“The DreamCloud has a true hybrid feel which balances the body-contouring feel of foam with the bounce of coils,” says one tester. “It’s a real win for almost all sleeper types. If you’re trying to balance the needs of two people with different tastes (like a lot of us), this is a great option.”
If you’re willing to spend a little more than other models to get a lot, the WinkBed may be your match due to its firm support, durability, and overall value for high-quality materials. It’s a hybrid mattress with a breathable, pressure-relieving foam and a supportive, back-supporting base of pocketed coils. The foam top layer will likely be a welcome addition for those who enjoy a traditional innerspring mattress’s bouncy, firm support.
Our Tester’s Take
The BMW of the mattress world, the WinkBed is durable, classy, and plush. It’s made with a hybrid of gel foam and pocketed support coils. Our team of experts that tested the medium-firm model found it strikes a nice balance of support and cushioning. It’s bouncy yet comfortable, responsive yet motion-dampening, and a little bit of everything you want in a mattress, including cooling properties, thanks to its Tencel cover, which can aid in reducing heat.
Based on the bed’s ability to support spinal alignment when lying down, we think back, stomach, and combination sleepers alike will have no trouble getting comfy in the WinkBed. But those who hold on to traditional innerspring mattresses for dear life will be most happy with the WinkBed as an upgrade. You won’t get any squeaky springs or sagging in the center—just strong edge support and pressure relief.
One GQ tester added that he gets that high-end, hotel feel from this bed: “It’s comfortable enough to feel special and, although I’ve only had it a few months, seems hardy enough to stick around for a while.”
Not everyone likes a sunk-in feeling when they sleep. If that’s you, the Titan Plus is your best bet. Its strong, six-inch coils are made specifically to support bodies over 230 pounds—though back sleepers of all sizes with a preference for firmness will likely love it, too. Plus, its latex alternative comfort layer is bouncy, airy, and responsive.
Our Tester’s Take
Firm beds are an acquired taste, but once you’ve tried a Titan Plus, you might never go back to your saggy innerspring. The mattress is supportive without being stiff, between its 961 heavy-duty encased coils and responsive, latex-alternative foam (which the brand calls Titanflex).
Based on our detailed testing with two large guys over 6’5”, we think anyone who weighs over 230 pounds will find this mattress’s deep compression support far more substantial and satisfying than the average bed-in-a-box. Stomach sleepers will probably also enjoy the straight spine alignment that comes with the firmness level.
“The Titan Plus is a great match for me, but what I especially dig is the edge support,” says one such tester over 200 pounds. “With a mattress that doesn’t support heavier guys like me, I find the edges smoosh right down, and I feel like I’m going to fall off. I really liked the solid feel on the edges.”
As you may have guessed based on its firm feel, side sleepers might find the Titan Plus too hard for their liking as the bed puts extra pressure on the hips and shoulders (in that case, we recommend the Layla Memory Foam Mattress instead). However, back and stomach sleepers may appreciate the extra lift in these areas.
Memory foam can be divisive—some people swear by it, while others feel like the dense, contouring foam that feels like sinking into a too-warm burrito of bedding. But we’ve got good news: The Tempur-Pedic mattress is one of the most supportive all-foam mattresses we’ve tested, thanks to a firm feel and excellent pressure relief.
Our Tester’s Take
You don’t normally associate luxury mattress brands with beds-in-a-box, but Tempur-Pedic delivers—literally—with the TEMPUR-Cloud, an all-foam mattress with a medium-firm feel. In fact, we found this slightly firmer than the average memory foam mattress; we think that’s likely due to the foundational base layer of foam that bolsters support. Our testers were most impressed by the pressure relief we experienced during our test naps. While lying on their backs, the memory foam gently supported the lumbar area by filling in the gap under the arch of their backs. That sweet, sweet pressure relief extended to the hips and shoulders in side-sleeping positions, distributing testers’ weight evenly and contouring to the shape of their body. As with most other memory foam mattresses, the TEMPUR-Cloud mutes any motion you may feel from a partner, kid, or pet rolling around in the middle of the night, so if you’re a light sleeper cursed to share a bed, the TEMPUR-Cloud should appeal to you.
