Sleeping Duck VS HELIX SLEEP
Why choosing a mattress feels harder than it should
Let's be honest choosing a mattress is a big decision, and getting it right matters. Unfortunately, Helix doesn't make the decision any easier. They offer 24 different mattress options, soft, firm, luxury, cooling, side sleeper, back sleeper, heavier sleepers, and more. Where do you even start?
Helix relies on a quiz to point you in the right direction, but at the end of the day you're still making a guess before you've slept on the mattress. Choose the wrong one, and your options are limited.
This confusion is exactly why we created Sleeping Duck.
One mattress. Engineered to adapt.
- Made from vortex spun bamboo yarn
- Maximum breathability
- Soft and silky to touch
- Removable and washable
- Made from high density AirGrown polyurethane foam
- Creates a feeling of weightlessness
- Porous and breathable
- Level A Global Green Tag Certified Foam
- Made from vortex spun bamboo yarn
- Maximum breathability
- Soft and silky to touch
- Removable and washable
- Made from high density AirGrown polyurethane foam
- Creates a feeling of weightlessness
- Porous and breathable
- Level A Global Green Tag Certified Foam
- Made from high density AirGrown polyurethane foam
- Available initially in medium or firm
- Level A Global Green Tag Certified Foam
- Tailored support zones to suit specific parts of your body
- Springs act entirely independently
- Reinforced perimeter support
- Made from twice tempered steel springs
Instead of building dozens of mattresses, our founders both aerospace engineers asked a different question:
How do we build one mattress that genuinely works for everyone?
The answer is the Sleeping Duck Mach II.
It's built from the inside out. At the core is a twice tempered steel spring system that keeps your spine properly aligned and prevents sag over time. On top of that, we add precision foams for comfort and pressure relief, finish it with a removable, breathable bamboo BreatheTech cover to keep things cool and clean and build in ComponentAdapt, so you can adjust the firmness inside the mattress until it feels right for you.
ComponentAdapt - real adjustability, built in
ComponentAdapt means you don't have to guess your firmness on day one. It's built inside the mattress and lets you change how it feels properly until it's right for you.
You can choose from Extra Soft, Medium, Firm or Extra Firm, adjust each side independently, and fine tune things during your trial with help from our customer service team. If you need a different firmness, we'll send it out at no extra cost.
No toppers. No add ons. Just a mattress that adapts to you.
To Make Life Easier,
Here's a Direct Comparison
| Sleeping Duck Buy Now | Helix Elite | |
|---|---|---|
Price (Queen) | $2,299 | $2,999 |
How many mattresses do you need to choose from? |  1 option: Unlimited adjustments. Adjust it until it's right. |  24 options: No adjustments. Pick one and hope you got it right |
Back Support & Core Engineering | Twice-tempered steel spring core engineered for long-term back support and load stability | Pocket coils + plush foam layers; pillow-top softens over time, reducing support |
Adjustable firmness | Four internal firmness levels (Extra Soft, Medium, Firm, Extra Firm) | Fixed firmness; no internal adjustments |
Dual-Side Customisation | Each side set independently for couples | One firmness profile for both sleepers |
How Comfort Can Be Modified | Internal Component Adapt system; firmness components swapped free during trial | Optional toppers sold separately; only alters surface feel, not structural support |
Long-Term Durability / Sag Resistance | Steel chassis + replaceable components maintain support for years | Foam-heavy comfort layers compress and develop body impressions |
Heat & Airflow | Hybrid airflow through spring core + breathable BreatheTech cover | Pillow-top and foams trap more heat despite coil core |
Washable cover | Full BreatheTech cover is removable and machine washable | Quilted pillow top cannot be removed or washed |
Best for | Sleepers needing engineered back support, adjustable firmness, dual-side control, and long-term durability | Sleepers seeking plush pillow-top comfort on night one |
BreatheTech Cover:
Washable, Breathable & Naturally Comfortable
A mattress cover should be easy to clean because over time, sweat, oils, skin cells and dust build up. That's part of everyday sleep.
Helix's pillow top cover is fixed to the mattress and cannot be removed or washed, so any body oils, sweat or dust that collects stays there.
Sleeping Duck's BreatheTech™ Cover is different. It unzips completely and is machine washable, so you can keep your mattress surface fresh and hygienic without hassles or special cleaners.
Sleeping Duck = cover you can clean. Helix = cover you can't remove.
Sounds great but I have a few questions?
Helix's Elite uses a plush pillow-top and fixed foam comfort layers designed to feel soft for side sleepers. While this can feel comfortable at first, the firmness can't be changed later and as the pillow-top softens (which foam naturally does), support can shift, especially around the shoulders and hips where side sleepers need consistency the most.
Sleeping Duck gives you more flexibility. Our customisable firmness pads let you tailor your comfort level with four firmness options, medium, firm, extra soft, and extra firm. If you find your mattress too firm or too soft, you can adjust it any time during your 100-night trial, free of charge with help from our team.
Here's how it helps in real life:
We went with Sleeping Duck because it offered adjustability.
I'm a side sleeper and always end up on the same shoulder it's much better with the soft pad. My partner prefers a firmer side, and we can each have our own firmness. Sleeping Duck sent the softer pads at no extra cost, just as advertised.
Mark, 55-64, side sleeper
It's a fair question and it's the reason we built Sleeping Duck the way we did.
The mattress industry became crowded with endless models and confusing firmness options. Helix alone has seven different mattresses, each with a fixed feel. But once you pick one, the firmness can't be changed and if it's not right, you're buying a topper or sending the whole mattress back.
Sleeping Duck takes a different approach. Instead of making multiple mattresses, we engineered one mattress built around a twice tempered steel spring core for real back support, and made it adjustable so every sleeper can fine tune it from home. Our ComponentAdapt system gives you four internal firmness levels you can change any time during the trial.
And with 4.8/5 from 5,600+ verified customers and the 2025 ProductReview Best Mattress Award, the results speak for themselves.
So while Helix offers a range of fixed foam designs, Sleeping Duck delivers one engineered mattress built to last, designed to adapt, and proven to perform.
Helix is a large US brand with global review volume. Sleeping Duck is an Australian company and here in Australia, we have one of the highest rated mattresses ever recorded, with 4.8/5 from over 5,600 verified customers.
And there's a reason for that.
Sleeping Duck was founded by aerospace engineers to build a mattress with real structural integrity, a twice-tempered steel spring core, precision foams, and an adjustable firmness system designed for long term back support. Our review score reflects that engineering focus.
What Sleeping Duck Customers Say
