Tuft & Needle Original mattress review: A solid inexpensive option for back and stomach sleepers

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My husband and I are compatible in many ways, but sleep preference is not one of them. He likes a soft foam mattress, while I prefer the firm support of an innerspring mattress. This makes finding the best mattress we both love difficult. 

One of the first major purchases we had to make when we moved in together was a mattress since neither one of us was willing to sleep on the other's existing mattress. At the time, we were looking for the best cheap mattress we could find, and having years of experience testing products, I wasn't going to spend our money on just any mattress. After reading hundreds of mattress reviews, consulting family and friends, and debating the merits of foam with my husband, we settled on the Tuft & Needle Original Mattress.

We slept on that mattress for more than 1,000 nights, multiple moves, and a pandemic (during which I worked from my bed more times than I care to admit) before upgrading to the Dreamcloud Premier Hybrid when budgets became a little less tight. Here's everything you need to know about the Tuft & Needle Original Mattress.

 

Design

The Tuft & Needle Original Mattress, also known as the Essential T&N Original, is 10 inches thick and made of two layers of foam: a three-inch comfort layer of adaptive foam and a 6.5o-inch base support layer of open-cell foam. The two layers are contained within a white knit cover. 

Setup

Like many modern bedding companies, Tuft & Needle ships its mattresses compressed in a box. Ours arrived conveniently dropped at our back door, which was a nice touch since, at the time, we lived in the middle of the city, and package theft was common (though I'm not sure who is easily making off with a 72-pound mattress box). It arrived when my husband was out of the house, and I was eager to get the mattress set up, so I lugged the hefty box up the stairs myself. It was doable, but it wasn't easy, so I recommend teaming up with a partner. 

Once in my bedroom, I could open the box, slide the mattress out and unroll it. The most fun part was cutting the vacuum-wrapped packaging, which allowed the mattress to expand into a full plush bed instantly. The process only took a few minutes and would have gone faster if I had been patient enough to wait for my husband to come home and help. I let the mattress sit and air out for a few hours, though I didn't notice any "new bed" smell, and the mattress looked plush out of the package. 

Review of the Tuft & Needle Original Mattress

As someone who has spent most of their life sleeping happily on spring mattresses, I was a bit worried about my transition to an all-foam mattress, especially since I struggle with both back pain and insomnia, even under the best of sleep circumstances. I was so worried about it that I also insisted that we buy the Tuft & Needle Mattress Topper because I was sure that the mattress wouldn't be supportive enough on its own.

Fortunately, those fears turned out to be unfounded. The mattress topper was delayed in getting to us by about a week, and in that time I slept so soundly on the Tuft & Needle Original Mattress that we ended up returning the mattress topper when it arrived. 

The mattress is supportive but still plush and comfortable. The company states it is medium-firm, but if I were to rate the firmness on a scale of one to 10, I'd probably give it a five or six. It offers a little "sinking in," but not so much that I felt enveloped by the mattress. 

I'm a back and side sleeper, while my husband tends to sleep on his stomach. We found this mattress supports the range of sleep positions relatively well. In my opinion, the mattress is a bit more supportive for back sleeping than side sleeping since I often felt some sinking around my hips when I was lying on my side.

There's very little motion transfer; when my husband hopped into bed at night, I barely felt his movements — and that's saying something since I'm an extraordinarily light sleeper. Our chonky 15-pound bowling ball of a cat also often pounced on the mattress looking for pets (or food?) in the middle of the night, and if it weren't for her persistent meows, I would've hardly known she was there.

After three years with the Tuft & Needle Original Mattress, it held up very well. There was no sinking on either side (and my husband and I are both large people), and the mattress still felt plenty supportive.

Cons to consider

The mattress sleeps a little hot, and edge support leaves a bit to be desired. The sinking feeling I got when I rolled to the outer edges of the mattress made the bed feel smaller than it was. 

As much as I liked our Tuft & Needle mattress, it also hadn't fully assuaged my preference for firmer spring mattresses. When we purchased our Tuft & Needle mattress, inexpensive hybrid beds-in-a-box weren't quite a thing yet. For that reason, we ultimately ended up upgrading to a King-sized hybrid mattress when options became more plentiful, and we finally felt financially stable enough to do so.

Should you buy it?

If you love the feel of foam and are in the market for an inexpensive mattress, the Tuft & Needle Original Mattress is a comfortable option at a relatively affordable price. It's a solid option in the under $1,000 range, though, at a recent price increase to $895 for a Queen, I would no longer call this a "budget" mattress. If you are exclusively a stomach or back sleeper, this is a good option. If you're a side sleeper, look elsewhere. 

What are your alternatives?

Side sleepers may want to consider the Tuft & Needle Mint Mattress. It's about $600 more, but it's thicker thanks to a cooling gel layer. The Mint is also softer, ideal for side sleepers, and offers better pressure point relief. Check out our full Tuft & Needle Mint Mattress review.

Our mattress reporter has slept on 100 mattresses and put together some really great options in our comprehensive guide to the best mattresses. Most of our top picks fall into the $1,000+ range, however. If you're in the market for something under $500, check out our guide to the best budget mattresses. We also have guides for specific sleeping needs, including the best cooling mattress for hot sleepers, the best mattress for side sleepers, the best foam mattress, the best hybrid mattress, and the best mattress for back pain. 

The bottom line

If you're in the market for a good mid-priced foam mattress, the Tuft & Needle Original Mattress is a solid choice. If you're on the fence, Tuft & Needle's 100-night trial and free returns make it easy to try before you decide if it's right for you.