Our latest review includes over 50 mattresses from popular brands such as Sleeping Duck, Sealy, Ikea, A.H. Beard, Koala, Macoda and more
Experts assess key factors that are important for a good night’s sleep, such as how comfortable and supportive the mattresses are – brand new and after eight years’ use – how stable they are, and how well they regulate temperature
Become a CHOICE member to access our full mattress reviews and compare products across over 200 product and service categories
We spend about a third of our lives in bed, so it’s vital to find the right mattress for the best night’s sleep. But be careful – buy a middling mattress and it could turn into a nightmare.
Choosing a mattress instore or online can be confusing and downright stressful, with so many types, builds, firmnesses, features and amazing ‘new technology’ claims being touted. Not to mention prices soaring into the thousands of dollars for some models. It’s enough to warrant a serious lie-down!
To help you choose, CHOICE has been testing popular mattresses for years – and no, it’s not just some lucky staff member sleeping on them all day. (We wish.)
Lab lie-down: Our comfort tests use lasers to monitor spinal alignment.
Instead, our lab partners in Europe scientifically test the most important factors, including comfort for both male and female body types, stabilisation, sagging over time, sweat resistance and more.
We’ve also looked at aspects relating to the sustainability and environmental impact of each mattress, including what materials it’s made from and how easy it is to clean and recycle.
Members can view ratings for all these factors in our ‘Compare all’ table in our mattress reviews (though sustainability and environmental results don’t yet contribute to the overall performance scores).
Why we don’t test Emma mattresses
While Emma products have previously performed well in our testing, we don’t include them anymore.
In light of ongoing member complaints and ACCC allegations regarding misleading advertising, we’ve decided to remove Emma mattress reviews from our website. We may revisit this decision in the future.
We remain committed to providing unbiased and impartial product reviews to our members and Australian consumers.
Here are six mattresses that didn’t perform well in our independent testing.
This mattress could do with a rebrand: You’ll wake up anything but refreshed.
1. Original Mattress Factory Refresh
CHOICE Expert Rating: 62%
Comfort score when new: 54%
Comfort score after eight years: 62%
RRP: $2498 (Queen)
It markets itself as a ‘firm’ mattress, but scored a low 56% for sagging, which doesn’t bode well for how long it would maintain its firmness.
To assess longevity, we measure height and firmness (among other things) straight out of the box when the mattress is new, then again after a test that simulates eight years of use to note any differences. Mattresses with a higher score show less sagging over time, while lower-scoring mattresses show increased sagging.
Original Mattress Factory also charges a fee for returns and exchanges – and this even applies during the 30-day trial period. These costs are on top of any shipping expenses you may incur to replace the mattress during the free trial period.
This is also one of a few mattresses we reviewed that charge a fee for returns and exchanges
And while some brands will provide a free pick-up of the mattress you want to return, don’t expect such luxury with this product: the cost of a pick-up will come out of your own pocket.
On other criteria, such as stabilisation, this mattress was on par with others reviewed by our testers, but did not perform noticeably well in any areas.
This mattress won’t change much over time – but you’ll wish it did.
2. Slumberland Soho
CHOICE Expert Rating: 65%
Comfort score when new: 54%
Comfort score after eight years: 94%
RRP: $579 (Double)
The Soho may be cheap, but it’s definitely not cheerful: you’ll wake up feeling grouchy after a night sleeping on it.
It’s uncomfortable from the get-go, and it’ll stay that way, even after 8 years’ use. At least it’s consistent, right?
What you’ll save in money you’ll lose in poor sleep
What you’ll save in money you’ll lose in poor sleep: it scored just 12% for stabilisation – the lowest of all the mattresses in our review. That means you’ll feel every single movement your partner makes while they’re asleep, so if they’re tossing and turning, you will be too.
It’s also likely to sag over time, so you’ll be stuck with a bed that’s uncomfortable, saggy and bouncy.
That’s not the kind of Slumberland that anyone would want to visit.
This is what it looks like brand new, but over the years it will soak up lots of your sweat.
3. Suparest Affinity
CHOICE Expert Rating: 66%
Comfort score when new: 53%
Comfort score after eight years: 88%
RRP: $599 (double)
You’re unlikely to get a super rest on this Suparest: it’s uncomfortable, very bouncy and will soak up sweat over the years, leaving it smelly and damaged. (Not exactly a recipe for sweet dreams.)
Aside from the Soho above, it has the lowest stabilisation score of the mattresses in our test, so you’ll be in your partner’s bad books if you’re a restless sleeper.
There are plenty of other mattresses around this price and even cheaper that are far more comfortable
At 22kg it’s nice and lightweight so it’ll be easier to make the bed – and to move it out of your room once you’re fed up with it.
While it’s affordable, there are plenty of other mattresses around this price and even cheaper that are far more comfortable – check our detailed mattress reviews to find the best for your budget.
The Comfort Deluxe isn’t very comfortable or particularly deluxe.
4. Clark Rubber Comfort Deluxe (100mm)
CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
Comfort score when new: 50%
Comfort score after eight years: 84%
Price: $365 (Queen)
Clark Rubber may be overselling this mattress a touch, because it’s not very comfortable or particularly deluxe. That’s not totally surprising given that it’s really nothing more than a 10cm chunk of foam, but its name is the least of its problems.
For starters, the advertising is pretty muddled. On the one hand, Clark Rubber suggests that it’s best for occasional spare bed situations like “sleepovers [and] surprise guests”, which is fair. But the blurb goes on to say that it’s “an excellent choice for your more frequent overnight visitors”.
Occasional use may be fine, but based on our test results, this mattress is likely to dissuade guests from wanting to sleep over too frequently.
Clark Rubber may be over selling this mattress a touch, because it’s not very comfortable or particularly deluxe
Comfort is the key issue. Our experts could feel the foundations (e.g. bed base, slats or the floor) through the mattress during our tests. And side sleepers will probably be particularly unimpressed, because this mattress provides very little lateral (a fancy word for side) support.
Overall performance is pretty middling too. It’s prone to sagging, it’s not very stable and though it’s pretty good at repelling sweat, it’s far from the best performer in this part of our test. The low price tag may be appealing, but we’ve tested much better mattresses that don’t cost much more.
There are quite a few good mattresses at Ikea, but this is not one of them. Its CHOICE Expert Rating of 67% isn’t terrible, but we’ve tested a lot of Ikea mattresses over the years and not only do most earn higher scores, some are also much cheaper.
Stabilisation results are poor, so you might get bounced around in the night if you share a bed with a restless sleeper. It also holds onto a lot of sweat, which isn’t great if you run hot or live in a warmer climate.
There are quite a few good mattresses at Ikea, but this is not one of them
Other performance results are fairly middle of the road, which wouldn’t be so bad if the Abygda was a bit cheaper. But it’s hard to give it a glowing review when the higher-scoring Valevåg mattress costs just $399, and when virtually every other cheaper mattress in our review performs better for less money.
Ignore the Abygda and spend your extra money on meatballs.
Another poorly-named mattress, the Crown Jewels Reims Flex is definitely not fit for a king.
It’s the most expensive mattress in our review by almost $3000. But while it might be priced for those on a royal budget, we managed to get it at half the RRP – and even then it’s well and truly overpriced.
The Crown Jewels Reims Flex is definitely not fit for a king
None of its test scores are terrible per se; they’re just not great. For the cost of this mattress you’d expect superior comfort and the best night’s sleep of your life, but you won’t get it.
If you have this kind of money to spend on your bedroom, you could buy a mattress that’s recommended by our experts – none of which cost more than $2000 – and spend the rest on some new furniture.
Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.
She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.
Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.
Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney.
Find Pru on LinkedIn.
Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.
She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.
Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.
Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney.
Find Pru on LinkedIn.
Peter Zaluzny is a Content producer in the Digital home team. He covers everything from home entertainment and personal safety devices to tech for your car and mattresses.
Peter enjoys cutting through the nonsense to help people understand the products they’re considering to buy. He helps consumers make educated, informed decisions.
Peter has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wollongong. LinkedIn
Peter Zaluzny is a Content producer in the Digital home team. He covers everything from home entertainment and personal safety devices to tech for your car and mattresses.
Peter enjoys cutting through the nonsense to help people understand the products they’re considering to buy. He helps consumers make educated, informed decisions.
Peter has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wollongong. LinkedIn
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