Are Tempur Mattresses Good? A Comparison with Ausbeds

The Tempur range in Australia

Tempur sells through Harvey Norman, Snooze, Forty Winks, Bedshed, Domayne, David Jones and Myer. But here's what most people don't realise: each retailer sells what is essentially the same mattress under a different exclusive name with a different cover. So the same 25 cm medium foam mattress gets called something different depending on which shop you walk into.

The foam inside is the same across retailers. The current Tempur Pro range all use Tempur Advanced Material. The one exception is Snooze's "Pro Air" models, where the top foam layer uses a different material called Tempur Air, which claims to feel 2 degrees cooler. Whether that's perceptible is another question.

The only thing that changes between retailers is the mattress cover:

Heights matter more than the retailer's name

The Tempur Pro range comes in three core heights, and this is the real differentiator:

• 21 cm (called PRO) – entry level for the Pro range
• 25 cm (called PRO Plus) – their bestselling model
• 30 cm (called PRO Luxe) – maximum cushioning

Some covers like CoolQuilt and SoftQuilt add a couple of extra centimetres via quilted padding, but the foam core stays the same. The foam in a 21 cm is of identical quality to the foam in a 30 cm. You just get thicker comfort layers. Spending more on a Tempur just gets you more of the same material.

Industry advice I've heard echoed by multiple sources: don't buy anything under 25 cm unless it's for a spare room or a lighter person under 70 kg. The 21 cm models lack the depth to provide long-term support for most sleepers. And if you're over 90 kg, 25 cm should be your minimum.

Thicker isn't always better, either. Multiple buyers have reported preferring the 25 cm over the 30 cm, finding they sank too deep into the thicker model. If you're a back sleeper, the pricier soft models may actually be worse for you. It's about the right model for your sleep style and body – not the most expensive mattress on the showroom floor.

The budget models: Ease, One, and Tempur Home (mattress-in-a-box)

The Tempur Ease (from $1,699 queen) and Tempur One (~$2,400 queen) are marketed as entry-level options. But word in the mattress industry is that these only contain about 2 cm of actual Tempur material. The rest is standard foam. They lack the support depth of the Pro range and don't breathe as well.

The Tempur Home mattress-in-a-box product deserves a separate warning. It's made in Australia by a third-party manufacturer and contains zero actual Tempur material – it's Tempur by name only. If you're buying Tempur for the foam quality, this isn't it.

The Breeze range

The Tempur Breeze sits above the standard Pro line and is the dedicated cooling option, available in 25 cm and 30 cm. This range uses phase change materials – a genuinely different approach to heat management (more on that below).

What Tempur does well

Foam quality

Tempur material is a thermo-reactive viscoelastic polyurethane, originally developed by NASA for space shuttle seats in the 1960s. Apparently, every single layer in a Tempur mattress runs at a density of around 85 kg/m³. Base layers, support layers, comfort layers – all 85 kg/m³. Only the hardness changes between them. A typical memory foam mattress from a bed-in-a-box brand uses foam at 40–60 kg/m³.

That consistency across every layer is unusual. Most foam mattress brands use a denser base foam and softer, cheaper foam on top. Tempur doesn't do that. If you want the best memory foam mattress in terms of raw foam quality, Tempur is it.

Pressure relief

This is where Tempur mattresses shine. The slow-responding Tempur material moulds around pressure points – shoulders, hips, lower back – and distributes weight across the sleep surface. People describe the feeling as similar to Play-Doh: you sink in, and the foam holds that shape around you. The comfort layers provide support by conforming rather than pushing back – a very different feel from a spring mattress, which provides support through resistance.

Motion isolation

Memory foam is the best material for reducing partner disturbance. Tempur mattresses offer excellent motion isolation – the best in the mattress industry. If your partner moves or gets up at night, you're less likely to feel it on a Tempur bed than on a spring mattress.

Build quality

All Tempur mattresses are made in Denmark with up to 67 quality checks per mattress. Every mattress cover is zip-off and machine-washable. The Tempur Pro range carries the OEKO-TEX MADE IN GREEN label. The build quality and consistency across the range are genuine.

What Tempur doesn't do well

Heat

This is the big one, and it's worth understanding the physics.

Memory foam is viscoelastic. The "visco" (viscous) part means its properties change with temperature. When it's cold, it's stiff and doesn't conform. As it warms, it softens and moulds around you. That body-hugging feel that justifies Tempur's price tag is a result of the foam absorbing your body heat and softening in response.

This creates a contradiction. The foam needs to absorb your heat to work. But absorbing your heat is what makes you feel warm. You can't have maximum conforming and maximum cooling at the same time – they're working against each other.

At 85 kg/m³, Tempur has more mass per unit volume than cheaper memory foams (55–70 kg/m³). More mass means more thermal energy needed to warm it up, and more material holding that warmth once it does. So Tempur's selling point – higher density for better durability and pressure relief – also makes it worse at heat dissipation than less dense foams.

So what about the cooling tech?

• SmartCool covers – high-conductivity fabric that feels cool to touch. Once the fabric reaches body temperature, the effect fades.
• Phase change materials – these absorb heat during a phase transition, like ice melting. Genuinely more sophisticated than gel or copper infusions. But they have limited capacity – once the PCM is saturated, you're back to regular foam behaviour.
• Open-cell foam (Pro Air, Snooze exclusive) – the most legitimate cooling approach for an all-foam mattress, because it enables actual airflow through the material. But "10 times more airflow than previous Tempur foam" could still be far less airflow than a spring mattress, where the coil chamber is an actual air gap.

None of these solves the core problem. They manage the surface temperature while the foam absorbs enough heat to do its job. For genuinely cooler sleep, a mattress needs airflow that removes heat from the system. That's what makes spring mattresses and hybrids fundamentally cooler than all-foam construction.

The price

Tempur mattresses are expensive. The Pro range runs $4,000–$6,000+. Breeze models can exceed $8,000 for a queen-size. Add a Tempur adjustable base, and you're above $10,000 for a complete bed setup.

One thing worth knowing: never pay RRP. Discounts of 40–55% off are regularly achieved.

Off gassing

Like all memory foam mattresses, Tempur mattresses can have noticeable off-gassing when new. One independent lab found Tempur mattresses took an average of 19 days to fully off-gas – compared to about 7 days across 400+ tested mattresses. Budget a few days of airing out in a ventilated room before sleeping on it.

Edge support

Most Tempur mattresses are all foam construction – no springs, no reinforced perimeter. Edge support is weaker than on a spring mattress or hybrid. If you sit on the edge of the bed or sleep near the edge, you'll notice more compression. Some Tempur hybrid versions use pocket springs, which helps.

Durability

Tempur uses high-density foams, and high-density foam lasts longer than cheaper polyfoam. Their 10-year guarantee backs that. But all foam compresses over time. Reviews on ProductReview.com.au mention softening and sagging after 12–18 months, particularly on softer Tempur Cloud models. Dense foam lasts longer than cheap foam – but it doesn't hold its shape the way latex or springs do.

No adjustability

Once you buy a Tempur mattress, what you get is what you get. No way to swap comfort layers or adjust support after purchase. Tempur offers multiple firmness levels – soft, medium, medium firm, and firm – but choosing the right one upfront is guesswork. A 60 kg side sleeper needs something completely different from a 100 kg stomach sleeper, and personal preference plays a big role.

Trial period and fine print

In Australia, Bedshed is the only retailer offering a sleep trial on Tempur – 60 nights, provided you buy a mattress protector with it. Everyone else is buy-and-hope, which at these prices is a real risk. Compare that to Ausbeds (7 months), Koala (120 nights), Emma (150 nights), or Ecosa (100 nights).

Who should buy a Tempur mattress?

A Tempur Pedic mattress is a good fit if:

• You specifically like the classic memory foam feel – the slow sink, the body-hugging contour
• Motion transfer is your number one concern (light sleepers, couples)
• You sleep in mostly one position and want deep pressure relief
• You've tried one in-store and are confident you like it
• Budget isn't a primary concern

Who should think twice?

A Tempur mattress might not be right if:

• You sleep hot. The foam needs your body heat to work – cooling tech manages the symptom, not the cause
• You want a responsive feel. Not everyone likes sinking in
• You're a stomach sleeper. The contouring can cause your hips to sink too far
• You want adjustability after purchase
• You're price-sensitive

In my shop, a large portion of customers just didn't like the memory foam feel when compared to latex and microspring combinations. A Tempur in a retail showroom might seem like a good choice next to other big-brand foam mattresses. But put it against a well-designed, bodyweight-adjusted mattress, and I don't think it holds up the same. All just my opinion, of course.

Tempur vs Ausbeds

Here's a quick comparison:

The core difference: Tempur is a premium foam mattress with a specific feel. Ausbeds is a hybrid spring-latex bed where firmness is matched to your body weight before we build it, and adjusted after delivery if needed.

I like memory foam for pillows – they distribute weight well. But for a mattress, the foam slowly compresses through the night as it absorbs heat and softens further. With latex on a spring mattress, once it sets, it doesn't move.

The bottom line

Tempur makes a quality product. The foam density is unmatched, and the pressure relief is real. If you love the classic memory foam feel, a Tempur Pro at 25 cm or above is a good choice.

But the foam needs your body heat to function. It can't be adjusted after purchase, and the trial situation in Australia is poor outside of Bedshed.

My advice: try one in a showroom. Compare it to something built differently. If you're in Sydney, come by Ausbeds at 136 Victoria Road, Marrickville. We're open seven days. No pressure, no sales tactics.