with a new mattress and the shoulder area are commonly the result of using a pillow that may have worked for on old mattress, but with the way you sink into the new mattress may be different and require a pillow that is thicker or thinner than your old one to maintain a more neutral alignment.
I would combine the pillow analysis along with attempting to get used to your new mattress, If after the break in period in combination with the pillow you find that you still have pressure point and neck issues then a comfort layer added on top of your mattress is usually the next step in fine tuning your system and getting it adjusted to suit your needs.
Finally only you will be able to determine whether your mattress will soften enough to your liking in the time frame you are willing to accept. As you chose something from Novosbed one of TMU’s Trusted Members you are in good hands and you can have confidence that they will work with you to find a solution if your initial purchase after the adjustment period is still too firm and does not meet your needs. You also did make a good choice of selecting a product that does have a good return policy.
If after all adjustments and fine tuning this still does not work and you do decide to return it, then I would begin your mattress shopping process again, starting with the guidelines in the mattress shopping tutorial. If you have questions at that time, we can revisit your specific needs, but I wouldn’t want to focus on that right now, and instead give your current mattress a more complete testing.
I hope this gives a good idea of how to move forward.
I would be interested to find how things progressed for you.
Phoenix
Thanks, Phoenix. I actually did get a new pillow as well although maybe not the right one. I tried one that was supposedly ideal for side-sleepers, sent it back, and ended up getting a newer version of the down pillow I have had that seems a little more plump. Maybe not the right choice. Anyway, I will keep you updated. And, yes, I have read the tutorials, although I still find it all quite confusing. I chose the novosbed for the high quality of the memory foam and the fact that there were different firmness options instead of one size fit all. We’ll see.
please let us know the outcome. I also was interested in novosbed. Thanks
so how is the novosbed? did you keep it? any update would be great