YONKERS, N.Y. — Mattresses by Serta and Sleep Number top the latest list of mattress ratings issued by Consumer Reports.
Meanwhile, the top-rated mattress retailer is once again Cleveland-based Original Mattress Factory, a factory-direct operator.
Consumer Reports, the influential consumer products evaluation company, published its latest lists of mattress and retail ratings in its March issue. A Serta Perfect Day iSeries mattress tops the innerspring list, while a Sleep Number pillowtop mattress tops the memory foam list.
Other recommended innerspring mattresses include models by Beautyrest, Charles P. Rogers, Sealy, and two by Stearns & Foster. Other recommended memory foam mattresses include a Novaform model at Costco, a Bob's Discount Furniture Bob-O-Pedic model, and the Tempur-Pedic Simplicity.
The company also has ratings for 15 mattress retailers, rating Sleepy's, one of the industry's largest retailers, last on the list.
The retail ratings, based on 6,105 shopping experiences at walk-in mattress stores between 2011 and June 2013, "reflect subscribers' experience but not necessarily those of the general population," the publication said. It rated the retailers on reader scores, which reflect overall satisfaction with a retailer, according to Consumer Reports.
Costco was No. 2 on the retail ratings list, followed by No. 3 Ikea, No. 4 Denver Mattress Co., No. 5 Tempur-Pedic Store, No. 6 Select Comfort Store, No. 7 Sleep Train, No. 8 Macy's, No. 9 Mattress Firm and No. 10 Ashley Furniture.
Rounding out the retail list were No. 11 Sears, No. 12 Mattress Warehouse, No. 13 Sam's Club, No. 14 Mattress Discounter, and No. 15 Sleepy's.
The latest retail ratings are similar to those published by Consumer Reports in its August 2012 issue, which rated Original Mattress Factory No. 1, Costco No. 2 and Denver Mattress No. 3. The 2012 list also had Sleepy's in the No. 15 spot, last on the list.
The mattress ratings are based on tests conducted by Consumer Reports in which dozens of electronic sensors are used "to precisely and repeatedly measure how well each mattress supports the spine by maintaining its natural curve when you're on your back and keeping it horizontal when you're on your side," the publication said.
It said the overall scores for mattresses mainly reflect side and back support, durability and stability.
The six recommended innerspring mattresses are the No. 1 Serta Perfect Day iSeries Applause, the No. 2 Beautyrest Recharge Palisades Court Luxury Firm Pillowtop, the No. 3 Charles P. Rogers St. Regis Pillowtop, the No. 4 Sealy West Glens Falls Cushion Firm Euro Pillowtop, the No. 5 Stearns & Foster Lois Luxury Firm (Sears), and the No. 6 Stearns & Foster Lux Estate Delana Ultra Firm.
The Consumer Reports Best Buy recommendation in innerspring mattresses, reflecting a blend of performance and value, is the Serta iSeries model, with a retail listed at $1,075, the publication said.
The four recommended memory foam mattresses are the No. 1 Sleep Number Innovation Series i8 bed Pillowtop, the No. 2 Novaform Memory Foam Collection Serafina 14-inch (Costco), the No. 3 Bob's Discount Furniture Bob-O-Pedic 11-inch Firm, and the No. 4 Tempur-Pedic Tempur Simplicity.
The Novaform memory foam mattress is a CR Best Buy recommendation. Its retail price was listed at $800.
