The 3 Most Important Things You Need to Know About Mattresses

Hi, I’m Karl, owner of Ausbeds. Below are just my opinions. Don’t blindly believe me though; I’m also selling mattresses, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

If you are interested in crawling deeper into the rabbit hole, I’d suggest the following site: The Mattress Underground. Be warned though, the further you crawl down this hole, the longer it gets.

All content below is carefully written by myself. It comes from my years of mistakes and learning about mattresses. It comes from my extreme belief that this industry should be more transparent. I’ve got nothing to hide and everything to gain by my customers understanding the product they are buying. I aim to be a mattress company that people can rely on.

Comfort

Simple, right? Perhaps not. Many people buy a mattress and only realize when it’s too late that it’s actually not comfortable. Here are a few reasons why this happens.

Misconceptions About Firmness

Somebody told them, “A firm mattress is better for your back.” I hear this almost every day, which is why I’ve created a firm mattress that can be changed to a medium mattress by flipping the springs. You can do this yourself with any of my “6” or “8” mattresses. I’ve found that some people have very straight lower backs, and some people have very curved lower backs. Straight backs require firm springs, curved backs require softer springs. Also, people who sleep on their front require firm springs so they don’t compress their vertebrae. Most companies use foam only to change the feel. These things must be solved deeper in the mattress.

Showroom Illusions

Some people think the problem is solved if it feels good in the showroom. A few weeks later, they find that they have a sore back, often caused by a mismatching of spinal shape to springs. I have solved this problem by offering a service where you can change between all 9 of my models for the first 3 months. In many cases, this process is free. Here is a link to how that process works.

In the showroom, I can often get it right the first time when I fit somebody to a mattress. Other times, it takes some more finesse. I always encourage people to contact Ausbeds if they aren’t quite comfy. We learn something new every time we help somebody with this problem. We’re not focused on selling more; we’re focused on making sure you tell your friends that we solved your problem. This is how we get most of our business. This is why we call comfort “Adaptability.” We can adapt your mattress after purchase. It solves all of the comfort issues.

Durability

There’s no point in getting the above step right and then finding out 6 months later that the mattress is no longer in the same shape. This is the biggest post-purchase issue with mattresses. Here are the reasons why this happens.

Foam Quality

This is the biggest offender. Many people think it’s the springs. However, I own a mattress factory and know 4 other mattress factory owners. We all agree that it’s not the springs. We know because if a mattress comes back faulty, we pull it apart. The springs are always in pristine condition. In fact, I’ve never seen a pocket spring that has any signs of wear. Low-quality cage springs are another story; they wear out, but these aren’t found very often anymore.

The reason I’m telling you this is because if you know this, then you’ll realize there is only one other component that can fail: FOAM. Foam factories produce foam for a variety of reasons. The cheapest foam to produce is plastic foam. It’s plastic, with air bubbles in it. The more air, the less time the foam will last. The more air, the cheaper it is. This foam has many uses and it is great at filling those purposes. However, this foam is definitely not the right foam for mattresses.

This is a conflict of interest as mattress sellers will make MUCH more money if they sell this super airy plastic foam. And the bigger the mattress company, the more they have to gain by using this material. It’s a complicated issue and I genuinely believe larger mattress factories are not trying to swindle people. I believe the problem occurs between retailers and mattress factories. The fact is, people buy with their eyes; the bigger and thicker the mattress looks, the more people see value. So the retailer tells the factory to make the mattress thicker and cheaper. The factory does what they’ve been asked to do. The retailer doesn’t actually realize what they are doing. It’s a systemic failure, not evil people. Small factories don’t have this problem.

How do you know if you are purchasing this super airy foam? There is no way to know unless the company lists these specifications. They just don’t do this. I list all densities and sources of my materials. I use only the highest densities available on the market. Even the best materials, like the ones I use, are susceptible to wear and tear. Our bodies put this material under the full pressure of our bodies for 1/3 of our time. Throw the moisture our bodies give off into the mix and we have an environment that will wear out any foam material over time. No wonder mattress reviews are rife with upset people saying they feel like they are “laying in a ditch.”

The trick here is to understand that foam is like car tires. It wears out. If you get off-road tires for a race car, they won’t last long. You need the right foam for the job. You need to understand the life expectancy of any foam you purchase.

If you don’t want to understand any of these things, there is another way.

Simply find a mattress company you can trust. Find someone to guide you. If you travel through a jungle, you’re gonna want a guide. You don’t want a guide who’s just doing it for some extra side money. You want a guide who’s been slashing their way through the jungle for years. There’s more chance they’ll know what time the lions feed.

Signs of a Company You Can Trust

The truth is all mattress companies have access to the same materials. The real difference in different mattresses is the integrity of the company. Buying from a retailer is like throwing a dart in the dark. How are you going to get a good mattress if they don’t know what a good mattress is? Small factories usually start because a retailer will work out what makes a good mattress tick, then they’ll realize the only way to make one of these mattresses is to do it yourself.

Smaller direct-to-consumer factories have less to gain by using low-quality components. I have a small direct-to-consumer mattress factory and for me it’s much easier to use the best materials and have the easiest ways to adjust mattresses after purchase. If I really am honoring my warranties, it’s much easier to use durable materials. No offense, but I don’t want to see you again for a long time after you’ve bought a mattress and been through the adjustment process. But I do want to hear from your friends after you tell them how well the Ausbeds mattress system worked for you.

Buy from a small factory; they care more. Think independent coffee shop vs. Starbucks. I know where I’m going for a coffee.

We’ve solved the durability problem by letting customers unzip their mattress, roll up the foam layers, and bring them to the warehouse. We will supply you with new comfort layers free of charge.

There is, however, one outlier in the realm of mattress durability. This is a problem that I don’t believe I’ll ever be able to solve. And the reason is, I can’t control what you put your mattress on. Flexible slats will ruin your mattress. However, instead of going into it, here’s a link to a 1-star review I received. I received this review because the person had placed their mattress on flexible slats. I told him to leave the negative review up so I could link to it here. Read the review.

You Need to Know What the Company Will Do If Comfort and Durability Fail

Ok, to summarize: 1. It’s gotta fit your body, and 2. It’s gotta fit your body for a long time – and you’ve gotta know what the company will do if it doesn’t.

The Ausbeds System addresses all of these issues:

• It’s gotta fit your body: Use our 3-month adjustment process here.
• It’s gotta fit your body for a long time: Use our foam swap guarantee (make a foam swap page).