Ashley Sleep Gruve Memory Foam 2023 Review

In This Review
Performance Tests | Firmness | Support & Sleeping Positions | Design | Materials | Comparisons | FAQs

At NapLab, we put each mattress to the test.

We test 10 different factors that impact the performance, comfort, and value of the mattress. We then take the results of that test and compare to every mattress we’ve tested to date.

Check out the full performance table below to see how this mattress ranks:

Factor	Ashley Sleep Gruve (2023)	Average
Overall Score	7.84	8.57
Price (Queen)	$900	$1,095 (Memory Foam only)
Cooling – Score	7.0	8.7
Sinkage – Depth	2.05″	2.14″
Sinkage – Feel	Moderate	Moderate
Motion Transfer – Score	8.8	8.2
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	7.56 m/s²	8.78 m/s²
Response Time – Score	9.9	8.9
Response Time – Mostly Recovered	0.2 sec.	0.4 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	0.4 sec.	0.9 sec.
Bounce – Height	8.80″	9.53″
Bounce – Feel	Moderate	Moderate
Edge Support – Score	6.5	8.6
Edge Support – Sitting	5.50″	4.04″
Edge Support – Lying	Mediocre	Good
Sex – Score	7.9	8.4
Pressure Relief – Score	9.0	8.7
Comfort Layer Thickness	3.0″	4.1″
Mattress Thickness	14″	12.0″
Off-Gassing – Score	7.2	8.1
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	10 days	7 days
Company – Score	5.3	8.7
Trial	0 nights	177 nights
Warranty	10 years	25% have lifetime warranties, average of other 75% of mattresses is 13 years

How is Ashley Gruve Memory Foam Different?

The Ashley Sleep Gruve Memory Foam mattress has below-average overall performance, but with a price tag that is also below average—35% less than the average memory foam mattress (a savings of $330).

Advantages

Beyond price alone, other advantages include slightly less motion transfer than average, fast material response time, and a thicker mattress profile than average (14″ on the Gruve compared to 12″ on average).

Neutral Factors

This mattress has 6% less sinkage than average as well as 9% less bounce than average. Both sinkage and bounce are preferential factors more than anything else, but certainly still worth considering.

Disadvantages

Disadvantages of the Ashley Sleep Gruve include worse cooling performance, 33% worse edge support when seated at the edge of the mattress, a thinner comfort layer, and worse sex performance.

Beyond these performance hits, the Ashley Gruve Memory Foam also does not have a trial period. Excluding manufacturer’s defects, all sales are basically final and you cannot return or exchange the mattress if you just find that it’s not a great fit for you.

The Ashley Sleep Gruve has fair, but far from good cooling performance. In our tests, I felt a moderate level of heat retention around my body.

When we look at the materials and design of the mattress it’s easy to see why we have cooling issues. This is a super thick 14.0” mattress built entirely from foam, including memory foam.

• Baseline Temperature – the temperature of the mattress before anyone lies on it
• Maximum Temperature (0 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after lying on it for 15 minutes
• Ending Temperature (5 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after being lied upon and having no one on it for 5 minutes

The mattress features no significant cooling features and fairly basic foam. Lastly, the the mattress creates a notable level of body contouring hug, increasing the potential for heat retention.

In our objective cooling tests, we measured a max surface level temperature of 89.3° F. After getting off the mattress the temperature declined by 3.9° from minutes 0 to 1, which is 0.65 warmer than average.

Heat Dissipation Over Time

From minutes 0 to 5 the decline was 6.5°, which is 0.52° warmer than average.

When we consider the objective data, subjective experience, and material design, I expect most sleepers will find cooling leaves much to be desired.

The Ashley Sleep Gruve memory foam has a moderate level of pressure point sinkage.

In our tests, we measured a sinkage depth of 2.05”. This is 0.13” less sinkage than the average of 2.18”. The mattress creates a fairly typical memory foam feel.

The level of sinkage is documented in the image below.

There is a high level of body contouring hug that wraps to the exact shape of your body. Even so, with only 3” of comfort material it isn’t overly dramatic, as many other memory foam mattresses can be.

The Ashley Sleep Gruve memory foam mattress has a low level of motion transfer. In our tests, we measured a 7.56 m/s² of acceleration range. This is 11.0% less motion transfer than the average of 8.49 m/s².

The all-foam construction does a fantastic job of absorbing and quickly dispersing energy. This means there isn’t as much energy to traverse across the mattress, which helps keep motion transfer lower.

The level of motion transfer is also documented in the video below.

In our motion transfer chart, which visualizes our accelerometer data, we see the highest motion from 0 to 0.14 seconds. Motion drops rapidly thereafter and by 0.56 seconds we’ve returned to near-zero energy levels.

For most sleepers, this level of motion spikes and motion duration will be more than low enough to be a non-issue.

The Ashley Sleep Gruve memory foam mattress has a very fast material response.

In our tests, we measured a mostly recovered response time of 0.2 seconds and a fully recovered response time of 0.4 seconds. These are both notably faster than the average response times of 0.40 (mostly recovered) and 0.85 seconds (fully recovered), respectively.

The level of responsiveness is documented in the video below.

Given the all-foam design and 2.0” memory foam comfort layer, I was surprised to see responsiveness at these levels.

While the 2.0” memory foam layer does take moderately longer to respond relative to the other layers, the 12.0” of other poly foams rebound back to shape effectively instantly, giving the overall mattress an extremely fast material recovery speed.

The Ashley Sleep Gruve has a high level of bounce. In our tests, we measured a total bounce height of 8.80”. This is 0.85” less bounce than the average of 9.65”.

Given the all-foam design and 2.0” memory foam layer, the lower level of bounce wasn’t surprising.

All of that foam absorbs a great deal of energy, which restrains both bounce and motion transfer. Even so, at 8.80” it’s still within the 8-12” ideal bounce height I look for.

The level of bounce is also documented in the video below.

For sleepers who enjoy the feel of an all foam mattress this level of bounce should be satisfactory.

Edge support on the Ashley Sleep Gruve leaves much to be desired. In our sitting edge support tests, we measured a sitting sinkage compression of 5.50”. This is 1.39” more sinkage compression than the average of 4.11”.

Ideally, we want to see 4.0” or less, so Ashley is quite far from that mark. Lying edge support was equally disappointing. I do not feel well supported while lying directly on the edge of the mattress.

The level of edge support while seated is documented in the images below.

The level of edge support while lying is documented in the images below.

The material at the edge is mushy at best and collapsing at worst. We don’t have any type of reinforced support at the edge (be it perimeter foam or coils).

As a result, we have less than great edge support. Overall, edge support for both sitting and lying just isn’t good.

The best mattresses for sex have high bounce, good edge support, quiet materials, and good pressure relief and cooling.

These 5 factors make up the NapLab sex performance score.

Sex Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Rating
Bounce	65%	8.0	High
Edge Support	20%	6.9	Mediocre
Noise	5%	10	Minimal
Pressure Relief	5%	9.0	Excellent
Cooling	5%	7.0	Fair

For the Ashley Sleep Gruve Memory Foam, these individual factors generated a sex score of 9.5.

This mattress has a moderate level of bounce and good (but not great) edge support. These two factors alone make up 80% of the score and arguably have the largest impact on sex performance.

While this mattress is not near the best that we’ve seen for sex, it is still good enough for many people, especially for a memory foam mattress.

For better sex performance, you may want to consider a memory foam hybrid for a similar feel, but higher levels of bounce and better edge support.

The Ashley Sleep Gruve Memory Foam mattress has excellent pressure relief. During our tests, I did not feel any significant level of pressure point build-up.

The mattress has a robust 14.0” total profile with a 3.0” comfort layer. While the 3.0” comfort layer is a good bit south of the 4.2” average comfort layer thickness (based on all of our tests to date), it is supported by a 5.0” transitional poly foam within the core of the mattress.

This combination of layers puts a significant level of material between sleepers and the firm support foam at the base.

While I would have liked to have seen a thicker dedicated comfort layer, 3.0” of comfort foam with a 5.0” transitional support layer is sufficient to create great pressure relief for most sleepers.

Off-gassing on the Ashley Sleep Gruve was strong right out of the box and the odor lasted for 10 days before fully dissipating.

The average off-gassing period is 5 days so this is twice as long as the average. That being said, off-gassing rarely affects the mattress beyond the first couple of weeks.

If you’re sensitive to strong odors, this could be an issue, but for many, the problem subsides after the mattress is unboxed and has some time to air out.

The company score takes a look at factors that may influence your experience with the mattress.

Factors include length of the trial period, warranty, shipping / return costs, and country of origin.

Company Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Data
Trial Period	15%	0	0 nights
Warranty	10%	8.0	10 years
Shipping	5%	10	$0
Returns	20%	0	No / Very limited returns
Trust	50%	8.0	Good
Country of Origin	0%		USA

The biggest hit against Ashley Sleep is the complete lack of a trial period. Comparing over 190+ mattresses that we’ve tested to date, the average trial period is 165 nights, where at any point you can return the mattress for a full refund.

This gives many sleepers the confidence to buy a mattress sight unseen because they know they can get their money back if it doesn’t work out.

Ashley offers no such policy and once the mattress arrives at your door, it is yours, with no exceptions (excluding manufacturer’s defects).

This type of a policy with virtually zero returns / refunds makes this an incredibly risky purchase for many consumers.

The Gruve Memory Foam mattress is available in two firmness levels.

Plush Version

The Plush version has a medium-firm feel, with a firmness of 6 out of 10.

As with the other Ashley mattresses we’ve tested, I am confused by the “Plush” label on this mattress. There is nothing plush or soft about it. This is a standard medium-firm feel.

Firm Version

This mattress is also available in a firm version with a firm feel. Although we didn’t test out this mattress in-person, based on other Ashley mattresses we’ve tested, I would estimate this mattress to be an 8 out of 10 on the firmness scale.

The Ashley Sleep Gruve Memory Foam mattress has excellent support. During our test, I felt well-supported in all sleeping positions.

When we consider the material composition of the mattress it’s easy to see why. We have a 14.0” total profile with 11.0” of transitional and support foams. This is significantly thicker than the average 7.8” support layer thickness.

While thicker support layers don’t always equate better support, in this case, it is having a positive impact.

The foam layers are stacked from softest to firmest, creating an even and consistent level of transitional and deep compression support for sleepers. I expect most sleepers will be happy with this support dynamic.

Check out the table below to see exactly which sleepers will be best suited for this mattress.

Plush Version (Medium-Firm)

Sleeper Weight	Stomach Sleepers	Side Sleepers	Back Sleepers
Under 150 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
150-250 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
250-300 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes

Firm Version (Firm)

Sleeper Weight	Stomach Sleepers	Side Sleepers	Back Sleepers
Under 150 lbs.	Maybe	No	Maybe
150-250 lbs.	Yes	Maybe	Yes
250-300 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes

Design

The Ashley Sleep Gruve Memory Foam mattress is a memory foam mattress available in two different firmness levels (medium-firm or firm) and three different thicknesses (10″, 12″, or 14″).

Notably, the firm version is only available in 10″. While the plush version is available in 12″ and 14″ options.

Materials

The Gruve Memory Foam is a 100% foam mattress with four distinct layers to it. From top to bottom, these layers include:

• 1.0″ poly foam
• 2.0″ memory foam
• 5.0″ poly foam
• 6.0″ support foam

The Cover

The cover of the mattress is a thin cover with micro cooling, designed to limit heat retention.

While the cover may be good on its own, it is sub-par compared to other phase-change cover (that are cool to the touch) and just unable to offset the heat retention caused by the memory foam below.

The Comfort Layer

The comfort layer is made of two different foams—a 1.0″ poly foam and a 2.0″ memory foam below.

These two foams work together to provide contour and comfort for sleepers laying on the mattress.

The Support Layer

Below the comfort foams are two additional foam layers—a 5.0″ transitional poly foam and a 6.0″ high-density support foam. This gives the mattress an 11″ support layer, thick enough to support sleepers of nearly any weight or sleeping position.

Product Evolution

This mattress is a late 2023 update to the Ashley Sleep Gruve memory foam mattress that launched in 2022. You can see that 2022 mattress test and review here.

The original Gruve memory foam was slightly thinner at 13.0″ and has a single 3.0″ gel memory foam comfort layer, as opposed to a 3.0″ layer split into a 1.0″ and 2.0″ sections.

The 2022 Gruve (which is still available for purchase here) opted for a 2.0″ transitional layer in the core, as opposed to the 2023 version, which uses a 5.0″.

Below you can see the major material differences between the 2022 and 2023 versions.

Layer	Ashley Gruve 2022	Ashley Gruve 2023
Comfort Layer	3.0″ gel memory foam	1.0″ polf foam + 2.0″ memory foam
Transition Layer	2.0″ convoluted poly foam	5.0″ poly foam
Support Layer	8.0″ support foam	6.0″ support foam
Total Thickness	13.0″	14.0″

In my view, the 2022’s 2.0″ convoluted poly foam transitional layer was an improvement over the 5.0″ non-convoluted poly foam transition layer of the 2023 design. The 2022 design created notably better cooling and breathability and acted more as a comfort layer.

The support layer on the 2022 version was 8.0″, compared to the 6.0″ layer on the 2023 version.

Lastly, the cover aesthetic changed.

Other Mattresses to Consider

Not sure if the Ashley Gruve Memory Foam is the right pick for you? Check out these three other top-rated memory foam mattresses for alternatives you may want to consider.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Check out some of the top FAQs on the Ashley Gruve Memory Foam mattress below and get the answers you’re looking for.