Type: All-foam
Firmness options: Firm, Extra Firm
Height: 10″
Sizes: 14 (twin-Cal king and RV sizes)
Sleep trial: 120 nights
Warranty: Limited Lifetime
Price (on sale): from $599.25 at Plank
Type: Hybrid
Firmness options: Firm, Extra Firm
Height: 13″
Sizes: 12 (twin-Cal king and RV sizes)
Sleep trial: 120 nights
Warranty: Limited Lifetime
Price (on sale): from $824.25 at Plank
It’s true that the best firm mattresses aren’t for everyone but if you’re the kind of person who eschews cushioning for unrelenting support, then you’ll appreciate Plank mattresses. These double-sided designs are the firmest mattresses we’ve tested, but is the Plank Firm or the Plank Firm Luxe right for you?
One’s a hybrid and one’s all-foam but these mattresses have plenty in common, including that flippable firm feel. But there’s more than a few differences to consider. And as it’s more than firmness that earns a bed a place in our guide to the best mattresses, we’ll be conparing price, performance and design.
You can save on both models in the Memorial Day mattress sales so if you’re looking to add some support to your sleep routine, here’s everything you need to know about the Plank Firm vs Plank Firm Luxe mattress.
Plank Firm vs Plank Firm Luxe mattress: Specs at a glance
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Plank Firm |
Plank Firm Luxe |
|
Starting price (MSRP) |
$799 |
$1,099 |
|
Type |
All-foam |
Hybrid |
|
Firmness options |
Firm, Extra Firm (double-sided) |
Firm, Extra Firm (double-sided) |
|
Foam type |
Poly foam, support foam |
Poly foam, support foam |
|
Best for |
Back sleepers, stomach sleepers |
Back sleepers, stomach sleepers |
|
Height |
10″ |
13″ |
|
Sizes |
14 |
12 |
|
Sleep trial |
120 nights |
120 nights |
|
Warranty |
Limited lifetime |
Limited lifetime |
Plank Firm vs Plank Firm Luxe mattress: Price & Trials
- The Plank is cheaper, with the Plank Luxe around $200 more
- Both come with a 120-night trial and limited lifetime warranty
- A 25% off sale is standard, expect 30% off during major sales
The Firm mattress is the original and standard Plank model, while the Luxe is a hybrid upgrade. Therefore, it comes with a larger price tag (that said, both sit in the upper end of the mid-range price bracket.)
A queen Plank Firm has an MSRP of $1,332 but you’ll typically pay $999. For the Plank Firm Luxe mattress, you’ll pay around $1,198.50 for a queen, reduced from an MSRP of $1,598. Across most sizes, you’ll pay roughly $200 more for the Luxe. In general, the best hybrid mattresses are pricier than their foam equivalents, so this difference is expected.
As beds with a fairly unique design and a specialized feel, this is competitive pricing.
You can expect the same sales on the Plank Firm and Plank Firm Luxe: a 25% off sale is standard but on special occasions, such as Memorial Day and Black Friday, it jumps to 30%. If you spot the 30% off sale, it’s time to buy
Both mattresses also come with the same benefits: a 120-night trial, limited lifetime warranty and free delivery. We might expect a slightly longer trial due to the double-sided nature of the bed but overall, these are above industry average benefits.
Plank Firm vs Plank Firm Luxe mattress: Design & Materials
- The Plank Firm mattress is all-foam with minimal layers
- The Plank Firm Luxe is a hybrid, with coils and foam
- Both beds are flippable with thick layers of support foam
At a basic level, the Plank Firm and the Plank Luxe are two similar mattresses. They’re both double-sided and flippable with one Firm side and one Extra Firm side.
The big difference is that the Luxe has a layer of springs in the middle of the mattress. These are six inches high and are individually wrapped to improve motion isolation.
Two inches of high-density support foam is placed either side of these springs. On the Firm side, this support foam is topped by a one-inch layer of response foam, and finished with 1.5 inches of foam with ‘track and jump’ quilting to proved some bounce.
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On the Extra Firm side, after the support foam is 0.75 inches of quilted foam, with a continuous quilted pattern for an almost totally flat surface. Overall, the mattress is 13 inches tall.
The standard Plank Firm design is incredibly similar, except like all the best memory foam mattresses, there are no coils. Instead, the support foam sits in the middle and measures six inches. On the Firm side, the foam levels are also slightly different: two inches of response foam before the 0.75-inch quilted top. It’s also slimmer, at 10 inches tall.
Plank Firm vs Plank Firm Luxe mattress: Comfort & Support
- Both are flippable mattress with a Firm side and Extra Firm side
- The Plank standard has a flat, deadened feel with no bounce
- The Luxe has a responsive support because it’s made with springs
If there’s one thing you need to know about Plank Firm mattresses it’s this: they live up to the name.
Both beds are flippable with one Firm side and one Extra Firm side. On a mattress firmness scale of 1-10 (running from soft to hard), every side of Plank mattresses sits on the firm end. We rate the Firm about 8 and the Extra Firm 9 — slightly under the brand’s 10 designation, but still incredibly firm.
On both beds, the added foams on the Firm side provide some padded pressure relief. We described this side as more of a “crowd pleaser” in our Plank Firm mattress review, and although it’s too firm to win a recommendation among the best mattresses for side sleepers, combination sleepers should remain comfortable as they move around in the night.
Overall, this side is still best for back and stomach sleepers but there’s some slight cushioning for your shoulder and hips to sink into when side sleeping.
There’s none of that on the Extra Firm Side. You lie on top of the surface, with flat and even support from head to toe. This puts both iterations of the Plank among the best mattresses for stomach sleepers, as the steady build helps hold the spine in neutral alignment.
So those are the similarities. Let’s take a closer look at the differences.
The Plank Firm original mattress has almost a ‘deadened’ feel, particularly on the Extra Firm side. In this way, it feels almost like “lying on a hardwood floor covered in a thick carpet.”
But the Plank Firm Luxe features springs, which gives the mattress some bounce. As a result there’s more yield across the surface (in comparison to the Plank Firm.) Instead of pushing against your body, the mattress moves with you.
Which is better? It’s a matter of preference. The springs of the Plank Firm Luxe offer a more traditional feel and it’s easier to move around on, but the added bounce increases motion transfer. The motion isolation of the Plank Firm, on the other hand, is excellent and some will prefer a totally still surface. But with no coils and very little sink it can feel like you’re lying on… well, a plank of wood.
Plank Firm vs Plank Firm Luxe mattress: Temperature Control
- Both the Plank Firm and Plank Firm Luxe can sleep warm
- Most should be fine but hot sleepers might grow uncomfortable
- A GlacioTex upgrade is available for enhanced cooling (at a fee)
The best cooling mattresses are able to rapidly disperse heat during the night, to ensure you avoid overheating. As a general rule, hybrid mattresses are better than all-foam beds when it comes to temperature control (the springs improve airflow.)
From our testing, the Plank Firm can sleep warm. The dense foams hold onto body heat which means things get stuffy under the covers. While the average sleeper should be comfortable with the right bedding choices, if you experience night sweats, the Plank Firm might make the problem worse.
The additions of springs to the Plank Luxe means we expected it to sleep cooler, but our thermal cam tests show this bed also has a tendency to trap warmth. So expect some sweaty nights here too.
However, there is a possible solution for hot sleepers; you can add a GlacioTex cooling cover for roughly $100-$150. While we haven’t tested a Plank mattress with GlacioTex, we’ve tried mattress toppers and protectors with GlacioTex and the cooling properties impressed us. For hot sleepers, it might be worth the extra.
Plank Firm vs Plank Firm Luxe mattress: Which should you buy?
Buy the Plank Firm mattress if…
✅ You’re easily woken up by movement: The motion isolation of the Plank Firm is excellent, meaning your partner can toss and turn without disrupting you.
✅ You want to avoid jarring motion: Too much bounce can exacerbate discomfort if you have back or joint pain and while we don’t think this will be a problem on the Plank Luxe, the deadened feel of the Plank Firm might be preferable.
✅ You want to save some money: If your main priority is firm support and you want to cut costs, opt for the cheaper Plank Firm original.
Buy the Plank Firm Luxe mattress if…
✅ You prefer a traditional mattress feel: The use of springs gives the Plank Firm Luxe a responsive finish reminiscent of innerspring mattresses.
✅ You move around in the night: The combination of springs and cushioning make the Firm side of the Plank Firm Luxe a winner for combination sleepers seeking support that doesn’t quit.
✅ You want support that responds to your body: Beneath those firm foams the springs of the Plank Luxe move as you move. The result is sturdy support that works with you, rather than pressing against you.
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