Purple Mattress - uncovered in modern bedroom

Purple Mattress Review: In A Class Of Its Own

Purple Original Mattress Review
4.7

Summary

An exceptionally comfortable & affordable foam mattress that adapts itself to your body like no other. It's like two mattresses in one.

Great Choice for: couples with different preferences, heavier people – and everyone else

Avoid if:  you are sure you want a memory foam feel – there are plenty of less expensive options.

Price:$799 to $1998 (after discount)

 

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All of the mattresses we've reviewed so far have been one of three types: memory foam, latex foam or innerspring.

Until now.

The Purple Mattress is as different as they come – from how the company funds their growth, to their funky self-deprecating marketing, to the truly unique materials in their products.

Most importantly, the sleeping experience of this mattress is excellent and very different.  In a positive way.

I have to say, Eric and I love our Purple mattress. This is one of the best-sleeping and coolest mattresses we've ever owned.

So let’s dive in and find out why everyone is talking so much about the Purple Mattress… what, specifically, makes it so much better?


What's In This Mattress Review

This review is a 10-minute read.

Use this Table of Contents to jump to the sections you care about most.

To return to this spot, touch  ↑ Table of Contents at the end of each section.


About Purple Mattress

Purple is a young company, like many other online mattress companies.

They compete against the best foam mattresses sold online, including our favorites Leesa, Helix, Dromma, Loom and Leaf and Nest.

Purple launched their company on Kickstarter in 2015, with a really unique video and a revolutionary mattress design that featured a brand new material.

Purple's first Kickstarter campaign in 2015 was extremely successful, raising more than $170,000 in just a few days.

Since then, the company has grown from 30 to 340 employees and moved into a 574,000 square-foot manufacturing building.

They've also raised more than $2 million on Kickstarter funding their product, the Purple Pillow.


What Makes Purple So Unique?

Unlike like other mattress companies who pretend to have a “revolutionary material” in their product, Purple really does.

It's called Hyper-Elastic Polymer.

Purple Mattress - stretchy
Purple's top layer: stretchy & strong

The science behind Purple Mattress and its new material goes back several decades.

Purple's founders and brothers, Tony and Terry Pearce, have over 40 years of experience in materials engineering and manufacturing.

Together, they invented a revolutionary cushioning material, Floam™, the world’s lightest-weight cushioning fluid. It is used is a wide variety of health and medical products such as wheelchair cushions, Nike footwear, knee braces, surgical mats, knee pads for sports and more.

They followed this with their latest invention, a new Hyper-Elastic Polymer that is the most unique component of the Purple Mattress and gives it their signature soft+firm feel.

Hyper-elastic polymer is a gel-like material that is great at pressure relief, staying cool and providing a super-soft comfort feel without sacrificing the support provided underneath this layer.

According to Purple, it's also super-strong.

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Social Impact

In addition to manufacturing in Utah to keep hundreds of jobs in America, Purple engages in charity efforts.

Purple recently partnered with a charity in Utah to provide mattresses to the dozens of families and individuals that have no place to sleep.

Additionally, all mattress returns are donated to local charities, to avoid wasting fuel and expense to return them to a central location.

 

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Purchase Process

As with many of the new mattresses launched during the last few years, Purple sells online only.

You can purchase direct from their website or from Amazon.com

That said: make sure you buy from their website if you want the full warranty, in-home trial and free returns.

Purple also offers Affirm financing, so you can spread your payments out. Right now, they're offering 0% APR for up to 6 months, if you qualify.

There is only one standard comfort level available. Purple describes it as “the perfect blend of soft + firm, not a compromise like medium-firm”.

At the moment, Purple offers just 4 sizes, while most other brands offer 6.

The company says that this is because they are still in the early growth phase and more sizes may be made available with time.

Available sizes include Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King or Cali King.

Price

Purple Mattress and other mattress-in-a-box companies have adopted an approach that eliminates most of the middleman costs by connecting directly with the consumer.

The Purple Mattress, with its innovation and unique design, would have easily cost $3,000-5,000 before online shopping made the market more competitive.

Now, you get it for FAR less.  Listed below is their price list (note: click a price below to Save Up to $100 Now):

Shipping and delivery are free within the 48 US states. For shipping to AK or HI, call for a quote.

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Shipping

At the moment, shipping is only available within the United States.

Delivery time is currently not definite, because the company launched just a few months ago.  Due to high demand, the company is struggling to keep up.

For the 48 states in the contiguous US, shipping is free and takes between 1 and 4 weeks depending on what size of mattress you order. All except Cal King take 1-2 weeks.

We received ours within 2 weeks of placing our order on Amazon.

If you plan to order the California King, delivery may take 4 to 6 weeks.

If you live in Hawaii or Alaska, you will be charged an extra shipping fee, calculated at checkout.

For countries outside of the United States, shipping is not yet available – although you can sign up at their website to be notified when it comes.

Once you place an order, a tracking number will be issued to help you track the delivery and prepare for its arrival.

The company has great online customer service with Facebook Messenger integration, so you will be kept well aware at every step of the shipping process.

Remember that no set up services are offered, so consider whether you need an extra hand to help you with setting up the new mattress and removing the old one.

 

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Delivery

Purple Mattress - delivery

Every Purple mattress is compressed, rolled and fit inside a tight vinyl tube, ready for delivery direct to your doorstep.

Be aware that this mattress is quite heavy (140 lbs for a King), and no setup service or white glove delivery is available.

 

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Unboxing and Setup

The Purple Mattress is delivered to your door compressed, in a purple vinyl tube with two sets of handles on it.

Once you lug this HEAVY mattress into your bedroom, you'll use the included razor tool to slice the tube lengthwise, then unroll the mattress to let it decompress (takes about an hour).

Purple recommends placing the mattress on a flat solid surface such as on the floor or on a flat hard platform. They sell a platform on their website.

If you use a boxspring, Purple advises placing plywood sheets between the mattress and boxspring.

Due to its weight, we decided to place the shipping tube on top of our platform; then, we cut the package and let the mattress unroll and decompress, in place.

 

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Aesthetics/Styling

Purple Mattress - uncovered in modern bedroom

The mattress comes clad with a classic, simple white cover.

Though there is nothing special about the aesthetics, the pattern is a bit different from most mattresses.

Diamond patterns combine with raised Purple logos on the sides to create a simple but very modern look.

I personally don’t mind the styling, but if you dislike it, remember that it will be covered up most of the time by bedding.

So don’t let it stop you from enjoying this amazing mattress.

 

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Construction

Purple Mattress layers

Purple Mattress uses three layers to provide firm support and a uniquely soft top in their mattress:

  • a top hyper-elastic polymer layer that provides their signature soft feel; and,
  • two different-density polyurethane foam layers underneath, for support.

The first thing to note is that there is no memory foam in this mattress.

That's a good thing, because memory foam tends to holds heat and are prone to permanent indentation. Memory foams also tend to contain VOCs and other chemicals.

Not Purple. The foams in this mattress are made from 100% non-toxic, food-grade material.

The materials are also hypo-allergenic and anti-microbial.

Let’s take a look at the individual layers and their role in giving you the perfect snooze.

Cover

The cover plays an important role in the comfort provided by any mattress.

In the case of Purple Mattress, however, the cover is integral to how well the mattress does its job.

First off, you will notice that Purple's cover is very soft, stretchy and cool to the touch.

The cover is a made from a blend of polyester (69%), viscose (27%) and polyester-lycra (4%).

This blend gives it a uniquely soft and stretchy texture, which is required to let the elastomer polymer top layer do its job.  It is also very breathable.

Purple Mattress - cover

Although the cover is removable, they do not recommend using a washing machine to clean it unless it is absolutely necessary (spot cleaning is better). If you have to wash it, then use the cold cycle and hang or lay it flat to dry. The materials used in the cover will shrink if cleaned the wrong way.

On top of the cover, the company recommends using a stretchy mattress protector to keep the cover from getting dirty.

Another recommendation the company makes is to use stretchy top sheets. These also work better with the hyper-elastic polymer top layer of the mattress. Other sheets may not allow you to enjoy the full pressure-relieving benefits of the mattress.

Purple sells bamboo-based sheets that are designed to work with their mattress. They have the same stretchy characteristic of hyper-elastic polymer and are more breathable than most other sheets you will find in the market.

Top Comfort Layer:  Hyper-Elastic Polymer (2 inches)

This is the most innovative component of the mattress, borne out of years of research and decades of experience. As we mentioned, the special cell structure of the polymer is what makes it so special.

The top layer is focused on two essential things: comfort and pressure relief.

It stays cool, distributes your weight evenly, avoiding uncomfortable pressure points.

When you lie on a Purple mattress, the open-celled top layer adjusts itself to your weight and to the different parts of the body in contact with it, differently.

If you sleep on your side for example, your hips exert more pressure on the mattress than your legs. The open-cell design of the hyper-elastic polymer provides pressure-relieving sinkage at each pressure, while leaving the rest of the mattress firm and supportive.

This selective reaction is what makes the Purple Mattress so soft and comfy on top.

While other mattress brands offer a choice of soft, medium and firm comfort levels to suit different types of sleepers, Purple only provides one comfort level that works remarkably well for a many types of sleepers.

It honestly delivers a luxury comfort level that you might expect from $3,000+ mattress.

Support Layer:  Polyurethane Foam (3.5 inches)

Aside from the top layer, the Purple Mattress is built like most other conventional foam mattresses.

Purple uses polyurethane foam for its as a transitional support layer.  It provides firm support under the top layer, while also providing grip and stability for the looser, softer elastomer top.

This layer gives the mattress its shape and support. It keeps the top layer from sinking too much even if the sleeper is heavy.

This layer also plays an important role in maintaining free airflow, which ensures the surface of the mattress remains cool and moisture free.

Foundation Layer:  High-Density Polyurethane Foam (4 inches)

A thicker layer of high density polyurethane foam forms the foundation of the Purple Mattress.

The layer is designed to provide foundational support, primarily to maintain the shape and structure of the mattress over time. It is this layer that keeps your mattress working well, for years.

Unfortunately, Purple is a really new mattress, so we can't know just how effective it is at doing that.

But Purple is breaking no major ground with their foundation layer, so it's a good bet this mattress will last as long as any other quality foam mattress.

 

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Smell/Off Gassing

One of the biggest worries customers have when buying mattresses is that they will give off a bad odor or emit toxic fumes.

These gases, known as volatile organic compounds or VOCs, have been associated with various health problems including cancer.

Like any new mattress, the Purple Mattress does emit a faint “new foam” smell.  But the gases emitted are not toxic, at all.

In fact, most people will not notice it. We detected a faint odor for a few hours, and there has been no long-term residual odor.

If you are really sensitive to smells, try leaving the mattress standing upright and uncovered in an airy room for 24-48 hours.

 

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Sleeping Experience

Purple Mattress - Sleeping Experience

So how does the Purple Mattress stack up against other foam mattresses sold online?

Well, the feel of this mattress is unlike any other foam or hybrid mattress I've tried.

I prefer my mattresses soft, and my husband likes them firm.

But we're both extremely happy with our Purple Mattress.

It really does feel both soft and firm, at the same time.

To get a better idea of how the Purple sleeping experience differs, we are going to examine five areas: firmness, sinkage, edge support, motion control and temperature control.

 

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Firmness

The Purple Mattress is rated by many other reviewers online at around 6-7 out of 10 with 10 being very firm. This is around the medium-firm comfort level preferred by most people.

But there really is not a single level of firmness, with this mattress. It's more like two mattresses in one.

The hyper-elastic polymer comfort layer uses an open-cell design that provides a different experience, depending on the body part and sleeping position.

For example, when lying on my back, my hips experience far more give into the mattress (as individual cell walls collapse) than my arms or legs do.  It feels like my butt is on a medium bed with no pillow top, and my back is on a firmer mattress with a thin pillow top underneath it.

When lying on my side, I get a similar experience. My shoulders and hips feel like they are on a softer mattress than my legs and arms do.

This may sound a bit strange, but it's the best way I know of to describe how this mattress feels.

It like there are two different comfort systems, adapting themselves to different parts of your body.

Unless you prefer a really soft or a really firm mattress (like Japanese firm), then the Purple mattress will probably work great for you.

 

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Sinkage

Sinkage refers to how deep of a depression a mattress makes when a given pressure is exerted on it.

Too much sinkage reduces support, which can be really bad for your back; too little or no sinkage creates pressure points, which can be a problem for your hips and shoulders.

The Purple Mattress is about average in terms of sinkage among the foam mattresses we've tested, so far.

The main noticeable difference is that the Purple mattress has two distinct stages of sinkage: the first 2 inches give easily, as the top open-cell layer compresses; then, beyond that, there is much firmer support and sinkage is minimal.

 

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Edge Support

Closely related to sinkage is edge support, or how well a mattress retains its support and structure near the edges of the bed.

Good, strong edge support is important when you sit on the edge of a bed to change your socks – and, it keeps you from accidentally rolling out of bed, at night.

Edge support is one area where the Purple mattress falls down a bit.

I found the edges far too soft and the support lacking, as this hand-test by Eric illustrates:

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Motion Transfer

Motion transfer refers to how easily a disturbance in one area of a mattress is transferred to other areas.

Minimal motion transfer is an important feature for couples who don't want to be interrupted at night by their partner's movements. Too much motion transfer, and your partner's motion will wake you.

The Purple Mattress has minimal motion transfer, although it's not as well-insulated as some innerspring mattresses that use individual coils to arrest motion at a single point.

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Hot/Cold Issues

Neither Eric nor I feel warm (or cold) sleeping on the Purple. Very comfortable & dry.

A combination of factors – the hyper-elastic polymer, the breathable cover and the column-like inner structure – ensures that the Purple Mattress remains cool and breathable.

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10-Year Warranty

Like most of its competitors, Purple provides a 10-year non-transferrable warranty from the date of purchase of the mattress.

This is standard for online mattresses today, although some provide coverage for 15 or even 20 years.

As with most warranties, Purple's covers defective materials and faulty workmanship.

Of course, this coverage depends on proper use as indicated in the warranty statement. Be sure to read it in full before making a purchase.

Read Purple's Warranty

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100-Night Trial

Purple offers an industry-standard 100-night in home trial.

Purple asks that you sleep on their mattress in your home for at least 30 nights, before deciding to make a return. This is to allow your body to adjust to the new mattress – especially if you have been sleeping on a not-so-comfortable mattress.

If at the end of the 30 nights you still do not like the mattress, you can initiate a return.

Because the mattress cannot be put back in the shipping packaging, the company will send someone to pick it up and deliver it to a local charity.

You may then choose to receive another mattress, store credit or cash.

Contact the company or visit their website for details.

 

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Pros/Cons

Pros

  • Very comfortable! with a unique soft+firm feel.
  • Affordable, especially given the innovation.
  • Sleeps cool & dry.

Cons

  • This mattress is heavy. Usually that's a sign of quality, but you'll need help moving it.
  • Poor edge support.
  • No Twin or Full sizes.

 

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The Purple Mattress is Perfect For You If…

  • You want a uniquely comfortable mattress that adjusts to any body
  • You don't mind trying a new material.
  • You and your partner prefer different comfort levels, and you don't want to pay for a split mattress.

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Conclusion

I have to say: hands-down, Purple is my new favorite online mattress.

It's more comfortable and feels very different than any other foam mattress I've tested, including my favorite bargain foam mattress, Leesa.  Purple's soft+firm comfort system is an eye-opener for me.

The price is right, too.


Where To Buy & Save

How the Purple Mattress Compares

See how the Purple mattress compares to other top online mattresses in the following in-depth matchups.

 


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