If you’ve been shopping for a new mattress online recently, you have probably come across a few newer brands, including one company by the name of Casper. This online startup is one of many who are trying to change the way mattresses are sold.
Casper has been in the media spotlight recently, as have a few new mattress startups. These companies are doing away with several things customers have grown accustomed to over the years. This isn’t your grandma’s shopping experience.
Instead of going to showrooms and haggling with salesmen, customers can shop for and purchase their mattresses completely online. Using compression and vacuum-sealing techniques, Casper can fit their mattresses in a box small enough to be delivered on a cargo bike, which they do in New York City.
Casper and several other fledgling mattress companies are marketing a single mattress with no frills or few options in the name of simplicity. You cannot select a firmness level or any other option often found with other mattress retailers. They are wagering most people can find one mattress comfortable, and time will tell if their gamble is a wise one.
Mattress shopping can be difficult if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Add to the mix a bunch of extra publicity surrounding these new startups, and seeing if the hype really translates to better sleep isn’t always easy. We’ll sort the facts from the fabrication.
About Casper
Casper was founded in 2013 in New York. They currently have a location in Los Angeles and another in Manhattan. Most of their business is done online, but Casper is planning on having more locations nationwide. Only the New York “Casper Apartment” is open to the public.
The Casper Apartment is a modern version of a showroom. Casper wants to create a more casual experience when buying a mattress. They even invite customers up for “drinks and bed trying.” However, combining alcohol and large purchases may not always be the wisest idea! Even though the mattresses are in the “discount” range, it’s still no small amount of money; and since beds are the most-used furniture item in the home, it’s worth careful consideration.
The company seems dedicated to sticking to their single-mattress business model, but they do wish to venture into the sales of other sleep-related products (none of which have been disclosed to date).
The Casper Mattress
Available online only unless you’re in New York, the Casper Mattress ranges in price from $500-$950 depending on the size. Casper calls the mattress medium-firm, but reviewers consistently rate it more toward medium.
Three layers make up the Casper Mattress. The top is 1.5” of dunlop latex foam. In the middle is 1.5” of 4 lb. memory foam and the bottom is made of seven inches of polyurethane foam. The memory foam and support base are Certipur certified and the latex layer is OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified.
The Casper Mattress cover material is not disclosed on their website, but after calling them we found it is a poly blend with a silica core. Here are some additional specifications of the Casper Mattress:
Cover
Construction
Firmness
Trial Period/
Warranty
Layers
Longevity
Rating
Poly Blend / Silica Core
Latex Over Memory Foam
Medium Firm
100 Days
10 Years
1.5” 13 ILD Latex, 1.5” 4 lb High-Density Memory Foam, 7” Polyurethane Support Layer
???
3.9 / 5
As mentioned, there is only one type of mattress available from Casper, but it is available in the following sizes and prices:
Mattress Size
Price
Twin
$500
Twin XL
$600
Full
$750
Queen
$850
King
$950
California King
$950
Overview of Casper Mattress Reviews
“Our mattress is not for everyone. Not all people want a semi-firm bed,” Casper’s co-founder and product design head. While publicly marketing a single mattress to “fit all,” Casper seems to know they can only please one type of person with one mattress.
While medium to medium-firm comfort levels will work for the majority of people and the majority of Casper mattress reviews are positive, some will prefer softer or firmer beds, and others may not feel like three inch comfort layers are thick enough to prevent pressure points.
For the most part, customers appreciate the value Casper mattresses offer. If you are looking for a new mattress, but don’t have a lot of money to spend, Casper is not a bad choice. Below are some specific pros and cons from independent reviewers and customers.
Casper Mattress Reviews: Pros
Most the reviews we came across were pretty positive. Here are some of the things people like about the Casper Mattress:
Low motion transfer
Supply chain transparency
USA construction
Non-toxic fire barrier
Middle-range prices
Customer service
Pressure/pain relief
The Casper Mattress has around a 85% owner satisfaction rating, which is slightly above average. Often customers cited the price as a major selling point.
Consumers like Casper’s customer service. Even those who were dissatisfied with the mattress often reported the return process and accompanying service was pleasant.
Though not a luxury mattress, Casper does tout much about its supply chain and materials. Claiming proprietary secrets, they withhold the exact makeup of their cover and foams but do provide density information which is helpful for comparison shopping.
Many customers mentioned negative experiences they’ve had with mattress retailers (often the big ones) in the past in their Casper reviews. Casper seems to market this disdain and may have found a group of people who strongly identify.
Casper Mattress Reviews: Cons
While many customers are pleased with their Casper purchases, there are some who were not so happy. Casper does seem to handle dejected consumers well. Here are some things consumers were dissatisfied with in their experiences with Casper:
Heat retention
Weak or soft edges
Too few options or firmnesses
No matching foundation
Delivery problems
Odor/off-gassing
Much firmer than expected
Sagging/longevity issues
Memory foam and synthetic latex mattresses often have issues with heat retention, and the Casper mattress may not have overcame this. Heat retention was the most commonly reported problem with these mattresses.
Some reports of sagging in the mattresses after use also can be seen in reviews. With a 10” profile, the Casper mattress is not likely suited for heavier people or larger-framed side sleepers, especially in the long run. This company is new, so their mattresses haven’t been tested in real bedrooms for very long.
As expected, some customers complain of the mattress being too firm or too soft. Most complaints about firmness were on the “too firm” side. With only one mattress to choose from, customers who prefer softer or extra firm mattresses are left out.
Verdict from Casper Mattress Reviews
Online mattress companies are starting to create some real competition for some of the old industry behemoths. Casper is offering a product that is much cheaper than many of their competitors and claiming it is just as good. Their reviews are above average, but in line with other latex over foam mattresses.
For people seeking a true latex mattress, Casper falls short. Many of the benefits of latex are negated by adding the petroleum-based support and comfort layers. The latex layer isn’t quite thick enough to affect the heat retention problem or to provide the supportiveness for which latex receives rave reviews.
Though customers report supply chain transparency as one of Casper’s admirable attributes, the specifics on the materials they make their foams with are not listed. People who want to know what they are sleeping on or who want to do more in-depth comparisons may have issues with that.
Casper set out to create a mattress for the masses. The price is low enough for many people to be able to purchase it, but the mattress doesn’t necessarily perform much better than others in the price range.
If you are looking for a luxury experience or if you don’t fall into the medium spectrum, check out some other brands. There are a couple other online mattress companies following similar philosophies with different options that could be worth comparing. But if you’re looking for a cheap mattress and longevity isn’t your top concern, the Casper Mattress reviews indicate it may be a good option.