I slept on a mattress from popular online startup Purple for 6 months - and it's not just another big slab of memory foam
Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
- The Purple Mattress is built a little differently than other online mattresses. It's not just a big slab of memory foam.
- The mattress is a little on the firmer side of things - but not overly so. It comes in at around a 6 or 7 out of 10, which makes it perfect particularly for back sleepers.
- I got the Purple mattress six months ago. These days, I get to sleep quicker, mostly stay asleep during the night, and feel much more refreshed in the morning.
- Like many other online mattress retailers, Purple offers a 100-night trial of its mattress, so you can try it out for a few months and then return it if you don't end up liking it.
- The chances of that, however, are pretty slim - especially if you're anything like me.
The mattress industry can be a little daunting. Traditionally speaking, if you needed a new mattress, it meant having to muster up the courage to head to an actual mattress store, figure out which mattress you want to buy based on a few seconds-long tests, then come to terms with the fact that you're likely going to get ripped off to the tune of hundreds of dollars.
All that's now changing though. These days, an increasingly large number of mattress companies are offering their mattresses directly to customers online. The result? A largely hassle-free experience and much cheaper prices.
One of the most famous of these new companies is Purple, which has been selling its mattress online for a few years - and with a lot of success.
The success makes sense. Throughout my life, I've had a bit of a rough relationship with sleep. Sometimes, I slept fine. More often than not, however, my nights were regularly interrupted with wake-ups, if I got to sleep at all. That all changed when I first got the Purple mattress six months ago. These days, I get to sleep quicker, mostly stay asleep during the night, and feel much more refreshed in the morning.
It seems like I'm not alone either. In the age of the internet, it's easy to find others who have tried out a product - and for the most part people seem to love the Purple mattress. On Amazon, the Purple mattress sits in with an average rating of 4.2-stars, which is very respectable.
Before we go on it's important to note that Purple currently offers two mattresses. The "original" Purple mattress, and a new Purple mattress. We're reviewing the original.
Setting up the mattress is a pretty easy affair - though simply because of how heavy it is we recommend at least two people for the setup process. First, you'll get the rolled-up and vacuum-packed mattress out of its packaging, then unroll it on your bed. There, it will absorb air and puff out into a normal-sized mattress.
The Purple mattress is a little on the firmer side of things - but not overly so. It comes in at around a 6 or 7 out of 10, which makes it perfect particularly for back sleepers. I, however, am often a side-sleeper - and six months in the mattress still seems to be soft enough to keep my spine aligned when I'm on my side.
I mentioned that the Purple mattress has a 4.2-star average on Amazon, which is very good. But it's not perfect. So what are the complaints? Well people seem to have a few.
The most prominent complaint seems to be related to the mattress developing dips over time. Quite a few users, it seems, find those dips within six months of using the mattress. But, six months in, I seem to have avoided that issue. The mattress is still about as firm and as springy as the day it arrived.
Speaking of springy, the mattress is built a little differently than some. It's not just a big slab of memory foam.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the Purple mattress is that it uses a so-called "Hyper-Elastic Polymer," which is aimed at relieving pressure, while still offering plenty of air flow. That's good news for those who tend to get hot at night. I haven't used the mattress through a full summer just yet, but I do live in California - and we've had a number of warm nights so far. Thankfully, because of the mattress' build, it has remained pretty cool on those warm nights - which studies have shown helps improve sleep. Right under that is a layer of "comfort foam," under which is a layer of base foam.
The result of all this? Falling asleep is much easier than it used to be, any (acute) back pain that I used to experience is gone, and I feel much more productive during the day thanks to a much better night's sleep.
The feeling of the Purple mattress is a little unique, but in a good way. It doesn't feel like a memory foam mattress - instead, the mattress springs back into place pretty quickly after pressure from it is removed. That's not a bad thing - it still feels very natural, especially once you've slept on it for a few nights.
The mattress is technically pretty good too. It has decent edge support, to be sure, but one of the best things about it is that there's little motion transfer. In other words, if you sleep with a partner, when they move you won't feel much of that movement on your side of the bed - and vice versa.
Convinced that Purple is a good choice for you? It's not overly expensive either. In fact, if you're used to buying a mattress from an actual mattress retailer, you'll find it to be much cheaper. When it comes to online retailers, it's not necessarily cheap, but it's not an expensive mattress either. The Purple mattress starts at $699 for the Twin XL-size mattress, while the King and California King-sized mattresses come in at $1,299.
If you do like it, Purple also offers a 10-year warranty, which covers any manufacturer defects. That's pretty standard, but it does mean that if you somehow damage the mattress yourself, you won't be covered.
One of the best things about buying a mattress online is that doing so is relatively risk-free.
Like many other online mattress retailers, Purple offers a 100-night trial of their mattress, so you can try it out for a few months and then return it if you don't end up liking it.
The chances of that, however, are pretty slim - especially if you're anything like me. The Purple mattress is an excellent investment for anyone looking into getting a new mattress. Whether you're a back sleeper, side sleeper, or front sleeper, the mattress offers plenty of support, while still remaining comfortable and cool through the night.