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Mattress expert Owen testing out the Nectar mattress
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Firmer mattresses are best suited for stomach and back sleepers as they promote proper spinal alignment.
1. The base layer of the Nectar Sleep mattress is a thick slab of dense polyurethane foam. To make things less complicated, polyurethane foam is essentially just standard, basic foam. Its role is to act as a supportive base for the mattress.
2. In the middle is what the company calls the Adaptive Response Transition Layer. It acts as a neutralizer sandwiched in between the other two layers. It softens up the bed so you don’t feel the firm base, but it’s firmer than the top comfort layer to keep your body more supported.
3. The top foam layer is more plush and made with gel memory foam. A gel-like substance is infused into the material to make it sleep more temperature-neutral, to combat its reputation of sleeping hot. This is the layer you can thank for Nectar’s memory foam comfort.
The cover on the Nectar memory foam mattress is made with Tencel and has a thin layer of gel memory foam quilted into it. It doesn’t make the mattress sleep cold, which some might expect based on the language in their website. It feels super soft and airy so it’s a nice touch on top of the bed.
For a more supportive and durable design, opt for the Nectar Hybrid. It has a similar memory foam feel with the extra reinforcements of steel coils in the base layer.
Nectar mattress performance
Motion isolation
If you’re like me and sleep with a significant other (your German shepherd counts, too), motion isolation is an important mattress characteristic. Some beds creak and wiggle when you or your partner make any kind of movement, and motion transfer is a huge buzzkill when you’re trying to get a good night’s sleep.
Thanks to the Nectar bed’s motion-absorbing foam construction, it’s safe to say that it suppresses motion like a charm. It made no noise, and I could hardly tell when my boyfriend was switching positions during the night.
Edge support
Firmer mattresses are best suited for stomach and back sleepers as they promote proper spinal alignment.
Zooey Liao/CNET
Body type
I mentioned how your body weight can influence how a mattress feels, but it should also help you decide the type of mattress you should get. Most all-foam beds are around 10 to 11 inches thick and are perfectly supportive for people who weigh less than 230 pounds. However, if you have a larger body frame, I would recommend a mattress made with coils. They’ll be more supportive and your money will go farther in the long-run.
Price
Honestly, one of the best parts about the Nectar is its price. It’s a quality foam mattress, up there with Casper, Layla and Puffy, but it’s several hundred dollars cheaper once discounts enter the picture.
Nectar mattress pricing
Size
Measurements (inches)
Price
Twin
38×75 inches
$699
Twin XL
38×80 inches
$899
Full
54×74 inches
$949
Queen
60×80 inches
$1,099
King
76×80 inches
$1,399
Cal king
72×84 inches
$1,399
Retail prices for the original Nectar mattress start at $699 for a twin and max out at $1,399 for a Cal king mattress — but that’s likely not the price you’ll pay. They are usually running a promotion, and bigger ones during major holidays (for instance, discounts were up to 33% last November.)
Nectar shipping, sleep trial and warranty
The Nectar mattress will ship for free to your home and arrive in a cardboard box. If you’re new to the whole bed-in-a-box thing, it’s kind of fun to watch it unfold and inflate into a full-size bed.
Right out of the box, you’ll probably notice a not-so-pleasant smell coming from your new mattress. It’s completely typical for bed-in-a-box mattresses to omit this off-gassing smell, and it completely goes away after a couple of days.
If you’re like me, you won’t buy anything online unless there’s a reasonable return policy. Luckily, Nectar gives its customers an entire year to test out its bed.
A lot of all-foam beds come with 10- or 15-year warranties, however, the Nectar is backed by a “Forever Warranty.” Conditions apply, but I was still pretty impressed to see this. To me, the Nectar mattress warranty says the company is confident about its product.
The final verdict on the Nectar mattress
After all is said and done, the Nectar is a very comfortable, basic memory foam mattress. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles that might come with a TempurPedic, but it sure does offer a similar pressure-relieving feel.
You’ll like the Nectar if
You’re a fan of slow-responding memory foam, or if you’re at least open to the feel of it.
It’s also great for shoppers on a limited budget. Compared to other memory foam beds I’ve tested, buying a Nectar can save you hundreds of dollars.
The Nectar is best for individuals who weigh under 230 pounds because it’s made with foam instead of steel coils.
Because it leans more toward firm than soft, I think the Nectar is best for back and stomach sleepers, or combination sleepers who don’t often sleep on their side.
You might not like the Nectar if
Other mattresses from Nectar
Nectar Hybrid
The Nectar Hybrid mattress has similar features to the all-foam mattress except it has a strong, 8-inch pocketed coil layer in the base of the mattress for extra durability and support. It also goes for a great price compared to other hybrid mattresses, especially if you catch it during a sale (which Nectar is usually running).
Nectar Premier
The Nectar Premier mattress is the more premium mattress offering from Nectar. Available in both a foam and hybrid model, the Nectar Premier is thick (13 inches for the foam model), contains a phase-change material for temperature regulation and has a dense memory foam feel that contours around your body’s curves.
Nectar Premier Copper
This is the most luxurious mattress from Nectar. It’s similar to the Premier model, but it’s 14 inches thick and includes copper fibers in the cover to help absorb heat from your body. Although, the Nectar Premier Copper is only available in an all-foam model.
How does Nectar compare to other mattresses?
Purple vs. Nectar: Comparing the flagship beds of these two industry leaders is almost like comparing apples to oranges. Other than the fact they are both made without coils, they are pretty different in every other way. The Purple is a little softer than the Nectar, rated around a five out of 10. Purple has a bouncier, more responsive feel, and the material makes you feel like you’re weightless. Purple also sleeps cooler than the original Nectar. On the downside, the Purple bed is the more expensive option.
Nectar vs. Casper: In the battle between Nectar versus Casper, they are both traditional foam mattresses but have different firmness and feel profiles to make them stand out from one another. Casper has more of a neutral foam feel while Nectar has a prominent memory foam profile. Casper is rated around a five out of 10 on the firmness scale, making it more suitable for side sleepers. It also comes with a zoned support layer to provide targeted pressure relief and support where your body needs it most.
Mattress best lists featuring Nectar
Nectar mattress FAQs
The Nectar mattress is a dense memory foam bed known for its price value. Unless you’re looking for a king or California king, you can snag one for under $1,000. If it’s in your budget and you love the hugging, contouring feel of memory foam, it may be worth it to you.
How long does a Nectar mattress last?
The pros of a Nectar mattress include its medium-firm profile, which is great for back and stomach sleepers or people who suffer from back pain. It’s also great for people who weigh under 230 pounds, and has a great value. Its cons include its inability to properly support heavier sleepers over the long-term; the dense memory foam can make it hard to switch positions; and it’s a little too firm for strict side-sleepers under 150 pounds.
How do I return a Nectar mattress?
Most side sleepers, unless you’re a combination sleeper who occasionally side-sleeps, might think Nectar is a little firm. Nectar falls around a medium-firm on the firmness scale, but side sleepers typically sleep best on medium to soft beds that offer more pressure relief.
