Tuft & Needle Mattress Complaints
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Tuft & Needle is a popular bed-in-a-box mattress company that specializes in providing high-quality mattresses at affordable prices. Their flagship Tuft & Needle mattress is a hugely popular foam mattress made from their unique T&N adaptive foam. This foam has all kinds of strengths, like strong edge support, great spine alignment, and high responsiveness. This makes the Tuft & Needle mattress a great choice for lots of different types of sleepers, including side sleepers, restless sleepers and heavyweight sleepers.
Still, no company gets perfect reviews all the time. In this overview, we’ll take a look at some of the most common complaints about Tuft & Needle. We’ll also give our opinion on which ones reflect a real problem with the mattress or the company, and which ones seem to be anomalies. If you’re thinking about buying a Tuft & Needle mattress, make sure you check out which complaints you actually need to worry about.
Common Tuft & Needle Complaints:
- Too Firm
- Causes Back Pain
- Issues with Shipping and Returns
- Sleeps Too Hot
Top Tuft & Needle Mattress Complaints
Too Firm
One of the biggest complaints about the flagship Tuft & Needle mattress is the firmness. Many people say that even though the Tuft & Needle mattress is rated as medium-firm, in reality, it is very firm: so firm that most people struggle to sleep on it comfortably.
Thankfully, Tuft & Needle heard about these complaints, and in 2016 they made some serious changes. They went from three layers of foam to two, and both layers are created by Tuft & Needle to be as comfortable as possible. Their flagship model is now much closer to a true medium-firm rather than extra firm feel, which is better for the vast majority of sleepers. If you’ve tried Tuft & Needle before 2016 and found it to be much too firm, we encourage you to try it again and see if the new construction is a better fit for your sleep needs.
Verdict
- The original Tuft & Needle mattress was too firm, so the company made some adjustments. Now, many customers report that it is a true medium-firm bed, and much more comfortable.
Solution
- If you were unhappy with your pre-2016 Tuft & Needle mattress, try the new one to see if it’s more comfortable.
- Try the Tuft & Needle Hybrid mattress, which is made with individually wrapped pocket springs, which are especially great for side sleepers.
- When trying out the new Tuft & Needle, take advantage of the 100-night sleep trial. A lot of new mattresses might feel a bit odd at first as your body is getting adjusted, but after a few weeks, it might be the perfect fit.
Causes Back Pain
The best part about buying a new mattress is waking up feeling refreshed and pain-free after sleeping on an old mattress that probably wasn’t giving you the kind of support your back needed. But some people said they didn’t have that experience with their new Tuft & Needle mattress. It’s normal to feel some discomfort when you first change mattresses, especially if you’ve never slept on an all-foam bed before, but several customers on Amazon reported that their Tuft & Needle mattress was actually causing more back pain than their old mattress, and the pain went on long after the first few weeks.
This may be because of the all-foam mattress construction. The Tuft & Needle mattress isn’t made with memory foam, which is known for reducing pain by preventing the buildup of pressure in various pressure points like the shoulders or the hips. It’s made with polyurethane foam, which may not provide the cushion or pressure relief needed to effectively reduce back pain.
Verdict
- Based on the significant number of people who have had this issue and the lack of any materials in the construction specifically designed to prevent pressure buildup, this seems like a valid complaint, especially for side sleepers.
Solution
- Try out an orthopedic pillow that will help you sleep on your back rather than on your side.
- Buy a pressure-relieving mattress topper made with gel memory foam.
- Try a cervical support pillow to help reduce neck pain
Mattresses for Back Pain
Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress
Product Details
Our Recommendation
Financing Options
Financing options are available for this mattress.
Read our Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress Review to learn more.
Amerisleep AS2 Mattress
Product Details
Our Recommendation
Financing Options
Financing options are available for this mattress.
See our Nectar Mattress Review to learn more.
Issues with Shipping & Returns
Before buying anything, many people check the reviews on Amazon to see what other people thought. Usually this is a great way to ensure that you’re making a good purchase, but it has caused some confusion when it comes to the Tuft & Needle 100-night sleep trial period. Many people on Amazon have reported that the return process is difficult, if not impossible, because Amazon requires that the mattress be returned in the original box it came in. This is a problem because foam mattresses are compressed with industrial tools and shipped in boxes that they can’t possibly fit back into after unboxing.
However, the solution to this common complaint is actually pretty easy. Simply purchase the mattress from the Tuft & Needle website. When purchased from their site, all you need to do if you want to return the mattress is contact a Tuft & Needle representative and they will refund you and send out a service to take your mattress to a local charity.
Verdict
- The returns process can be a pain if you buy your Tuft & Needle mattress from Amazon or another verified seller, but if you buy directly from the company, the process is actually very smooth.
Solution
- Simply buy from the Tuft & Needle site instead of through a different seller to avoid a potential hassle. In fact, that’s our advice across the board: stick with the brand site itself to avoid extra hassle.
- Make sure your area is covered by the 100-night sleep trial return policy, as some areas, like Alaska and Hawaii, may not have the same coverage as the contiguous United States.
- Keep track of your order confirmation, as you will need the order number to initiate the returns process.
Sleeps Too Hot
Waking up in the middle of the night sweaty and uncomfortable is not a great way to get a good night’s sleep. According to several customers, this is a common problem for the Tuft & Needle bed. When you take a look at the materials and construction of the mattress, this complaint does seem like a valid concern.
The Tuft & Needle mattress is made from a base layer of dense polyfoam and a comfort layer of softer, adaptive foam. Although foam makes for a very comfortable mattress, it isn’t the most breathable material. Unlike innerspring mattresses, which have lots of empty space surrounding steel coils, foam allows for very little air flow, which can result in significant heat buildup. The top foam layer on the Tuft & Needle contains graphite and cooling gel, which are both meant to help reduce overheating, but many people still say that it’s a problem for them.
Verdict
- Because of its all-foam construction, the Tuft & Needle mattress is definitely not the coolest mattress on the market. However, because of the graphite and cooling gel included in the top layer of foam, it is probably plenty cool for people who tend to be cold or neutral at night. If you tend to sleep hot, then this may not be the mattress for you.
Solution
- Try the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress. The Mint contains a significant increase in graphite to improve breathability, making it better for hot sleepers.
- Buy sheets with a lower thread count. High thread count sheets tend to be softer, but they’re also far less breathable and tend to trap heat.
- Add a fan to your bedroom to help with temperature regulation. Fans also provide white noise, which often helps people sleep better.
Mattresses That Sleep Cool
GhostBed Luxe Mattress
Product Details
Our Recommendation
Financing Options
Financing options are available for this mattress.
Check out our GhostBed Luxe Mattress Review to learn more.
Purple Mattress
Product Details
Our Recommendation
Financing Options
Financing options are available for this mattress.
Read our full Purple Mattress Review to learn more.
What’s Great About the Tuft & Needle Mattress?
Despite some complaints, the Tuft & Needle mattress has many great qualities that make it so popular. For example, it is comfortable for nearly every sleeping position. Whether you’re a back sleeper, a side sleeper or a stomach sleeper, there’s a very good chance you’ll get a good night’s sleep on the Tuft & Needle. Its medium-firm feel encourages healthy spine alignment no matter what sleep position you’re in.
It’s also a good mattress for combination sleepers or their partners. Combination sleepers tend to toss and turn, which can be difficult if your mattress isn’t responsive enough to allow you to move easily. The Tuft & Needle mattress allows for easy movement thanks to its high responsiveness. It’s also great at motion isolation, which means there’s very little motion transfer from one side of the bed to the other. So your partner can toss and turn all night without disturbing you.
Finally, the Tuft & Needle mattress is safe. Its foam is CertiPUR-US certified and Greenguard Gold certified, meaning it meets rigorous standards for emissions safety. Even though your new Tuft & Needle mattress will likely have an off-gassing smell very normal for foam mattresses, you can rest easy knowing it’s safe.
TUFT & NEEDLE VS.
Check out our comparison tool to see how it stacks up.
The Bottom Line
Overall, the Tuft & Needle mattress has a few legitimate issues you should be aware of before purchasing, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a high-quality mattress. It just means the best mattress for one person may be the worst mattress for another. If you sleep on your back or if you or your partner tend to change positions throughout the night, then the Tuft & Needle could be a very comfortable mattress for you. If you tend to sleep hot or deal with chronic back pain, then you may want to check out some other softer, cooler mattresses instead.
