Leesa Sleep: Another Internet Mattress That Proves the Model

By Tyler Hayes  |  April 7, 2015 | 1:00pm
Tech Features

For most people, a mattress is a mattress is a mattress. It’s usually very expensive and a huge hassle—until it’s not. As soon as a mattress becomes something easy to order, cheaper than a comparable option, and generally less of a headache, it becomes a lot more exciting.

Leesa is a new type of mattress complete with a new way to deliver it—making direct ordering over the Internet a viable option. It’s kind of the way you’d assume buying a mattress would work if you didn’t know about the past.

Leesa isn’t the first company to utilize the Internet to deliver goods you could never get delivered before, they’re just one of the latest. Similar to the way Warby Parker made buying glasses online easy, both Casper and Tuft And Needle have done for buying mattresses online as well. Now, Leesa is another one.

Leesa will get the most comparisons to Casper, however, because they’re the most similar. The ordering process, the box, the material, and the feel are all very similar between the two. That might not benefit either company especially well, but it’s probably good for consumers. The more choice and opportunity for competition usually means businesses fighting it out over price and service.

I had a chance to try both a Casper mattress and a Leesa mattress to directly compare the two. There are some differences and reasons to choose one over the other but if you are in need of a new mattress there’s a good chance you’d be satisfied with either one.

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The first difference you’ll probably notice between the two mattresses is the look. Casper has a white top and denim-looking sides while Leesa has a gray top with white stripes. If I was forced to choose, I like the look of the Leesa better, but really it’s a moot point considering it’s covered up by sheets all the time.

The other main differentiation—probably the most important—is the feel of the two mattresses. I came from a firm coil spring mattress to Casper and the transition was incredible. Even now, thinking back to trying Casper out for the first time, the memory is one of total bliss. It was soft and pillowy without a hint of the sinking feeling—I’m still not sure how the company pulled it off.

With Leesa, I was coming from Casper which didn’t allow for the same initial experience but did allow me to directly compare two similar mattresses. There wasn’t was the same glee or sense of new experience but if I’m honest, it was very similar. If I hadn’t of had to struggle by myself to switch the two mattresses I might not have noticed any difference at first, but I did see a small one.

Even though Leesa feels very similar to Casper, it is a tad bit firmer. In a head to head comparison I do prefer a softer mattress, but it’s obvious some people prefer a firmer sleeping experience. Beyond Leesa being ever so slightly firmer there just wasn’t much else I could find to set the two apart.

Out of the different choices for these new Internet-based direct mattress stores, Leesa is definitely the most expensive. That’s not something you can tell based on feel, but it is something your pocket book will notice.

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For a queen sized mattress, Tuft And Needle was the least expensive at $600, Casper next at $850, and Leesa came in the highest at $890. All of the options include free shipping—though some restriction apply if you’re in Alaska or Hawaii.

The great thing about all these mattress options is how easy they make it to order and get it to your house. There’s no more need to borrow a truck or pay the mattress store for delivery. It comes in a box that weighs about 65-pounds and is ready to be slept on that night.

Whichever one you do decide on, it’s clear that mattresses are a perfect item to order online. I bet you’re thinking that blindly ordering one doesn’t allow you to try it out first. Well, I did try out the traditional spring mattress I bought originally and I still wasn’t satisfied months later. You might gain some insight from laying on different ones for a few minutes at the store, but probably not.

Both Leesa and Casper offer long periods of time to try the mattresses out at your house. If you don’t like it, you just return it with a free arranged pickup. In this regard, going to a store and trying a mattress for a minute or two actually makes less sense than an in-home trial from the Internet.

After testing Leesa, I don’t have any complaints and fully recommend giving it a try. If you’re looking for a new mattress, Leesa is definitely worth looking at—but so is Casper and Tuft And Needle too. Regardless of which you pick, one thing is clear: there are fewer and fewer reasons to ever have to walk into a mattress store ever again and that’s a good thing.

 
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