Is the New Purple Mattress Softer?
One of the most common questions about the new Purple hybrid mattresses is:
Is the new Purple mattress softer?
My short answer is no, not really. If you thought the original Purple mattress was too firm, you probably wouldn’t be happier with the new Purple mattress (read or new Purple mattress review). But if you do decide, go for the Purple4 since it will have the softest feel.
At Purple headquarters, the word employees use is that the new beds are more immersive than the original Purple mattress, which I think means that they’re avoiding using the word soft. Instead, it’s less firm. That makes sense because a Purple mattress will never be soft in the traditional sense. After all, it doesn’t have any memory foam in it. And since memory foam sinking in is typically what people describe as soft, you can’t really say it matches the feel of a Purple mattress.
With a Purple bed, you won’t sink in very much. Rather, the Smart Comfort Grid (formerly called the super stretchy polymer) has very little give. So if you want to feel any hug, you’re not going to get it from this mattress. It’s more like you’re floating on top of it. Not in the sense of a firm mattress because they are a solid piece of harder foam. You will sink in some on a Purple, but the word is more like you collapse the top where you’re heaviest.
If you’re heavier, as in over 350 lbs, you’ll want to spring for the Purple hybrid premier – either the 3 or 4-inch. If you’re lighter, go for the Purple original (9.25 inches deep) unless you just like the look of a higher-profile bed and springs. Then the Purple hybrid (11 inches deep) is similar to the original, but it has springs.
Still not sure which one to get?
With other mattresses, my biggest complaint is that my hips sink in, so my spine isn’t aligned. It’s kind of in an uneven V shape. That’s the stuff of bad backs. With all the mattresses I review, my back needs to be pampered. If I could have anything I wanted, I’d wish for a mattress butler who followed me around and moved mattresses for me.
The Biggest Reason People Return a Purple Mattress? Too Firm
I have a hobby of asking people why they return their mattress. The most common answer is it’s too firm. Note that I also hear it’s too soft for the same brand.
That’s why a sleep trial is so important. These are very personal and subjective terms. One person’s plush is another person’s too hard.
The new Purple beds don’t feel much softer. Adding more comfort grids and springs doesn’t change the feel significantly. Even though I’m sleeping on the Purple Hybrid Premier 4″, the one with a full 4 inches of polymer (the most of any model they offer), it can’t be called soft. In other words, buy it for the height or support, not for more give. However, out of all of the Purple beds, the Premier 4 is the softest.
As long as the top layer is a polymer, it never will be soft. Although Purple was anti springs when they were a startup and not a publicly traded company, they did something they swore they’d never do, they added springs. If you told the original Purple they’d grow up and be sold in Mattress Firm, they’d never have believed you. However, I don’t see Purple adding anything above the polymer layer. It’s too integral to the brand.
And that’s not bad. Mattress Underground, the most long-winded review site online, says a firmer mattress is more durable, writing that:
“Firmer materials will tend to compress less and last longer than softer versions of the same material so if you are choosing between two mattresses that are both a suitable choice in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP and one of them is slightly firmer than the other and there are no other significant differences between them that would affect durability then I would choose the one that is slightly firmer.”
Note that PPP = Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences
Want a Soft Mattress?
You want soft? Get a Puffy They have the regular (12″ deep and medium feel) or the plush (14″ deep), which is soft. This is more what I call a marshmallow bed, but it’s lightweight or cheaply made.
How do you know if your mattress is too firm?
If your mattress is too firm, it will push on pressure points like your shoulders, hips, and butt. This will take you out of alignment, and you’ll start to feel aches and pains.
If you feel pain as soon as you lay on your bed, it’s probably not your mattress. The telltale signal that it’s your mattress. It’s not you. You feel worse after spending hours in bed. When a mattress is too soft, you sink into it too much, causing the heavier parts of you to sink in further than the rest of you. So your spine isn’t in neutral. causing back pain.
You can often fix that with a mattress topper at least 3 inches deep.
Too Firm for Older Adults?
My parents, who are both in their 80s (and in denial about it), added a $40 mattress pad to their Purple mattress and have been happy ever since. But Purple wouldn’t ever suggest that because, well, they’re selling you on the properties of sleeping directly on the responsive layer. It’s like their prized granddaughter, and all they want to do is show it off.
At least you could replace the topper (here are the bestselling mattress toppers on Amazon) when it develops an imprint which you can’t do when that softer foam is built into your bed.
Is the New Purple Worth It?
Purple does sleep temperature neural. It does cushion your pressure points and has the best motion isolation of any bed I’ve ever slept on. Those are its biggest selling points. Is the new Purple worth the price tag? I think it is. Purple truly offers something unique in the boxed mattress industry. All these comparison videos between Purple beds and other brands make me roll my eyes.
Purple is nothing like a typical foam block mattress in which one is so much like another they’re hard to choose between. It’s like deciding which arm you like better.
I have a friend who bought a Purple one and has read so many conflicting reviews that she hasn’t opened it yet. She’s afraid to, and now she’s blown through her 100-day trial and can’t return it. I’m tempted to buy it from her because our mattress in a box that’s only a year old has developed something that looks like a tumor on the side. Since it was a review sample, I can’t make a warranty claim, but that’s a first! I’m tempted to put another Purple on that bed.
But don’t expect Purple to feel like other beds, nor expect it to be soft. Remember how you used to go camping and sleep on the hard ground and be just fine? Those days are over. The soft thing is your middle age tolerance for a bad night’s sleep.
