WinkBed Mattress Review: A Luxury Mattress With Widespread Appeal [CNET]

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8.5

WinkBed

Like

• Suitable for all body types
• Accommodates all sleeping positions
• Hotel luxury mattress that’s fairly affordable
• A comfy pillow top feel
• A great and reliable warranty

Don’t like

• A little expensive for budget shoppers

Product details

• Type Hybrid mattress
• Firmness 3 firmness levels | Softer
• Trial 120 nights
• Warranty Lifetime warranty

While WinkBeds isn’t a name heard as often as Casper or Purple, it’s a great brand to consider if you want to invest in your sleep and upgrade your bed game this summer. The brand’s flagship mattress, the WinkBed, has a lot to offer, from its four firmness level options to a WinkBed Plus offering for heavier sleepers looking for additional support. It also has a good value compared with other high-end beds on the market, and the price might surprise you. 

For my thoughts on this mattress (I’ve tested over 100, so I know a thing or two about beds), continue reading this full-length WinkBed mattress review. 

Video: WinkBed Mattress Review

Watch our very own CNET video producer, Owen Poole, review the WinkBed mattress. 

First impressions of the WinkBed mattress

The WinkBed is the most aesthetically pleasing mattress I’ve ever seen. It looks like a cloud decorated with a polka-dot ribbon. It’s such a clean, pretty and luxurious bed that it’s almost a shame to cover it with sheets and blankets. Not that looks mean much in the mattress world, but it’s worth mentioning that it’s as easy on your eyes as it is on your body. 

I would describe the WinkBed mattress as a luxurious innerspring mattress with a fluffy, light and airy pillow top. It’s as supportive as the old reliable innerspring mattresses back in the day, with a modern-day upgrade on comfort and pressure relief. It’s also thick and burly, making it a great mattress for people who want durability and support. Although, the price surprised me. A mattress this nice, I think, could be worth over $2,000 (queen size) but the WinkBed is priced much lower, and discounts commonly offered by WinkBeds make it an affordable luxury option.

WinkBed mattress firmness and feel

Firmness 

One of the best things about the WinkBed mattress is how versatile it is for different kinds of sleepers thanks to its three firmness levels. You can choose between Softer, Luxury Firm and Firm. There’s also the Plus option for heavier sleepers. Here’s how I would rate each mattress on the firmness scale, which runs from one to 10:

• Softer: Medium-soft (3)
• Luxury Firm: Medium (5)
• Firm: Medium-firm (7)
• Plus: Firm (8-9)

As you can see, the WinkBed covers all the bases when it comes to the different firmness types you can want. The difference is in the pillow top; it’s either extra fluffy and pressure relieving, firmer and more supportive or a balance of both. The company also claims the Luxury Firm model is chosen for high-end luxury hotels, which I completely believe because of WinkBed’s quality. 

Feel

The WinkBed mattress is everything you ever wanted in an old innerspring mattress and everything that’s missing from a standard foam mattress. It’s supportive, but you can’t feel those steel springs in the bottom layer. Instead, you feel the comfortable foam layers and fluffy gel pillow top cradling your body. It’s bouncy and responsive, unlike memory foam, and really easy to switch positions on. 

I tried the Luxury Firm model, which was both pressure-relieving and supportive; my back didn’t sag when I was on my back and stomach, nor did I feel a soreness in my arm and hips when I laid on my side. It’s incredibly pleasant and accommodating, and likely the reason why some fancy hotels chose this model to furnish their rooms with.

WinkBed mattress construction

The WinkBed’s bread and butter has to be its thick and durable construction made to fit just about any body type. It’s over 13 inches thick and is made with several different ergonomic layers:

• The center is made with wider steel coils (labeled C in the illustration above) that are individually wrapped to help improve motion isolation, while the edge is made with thinner steel coils (D) with a firmer feel to boost edge support. 
• Next is a series of foam layers (B), including a layer of gel foam to help deaden the movement of the bouncy coils below, as well as quality, high-density foams for comfort and to help regulate temperature. You can also find WinkBeds’ Lumbarlayer, which is more supportive, in the center of the foam to add more reinforcement to your back and lumbar area.
• A pillow top finish (A) with gel-infused foam underneath makes the mattress feel cozy and comfortable. 

You also not only have the standard WinkBed, but the WinkBed Plus, too. It’s designed with an ultra-supportive latex foam layer and extra-dense foam that prevents the bed from sagging. 

WinkBed mattress performance

Motion isolation

The old construction used to include an extra layer of coils where the foam layers are, and it made the WinkBed mattress pretty bouncy. With the removal of this layer and the addition of foam that helps neutralize the springiness, I think the WinkBed mattress deadens movement well for couples who have to share a mattress. Unless your partner is an aggressive tosser-and-turner, I don’t see this being a problem. 

Edge support

The WinkBed has phenomenal edge support. Steel coils already help a mattress feel more sturdy and stable, so the extra-firm coils around the perimeter of a WinkBed mattress make the edge support even stronger.  

Temperature 

The foams in the WinkBed have what WinkBeds calls “Heat Disperse Tech,” which helps it sleep cooler than traditional mattresses that contain multiple layers of high-density foam. However, I wouldn’t call it a cool-sleeping mattress. Rather, it’s more neutral; it’s not too hot, but it’s not too cold either. I anticipate, unless you’re a particularly hot sleeper on most beds, that temperature will depend more on the type of pajamas you wear and how hot your bedroom is. 

Who is the WinkBed mattress best for?

Your weight and primary sleeping position should help you determine which WinkBed mattress is best for you. 

Sleeping position

• Side sleepers: I recommend the Soft model to petite or average side sleepers who want more pressure relief than support. If you want a tad more back support, the Luxury Firm option will work for average to heavier side sleepers. 
• Back and stomach sleepers: The Firm or Luxury Firm models will be best for back and stomach sleepers because they keep the spine and neck in a neutral alignment. 
• Combination sleepers: I think the Luxury Firm model is perfect because it’s supportive enough to keep the back straight when you’re on your spine, but soft enough to give under your curves when you lay on your side. 

Body type

The standard WinkBed mattress will be suitable for all body types, including people who weigh over 230 pounds. Petite sleepers under 150 pounds will consider this bed incredibly supportive, and average to heavy sleepers should be perfectly accommodated.

If you weigh over 250 pounds and want something even more supportive — perhaps you sleep with another heavier individual or just want maximum support — go for the WinkBed Plus. It offers a good value compared to other similar mattresses and it’s specifically designed with heavier sleepers in mind. 

I mentioned before that I assumed this mattress would be around $2,000 or more for a queen mattress because of how nice of a bed it is. It’s fit for a celebrity or a high-paying customer in a fancy hotel. A queen size retails for $1,799, and it’s usually followed up with $100 to $300 in discounts. Comparatively to other mattresses, a discounted WinkBed hybrid mattress is only a few hundred dollars more than the regular all-foam Casper Original and Purple mattress. It’s also cheaper than luxury mattresses like the Helix Midnight Luxe and the TempurPedic mattress. So, if you ask me, the WinkBed offers excellent value. 

There are also mattress deals throughout the year where WinkBed offers generous discounts that will knock down the price of this mattress even further. 

*Prices listed above are at MSRP

Shipping, trial and returns

Most online mattress companies want to make it easy for you to order online. So, they offer free shipping along with some kind of risk-free trial and warranty policy. Here’s what you can expect from WinkBed:

• Free shipping and returns
• 120-night trial
• Lifetime warranty

Its lifetime warranty is uncommon in the mattress industry and a testament to how durable WinkBeds feels its mattress is going to be. I must add a disclaimer: please don’t sleep on the same mattress for your entire lifetime. 

Final verdict on the WinkBed mattress

If you have a strict budget of under $1,000 for your new mattress, the WinkBed isn’t going to be the one for you. For anyone willing to splurge a little more on their new bed, the WinkBed should be on your radar. It’s versatile, comfortable, supportive and long-lasting. It’s pretty much everything you can ask for in a mattress if you want a safe, quality pick. The only reason you may not love it is if you want a foam mattress or a cooling mattress. 

You might like a WinkBed if:

• You want a supportive and durable mattress
• You sleep on your back, side, stomach or a combination of them all
• You have a petite, average or heavy body type
• You like a bouncy and responsive mattress
• You sleep with a partner and value strong edge support and motion-isolating abilities
• You have luxurious taste in mattresses

You might not like a WinkBed if:

• You can’t spend over $1,000 on a new mattress
• You’re very petite or want an all-foam bed that isn’t so supportive
• You’re hooked on the contouring feel of memory foam
• You’re a hot sleeper who wants a bed with additional cooling abilities

How we tested the WinkBed mattress

At CNET, we’ve spent years testing and assessing mattresses. During that time, we developed a testing methodology that we apply to each mattress. First, we consider the construction, firmness and feel of a bed. That gives us the big picture. Then, we test the mattress’s performance using factors like edge support, temperature and responsiveness. 

Our team of experts includes different genders and body types. This allows us to get a well-rounded view of who a bed is best suited for.

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Other WinkBed Mattresses

WinkBeds Gravity Lux: The Gravity Lux mattress by Winkbeds offers premium memory foam that’s plush and provides ample comfort. Its layered design contours and supports your body, making it a great option for back and side sleepers alike. When compared with the WinkBeds flagship mattress, the Gravity Lux is more luxurious with a soft sleep surface. The Gravity Lux stands out for its premium feel.

WinkBeds EcoCloud Hybrid: The Winkbeds EcoCloud Hybrid mattress is an eco-friendly option from the brand. Crafted with natural and organic materials, it’s supportive yet feels plush. The base of the mattress has individually wrapped coils, followed by a layer of Tally latex, then topped with a cotton cover. This is a great affordable option for those looking for an environmentally friendly bed.

Watch video: Winkbeds EcoCloud Hybrid Mattress Review

How does the WinkBed mattress compare to other mattresses?

Saatva Classic vs WinkBed: The Saatva Classic mattress is another luxury pillow-top bed available in different firmness levels. Saatva does outshine WinkBed regarding support with its back-to-back coil construction, but not everyone will need that extra durability from their bed. The Saatva Classic mattress is also a little more expensive than WinkBed. 

Helix Midnight Luxe vs WinkBed: Both the Midnight Luxe and WinkBed are hybrid mattresses with gel-infused memory foam, making them similar. The Helix Midnight Luxe’s coils also have a targeted lumbar design to support your back. It’s also slightly more expensive than WinkBed.