I've spent a week sleeping on the Dreamstage Value mattress and a heatwave has exposed its flaw

It's our mission at Tom's Guide to find the best mattress for every budget, and with the Dreamstage Value Quilted Hybrid mattress claiming to deliver an "elevated sleep experience" without the “elevated price tag,” I was eager to see how it performs.

After a week of testing the mattress in a Firm feel, I’ve been impressed by the Dreamstage Value. It’s highly supportive while the availability of different feels makes it’s more versatile than your average budget bed.

Can it compare to the best hybrid mattresses? My early impressions are good, although the unfortunate coincidence of starting my testing during a heatwave has exposed a lack of temperature regulation.

I’ll need to spend at least a month sleeping on the Dreamstage Value Quilted Hybrid (and enlist the help of a testing panel) before I make any final decisions but for now, here are my thoughts on this affordable hybrid mattress.

Diamond Dreamstage Value Mattress: Price & trial

The Dreamstage Value mattresses are the cheapest beds in the Diamond mattress line-up. In the regular mattress sales, a queen Dreamstage Value Quilted Hybrid mattress sells for $695 (was $1,245.)

This places the mattress in the lower mid-range price category, where it finds itself in good company. The Nectar Classic Memory Foam mattress is similarly priced at $649 for a queen, while we consider the DreamCloud Classic Hybrid mattress to be excellent value at $649 for a queen.

We track mattress sales throughout the year but we're still learning the ins and outs of the Diamond mattress deals. However, during the recent 4th of July sales, I spotted free pillows on top of the savings below.

We suspect the sales are frequent and you can expect similar prices to the ones below for most of the year on the Dreamstage Value Quilted Hybrid mattresses:

• Twin: $599 ($1,149 MSRP)
• Twin XL: $649 ($1,199 MSRP)
• Full: $699 ($1,249 MSRP)
• Queen: $695 ($1,245 MSRP)
• King: $949 ($1,499 MSRP)
• Cal king: $949 ($1,499 MSRP)

Unusually, the full is pricier than its queen counterpart (although only by $4.)

These prices are the same whether you choose the Medium or Firm feel Dreamstage Value mattress. However, if you want a Plush feel, you'll need to upgrade to the Luxe Quilted Hybrid Dreamstage Value mattress (also available in Medium or Firm.) A queen Luxe is $899 for all three firmness levels.

Diamond also offers a 120-night sleep trial and a 20-year warranty with the Dreamstage Value mattress. This is above the industry average and better than expected for the price bracket.

Dreamstage Value Quilted Hybrid Mattress: twin was $1,149 now $599 at Diamond Mattress
In the current sale the Dreamstage Value is a midrange mattress — but it looks like a premium design and so far I've been impressed by the all-round performance. A queen Medium or Firm mattress will set you back $695 (was $1,245) but for a Plush, you'll need to upgrade to the Quilted Luxe Hybrid, $899 for a queen (down from $1,399.)

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Diamond Dreamstage Value Mattress: Unboxing & set-up

Like all the best mattresses in a box we've tested, the Dreamstage Value mattress comes compressed, rolled in plastic and conveniently tucked into a cardboard box.

I enlisted my dad to lend a hand with unboxing, but having helped me haul the rolled mattress onto my bed frame, he wasn't needed — the Dreamstage Value practically unboxed itself.

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Using a pair of scissors to cut away the outer layers of packaging, once I'd ripped a hole in the plastic the Dreamstage Value expanded quickly, unfurling itself onto my bed frame as it went. All I had to do was pull the rest of the packaging from underneath the mattress..

There was some off-gassing — caused by chemicals releasing when the mattress is unboxed — but not much. By bedtime, the smell had gone.

Considering the mattress had spent over a week in my house waiting to be unboxed, plus however long it took to get to the UK and the fact that the air was baking hot and completely still, I was impressed by the lack of smell.

Diamond notes you should wait around 24 to 72 hours for the mattress to fully expand before sleeping on it. I waited roughly 36 hours but I have to say, it looked ready to go after about the first 15 minutes.

Diamond Dreamstage Value Mattress: First week

Nights 1-3: The warmest place on earth?

I know the risks of leaving a mattress in a box too long and after the Dreamstage Value Quilted Hybrid mattress had sat in my hallway for over a week, I was beginning to feel the pressure to get the bed unboxed.

That, and I kept walking into it...

But I wish I'd waited a bit longer to start testing my new mattress because the first few nights of the review period were consumed by one thought: I was being boiled alive.

The testing had unfortunately coincided with the hottest day my city had experienced in three years, delivering a crash course in the Dreamstage Value's temperature regulation.

I'd hoped the Dreamstage would be a breathable mattress due to its hybrid build (the best cooling mattresses often contain springs) and firmer feel (without a 'hug,' there's more room for air to circulate.)

However, a stifling bedroom meant my mattress felt warm by the time I crawled into bed and this heat only built up while I slept.

Having switched from the natural cooling of the Simba Earth Escape Mattress, the Dreamstage Value made for significantly warmer nights.

I struggled to identify any other features of the mattress. Was it supportive? Were the edges strong? Was the feel responsive or deadened? Impossible to say when I was trapped in a sauna with only a cold hot water bottle to get me through it.

Nights 4-7: There's a good mattress under this sauna

Eventually the heatwave broke and I could start to appreciate the other features of the mattress.

I opted for the Dreamstage Value in a Firm feel because as a stomach sleeper, I appreciate a mattress that can support my body from shoulders to hips.

The Dreamstage Value lives up to its firm label. We rate mattress firmness on a scale of one to 10, with one indicating soft and 10 hard. The Dreamstage Value sits at the top end of that scale — I’d rate it 8-9 in firmness. I’ll reassess this at the end of my review period, as mattresses often soften throughout the first few weeks of use.

This firmness means that my spine is lifted and aligned when lying on my stomach. Even this early in the testing, the Dreamstage Value is a contender for our best mattress for stomach sleepers guide.

I suspect this mattress will also be a good choice for back sleepers, although I’ll need confirmation from a wider testing panel.

However, I’ve found side sleeping uncomfortable. I often move onto my side in the night and on the Diamond Dreamstage Value Firm mattress that means waking up with arm pain. Currently, here’s almost no give at the shoulders but this might change as I break the mattress in.

I haven’t had a chance to undergo any objective mattress tests but in my subjective opinion, the edge support is above average. There’s some sinkage when you first sit (common on mattresses with a euro top) but that’s followed by ample support.

The Dreamstage Value does have a bouncy feel so I’ll be interested to see how it performs in our motion isolation tests. I sleep alone and I’ve been enjoying the freedom of movement afforded by the Dreamstage Value. This responsive build might be less of a positive feature for bed sharers.

Diamond Dreamstage Value Mattress: Early thoughts

The Tom's Guide team has had several of the best luxury mattresses pass through our testing studio in recent months, so I was skeptical that this lower mid-range model would compare.

However, the Diamond Dreamstage Value Quilted Hybrid mattress is visually impressive. The thick Euro top and dark, quilted fabrics look luxe — if I didn’t already know the cost, I would have assumed this was a luxury bed.

But looks aren’t everything, especially when it comes to a mattress. Thankfully, the Dreamstage Value has continued to impress throughout this early testing period.

Admittedly the temperature regulation isn’t great. There’s nothing like a heatwave to see if your mattress’s cooling cover really has the ‘Ultra Cool Touch’ it promises and during my testing I’ve found the Dreamstage Value has a tendency to trap heat.

It’s the support that’s impressed me most during my early testing (that and the easy unboxing process.) Like the best firm mattresses, the Dreamstage Value holds the spine in alignment, while the responsive feel makes it easy to change positions.

I’m interested to see if this changes at all during the testing process. So far, I wouldn’t recommend this mattresses to side sleepers but the foams might soften as I continue to break the bed in. Ill be writing my full review after sleeping on this mattress for a month, so watch this space.