The mattress industry is full of gimmicks and slick advertising which can make differentiating between quality, innovation and overpriced fad products difficult.

The creators of Tuft & Needle recognized this and set out on a path to produce the best mattress they could. They drive innovation through simple design and the use of high-performance materials that have been designed in house. And when you consider the fact they were both Silicon Valley engineers in a past life, this approach makes sense.

The company now offers its Original T&N and MINT mattresses as well as a brand-new coil spring hybrid mattress which has just been released. We really like the fact that this company is always innovating and listening to customer feedback. Like all good mattress companies, they are continually refining their products to deliver better value for money for customers. 

This detailed review of Tuft & Needle is based on our experience of the brand and their all-foam T&N mattress. If you’re currently considering a mattress from this company, this review will tell you all you need to know. 

Tuft & Needle Mattress

A high-quality foam mattress that performs highlyTuft & Needle Mattress

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Tuft & Needle Mattress Overview

The Tuft & Needle Mattress Is Perfect For

The Tuft & Needle Mattress Isn’t Great For

Buying A Tuft & Needle Mattress

Buying a mattress has never been easier. Like many brands, T&N allow you to purchase your mattress online. You can buy direct from the online T&N storefront or you could instead choose to buy from one of several third-party retailers.

Since you’re buying online, you’re buying what is referred to as a “bed in a box”. This means that your new mattress comes pre-rolled and compressed so that it can be slid into a compact cardboard box. A great feature that makes shipping and installation very easy.

Once your mattress arrives, all you need to do is the take the box to your bedroom of choice and pull the mattress out. It will then unfold itself over the course of a few hours. 

Like many premium mattress brands, Tuft and Needle offer what is known as white glove delivery. This service sees your mattress delivered and installed by mattress specialists who will also take away your old mattress for disposal if required. 

How Much is a Tuft & Needle Mattress?

The original T&N mattress is very competitively priced which is one of its biggest selling points.

The queen size T&N Original costs around $600 depending on where its bought from. When you consider that a budget mattress in this size will still cost around $200, you can see where the added value is.

The other two mattresses in the T&N range are slightly more expensive and offer several different properties to justify their price. Whether you upgrade or not is up to you and your requirements for a mattress. 

As part of the package, you’re provided with a 100 night sleep trial and a 10 year warranty. 

Mattress Construction & Quality

The Tuft & Needle is a foam bed that is designed to be used with a variety of different bed frames. These include slatted frames and adjustable frames as well as solid platforms. T&N also manufacture their own bed bases which can be purchased either separately or as part of a set.  

You will first notice the well-designed outer cover. Made of polyester and micro polyamide, it dries very quickly as it wicks away sweat. The cover is also much thinner than many which makes it even more breathable and helps with airflow.

You will also notice the presence of only two layers. T&N have been very outspoken about the industry practice of using lots of extra layers to give the impression of quality and drive up mattress prices. As many of these layers use low quality materials, they actually reduce the performance of the mattress. These excessive layers not only add nothing to the mattress, but they also require more glue to hold them together, negatively impacting air flow and temperature regulation.

Instead, the T&N has two layers of high-density polyurethane foam.

The top layer is constructed from 3 inch thick ‘comfort foam’. This polyfoam layer has a density of 2.8 PCF which allows it to be soft enough to sleep on while supportive enough that you don’t sink through it.  

It conforms to the body like memory foam, but it doesn’t hug you like memory foam does. You lie both on and in this mattress, which is a unique sensation and one that we like.

This top layer relieves pressure well for side sleepers who usually experience discomfort in their shoulders, hips and knees overnight. Other sleeping positions will also benefit from these pressure relieving properties.

This layer is also very breathable which allows air to flow through the mattress for better temperature regulation. It is also infused with cooling gel and graphite which is intended to make the surface more breathable and temperature neutral.

The bottom layer is a 7 inch thick support core made from 1.8 PCF high-density polyfoam. This dense base layer stabilizes the bed to maintain an even and stable surface for sleepers and prevents sagging. Unfortunately, and not unexpectedly, our testing shows the support core provides minimal reinforcement around the perimeter of the bed. The result is relatively poor edge support. 

Tuft & Needle recommend that any stains are removed via spot cleaning with a mild detergent and warm water. 

Mattress Firmness

The majority of people find ‘medium’ firmness levels to be the most comfortable in a mattress since they accommodate most sleeping positions. It is also the firmness level that will provide the right amount of support for people of average size and weight.

The Tuft & Needle Original is a 5 out of 10 on the firmness scale and is a true medium. Marketed as a universally comfortable bed, T&N listens to customer feedback and keeps refining and improving every version of their bed. In this case, the mattress has been made softer since it was first released.

The mattress cover and top layer are soft to the touch and there is a slight but noticeable bounce to the surface of the mattress. Pressing down further makes the dense support of the thick base layer apparent.

Most back sleepers should feel both comfortable and supported. There should be no spinal alignment issues and the lumbar region should remain comfortable, supported and pain free.

Stomach sleepers should feel that the bottom layer’s support is more than enough to maintain proper spinal alignment. There should be no compression of the chest which should make breathing easy. Your hips should not dig into the mattress too deeply but sink just the right amount to remain comfortable.

Side sleepers should notice pressure relief from the soft top layer in the common shoulder, knees and hip pain sites.

Combination sleepers should feel right at home sleeping on this mattress. It is just the right combination of support, responsiveness and conformity to make any sleeping position comfortable.

Heavier sleepers will need additional pressure relief for their shoulders and hips if they sleep on their side. This mattress has an official rating of 500 lb. We don’t believe it is suitable for people who are that heavy and instead suggest an upper limit of 230 lb. The MINT mattress is rated the same but should be more suitable for heavier people. 

Tuft & Needle Mattress

Additional Considerations

Motion Transfer

Motion isolation is good despite the fact that no memory foam has been used. The high-quality adaptive polyfoam used within the top layer prevents most movement from being transferred to other parts of the mattress. Great for light sleepers who are easily awakened.

Edge Support

Edge support is quite poor as it is with most foam mattresses, whether memory foam or polyfoam. We don’t recommend sitting on the edge of the bed for extended periods of time but sleeping near the edge should be fine for most people.

Sleep Temperature

Your body temperature while sleeping directly affects the quality of sleep you get. The cooler you are throughout the night, the more restful your sleep and the better you will feel during the day.

The T&N Original sleeps very cool due to the combination of cooling gel and the absence of memory foam. This coupled with the breathable materials used in its construction results in a mattress that is suitable for even the warmest of sleepers.

Base Requirements

You must use a solid base with this mattress for optimum performance. A slatted bed frame, a solid platform or an adjustable base is suitable.

If you don’t currently own one, T&N will sell you one which has been designed to work with this mattress.

Warranty

Like many companies, Tuft & Needle provide a 10 year limited warranty with their mattresses. This essentially means that the warranty is subject to several terms and conditions that must be adhered to for it to remain valid.

It is important to note that one stipulation is that the mattress will need to have been used on a stable surface for any claim to be upheld.

T&N also offer a 100 night sleep trial with this mattress which allows you to trial the bed before deciding whether or not its right for you. If it isn’t, T&N will be happy to provide a refund of the price paid. 

Tuft & Needle Mattress Review: Final Verdict

We feel that Tuft & Needle are on to something here. Their approach of going back to basics and producing a simple but qualitative mattress is refreshing to see.

The T&N Adaptive® Foam used incorporates the best qualities of memory foam and latex without most of the downsides. There is more pressure relief than latex mattresses and heat is not trapped as it is in traditional memory foam beds.

The multiple layers of redundant materials have been removed, leaving only the materials that are required for the mattress to do its job. And best of all, the excessive mark-ups have gone too with this mattress costing less than most other comparable products. 

If you’re in the market for a simple mattress that works, the Tuft & Needle original is for you. 

5/5

Our Rating

Fantastic quality and great value

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