Bed In a box Bed-in-a-box mattresses first entered the market in response to the often eye-watering mark-ups made on mattresses sold in bricks-and-mortar stores. There’s around 40 different brands currently offering boxed mattresses in Australia, so how do you choose the right one? To help you decide, we’ve got some great advice from CHOICE mattress expert Peter Zaluzny.
They tend to use more foam and foam-like materials than spring mattresses, so beds in a box may not be for you if you prefer the feel of a traditional spring mattress. But that’s what the free trial period is for.
The internet was relatively slow to disrupt the mattress industry due to the logistical challenges in shipping bulky mattresses. However, bed-in-a-box mattresses are deoxygenated – enclosed in vacuumsealed packaging – making it possible to be transported in a box, earning them their nickname.
CHOICE conducted a number of mattress tests, and recommend eight of the 12 bedin-a-box models that are currently available. We also recommend 11 of the 30 mattresses available from bricks-and-mortar retailers. While that’s a greater number of products, a higher percentage of bed-in-a-box models earned a recommendation in our test. This suggests that the bed-in-a-box industry consistently manufactures better products.
“They’re generally much cheaper than conventional mattresses, costing around a thousand dollars for a queen-size mattress” To combat the uncertainty many might feel about buying a mattress online without being able to physically try it out to see how it feels, these bed-in-a-box brands also offer trial periods that can extend up to 100 days and warranties up to 15 years. If you don’t like the mattress, you can usually return it easily at no extra cost.
Here, we’ve broken down some great options and laid out everything you need to know about each. Sweet dreams! Here are Mama’s top picks:
Brands that have had success in this market, and whose products CHOICE have tested, include Sleeping Duck, Koala and Ecosa.
Australian-made and owned, these guys were the originals with the funniest marketing too! We love the Zero Disturbance® feature which means that no matter who you sleep next to, you’ll get a good night’s rest. Who doesn’t want to jump on a bed next to a glass of red wine? It’s built with Kloudcell – a comfortable, breathable, open-cell foam that creates the ultimate comfort layer and it has an all important washable cover. They also give 1% of sales to environmental charities (like koalas!) and are a Certified B Corporation.
These mattresses generally represent good value, although they may not be for everyone. One person’s idea of the perfect comfy mattress may differ from another’s, but we’ve found that a mattress that costs $1000 can be just as comfortable and perform just as well over its lifetime as one priced at $6000.
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Koala - Queen RRP $950 120 Night Trial - 10 year warranty Free 4 hour metro delivery