Simmons Beautyrest Black vs WinkBeds: Which Is Best for You?

As an industry veteran, I get asked a lot of questions about how some of the major brands like Sealy, Simmons, Serta, and Tempur-Pedic — which all started out in brick-and-mortar stores — compare to the online-only brands. More specifically, I get asked about how high-end (and high-priced) models like the Beautyrest Black or the Heavenly Bed compare to a mattress like WinkBeds, which uses a similar hybrid construction style. Ready to see which mattress is best for you? Check out our latest Simmons Beautyrest Black vs WinkBeds comparison below!

Product

Firmness

Score

Product

Beautyrest Black Mattress

Firmness

Medium-firm: 7/10

Score

4.1 / 5

Check Price

Read Beautyrest Black Mattress Review

Product

WinkBed Mattress

Firmness

Multiple firmness options

Score

4.6 / 5

Check Price

Read WinkBed Mattress Review

Simmons Beautyrest Black

The Simmons Beautyrest Black Elisabeth is the top-of-the-line luxury firm model in the Beautyrest Black collection. The mattress has a medium/firm rating (otherwise known as luxury firm), and a great overall feel that most people who like a firm mattress should enjoy.  It’s a very popular mattress and one of Simmons’ best sellers. I’ve been wanting to try this mattress for a while and was really excited when finally got to sleep on it.

WinkBeds

WinkBeds’ flagship mattress is is a high-end hybrid bed that features several layers of foam over two layers of coils, allowing the consumer to get the best out of both springs and foam. I was really impressed with this mattress when I first tried it, and the company has since become a major player in the sleep industry. Overall, in terms of quality and feel, I think these mattresses are almost dead even. I liked the feel of the Beautyrest black slightly more, but I actually found that I slept a little better on the WinkBed. WinkBeds is priced at about 2/3 less, so in terms of value for money, its obviously the better choice. Lets take a look at each bed and see where they are similar and where they differ.

Simmons Beautyrest Black vs. WinkBeds: Construction

Each bed is built using a hybrid spring/foam style of construction. What this means is that each mattress features one or more layers of coils that are then encased inside of foam. Additional foam is then layered on top for comfort and to even out the feel. These types of beds are built with a support layer and comfort layer, which work together to create overall experience. Overall, these two support cores are fairly similar. The Beautyrest has a slightly higher coil count, while the WinkBed coils are made using higher gauge steel, which gives them a little bit more flex action. All in all, I’d say the support layers are about equal. Most companies source their coils from the same company, Leggett and Platte, so there is a good chance the coils in each of these beds actually came from the same place. The comfort layers are also similar. Each contains a layer of micro-coils and a proprietary blend of foam. Micro-coils are a premium feature because they allow the mattress to contour to your body better than most foams on the market, while also enhancing support and long term durability. I think I liked the Beautyrest Black a little bit more, but WinkBeds was probably 95% as good (which is pretty amazing considering its about 1/3 of the price).

Simmons Beautyrest Black vs. WinkBeds: Durability

These two beds have an overall construction style and feel that closely approximate each other. As far as durability goes though, it gets a little tricky because the bigger brands, like Simmons, don’t like to release information about the densities of foam they use in their mattress construction. WinkBeds third party tests their mattress for durability. The test works by dropping a 168 lb weight on the mattress 80,000 times. That is far more abuse than a mattress will ever see in a person’s home, even over a 20 year period. The results showed just a 2% compression in the foam over the course of the test, which is a great result!

Simmons Beautyrest Black vs. WinkBeds: Price

This is where the comparison really starts to get interesting. Building a bed of this type is expensive!  Hybrid beds contain a number of different components that work together to create the overall mattress feel, which is why they typically cost over $3,000 at retail. It’s much different than the all foam beds that are basically built by gluing several layers of foam together. Here is how each mattress is priced (stats on the Simmons Beautyrest Black coming from US Mattress): WinkBeds clearly wins on the pricing component. Their online-only business model allows them to out-price their competitors because they don’t have a brick and mortar storefront, no commissioned sales person, or warehousing costs (see Saatva an another similar option). The WinkBed costs almost two thirds less than the Beautyrest black, so its a great value for money option.  Read about their direct-to-consumer approach in my WinkBeds mattress review.

Other Considerations

Simmons has been around for a while, so they obviously have a track record, for what that’s worth. WinkBeds is a relatively new brand (about 1 year old), but they really seem to care about customer service and making their customers happy. I personally find it refreshing to deal with a young company that puts an emphasis on customer happiness

Overall Impressions and Final Thoughts

Construction and Comfort

Overall, I was really impressed with the feel and the night sleep that I got on the Simmons Beautyrest Black. It is an awesome mattress and it is fairly obvious why it is one of the top sellers at retail. The WinkBed was very close in feel, probably 95% as comfortable. I also slept great on both mattresses, so not much of a difference there. The Simmons Beautyrest Black gets the slight edge on overall comfort, but WinkBeds is right there. Both are great mattresses.

Durability

Simmons has been around for a long time, so I’d expect that they are making a quality product with at least decent durability. It is a little odd though that they don’t release information about the foam densities that they use. WinkBeds on the other hand is totally transparent about the materials they are using and actually went out of their way to third party test the bed for durability.  For now, Simmons has the edge because they are more tested, but I could see this going the other way as WinkBeds is used by consumers over time.

Price

This is where you can’t really compare the two. WinkBeds costs almost two thirds less than the Simmons Beautyrest Black. There is a lot of information on this site and else where about how physical retailers unfairly markup the cost of their mattresses. WinkBeds wins on price because of the online-only business model, which has shaken up many industries including mattresses. WinkBeds definitely has the edge here.

Warranty and Trial Period

The warranties are about the same, the free trial period is about the same, and the return policy is similar (though WinkBeds offers free return shipping). WinkBeds customer service is in done in-house so you will always get a member of the company on the phone if you call, which is great. The customer service you will get if you buy a Simmons Beautyrest Black will depend on the retailer you buy from.

Conclusion

If you know you want a hybrid mattress or a more traditional feel, it’s probably worth giving WinkBeds a try. They have a great mattress (95% as comfortable for me as Beautyrest Black) and a great return policy so you don’t have much to lose (check out their site HERE).