Birch vs. Birch Luxe Mattress Comparison: Which Bed Is Better?
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Speaker 1: If you're interested in the birch mattresses from Helix, you're probably really wondering what's the biggest differences between the regular birch and the birch deluxe. We're going to talk about all that and more in today's video.
Speaker 1: Hey, how's it going? This is Owen. I'm a CNET and we have sort of a review and sort of a comparison of the two mattresses from Birch. Now, Birch is actually a brand that's owned by Helix, and Helix is one of our all-time favorite online [00:00:30] mattress brands. They've got a huge selection of beds and a pretty interesting business model, and you're not going to find these two birch mattresses on Helix sleep quiz anytime soon. These beds are pretty different from the rest of the Helix Mattress lineup. They are made of more natural inorganic materials and we're going to talk about everything you need to know about these two beds, including which one of these two should you go with. If you need more info, there's going to be a lot of stuff in the description to help you with your mattress search, including any discounts we can find to help bring the prices of these beds down.
Speaker 1: If you find this video helpful, interesting, give it [00:01:00] a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel, but let's just dive right in by quickly covering the policy info for these birch mattresses. We're just going to throw them up on screen so you can read them really quick and there'll be more information down below in the description. It's pretty standard for most online mattresses. They are going to ship to you free inside of a box. You're going to have a hundred night trial period to test them out at home to determine if you like them or not. They come with free returns in the trial window and both of these birch mattress are backed by 25 year warranties, which is a little bit longer than the usual online mattress standard. One thing I will mention is that these beds are pretty heavy thanks [00:01:30] to the materials that go into them, which we'll talk about here in a second.
Speaker 1: So you might want to friend there to help you unbox them and you can pay extra for in-home setup and mattress removal if you want to go that route. But enough about that stuff. Let's get into the more important stuff now, like the construction and feel of both of these mattresses. I'm going to start off talking about the regular birch mattress and then we'll get into the birch luxe and then start talking about their differences. Looking at the original birch mattress, you start off with a very thin layer of support foam. This is here just so the layer of pocketed coils, which is the primary support layer, [00:02:00] has something to sit on and be stable. So pocketed coils we've talked about a lot are pretty much superior to old school inner springs in almost every way. They provide you pretty much the same level of support and durability and balance, which is great, and they do a much better job at isolating motion.
Speaker 1: And then right above the coils you have a layer of natural latex foam. Latex foam is very popular for mattresses like this that are designed to be more natural and eco-friendly because instead of being chemical-based like the vast majority of other foams that go in mattresses are, this [00:02:30] is actually naturally derived from the sap of a rubber tree. So latex foam is made in a pretty interesting way. We'll try and link more information about it down below in description if you're curious. And it also has some pretty unique characteristics. Number one, latex foam is ultra responsive. What I mean by that is when you relieve pressure from the foam, it's snaps back into its original shape almost immediately, which is very unlike say, a traditional memory foam you'd find on a Tempur-pedic mattress or a nectar mattress. I'd like you to describe the overall feel of latex foam as kind of the exact opposite of a memory and [00:03:00] also latex foam doesn't really conform to your body's shape all that much like a memory foam would, and it is also nice and breathable and pretty durable as well.
Speaker 1: So I think there's a lot to like about latex foam unless you're a huge memory foam fan. And then right above the latex foam you have a really thick layer of wool. This is here to act as a natural fire barrier and to add some extra pressure relief to the mattress and then it's wrapped up in an organic cotton cover. So even though you have this pretty thick layer of wool in the mattress, the predominant feel of the birch mattress [00:03:30] in our opinion is a very responsive latex foam feel. You get some really nice comfort and cushioning from latex foam, but it's also ultra responsive like I mentioned, and I think a lot of people are going to enjoy it Again, unless you're a huge memory foam fan. Looking at the construction of the Birch Luxe though, there are a few key differences here. First off, the coils on the birch luxe are reinforced along the outer edges, which means it's going to have enhanced edge support.
Speaker 1: Now, we didn't notice any issues with the edge support on the regular birch mattress, but if edge support is something that you really want in your [00:04:00] next mattress, maybe you're sharing a smaller size mattress with a partner and you want none of that raw sensation at all, you'll have some better luck on the birch luxe because of those reinforced coils. The coils are also reinforced in the center third of the mattress around your lumbar, which gives this bed a bit of a zone support design. What zone support means is that the bed is essentially divided into separate sections with slightly varying levels of firmness, normally extra firm around the lumbar to give you a bit more support where you need it and a bit more pressure relief where you need it. Having zone support I think is nice. It's definitely not as sophisticated [00:04:30] as we've seen on some other mattress brands like on Casper, but I think zone support is better to have than to not have it.
Speaker 1: Then above these coils you're going to have pretty much the same layer of latex foam right above that. You're also going to have some additional layers of wool like on the original birch, and then the birch lux also features a layer of cashmere in there, which is supposed to add to the overall luxuriousness and breathability of the mattress. When it comes to breathability, we really didn't notice any significant differences between the original birch and the birch luxe. In terms of temperature regulation, both [00:05:00] beds are very breathable in large part thanks to that latex foam, which is naturally quite breathable. So I think both beds will do a really nice job at sleeping temperature neutral, but I wouldn't really say that the birch lux is going to be a bit cooler than the original birch and neither of these beds are active cooling. If you want an active cooling mattress, we'll try and link some other options down below in the description.
Speaker 1: Despite these slight differences in construction on the birch lux, I would describe the feel of it to be virtually identical to the regular birch mattress. Beds like these that use a significant amount of latex foam in their construction just generally [00:05:30] have a pretty similar feel profile. I think if you tried the birch and then immediately got up and tried the birch luxe, you might notice a little bit of a difference, but I don't think it's going to be a deciding factor for anybody. And then let's move over to the subject of firmness Now, and normally when we see two beds like this where one is the upgraded version, the lux version is generally softer than the original version. However, when we tested out both of these beds, we found them to be virtually identical at around a medium firm and that is actually backed up by what Helix says on Birch's website.
Speaker 1: So they're both [00:06:00] going to be pretty great for back stomach and certain combo sleepers. If you are a primary side sleeper, these beds might be slightly too firm for you, especially if you are a lightweight individual. If you're heavier like me, you'll probably be able to get by on your side on a birch mattress, but if you're much more lightweight, you generally feel beds would be a bit firmer, so it might not provide you with as much pressure relief as you're looking for. If you are looking to soften up either version of birch, they do sell an additional topper that's supposed to work extra well with either version of birch. However, you can fit any topper you want on any mattress you want. You don't have [00:06:30] to buy the same topper from the same brand as you bought your mattress from, so that's something that you don't have to worry about.
Speaker 1: And then we get into the last and probably most significant difference between these two mattresses, and that's going to be their price tag. When we're looking at the original birch mattress, you're looking at about $1,700 for a queen size once you factor in discounts. And when we're looking at the landscape of latex home hybrid beds, it's not crazy expensive. Latex foam hybrids like this tend to be a bit more expensive than your average online bed just because latex foam materials and other more natural [00:07:00] inorganic materials just cost a bit more so the bed will cost more. If we're looking at the Birch luxe though, the price is significantly higher. You're looking at about $2,600 for a queen size pricing is always subject to change for online beds. These brands like to change their pricing and discount structures around pretty regularly, especially around major holidays. But I really don't foresee a world in where the birch lux somehow becomes more affordable than the regular birch because it's designed to be the upgraded version.
Speaker 1: That price gap might shrink a little bit in the future, but either way, you're going to be saving quite a bit of money going with the regular [00:07:30] birch mattress. And that leads us with the question who should get which mattress? And I think that's a pretty simple question to answer for most people. I think the regular birch just makes the most sense and it's quite a bit more affordable. The biggest thing you're getting on the birch luxe is those coils that I mentioned, getting that zone support design with the additional edge support. I don't think the other materials they add to the mattress really changes it enough to justify the price. But if you really want enhanced edge support and that zone support, it might be worth the money to you. But if it [00:08:00] were me, I would probably just get the regular version of Birch and maybe buy one of the toppers and still come out a little bit ahead of just getting the Birch Luxe. But let us know what you think where assemble in the comment section. We'd love to get your thoughts and again, tons of stuff in the description to help you with your online mattress search. If you found this video helpful or interesting, give it a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel. But that's going to do it for me. This is own a Scene at Home. I'll see you the next one.
