Purple mattress opinions?

So my husband and I are first time mattress shoppers. The mattress we have now is way past its eight-year expiration date, and we’re looking at the Purple mattress as our replacement. I’m a side sleeper, 140 pounds, and my husband is a side-to-stomach sleeper, 260 pounds.

Since the mattresses we had before were mattresses that we got from our parents, we don’t really know whether we prefer soft or firm mattresses, and since we’ve never gone shopping for mattresses before, we don’t really know how to decide what would be best.

I do know that I often have neck and shoulder pains due to the old mattress and pillows that don’t ever stay puffed up enough.

We were looking at the Purple mattress, since it claims to provide support (don’t they all?), but I wanted to ask for your opinion if you own one already, or have tried it out. Or if there is another article somewhere that already goes over this question.

Hi AdrienneMorrisa,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

Yes, every mattress will offer some level of support (hopefully!).

Regarding Purple, a forum search on Purple will also bring up much more information and feedback about them as well. They are using a layer of buckling column gel which is a good quality and durable material. There is more about buckling column gel in this article and in post #2 here and the posts it links to and a forum search on " buckling column gel " (you can just click the link) will also bring up more comments and feedback about it as well. The buckling column gel is 2" thick and then there is a 3.25" layer of 1.8 lb polyfoam under the buckling column gel (this may be 3.5" thick because they list two different thicknesses in their FAQ and the description for each size) and a 4" 2.0 lb polyfoam base layer which are both good quality materials so there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress that would compromise the durability or useful life of the mattress although I would add a caution for those that are in higher weight ranges (mid 200’s or higher, like your husband) because of the 1.8 lb polyfoam comfort layer.

If you’re looking for information on selecting a mattress, and the manner in which you can be assured that you’re looking at something that contains good quality and durable materials, you should start by reading the mattress shopping tutorial here. 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 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 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 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.

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.

In its simplest form … choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …

  1. Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.

  2. Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.

  3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

People tend to keep their pillows much longer than they should, and much of the upper thoracic and lower cervical issues that people experience tend to be pillow-related. If you like, there is a pillow thread here that discusses pillows in more detail.

Please take some time to read through the material I’ve presented here, and let me know if you have any questions resulting from that.

Phoenix

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