Welcome to The Mattress Underground

While our opinions are based on our ongoing research into all areas of the mattress industry, we do admit to a few biases. The most important of these is towards smaller local, regional, and even some national mattress manufacturers that are quietly building exceptionally high-quality mattresses using the best materials available to them, and construction methods that, in many cases, they have learned over several generations. These are mattress manufacturers who are motivated by service, quality, and value.

In most cases, these companies are privately owned and run by “mattress people” rather than “money machines”. Many of them sell to the public through “factory direct” outlets or have short supply chains that sell through smaller, service-oriented, and knowledgeable sleep shops, and are available either locally, regionally, or through online outlets. They tend to be very open about what they put in their mattresses and why they make them the way they do, and best of all, they usually produce mattresses that are higher quality than their more “commercial” equivalent at a much lower cost … in some cases close to half the “sale prices” of comparable mattresses made by larger manufacturers. In other cases, they sell mattresses that cannot truly be compared to any other “mass market” mattress.

There are several hundred of these manufacturers in the USA and Canada, and we have been fortunate to have had extended conversations with dozens of them. We are grateful that so many of them have shared their knowledge and their “secrets”. This information, along with the hundreds of hours we spent lying on and analyzing mattresses, coupled with online research, is the source of the information on this website.

In addition to these high-value manufacturers, we have also had extended conversations with dozens of high-quality retail outlets … also run by “mattress people” … who are also motivated by a sincere desire to provide service, quality, and value. These have also freely shared with TMU their knowledge about mattresses and the industry from their own unique perspectives. Unlike so many of the larger chain stores, which are primarily staffed by poorly trained and misinformed employees who are motivated by making the sale at all costs, these wonderful retail outlets are dedicated to giving their customers accurate information, identifying their mattress needs, and selling them a quality mattress at a fair price and profit. They don’t rely on “fake sales” or other tricks to create a false sense of urgency and are happy to give their customers the time to do some comparison shopping and make a good decision. They know they provide good value, and an educated consumer is their friend. They will often carry high-quality mattresses made by these smaller local and regional manufacturers that have a much higher value than the more common brands available in chain stores; however, they will often carry the major brands as well, so that true comparisons can be made. These retailers exist by the hundreds in all areas of the country and can be trusted to help you choose the best mattress for you.