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Dreamfoam Essential Mattress Review – Test Lab Ratings
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Price Range: $206 – $862
Mattress Type: Foam
Firmness Options: Medium Soft (4), Medium (5), Medium Firm (6), Firm (7), Firm (8)
Ratings Summary
7/10
6/10
4.5/10
4.5/10
5/10
7/10
Pros & Cons:
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Accessible price-point for shoppers on a budget
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Comes in bunk bed and RV sizes
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Solid support for sleepers who weigh less than 230 pounds
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Available in a range of height and firmness options
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Thinner models offer reduced pressure relief, motion isolation, and durability
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Thicker models have subpar edge support and temperature regulation
Brooklyn Bedding is a well-known brand that offers a range of mattresses and bedding accessories. While the company primarily sells hybrid mattresses, it also offers an all-foam model, the Dreamfoam Essential Mattress.
Formerly known as the Chill, the Dreamfoam Essential is a budget mattress available in five different profiles: 6-inch, 8-inch, 10-inch, 12-inch, and 14-inch. All five models feature a memory foam comfort layer and a high-density polyfoam support core.
At 6 inches thick, the thinnest Dreamfoam Essential Mattress rates as firm, or 8 out of 10 on the firmness scale. The mattresses become increasingly plusher up to the thickest 14-inch model, which has a medium soft (4) firmness level.
Brooklyn Bedding offers the Dreamfoam Essential Mattresses in a wide range of sizes, including for RVs. Each Dreamfoam Essential model has unique benefits for certain types of sleepers, so the right option depends on your body type, usual sleeping position, and individual preferences.
We’ll discuss the construction of this mattress as well as how each model performed in our testing lab, enabling you to better identify if a Dreamfoam Essential is the right choice for you.
Sleeping Style and Body Weight
Dreamfoam Essential – 6″
Sleeper Type
Under 130 lbs
130-230 lbs
Above 230 lbs
Side Sleepers
Back Sleepers
Stomach Sleepers
Dreamfoam Essential – 8″
Sleeper Type
Under 130 lbs
130-230 lbs
Above 230 lbs
Side Sleepers
Back Sleepers
Stomach Sleepers
Dreamfoam Essential – 10″
Sleeper Type
Under 130 lbs
130-230 lbs
Above 230 lbs
Side Sleepers
Back Sleepers
Stomach Sleepers
Dreamfoam Essential – 12″
Sleeper Type
Under 130 lbs
130-230 lbs
Above 230 lbs
Side Sleepers
Back Sleepers
Stomach Sleepers
Dreamfoam Essential – 14″
Sleeper Type
Under 130 lbs
130-230 lbs
Above 230 lbs
Side Sleepers
Back Sleepers
Stomach Sleepers
Side Sleepers
Side sleepers on our testing team found that the 10-inch, 12-inch, and 14-inch models of the Dreamfoam Essential provided the best pressure relief. With their thicker comfort section, these models contoured to accommodate the hips and shoulders, relieving pressure buildup and helping the spine settle into a neutral position. This was true for side sleepers weighing up to 230 pounds.
For those who weighed more than 230 pounds, the thicker models failed to provide enough support. Because these sleepers exert more pressure on the mattress, they sank in too far and experienced back and neck pain as a result.
The 6-inch and 8-inch models posed the opposite problem. These models have a thinner comfort section, and don’t provide enough cushioning. Pressure mapping revealed significant pressure buildup at the hips and shoulders, and side sleeping testers in all weight categories had trouble keeping the head, neck, and torso properly aligned.
Back Sleepers
Our testers noted that the 6-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch Dreamfoam Essential models performed well for back sleepers between 130 and 230 pounds, while the 10-inch, 12-inch, and 14-inch models worked better for those under 130 pounds.
Back sleeping naturally aligns the spine, so most back sleepers prefer a mattress that is roughly medium firm. This neutral firmness provides necessary support while also cushioning any potential pressure points, especially in the lower back.
A mattress that is not firm enough may have excessive sinkage in the midsection. Back sleepers over 230 pounds on our team reported that the Dreamfoam Essential lacked support, permitting the body to fall into a U-shape and leading to back and neck aches.
Stomach Sleepers
Stomach sleepers on our team who weigh less than 130 pounds found the thicker Dreamfoam Essential fairly comfortable. Mattresses feel subjectively firmer to sleepers under 130 pounds, which works well when stomach sleeping, as this position requires a firm, flat surface.
For testers between 130 and 230 pounds, the thinner models provided a firmer surface that helped keep the spine on an even plane.
Most of our testers agreed that none of the Dreamfoam Essential models were suitable for stomach sleepers over 230 pounds. For these sleepers, the mattress was either too thin to deliver sufficient cushioning or was too soft to maintain support in key weight-bearing areas like the hips.
Mattress Performance
In addition to the hands-on feedback from our team, we conduct a number of quantitative tests in our Test Lab. The below ratings are based on the experience of our testers.
Dreamfoam Essential Mattress Coupon
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Dreamfoam Essential Mattress Review Breakdown
The Dreamfoam Essential is a memory foam mattress offered in five different height profiles. The mattress features a cotton-polyester cover with a Nano Stain Terminator coating engineered to reduce the risk of stains and other damage.
While each model has variations, all five versions of the Dreamfoam Essential feature a top layer with 2 to 3 inches of memory foam. The memory foam has an open-cell structure and gel swirl infusions designed to keep the sleep surface cooler. Beneath the memory foam, the 12-inch and 14-inch models have an additional layer of VariFlex polyfoam to further cradle the sleeper and reduce strain on the support core.
All models have a high-density polyfoam base with thickness ranging from 4 inches in the 6-inch model up to 8 inches in the 14-inch model. This provides a sturdy base of support for the upper levels of the mattress.
The thinnest mattress models are the firmest, while the tallest models are plusher due to their thicker comfort layers. Accordingly, the 6-inch model is firm, or an 8 out of 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the firmest. The 8-inch model is firm (7), the 10-inch model is medium firm (6), the 12-inch model is medium (5), and the 14-inch model is medium soft (4).
The 6-inch and 8-inch options are designed to fit in bunk beds, trundle beds, or other small spaces. The 10-inch, 12-inch, and 14-inch options contain a thicker comfort section and a robust support core, making them more suitable for long-term use.
|
Firmness |
Medium Soft – 4, Medium – 5, Medium Firm – 6, Firm – 7, Firm – 8 |
|---|---|
|
Mattress Type |
Foam |
|
Construction |
The Dreamfoam Essential is an all-foam mattress sold in five different profiles measuring between 6 and 14 inches. Each model has a memory foam comfort section and a polyfoam support core, and the two thickest models have an additional layer of transitional polyfoam. Cover Material:Cotton/Polyester Blend Comfort Layer:
2-3” Gel-Infused Memory Foam Support Core:4-8” High-Density Polyfoam |
Mattress Prices and Sizing
While prices vary according to size and thickness, the queen size Dreamfoam Essential Mattress with a 12-inch profile is priced competitively compared to other online mattress brands.
Foam mattresses tend to be among the most affordable mattresses. The thinner models of the Dreamfoam Essential are very budget-friendly as they contain less foam and are more economical to produce. However, the 6-inch and 8-inch models may have a shorter lifespan than the thicker versions of the Dreamfoam Essential Mattress.
Brooklyn Bedding also offers the Dreamfoam Essential in five different RV bunk sizes, as well as short full, short queen, Olympic queen, short king, and various RV king options.
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Trial, Warranty, and Shipping Policies
The Dreamfoam Essential Mattress is available for purchase in the U.S. and Canada. Mattresses can be purchased through Amazon or directly through the company website. Brooklyn Bedding also has several showrooms and has products available in partner brick-and-mortar retail stores across the country.
For standard size mattresses, Brooklyn Bedding offers free shipping to the contiguous U.S. Mattresses are made to order and shipped from their warehouse in Phoenix, Arizona. They are sent via FedEx or UPS and usually arrive within 10 to 20 business days after ordering.
Orders to Hawaii, Alaska, and Canada incur an extra shipping fee, as do custom orders. The company charges $60 for orders that are canceled after the product has shipped.
Mattresses are shrink-wrapped and compressed for shipping. To set up the mattress, place it on the foundation and gently cut away the plastic. For larger sizes, it’s best to have two people maneuver the mattress. The mattress should expand to almost its full size in a couple of minutes, but the company recommends waiting several hours to lie on it for the first time.
Brooklyn Bedding does not offer old mattress removal or White Glove delivery for the Dreamfoam Essential Mattress.
Brooklyn Bedding offers a 120-night sleep trial for the Dreamfoam Essential Mattress. Amazon customers are not eligible for the sleep trial, unless they order through Amazon Prime.
The sleep trial has a mandatory break-in period of 30 nights. After the 30 nights are up, you can contact the customer support team if you are not satisfied with the mattress.
In the event that the mattress is too firm, the customer support team may recommend trying a foam topper, which they will ship out free of charge. If you continue to find the mattress uncomfortable after trying the topper, you can request an exchange or a full refund, minus the cost of any shipping fees.
The customer support team will guide you through the return process. This may involve shipping the mattress back or donating it to a local charity.
Brooklyn Bedding offers a 10-year limited warranty designed to protect customers against manufacturing and workmanship defects. The company pledges to replace or repair defective mattresses.
Defects covered under the warranty terms include splitting, cracking, excessive sagging, and permanent foam indentations of at least 1 inch. To qualify for warranty coverage, the mattress must always be used with an appropriate base, and it must not show stains or other signs of abuse.
Still have questions?
Our product experts have extensive experience testing just about every sleep product on the market. Send an email to [email protected] or call us at (877) 672-8966 with your questions and we’ll help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
Lauren is a Certified Sleep Science Coach with extensive experience researching and testing a wide variety of sleep products.