Helix Dawn Mattress Review

The Helix Dawn is an exemplary low-cost mattress for back and stomach sleepers preferring a firmer option for better lumbar support and comfort. This foam bed-in-a-box nails nearly every important facet that a mattress of its kind needs to excel at, while providing great value for its price.

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Pros and Cons

Mattress Construction

The hybrid Dawn mattress is the firmest option offered by Helix, and is constructed in a such a way as to optimally support back and stomach sleepers while providing great heat wicking and comfort.

Cover: The cover of the Helix Dawn is made of a soft, stretchable and breathable material that encourages heat wicking.

Layer 1: The Dawn's "comfort layer" is made out of Helix's trademarked Dynamic Foam, which is a special latex-foam hybrid alternative, designed to quickly react and contour to your body while giving the mattress a distinctly firm feel.

Layer 2: The second layer of the mattress is transition layer made out of high-grade polyfoam that provides ergonomic support and cushioning, and has a higher IFD (indention force deflection) than any of Helix's other mattresses for extra firmness and additional support.

Layer 3: The base layer of the bed is made hundreds of Helix's recognizable individually wrapped coils. These are less flexible than those of Helix's other mattresses, which provides an overall firmer and sturdier feel. They help cradle your body while also limiting motion transfer, and include a reinforced perimeter for better edge support.

Layer 4: Underneath the coils, there's a layer of Helix's trademarked DuraDense foam, which is, a its name suggests, an especially durable and dense foam layer that provides base support to the entire mattress and protects the above layer of coils.

Feel

The Helix Dawn is fairly firm. The top of the mattress has almost no sink or give and the mattress itself feels very comfortable, yet solid under your body. It definitely gives more of a feeling of laying "on top" of the mattress instead of laying "in" the mattress, like, say, with the Helix Moonlight.

Pressure Relief

The pressure relief qualities of the Helix Dawn mattress are fairly mediocre due to how firm the mattress is. While this quality of the Dawn is elevated a bit in the LUXE version of the mattress, the Helix Dawn is nevertheless not the best choice for anyone who suffers from hip pain. This is further exacerbated for side sleeper.

Motion Isolation

Motion transfer on the Helix Dawn is extremely limited thanks to the materials it's made of and the way it's constructed. If you sleep next to a restless partner, chances are you won't even notice them move about at night, let alone awake from it. This mattress is perfectly suited for light sleepers who awake easily from movement.

Edge Support

As mentioned earlier, the Helix Dawn mattress features a reinforced perimeter of individual coils which provides better edge support than what's offered by other mattresses, especially full-foam ones. No matter where you sleep on the mattress, you will feel fully supported, which makes the mattress feel much larger than it is.

Repositioning

The Dawn's best quality is how easy it is to reposition on it. It has a shallow cushioning depth, fast responsiveness and noticeable bounce. Together, these ensure that moving on top of this mattress is even easier than it would be to move around on a floor. This is absolutely fantastic for intimacy, as this mattress helps you and your partner to effortlessly move and change position.

Heat Retention

Helix mattresses are all hybrid, which are a type of mattress that is known to have good heat wicking. On top of that, Helix mattresses are all specifically built to encourage cooling and breathability, helping you sleep cool and dry throughout the night. The Helix dawn is no different in this regard, featuring breathable and non heat retaining materials and lots of space for air to circulate within the mattress.

Frame & Foundation

You should place your mattress on a foundation to increases its lifespan. This creates the optimal height for your bed and improves airflow. Your Helix can temporarily sit directly on the floor, but that can lead to mold on the bottom of your mattress over time, and will require you to prop it up regularly for airflow. Helix mattresses aren't designed to be placed on box spring foundations, which are intended for innerspring mattresses, not hybrid or foam mattresses. If you’re hoping to use your current foundation, but it has slats that are more than 5 inches apart, it’s important to use a bunkie board or piece of plywood to provide the proper support to your Helix mattress.

If you do not own a proper foundation for your Helix, you can purchase one from the Helix website. The Helix foundation is made of birch wood upholstered with woven fabric, and is perfectly suited for your Helix. It can be built and broken down in less than 5 minutes, and, like the mattress, is completely made in the USA. The Helix foundation costs $249. You can also get an adjustable base, which features built-in massage technology, for $750-$850 (depending on the size of the mattress).

You can also purchase a frame for you mattress from the Helix website. This frame features hardened steel with fiberglass-infused resins to provide sturdy and durable support for the mattress. It can support up to 2,500 lbs with nearly zero motion transfer or noise, and takes about the same amount of time to assemble and disassemble as the foundation. The frame fits most bolt-on headboards, and costs $150.

The foundation and frame aren't always available for all mattress sizes, so make sure they are in stock before purchasing the mattress if this is important to you.

Helix LUXE Upgrade

The LUXE upgrade adds hotel-quality feel and support to your Helix mattress. A Dawn LUXE mattress is basically the same as its counterpart but with added features that add a zoned lumbar support, additional comfort layers for added cushioning and a plush feel, and an extra soft mattress cover with better heat and moisture wicking. This cover is made from environmentally friendly Tencel fibers from Eucalyptus trees.

The LUXE upgrade also replaces the standard base layer of pocketed coils with an 8" individually pocketed coil layer that features softer coils underneath the shoulder area for more sink, and firmer coils under the hip area so the mattress better cradles your body and aligns your spine. This layer also features more springs in general, which improves the mattresses; ability to conform to your shape and position.

The Helix Dawn LUXE is 2" higher than the regular Helix Dawn and costs $400-$900 more than it, depending on the size of the mattress.

Additional Details

Helix offers special deals and discounts on top of its cheap prices. Throughout the year, Helix offers discounts from $100 to $200 off of any of their mattresses, along with opportunities to receive two free Helix Dream pillows (high-quality non-allergenic down alternative pillows) for free with your purchase.

In addition, each Helix mattress is hand-assembled and custom-built entirely in the USA. All Helix mattresses are also up to CertiPUR-US and OEKO-TEX standards, and so are 100% certified to be free of harmful substances.

Shipping & Delivery

Helix products are shipped for free within the US. The shipments arrive within two weeks after purchase. Customers receive a confirmation of purchase and an itemized receipt to their email after their purchase.

Returns & Warranty

Once you receive your Helix mattress, you'll have 100 nights to try it out. If you choose to return it, you can do so before that time has elapsed for a full refund. Helix requires that you spend at least 30 nights with the mattress in order to ensure that you've let your body get used to it.

All standard Helix mattresses come with a 10 year warranty, while LUXE mattress come with a 15 year warranty. The warranty only applies to those who reside in the US, and can only be claimed by the original purchaser of the mattress whose name is on the receipt). The warranty doesn't cover any damage to the mattress done by neglect or misuse. In a case where the warranty is accepted, you will be provided the same mattress or a similar, yet pricier one (such as the Dawn LUXE if you purchased the standard Dawn mattress) in case the mattress you purchased is no longer in stock. You'll only be charged for the shipping and handling of the returned mattress. Helix will reimburse you for up to $100 for shipping costs and will not charge you for the new mattress' delivery.

An Up-Close Look at The Helix Dawn

Bottom Line

If you don't like to sleep on your side and prefer a firmer feel, like you're sleeping on top of a mattress rather than in it, then the Helix Dawn should be a serious consideration for you. It is incredibly affordable, features strong edge support, heat and moisture wicking, and fantastic repositioning, and motion isolation qualities for the couples who need it.

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