Our team of nine mattress experts have been doing this for years. We've tested and reviewed about three hundred mattresses and dozens of sleeping accessories, from bedding to toppers to headphones for sleeping. During that time, we have established a testing methodology that each mattress undergoes when it arrives at our testing facility in Reno.
We take a holistic approach to mattress testing, which means our team is involved to ensure we represent all types of people. Our team has a mix of genders, body types and sleeping positions.
CNET mattress expert Owen Poole tests motion isolation using a glass of water.
Firmness
We evaluate and record two types of hardness: subjective and objective. When testing firmness, I lie on the mattress in each sleeping position and note how it feels on my back, stomach and hips. Our entire team participates in this process to ensure that the firmness rating is not based on one body type.
The Mattress Smasher 9000 objectively measures mattress firmness levels.
The objective level of firmness comes from our mattress breaker 9000. Not only is it impressively orange, but it can scientifically rate the firmness of a bed based on the force of a 160-pound person. We always make sure to test a bed ourselves before the MS9K takes its turn to ensure our experience is unbiased.
Motion isolation
Motion isolation is how well the bed reduces movement across the surface. It might not seem like a big deal, but if you're sleeping with another person or a furry friend, a bed with poor motion isolation can keep you up at night.
To test motion isolation, we do two things. First, I lay down on a bed and close my eyes while a teammate moves around on the bed next to me. I do this from every sleeping position and rate how much movement I feel all the time. Second, we do the water test, which involves placing a glass of water on the edge of the bed and rolling towards it. The bed gets a lower motion isolation score if the water is splashed or overturned.
Edge support
If you're like me and tend to sleep on the edge of your bed or have limited mobility, then you know how important edge support is. To test the firmness of the bed's perimeter, we sit and lie on the edge and assess how much it caves. It doesn't have good edge support if it feels like we're going to pull away or the edge collapses under our weight.
Many of our favorite beds, like the Big Fig, have strong edge support, meaning you have access to the entire bed surface to sleep.
Temperature
All beds that come through our lab are tested in a temperature controlled room. Many brands claim their beds are cooling, but their performance doesn't back it up. We are passionate about making sure the bed lives up to its claims. We examine the construction of the bed and rely on our first-hand experience with it to judge how cool it is.