Big Mattress Classic 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. Testing categories include:

Test	Rating
Cooling	Very Good
Sinkage	Deep
Motion Transfer	High
Response Time	Extremely Fast
Bounce	Very High
Edge Support	Very Good
Sex	Excellent
Pressure Relief	Very Good
Off-Gassing	Exceptional
Company	Excellent

Cooling performance on the Big Mattress Classic is good, but not amazing. In our tests, I felt a slight to moderate level of heat retention around my body. It’s not a hot mattress, but I also wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s cool.

Bear in mind, we tested the all-foam version. If you’re a naturally hot sleeper you will almost certainly want to opt for the hybrid version (which I expect performance would be better on).

The all-foam, more basic design, simply retains more heat and isn’t able to breathe as well as many other mattresses we’ve tested (especially hybrid mattresses).

• 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

When we look at the design we have pretty typical poly foams, no convoluted layers, no coils, and no specialized cooling fabric. It just doesn’t have the extra cooling materials, layers, or design that could help it reach the next cooling level.

Looking at our objective data we measured a maximum surface level temperature of 88.5°F. This is 1.0° cooler than the average, which is great.

However, the heat dissipation curve is more distressing.

Heat Dissipation Over Time

Time Elapsed	Temperature
1 minute	85.5°
2 minutes	84.5°
3 minutes	84.1°
4 minutes	83.4°
5 minutes	83.3°

From 0 to 1 minute, the temperature declined only 3.0 degrees. Based on all of our tests to date, on average, we see a 0 to 1-minute decline of 3.8°F.

Temperature from 0 to 5 minutes declined by 5.2°, which is notably worse than the average 0 to 5-minute decline of 6.3°F.

When we consider our subjective experience, material design, and objective data, I am confident in my assertion that cooling performance is good, but does leave something to be desired.

The Big Mattress Classic has a moderate to deep level of sinkage. In our tests, we measured 2.34” of pressure point sinkage depth.

The level of sinkage is documented in the image below.

The top comfort poly foam layer doesn’t have a ton of pushback. As a result, it allows you to sink fairly deep into the mattress. Despite the moderate to deeper level of sinkage the foams are highly responsive.

As a result, you won’t feel overly stuck or entrapped by the layers. In my view, the comfort foam feels like a mix between latex and memory foam.

It’s got the resiliency and responsiveness of latex, but still has a fairly dramatic contouring hug around the body. The total hug dynamic is somewhat restrained by the limited 3.0” comfort layer and no transitional foams.

As a result, your body hits the support layer more abruptly compared to many others we’ve tested. For lighter and moderate weight sleepers this should be less of an issue, but for many heavier weight sleepers it has the potential to create more pressure relief problems.

The Big Mattress Classic has a high level of motion transfer. In our tests, we measured 12.33 m/s² of acceleration range. This is 5.50 m/s² more than the average motion transfer (based on all of our tests), which is 6.83 m/s².

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

Typically, all foam mattresses have significantly less motion than what we measured here.

However, the relative thinness of the top comfort layer doesn’t absorb as much energy as a thicker and/or softer comfort layer would.

The 3.0” of comfort material just isn’t tremendously thick. Below the 3.0” comfort layer we have 8.0” of support foam, which is firm, dense, and has tremendous pushback.

It’s this combination of a relatively thin comfort layer and highly supportive foundational foam that creates a high level of motion transfer.

If we look at our motion transfer chart, which visualizes our accelerometer data, we can see a high level of motion on the mattress from 0.00 to 0.78 seconds.

From 0.78 to 1.13 seconds there is a moderate level of motion, before returning to near-zero levels of energy by 1.13 seconds. This is a surprisingly high level of motion, both in terms of total intensity and duration.

Mattresses with the lowest levels of motion transfer dissipate all significant energy within 0.3 seconds. It takes the Big Mattress Classic 1.13 seconds before energy is fully dissipated.

The Big Mattress Classic has an extremely fast response time. In our tests, we measured a mostly recovered response time of 0.2 seconds and a fully recovered material response time of 0.3 seconds.

This is tied with the fastest responding mattresses we’ve tested to date. Response time is effectively instant.

The level of responsiveness is documented in the video below.

The foams are highly resilient, responsive, and spring back to shape immediately. Faster responding mattresses ensure sleepers never feel “stuck” and that it’s easier to move around on the mattress.

The Big Mattress Classic has a very high level of bounce. In our tests, we measured a total bounce height of 12.41”. This is 2.85” more bounce than the average of 9.56” (based on all of our tests to date).

A higher level of bounce gives the mattress a more traditional feel, improves sex, and makes it easier to move around on.

Typically, I like to see 8-12” of bounce. It’s a sweet spot that enables the benefits of bounce, without being so much bounce as to introduce new issues. At 12.41” the Big Mattress Classic is beyond my ideal range, but only slightly.

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

The higher level of bounce is almost certainly a contributing factor for the high level of motion transfer. But, the same high bounce also improves sex and ease of movement, so there are pros and cons each way.

Edge support on the Big Mattress Classic is excellent. In our sitting edge support tests we measured 4.25” of sitting edge compression. This is 0.33” less than the average of 4.58” (based on all of our tests to date).

While sitting directly on the edge of the mattress I felt plenty of support. We have 3.0” of comfort foam on top of an 8.0” support base foam. With only 3.0” of comfort foam that base foam layer creates a ton of support for the edges and mattress as a whole.

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

Edge support while lying was equally as impressive as sitting edge support. There’s just not much that the comfort layer can do to degrade lying edge support.

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

I felt well supported in all sleeping positions even when lying directly on the edge.

If we examine the photographs while lying directly on the edge you can visually see the ample support provided by the foundational support foam.

To score sex performance we look at a number of different factors that all play a role in quality sex. Three of the most important factors include:

In addition to the factors above, there are a few other things to consider as well, like pressure relief and cooling.

Here’s a look at our complete sex formula:

Sex Score Formula = (Bounce * 0.6) + (Edge Support * 0.2) + (Noise * 0.1) + (Pressure Relief * 0.05) + (Cooling * 0.05)

We use the following scores, plugged into the formula, to derive a sex score for each mattress.

Sex Factor	Factor Weight	Score
Bounce	60%	10
Edge Support	20%	9.4
Noise	10%	10
Pressure Relief	5%	9.0
Cooling	5%	9.0

For the Big Mattress Classic, these individual factors generated a sex score of 9.8.

This is very good performance, especially for an all-foam mattress. The Classic mattress also has very high level of bounce and surprisingly good sitting edge support as well.

The other advantage of this mattress is the ‘field of play’. This mattress is just enormous for two partners, which allows it to provide additional options that a standard-sized mattress cannot provide.

Pressure relief on the Big Mattress Classic is good, but far from amazing. The chief issue with pressure relief simply comes down to the design itself.

The mattress utilizes a relatively thin comfort layer of just 3.0” of comfort foam. There is no transitional layer, so you have 3.0” of comfort foam directly on top of the support foam layer.

This type of design creates a more abrupt pushback for sleepers.

It’s got great support, but I could see that heavier sleepers and curvier bodies could experience pressure points by virtue of sinking through the relatively thin comfort layer and engaging more significantly with the support foam layer.

I expect the hybrid version of the mattress would offer better pressure relief as the air pod support system is more likely to create better transitional support than an all-foam support layer will.

The Big Mattress Classic takes no time at all to off-gas as it had no strong smell right out of the box. On average, most other mattresses take about 3 days to off-gas.

If you’re sensitive to strong odors, this could certainly be an advantage for the Big Mattress. It ships uncompressed, so it has plenty of time to dispel any smell that may have been there.

While we’re talking about off-gassing and unboxing, I just have to mention the elephant in the room. This mattress is huge.

And I don’t mean “heavy” like “carry with 2 hands”. This is more along the lines of “a forklift delivered this on a wooden pallet” kind of heavy.

In total, there are 7 separate pieces that make up this mattress and foundation. Plan accordingly and make sure you have a plan for where these boxes will go prior to delivery, unboxing, and setup.

This mattress is manufactured by the Big Mattress Co, a U.S.-based company that specializes in XL-sized mattresses.

Company Factor
Trial Period	100 nights
Warranty	10 years
Shipping	Free
Returns	Free
Country of Origin	USA

The Classic mattress comes with a 100-night trial period, a 10-year warranty, free shipping, and free returns. They have an online chat feature with live reps and a phone support line also.

The Big Mattress Classic has a medium firmness at 6 out of 10, where 10 is the most firm.

This firmness would be suitable for a wide range of sleepers, supporting most body types and all sleeping positions.

The Big Mattress Classic hybrid version has a pressure dial on the side of the mattress that allows you to adjust the firmness. While we didn’t test that exact model, we did test the similar Natural Form Refresh mattress (which is their sister brand and uses the same support system and adjustable dial).

In our tests, we found the dial’s firmness range to be 5-6.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale. We would expect the Big Mattress Classic hybrid to have a firmness range of 5-6.5 as well.

The Big Mattress Classic has excellent support. Throughout our tests and in all sleeping positions I felt extremely well supported by the mattress.

While there is a possibility of a pressure relief issue due to the 3.0” comfort layer, in terms of overall support, I don’t really have any major complaints. We have a simple, but proven material layer design here.

With an 8” support layer and 11” total profile, it’s more than sufficient to create good support for most body types and sleeping positions.

Based on the design, materials, and layer thicknesses, I expect the mattress will be supportive up to 300 pounds.

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

Design

The Big Mattress Classic is an all-foam mattress with an 11″ high profile and an extra-wide surface area.

It was designed for families who co-sleep, people with lots of pets, or those who just want to stretch out to the maximum capacity.

The configuration shown above includes the mattress and bed frame. The exact breakdown is listed below:

1. 3″ comfort layer (Classic Mattress)
2. 8″ support layer (Classic Mattress)
3. 9″ foundation (Classic Bed Frame)

In this configuration, the bed has a total height of 20″. For a sleeker, more low-profile look, you may be able to nix the Big Mattress Bed Frame, which will save you about $2K.

But remember the size. Most third party bed frames are not designed to accomodate mattresses this large.

Still, there are options. For example, you could combine two of the queen-sized Zinus platform bed frames (60×80″) side-by-side, which equals the width of the Family Bed Classic mattress (120×80″).

Materials

Despite its XL size, this mattress actually has a simple design. There is a single comfort layer and a single support layer.

• Top Comfort Layer: 3.0″ poly foam
• Bottom Support Layer: 8.0″ support foam

The Cover

The Big Mattress Classic uses a soft cotton cover that is thin and breathable.

The Comfort Layer

The top layer is a 3.0″ slab of CertiPur-US certified poly foam. This poly foam has a balanced feel and fast response time, while still maintaining limited motion transfer.

The Support Layer

Beneath the comfort layer is the 8.0″ slab of support foam. Compared to the comfort foam, this foam is denser and has a firmer feel.

Both of these layers have a thin cover to protect the materials and you can easily replace a single layer if the need arises.

Product Evolution

The Big Mattress Classic launched in 2021 and was initially available with the same two mattress styles that are offered today—the Classic and the Premier.

Each style is available as an all-foam or a hybrid configuration for a total of four Big Mattress options.

There are also two bed frame options to match.

Since its launch, there have been no major changes to the mattress.

How is the Big Mattress Co Different?

So what helps the Big Mattress stand apart from its competitors? There are a couple of BIG differences here. Let’s dive in.

#1. It’s Huge.

The sheer size of this mattress is enough to make it easily stand apart from competitors. If you sleep with a lot of pets, children, or partners, the Big Mattress should have plenty of room.

The Family Bed is 120″ wide—the equivalent of 2 queen mattresses pushed together.

#2. Replaceable Components.

Different parts of the Big Mattress can be replaced without replacing the entire mattress. This helps to avoid costly issues, extending the life of the mattress and keeping giant mattresses out of the landfill.

#3. All-in-One

The Big Mattress Co. not only offers huge mattresses, but also XL bedding, and a couple of options for XL bed frames with foundation. If you’re looking for a mattress larger than King / Cal King, it can be really helpful to find a mattress and all accessories from the same manufacturer to guarantee a perfect fit.

Big Mattress Classic vs. Premier

The Big Mattress Co. makes two mattresses—the Classic or the Premier. Each of these mattresses is offered in an all-foam style or as a hybrid. Check out the similarities and differences below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Check out some of the top FAQs on the Big Mattress Classic below and get the answers you’re looking for.