hasn't heard of Tuft & Needle? Everyone has!!! Well, it can seem that way, at least, as it's the most reviewed mattress over $500 on Amazon. But you wanna' know what I think, right!?! Read on!
Watch my video review here, or read on for more details!
Mobile user? Click Here to watch the video directly on YouTube.
Mobile user? Click Here to watch the video directly on YouTube.
I won't go into lots & lots of detail on the construction, (because you can read about it yourself on their website), but I'll give the basics.
It can be found on their website ^ or on Amazon.
T&N has a very simple 2-layer design.
The top layer is 3 inches of adaptive foam that is very responsive. This is designed for pressure relief. The bottom 7 inches is a base layer, to provide a nice support base to hold everything in pace. Obviously, the while thing is 10-inches thick.
I slept on a queen-size T&N for 10 nights. To you you some quick overview thoughts, I think of T&N as the "OK for everyone, and offensive for no one" mattress. So while I can't say there's anything all that wrong with it, it certainly wasn't my favorite ever. Now, some people might really love it. Shortly after my sleep trial ended, a couple upper-elementary age boys came and slept on it, and really liked it. Then, a few days later, my 8th grade niece slept on it for a few nights and loved it.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most firm, I would rate the Tuft & Needle to be a 5-6 on the "softness" scale. Having said that, the "softness scale" is just 1 piece of the puzzle for rating a mattress (read on for details). Your response is going to vary, and, as we all know, comfort is highly subjective and everyone will respond differently. I weigh in the neighborhood of 200 lbs. and carry most of my weight around the middle.
Having said that . . .
HOW MANY STARS?
I will rate each category on a 5-Star Scale, where 5 is the best.
Construction: 4.25 stars
The construction of the Tuft & Needle mattress is nothing special, but nothing problematic either. That's OK, because once you put on a mattress protector and sheets, you don't notice any "fancies" anyhow. It's a totally flat top.
Noise: 5 stars
There is no noise.
Smell: 4.25 stars
Like most mattresses that come compressed and rolled up, there was a little bit of odor that I refer to as "new mattress smell." There was no offgassing, and within 3 days the odor was gone. I did let it air out for a full 24 hours before sleeping on it or putting any bedding on it.
Feel: 3.5 stars
The cover has a very simple feel -- plain but nice.
Tuft & Needle is an all foam mattress, so the feel is pretty much what you might expect. The mattress is NOT a slow-reacting mattress - it's an instantly reacting. Despite being all foam, it's instantly responsive, so don't think of the "tempurpedic" style.
Like many mattresses of this style, it feels very nice when you first get in bed.
Motion Transfer: 4.25 stars
It's "pretty good" at motion transfer -- certainly better than most hybrid or innerspring mattresses, but within the world of all-foam mattresses, it's not the best. But it's OK.
This is largely because it's not made of memory foam, it's made of "adaptive foam" (somthing proprietary to T&N: they say it "provides great pressure relief without feeling too soft or like quicksand." This is a fast-reaction foam.
Having said that, this should be more than serviceable for all but the very wiggly sleepers with a sleeping buddy.
Support: 2.0 stars
"Support" does not mean the same thing as firmness. This gets into tricky-to-describe territory, but means things like keeping your spine in alignment; does the firmness feel even, as opposed to lumpy or firm in spots without being firm in other spots? Do you sink in too much and "overcome" the top couple inches? This is always subjective. I am a back sleeper primarily but also sleep on my side some.
This is the biggest shortcoming of T&N. Bear in mind, this will impact each person differently and your weight and build will substantially impact this area. I am about 5'11" and weigh in the neighborhood of 200 lbs.
I experienced a "hammocking" feeling when back sleeping. In other words, it felt like my hips and buttocks dipped into the mattress slightly more than than my legs and shoulders. My theory is that since I carry a fair amount of weight in my middle, there just wasn't enough there to overcome that weight distribution. Because of this, I essentially sank through most of that top layer of pressure relief foam and it was too compressed under my middle. It seems like that top layer just isn't "dense enough" to handle my body type completely. It certainly wasn't the worst night of sleep I've ever had, but there are better choices for a 200+ lb. back sleeper with a lot of weight in the butt and gut areas.
When I slept on my side, I didn't notice this AS much, but sometimes my hips still felt like the top layer just wasn't quite dense enough for my build.
On the other hand, a lighter person (or two lighter persons) likely wouldn't have this issue. If you are under 170, and not obese, you're probably fine.
Pressure Point Relief: 4.0 stars
Very good for the most part. It filled the space in the small of my back nicely. As above, the only issue would be like when I slept on my side, my hip would feel like it was all the way through that top layer, so it didn't feel very "cradled."
Conformity: 4.50 stars
What am I looking for in conformity? I want something that feels firm where it's supposed to feel firm, and soft where it's supposed to feel soft. That's a tall order (or a $5,000+ mattress), but let's at least get as close as we can. I want something that conforms to my body locally, but not globally. In other words, I want to sink into my mattress just a bit -- maybe an inch or two, but I don't want a giant valley to be formed while the mattress tries to accommodate my whole body.
Very good conformity! My body wasn't exactly "floating on top" (like on a very firm mattress), but it also wasn't "sunk in." -- it hit that happy medium just right.
Customer Service: 4.75 stars
I ordered my T&N off Amazon, and it arrived in 2 days. I have nothing to complain about, and the reviews look pretty good when it comes to customer service.
All T&N mattresses are made in the USA.
Shipping:
I don't give a star-rating to shipping, but shipping is free. It is delivered by UPS, FedEx, etc. It comes in a large roll, compressed. There is no cost to you if you decide to return it during the trial period.
Other info worth mentioning:
Warranty: T&N has a 10-year warranty, and (in my review), it's one of the 10 best online mattress company warranties (see my article on that very topic!). It also has a 100-night, risk free in home trial period. Edge support, like with most all foam mattresses, is lacking.
OVERALL SCORE:
4.05 stars
(out of 5)
Summary:
PROS:
- Very good pressure point relief
- Little in the way of motion transfer
- 100 night no-risk trial period with free shipping
- Appropriately priced
CONS:
- If you are over 200 pounds, there will probably be better choices out there
- Does "OK" at many things, but if you're looking for 1 particular thing (like support for a bad back), you may not like it that much
Final Thoughts:
Since you have a risk free trial period of 100 days, there's really no risk in trying out a Tuft & Needle. Everything I've read is that they have very good customer service. If you (and your sleeping buddy, if applicable) are under 200 lbs, you'll probably like this mattress. However, much over 200 lbs, and my best guess is that you'll think it's "not for you."
Prices & Info:
If you decide to try out a Tuft & Needle mattress via Amazon, I would really appreciate it if you use one of the links on this page, as it helps out my blog and YouTube channel just a bit! You can also buy Tuft & Needle on their own website.
I like that T&N just gives their price, and doesn't play the "find the discount" game. Here are the price points:
Twin: $350
Twin XL: $395
Full: $495
Queen: $595
King or Cal King: $750
(Note: Prices were updated as of 12/24/2018. Always check prices on the manufacturer's web site as prices can change.)
What do you think? Feel free to share any comments! If you have questions, feel free to ask and I will try my best to answer.
I do not have a direct affiliate relationship with Tuft & Needle -- I paid for my own on Amazon. However, I do have an affiliate association with Amazon. If you use one of my links to and subsequently buy (and keep!) the mattress, I earn a small referral fee which helps to support this blog and my YouTube channel. This costs you nothing. All opinions are my personal reviews and preferences, and do not represent the opinion of any particular company. Thanks for your consideration.