Hi guys,
What's ozbargains favourite mattress these days? Wouldn't normally skimp on mattress but this specific case involves someone with ongoing challenges so the budget for them is more geared towards get ok quality, comfortable, great price and just purchase somewhat regularly a new one over the years as opposed to that better strategy. (pay high, top quality - there are reasons that won't work in these particular circumstances)
Any advice appreciated, thank you.
My approach is - Go to the mattress shop with the intention of not buying a mattress and you'll likely get a good deal.
yep, you always sleep better on a mattress that you bought with a good deal :)
Ok quality, comfortable, great price is pretty much IKEA with a mattress topper.
https://www.ikea.com/au/en/cat/mattresses-bm002/
Note their sizes are not standard so double check.
Ikea seem to do that with a lot of things, kind of frustrating. We got some pillow cases and sheets from them and have never fitted properly because of this.
That's because Ikea use European sizing.
Agreed, VÅGSTRANDA for firmness but skip the topper for my preferences.
I have bought so far two Koala mattresses (one queen and then a king for when we upgraded the bed) and have found them to be fantastic. We got the middle model, so not the cheapest one but they are very comfy. Though a foam mattress does take some time to get used to if you have only used spring mattresses. I'm a bigger guy and it dowsn't retain heat nor have I ahd issues with the edges.
Thank you 🙂
I would be incredibly sceptical with regards to anyone who posts about koala mattress given how hard they market themselves online. I bought a koala mattress years back due to the hype and had back problems very quickly, I was fortunate they had 60 day full refund.
The best advice I can give is going to a random mattress warehouse and testing them out. I can guarantee the quality will be 4 to 5 times better for the same price. It's what I did after the koala mattress let me down. Finally there is no amount of research you can do which will outdo actually testing a mattress in person, yes there is a bunch of industry terminology which means nothing to a mattress purchaser so don't even bother, go by feel :)
It sounds like you had a good experience with koala, you didn't like the product and took advantage of their generous returns policy
I agree with what you've said, you can't really know if a mattress suits you until you've slept on it.
I wish Koala gave me a bag or two. But no, I'm not :P
Use a topper if too firm
We took a punt on a Koala too and after feeling it was too hard for a few nights it's now excellent and I couldn't go back to a spring mattress.
I liked the sleep republic one
We recently splashed out for ausbed bed, been pretty good so far too but bit pricey
I liked the sleep republic one
I thought you were a monarchist?
Chances are his bed is either a King or Queen.
splashed out
Can I recommend waterproof sheets?
I thought you slept on a racing car bed?
I sleep in a big bed with my wife
Do you have a wife or do you just say you do, to you know, be a big shot?
After having a good koala from many years ago… a couple years ago I bought a new one as kid needed bigger mattress. It definitely was not as good. I then purchased a sleep republic as needed to upgrade my own mattress and it's fantastic. So much heavier though
Yep, I recently chucked our old og koala bed King size and I one manned it down a set of stairs then to the dump no sweat. The sleep republic tho, pretty hard work even just moving it down the hall way.
why only pretty good?
I wouldn’t say it’s awesome life changing or anything
But it was better than sleep republic , but it was also way more expensive so…
I am so sick of beds, I've bought a few and had issues.. it's tough.
wasted a lot of money as well.
Best Bang for Buck Mattress in July 2025
Roadside hard waste…
bedbugs and strange juices, yum
Never slept on a hotel bed?
Idk what construction type it is, or warranty length, or feedbacks or reviews… but I got a matress in a box on Amazon ~2-3 years ago and it's been perfect. I've got one, dad's got one, no complaints at all. I don't notice any sagging, but then I'm under 60KG
This. Zinus brand from Amazon purchased 2 years ago has been shockingly good for the $200-$300 price I paid. I’m somewhat more than 60Kg but haven’t had any issues.
Double that. Zinus has been amazing!
With the cost of living crises, it’s gonna cost more than a buck now for a good bang
two buck pipty
tree fiddy if you want to splash out.
They don't want a good bang. They want the best bang.
People can spend their whole lives searching for the best bang
If they only ever get one bang during their entire lifetime, wouldn't that be the best bang?
Is it a question of quality or quantity?
banggood.com?
Is that based in Bangkock?
I got a firm mattress from Forty Winks and it's been good for the few years I've had it.
A friend with back issues went crazy and got a motorised bed frame which lifts the back to make it easier to get out of bed.
Budget?
Very low end, happy to buy replacements more often than most people change them over. Somewhat complicated issue.
@spackbace would like to recommend water proof sheets again.
i've seen cardboard is a favored "very low end" choice
It's a sex club, isn't it?
I've been using the sleeping duck mach ii firm for a couple of years now with their bed base, very happy with it and feel like the design of the base means i'll never have to worry about sag or shifting slats again
It use to be one from the Zzz Atelier Outlet on sale from eBay. Mine is still fine from 5 years +.
Mine got a little uncomfortable after 7 years. Replaced it for a sleeping duck.
haha yes that used to be the ozbargain choice of mattress until Ebay started to suck
How much banging will you be doing?
Took Choice mag's advice on the cheapest of the Art & Science range from Sleeping giant and it has been good. Can try in store but I suggest the firm ones as they sag less over time. Wait until they go on sale, which is very frequently
Been a makin mattresses user for almost 20yrs now. Mrs didn’t understand why i was so adamant about sleeping on their latex mattresses. Then she tried it and enjoyed the good nights sleep. Our backs also feel better for it.
Looking to purchase and have begun my hours long research. So far, the eva Premium Adapt Mattress stands out as it has the ability to adjust the firmness levels for yourself and partner. They're claiming higher cooling and ventilation properties and edge support. Seems pricey, but I guess you're paying for flexibility and sought after features. Note that you need specific base support to not void warranty.
have tried a few, including ikea - ended up returning! zzz is definitely the best value and quality for the price (especially with ebay sale)!!!
If you need really firm, they have extra firm too, just add a bamboo/charcoal mattress topper
IKEA has been good to me, but I also have a zzz and it was decent.
I personally am not a fan of the mattress in a box ones as the edge stability is poor and i tend to roll off easily.
It's something that you'll end up spending 30% of your life on, i'd invest in it.
foam, spring, water, air, cardboard..etc?
I’d 2nd this.
Been using a Kmart (by Zinus) hybrid pocket spring mattress for the past 5 years. Paid $99 (clearance) for a King and it’s been the best mattress I’ve had tbh and already outlasted a King Coil commercial.
YMMV, and pricing unlikely to be that cheap again, but still good value at $200-500 depending on size.
You can get trial mattresses from opshops for a good 80% discount. I know that Emma's 100-day trial mattresses end up at salvos
Goto a franchase shop select one you like get a price
and model name.
Go home and ring another franchasee and ask for a better price.
then ring another. When the price is close to 50% you found it.
I am in desperate requirement of one too. My mattress has lost its form and has been like this for a few years which means a lot of back issues for me. Its come to the point that i can only sleep on oneside and only at the edge of that side, the other side collapses and i wake up with terrible back pain.
Issue is they seem so pricey and disposable income is at a premium but i do understand back health is also vital. I think spring is the way as a lot of the foam ones seem to lose form while my folks old spring mattress albeit not as comfortable, in terms of back support etc seem better even though they are more than twice as old
Far out man, act now. It sounds like you've been crippling yourself for a considerable time. Desperate requirement is an apt description, your seeming inaction does not match your situation. Order one today, even if it's not the best choice.
I am struggling to make the monthly repayments of my mortgage with the interest rate hikes, so i have been fearful of ordering the wrong mattress and then being stuck with it. I most likely will be getting cash from my folks for the mattress purchase as it is.
Sorry to hear things are so tight mate.
Based on what you're saying about your spine health and mattress quality, it really does sound like you need to find a way to buy one asap, whether that be a very cheap one, one on interest free, hell, even a second hand one + a new $10 mattress protector.
Just get off that one that is killing you, you've already had it far too long.
@JakeyJooJoo: True, It has gotten to that point. I did try buying a topper hoping that could help for a while but it didnt do anything, if anything it made it worse.
Just get one of the Aldi ones next week mate, and look for something more suitable in the future.
I actually have a new mattress (bought 10 years ago when i bought the other one but for the guest bedroom which never got a base or furniture and so the mattress has been on its side against the wall in the plastic bag all this time), its a double and not the Queen that i have in my bedroom. I wasnt sure if i can put a double on a Queen slat Base? As in there will be some space on the edges but also wasnt sure if it would cause other issues? My bed base is the Ikea Lonset Slatted type.
I enjoyed your story so far and look forward to further chapters.
I've been through a few cheaper mattress-in-a-boxes, and decided splash out on a Sleep Republic one a couple of years back as it was rated highly by Choice etc. Honestly, the differences are subtle they all ended up feeling pretty similar to me. So don't over think it imo. Find one that's a decent price by a company that's unlikely to disappear within the month, and it'll probably be fine. The Aldi ones that come around every year or so tend to be a good option.
A blow up beds pretty good, lasts a few months then you can buy a new one and shove the old one in the box and get a refund saving you a nightmare with the manufacturer.
Milage will very.
Ausbeds.
@Karl from ausbeds is very active. High quality product and we love ours.
I researched mattresses to the nth degree before settling on these guys.
I had a look an appreciate their designs and Sydney manufacture or assembly - and a true blue company - not all imported direct from China - as it appears Koala and many others. Ausbed have a great website too, and a free showroom to try out their mattresses - in Willoughby or Crows Nest (in Sydney only) But they are not a super cheap Mattress - you would get value if able to afford and after sales service that they offer sounds great, and a Sydney business for the Australian economy, not owned by huge investors or foreign interests - but people that through trials of different designs came up with numerous combinations of foam and latex, polyfoam and springs that can be changed to create the potential ideal sleeping support.
Yeah it's true, my mattresses aren't super cheap (up front) you're right. The cooper mattress is $1500 for a queen, that's the cheapest queen I have.
However, in my defence, I believe with a mattress purchase these days it's very common for a mattress to last only 3-6 years. I think this is the biggest expense right here and it's very overlooked. If the mattress costs $700 and you have to replace it every 3 years, its over 2 grand a decade.
If only there were a way to make the mattress last longer, say I dunno, 40 years?
This is what I have done. I made it so each part is replaceable. I know 40 years sounds like a stretch, but you must understand something about mattresses. It's the foam that goes. Not the springs, not the fabric. I also made it the fabric and springs replaceable just in case.
I make the foam replaceable for free in the 10 year period, after that I currently charge $100 per piece.
So let's calculate the cooper to 20 years instead of my crazy 40 year number. The cooper is now $750 a decade. $1250 cheaper than the $700 mattress.
So by that logic, the ausbeds mattress is looking a bit cheaper to mattresses that aren't able change the foam. Melbourne mattress factory so the same, I'm not sure about his foam replacement process but I'm sure he'll keep the mattress ticking along as I do.
Nice rule of thumb to round things off, If you have access to the mattress foam, the mattress will last at least 4 times longer. Potentially it will last indefinitely.
This is less important on the more expensive models as they use latex. Latex is non-plastic foam. Tree sap with bubbles in it. This stuff just doesn't wear out, it's crazy good. However I made those models with all replaceable parts also.
Don't take my word for it though, I'm extremely biased as ausbeds is my business. But It's food for thought.
The deal where they take your old one away
Get an ultra firm memory foam $1000, add Kmart topper for 50$. Will last a lifetime, and stretch out your spine at night instead of adding unwanted curves.
Which topper do you recommend?
I have the cheap one and the more expensive one on the same bed in different room . The cheap one that's just foam smells less but provides a little less cushioning.
I think the more expensive one that is covered is better if your not used to a firm bed. It can a while for it to breathe out the smell tho.
I bought the ultra firm in makin mattresses, on its own it's too firm for side sleepers with the topper it's perfect. Really has helped with back issues. Had a 5000$ mattress that I loved, it was like a cloud, the missus was adamant that it was causing her back issues, turns out she was right, I thought mine was just getting old lol
I've had an ergoflex for 7 years and a noa for 4 years, I'm happy with both of them but I'm not particularly picky
How do you decide which nights to sleep in which bed?
Haha when I'm told I can't sleep in the main bed!
Two kids under 4 so when they're in the main bed (ergoflex) I sleep in my sons single (noa)
zzzaltelier from ebay, wait for an ebay discount.
Get a cheap firm to medium one then add your own topper to suit your comfort level.
I just recently purchased the standard Sleep Republic mattress and I love it. I moved from a cheapie ($400ish) Ikea mattress and it's a world of difference. Highly recommended.
The Aldi Mattress in a box for about $200 I am quite impressed with.. Especially after experiencing the quality of mattresses across South East Asia..
Ergoflex
IKEA VÅGSTRANDA
I’ve got a detailed spreadsheet where I compared all mattress-in-a-box offerings, I’ll post later.
OneBed was the winner for me and so far it’s been great.
We have an extra firm queen from a local mattress warehouse, for about $600.
One that sell at 50% off