Monday, August 15, 2016

Nolah Mattress Review

The Nolah mattress is a bed-in-a-box foam mattress that is sold exclusively online.  At first glance Nolah didn’t seem too different from other mattresses on the market, but after sleeping on it for a few weeks I think it does have some unique features that should intrigue some mattress shoppers.

Overall I liked the mattress, but had some complaints as well.  Read on for my full Nolah mattress review.

You will love Nolah if you…

  • Are a side sleeper – I found Nolah to be softer than the average bed-in-a-box (note firmness is subjective, but that’s my take), making it ideal for side sleepers.
  • Want good value – Nolah sells only online, using the ecommerce mattress model to provide as much value to consumers as possible.
  • Want to sleep cool – I’m not sure what makes up the proprietary Air Flow foam they use in the top layer, but in my experience it did sleep quite cool (for a foam mattress).
  • Want a little bit of bounce – the second layer of foam is Avena foam, which I’ve only seen used in the Leesa before.  This is a latex-like foam, which has more bounce than memory foam.  When used as the second layer, it gives the mattress just a little bit of bounce.

Nolah Mattress Construction

You may not like the Nolah mattress if you…

  • Want a mattress with a lot of bounce – though the mattress has Avena foam, the top layer feels most like memory foam.  If you want a full latex foam feel, this is not the right choice.
  • Want a firm mattress – firmness is subjective, but I think most fill find the Nolah to be softer than average (aka not my choice for stomach sleepers)

Firmness and Feel

Firmness is always a subjective measure (every mattress will feel different to each person based on their sleeping position, weight, etc), but generally I feel the mattress to be softer than average.

As you can see in the video, it’s fairly easy to push down on the mattress, I think it’s a good option for side sleepers, but maybe not the best option for stomach sleepers.

The mattress also feels mostly like a memory foam mattress, but has a bit more resilience due to the Avena foam as the second layer.  This might be best for a person that likes the memory foam feel, but wants to avoid a little bit of the “stuck in the mattress” feeling.

Motion Transfer

Though the foam is a proprietary make-up, in terms of feel and motion transfer it feels the most similar to memory foam.

As expected, the mattress performs very well in the motion transfer test, this will be a fine mattress option for couples.

The mattress size shown in the video is a Queen, but I expect motion transfer should be similar across all other sizes.

Mattress Construction

The mattress is 10 inches thick in total, consisting of three foam layers:

  • 3 inches of Air Foam comfort layer (2.5 lb/sqft)
  • 1 inch of Avena foam transition layer (4 lb/sqft)
  • 6 inches of polyfoam (1.8 lb/sqft)

The cover is a knitted viscose cover (non-removable), I found it to be soft to the touch.

Nolah mattress cover

My Experience

First thing to note is that for every mattress purchased, Nolah “adopts” a wild animal, which means they spend some money to help protect wildlife communities.  During the checkout process, you choose an animal to protect – I chose the Bison.  Very unique and very cool in my opinion.

I slept on the Nolah for two weeks in the NYC summer heat, a great (and pretty extreme) environment to test!  I’m a side sleeper myself, so the softness of the mattress really resonated with me.  I think it does a great job of pressure relief, especially on my shoulder, which tends to be a problem spot for some mattresses.

Nolah Mattress Complaints

Though I was in hot conditions, the mattress does sleep pretty cool.  For a foam mattress, it definitely does well – though of course it doesn’t sleep as cool as an innerspring mattress or latex mattress.

Only complaint is the online chat and phone customer service were pretty novice – quick response, but were not as prepared as I would like to answer questions.  Note I reviewed the mattress right as the company started though, so I imagine this will be much improved in the future.

Other things to note

  • Nolah has a 120 night sleep trial (100% refund for returns during this time)
  • The mattress is made in the USA
  • 15 year warranty and free shipping
Nolah
4.2 Reviewer
Summary
Nolah is a very comfortable mattress made with proprietary foam and Avena foam. It's a bit softer than average, so I think its a great fit for side sleepers. Sold only online, its a strong value and has a unique donation proposition that I think will resonate with a lot of mattress shoppers.
Comfort4.2
Support4.1
Value (Price)4.5
Doesn't Sleep Hot3.8
Motion Transfer4.5
Edge Support3.5
Materials/Durability3.8
Company Reputation4.1
Return Policy/Warranty4.8
Overall Sleep Experience4.2

Final Recommendation

Overall I think the mattress is good quality and is great at pressure relief, making it a good choice for side sleepers.  I really like the animal protection donation (very unique and cool), though I don’t think that should make/break a mattress purchase, but a good cherry on top for those of you that already are looking to buy Nolah.  Overall I think if you’ve made it this far, Nolah is worth a try.

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