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My fellow CNET sleep editors and I chose mattresses based on firmness, feel, performance, durability, features and the brand’s policies. We test beds by lying on them, testing edge support and motion isolation and switching between sleeping position, for example. We also test a mattress’ firmness with our proprietary machine, appropriately named the Mattress Smasher 9000. This heavy duty tool presses into the middle of a bed and our corresponding software measures firmness on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest. While we also test each bed personally for perceived firmness and feel, we have data from the MS9000 to backup our conclusions.
Here’s the data we learned testing the best cheap beds with our Mattress Smasher 9000. Sorted from the softest beds to the firmest, here’s how the mattresses scored on our firmness scale.
However, with this list specifically, price and value were two of the main metrics we examined. The mattresses we considered “cheap” are anywhere from $300 to $800 (after discounts are applied) and are very basic, often flagship models. They don’t have to have any fancy bells and whistles, yet the chosen mattresses are still comfortable, quality beds at affordable prices.
Read more about our sleep team, our mattress warehouse, the Mattress Smasher 9000 and how we test mattresses.
