3 Questions on the Top 4 Factory Direct Mattresses

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[box type=”info”] UPDATED:  Some of the information in the post below is out of date and no longer correct. See my updated version here. [/box]

I recently had a few great questions come from one of my YouTube subscribers.  He brought up a lot of really important issues that we haven’t yet talked about. I addressed his concerns on YouTube directly, but I thought I would repost them here for anyone else to see who might be interested.

Also, for those interested in a 4-way comparison check out our Casper vs. Leesa vs. Tuft & Needle vs. Saatva mattress review here.

Any thoughts on why there seems to be so many new mattress companies, especially factory direct? 

The increase in all of these start ups just comes down to the technology and demand by consumers. 2014 really was the first year it was feasible, from a technology standpoint (with manufacturing and the foams being used), for companies to ship a high-quality foam mattress in a box that UPS, FedEx, or USPS could deliver. I would say that is the primary reason we’re seeing more and more of these new mattress start ups (Casper, Tuft & Needle, Leesa, etc.).

Additionally, consumer demand. People like buying online. This is especially true if they are able to buy online and avoid salesman. Anyone who has ever been in a mattress store knows how fun that can be…(note the sarcasm). Buying online and saving a few thousand dollars by doing so makes a lot of sense to a lot of people (myself included).

Frankly, I’m a bit tentative buying from such new companies? Do you feel they are all here to stay? Are they financially stable? I would hate to buy a mattress only to find I need to make a warranty claim only to discover that they made a quick buck and closed up shop!

In my opinion, they are here to stay, and we’re likely to see several more new start ups on the scene in 2015. In 2013 there effectively were no companies doing factory direct mattresses, but by 2016 it’s estimated that 10% of the market will be factory direct online like Casper & Tuft & Needle.

Investors have poured a lot of money into these mattress start ups. Casper alone raised 13.1M in its last round of funding. These investors are digging in for the long-haul.

Additionally, I’ve had several phone conversions with the team at Leesa, including their President David Wolfe and creative Director Mitch Murphy. Quite frankly, I’m impressed. Their entire team knows their stuff, they are passionate about shaping the mattress industry, and they have a legacy of experience. David has been in the mattress industry for over a decade. They may be new to factory direct online, but they aren’t new to the mattress industry.

I had the chance to interview their creative director, Mitch Murphy, last week. If you haven’t had a chance take a look at the Leesa part 1 interview here. Part 2 will be coming later this wee

Overall, I feel like these new companies have recognized the demand for online mattress buying, and they are creating a sustainable offering that will only grow with time.

We are trying to decide which of these new companies mattress to go with (Casper, Leesa, T&N, etc.). Which do you recommend?

Tuft & Needle – least expensive mattress among these 4. Sits at about a 6 out of 10 on the firmness scale. Keeps your body fairly buoyant on top of the foams. Overall a very good option at a good price. They also offer a 5 inch mattress option, which is unique among these 4.

Read out Tuft & Needle Review here.

tuft and needle mattress
King size Tuft & Needle mattress

 Casper – great price, good latex and memory foam, and solid construction. Great support and very comfortable. My wife and I have been sleeping on a Casper for about 3 months. Overall, we love it. We’re currently taking a hiatus from our Casper to test our new Leesa which arrived a few weeks ago.

Read our Casper Mattress Review here.

casper mattress review 2
King size Casper mattress

Also, if you’re on the fence between Tuft & Needle and Casper, check our our Casper vs. Tuft & Needle comparison here.

Leesa – Very well made mattress. Probably the most balanced among these 4. I would give it a 6 out of 10 on the firmness scale. Not much sinkage or hug, you’ll stay fairly buoyant on top of the mattress, which aids in cooling. Overall, it’s just a great mattress. If you like something in the neutral range of firmness you’re probably going to fall in love.

Read our Leesa Mattress Review here.

leesa mattress
King size Leesa mattress

Saatva – I haven’t slept on a Saatva yet, but from what I’ve read they are quite good. They are coil-on-coil construction, so quite different than any of the others. If you want to stay with a more traditional coil system, I’d recommend them. In addition, they offer 3 different tiers of firmness. This is something none of these other mattress options offer. If you’re looking for something more on the extra firm or extra soft side Saatva is a good option.

Read our full Saatva Mattress Review here.

saatva mattress review 1
Saatva mattress – King Size

If you have any other questions drop us a comment below or a note with our contact form, I’m happy to answer any questions that I can.

Happy sleeping!

Sleepopolis Team

The Sleepopolis team is all about helping you sleep better. We live, eat, breathe, and sleep (ha!) all things, well, sleep! Whether you need a new mattress, are having trouble sleeping, or are just tired of counting sheep, we've got you covered. Check back here often for the latest and greatest in mattress reviews, sleep news, or health tips, and in the meantime, sleep well. 

30 thoughts on “3 Questions on the Top 4 Factory Direct Mattresses”

    • I’m not 100% sure about that.

      I think Saatva’s facility is in New Jersey and then they have fulfillment centers around the country for faster delivery. It wouldn’t surprise if they have 1-2 other factories elsewhere in the country.

      Casper and Tuft & Needle are made at several different factories around the country (I believe).

      Leesa has 3 factories, one East Coast, one West Coast, and one in the Midwest.

  1. Thank you for your writing. It was really helpful for me to decide my new mattress. But I have a question with the title. You said that the top 4 brands are leesa, casper, t&n, saatva, then what is the method that calculating the ranking? I think temperpedic, myessentia, nest bedding have their own factory too, aren’t they? And in other site, someone says the big 3 brands are leesa, casper, t&n. It just ranked by sales? or CAGR? or market share? I think the rank of the company is very important in that the company’s reliability or durability of the warranty. Why the four brands are the top?

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  2. I am currently sleeping on a traditional spring and imagine it would be a big transition going into a strictly foam-based mattress. The Leesa, Tuft & Needle, and Love Bed have caught my attention and though I saw your comparison between the first two, I would love a comparison/your thoughts on all three (keeping in mind that this would be my first memory foam purchase). Greatly appreciate any feedback!

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    • Hi Michelle,

      I haven’t had many requests for this 3-way comparison piece yet, but I’m happy to try and answer your questions here anyway. The biggest differences, pros, and cons between each of these 3 mattresses is as follows:

      1) Leesa – great overall value, great balance, good support, good cooling, moderate bounce / hug / sinkage, modern design, 6 out of 10 firmness
      2) Tuft & Needle – cheapest option of the 3, good support, good cooling, very little hug / sinkage, minimalistic design, 7 out of 10 firmness
      3) Love Bed – all latex comfort layer, okay support, good cooling, good bounce, slightly deeper hug / sinkage than the Leesa (much deeper than T&N), bamboo infused cover, available in 3 firmness levels

      I think the most important factors are as follows…buy Leesa if you want a balanced mattress with the “it” factor that makes it a great option for most sleepers. Buy Tuft & Needle if you want something slightly firmer with minimal hug. Buy Love Bed if you want a little more bounce / sinkage and/or you want something firmer or softer than medium firmness.

  3. Sleepopolis,

    Not on the fence – we decided that we are keeping the T&N, we are very happy with the mattress (and it’s awesome price).

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  4. Hey Andrew, thanks for your comment. Sounds like the Tuft & Needle might be the perfect fit for you. Do you expect you’ll keep the Tuft & Needle or are you still on the fence?

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  5. We’ve been sleeping on the T&N mattress for a month now, after spending a month with Casper and ultimately sending it back. Here’s a few comments about my experience with the two mattresses (not prescriptive for how anyone else will experience the mattresses)

    – The Casper is much springier than the T&N. I feel that the T&N has more of a cradling effect than the Casper, whereas I found the Casper to have more pushback resistance, likely due to the latex top layer.
    -The T&N feels more memory foam-like than the Casper. I never really got the sense that the Casper had memory foam in it.
    -I think the T&N sleeps cooler. I am a hot sleeper, and the T&N has more of a cooling sensation when sleeping on it.
    -I wouldn’t say the T&N is firmer than the Casper, or vice versa. YMMV. When purchasing a mattress, I thought I would prefer the softer mattress based on my preferences, but I found I was more comfortable, supported, and slept much better on the mattress that was described as firmer (the T&N).
    -The T&N and Casper are comparable in quality of materials. The T&N definitely stays more uniform in its shape.

    Needless to say, I’d be careful of reading too much into the firm/soft descriptions of each mattress. Use the return policy to your advantage to find the best mattress for you.

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  6. Hi Sleepopolis,

    I’m looking in the market for a new mattress and I’ve been researching more about the Casper and Leesa. I’m used to sleeping on a Pillow Top; A mattress that is plush on top but also gives me good support as a side sleeper. Since I’m not too familiar with memory foam beds, would either of these brands suit me? Thanks!

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  7. Definitely keep me posted. I’d be interested to see how much better it is.

    I need to look back into T&N soon myself and update all my reviews based on their new mattress updates.

    Thanks, Andrew!

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  8. Thanks Sleepopolis!

    Just wanted people to know there are differences between the old and new T&N. When we deciding what mattress to order a month and a half ago, we thought the T&N would be too firm so we ordered the Casper. As it turns out, the Casper has been to firm for me (very nice mattress, just not enough pressure-relief for me, so I’ve been waking up with a lot of upper back pain). Since we order T&N has updated their design with more advanced proprietary top polyfoam that is optimized for pressure relief. We’ve decided to give the new T&N a try…I’ll let you know how it works out for us and more specifically how it compares to the Casper in our particular experience.

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  9. I’d still really like to give it more time before I pass final judgement, but at this point I would say I’m liking the Leesa a bit better.

    The Leesa has a bit more foam in it, which I feel like gives it a just a more balanced feel. For some reason my back prefers it a bit right now.

    The Casper is just marginally softer than Leesa.

    Also, regarding the Avena foam for everyone waiting for that. I received the Avena FAQ sheet earlier today. I’ll be posting that in a blog post later this afternoon / evening.

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  10. Thanks, Sleepopolis.

    Now that you’ve had some more time sleeping on the Leesa, do you still give it the nod over the Casper? I realize it might not be easy/fair to compare a few days vs. a couple of months.

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  11. Nothing yet, Andy. I am going to reach back out right now actually and see if they can at least send me some of the initial FAQs on Avena.

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  12. “I have requested more information about the Avena foam from Leesa, which should be coming over today or tomorrow. As soon as I have that information I’ll be posting a new post with that info, which will hopefully shed some more light on how it actually compares to latex foam.”

    Have you received word yet from Leesa? I’m anxious to hear what they say. I’m on the fence between Casper and Leesa. I was leaning toward Casper (I actually live just a few blocks north of their headquarters in Manhattan) until I discovered Leesa and read your take on them.

    Thanks for the insights.

    Reply
  13. Hi Andrew,

    My apologies on that. I was unaware T&N had released a new model. I’ll take a look at that sometime this week and a make an update in my review.

    I’ve already added a note to this post.

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  14. Tuft & Needle released a new mattress/foam design over a month ago, so your review is out of date. It would be helpful to note that here rather than just saying that it is not as good as the Casper or Leesa without explaining why.

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  15. Hi Fosters,

    Thus far, I would say the Leesa sleeps about the same in terms of coolness. I don’t feel like the Casper or the Leesa sleep any hotter than any innerspring mattress I’ve slept on.

    As you say, the Avena foams long-term durability is the unknown.

    I have requested more information about the Avena foam from Leesa, which should be coming over today or tomorrow. As soon as I have that information I’ll be posting a new post with that info, which will hopefully shed some more light on how it actually compares to latex foam.

    Reply
  16. Does the Leesa seem to sleep hotter, cooler or about the same at the Latex used in Casper? Latex has long been known to keep you cool at night, and be a good solid material with bounce. My fear with Leesa and the lack of reviews is that this new company and the new Aveena foam (like latex) used for the top layer is is long-term durability, and the heat

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  17. Thank you! I’m glad it was helpful.

    Comparing the firmness level between Casper and Leesa, they are very similar. Both use 3 layers. 1 support foam, 1 memory, and 1 latex.

    Leesa definitely has a little better edge support. So if you spend a lot of time watching TV or otherwise using the edge of your bed, that’s something to keep in mind.

    Casper uses 1.5 inches of latex, 1.5 of memory, and 7 inches of support foam.

    Leesa uses 2 inches of latex, 2 of memory, and 6 inches of support foam.

    Granted, you do pay a bit more for the Leesa. So if you’re trying to keep costs minimized, that’s something else to keep in mind.

    I’ll definitely have a comprehensive review comparing Leesa vs. Casper, Saatva, Tuft & Needle, and others coming up in the next couple of weeks here.

    Reply
  18. Thanks for the awesome and thorough feedback. Indeed going to a showroom feels like Russian roulette. Casper or Leesa look like the future of mattress buying.

    Can you contrast the firmness of the Casper vs the Leesa – I know you have only used your new Leesa for a couple of nights…but what is your first impression?

    Reply

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