UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 2015!
Tuft & Needle has a new mattress – and we got one! I‘ve posted a short written review and a comprehensive video review! This post is a little out of date, though some of the info is still good. So make sure to check out the new review! Thanks.
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We’ve been sleeping on our new mattress from Tuft & Needle now for a little over six months. Since so many people found my initial review and thoughts helpful, I figured six months is a good time for an update. As expected, I’ve got nothing but great things to say.
We ordered the 10″ because it fit the best with the bed frame from IKEA we had picked out and we didn’t want to have to use a box 
spring. Sure you can use a bunky board with the 5″, but in my head all I see is a really flat looking bed that would only really work on a platform type frame. Anyway, we opted for 10″ of comfort set atop the wooden slats that fit with the frame. You can see if we didn’t have a box spring, the mattress would be sunken into the frame and it’d be like sleeping in a crib. I think at 33 I’m past that stage of life. The 10″ sits in it perfectly and rises probably 5+” above the top of the frame.
I like a firmer mattress, while my wife likes something that is a little softer, yet still supportive. We were initially looking into getting a Tempur-Pedic for that reason – but holy crap are they cost prohibitive. I don’t like spending $70 on a shirt from Banana Republic that I’ll have for 5 years, so dropping $3,000+ on a mattress seemed downright absurd. Plus after some research we found a lot of complaints about memory foam being too hot, and sometimes not great for sex (hey that’s important). Thankfully I read an article on Wired about Tuft & Needle and we did some more research. $500 later, bam, a queen mattress showed up at our door vacuum packed.
Obviously it’s hard to know what you’re getting when you order something sight unseen, but we decided to take the gamble. The 5″ was the #1 rated mattress on Amazon, and after getting written up by Wired and doing our own research it seemed worth it. Tuft & Needle offers a 100 day window for you to return it anyway. So why not?
Our initial days of sleep were probably influenced by new-mattress-joy, and you can’t really make a determination about something until it’s broken in. But even after a month we were still loving it. Now, six-months deep, we are still loving it. It still feels as firm as it did on day one, and there doesn’t seem to be any discernible divoting or sagging – which was one of their claims. The cover of the mattress shows little to no wearing, aside from a little stretching due to the friction of where the heavier parts of our bodies rest on the mattress nightly. Something I’d like to mention is how easy it is to sit on the edge of the bed without being dumped off by bending springs, or having the edge dig up into your bottom because it’s reinforced. I’ve never had an easier time tying my shoes – weird, I know.
You’re probably wondering “Dan – why are you so bonkers about a mattress?” That’s a fair question. I’ve slept on some pretty fabulous mattresses and some downright offensive ones. Plus, mattresses are expensive and, some would say, an investment since it’s not something you buy new every year. When you get it, you know you’re going to have it for years and years. You sleep on it every night, and your mental and physical health depends on the quality of that sleep. My wife fussed over the mattress we had previously – I bought it new when I moved to Virginia in 2007. She hated it by itself, so we got a memory foam topper from Ikea that helped a lot. It wore out, we got a cheaper one, it sucked for both of us. We needed something new. This mattress kicks ass, and this company is doing things right. I like to support companies that do things well – especially smaller ones, and here in the US.
It should be noted Tuft & Needle have raised their prices since our purchase. The 10″ queen has jumped from $500 to $600. That’s a little disappointing, since a lower price was part of the initial draw, and a big selling point. I’d probably let it slide if it had jumped only $50, but $100 is pretty substantial. I can’t recall the price of the King, but the Full is now $500, so that definitely went up too. It’s still a good deal though because most regular mattresses you’ll find in the $500-700 range are lower end spring mattresses instead of mixed foam and memory foam like Tuft & Needle’s.
UPDATE: Daehee Park, one of the founders of Tuft & Needle, responded to my tweet of the review with an excellent explanation of the cost increase. They invented a new foam. Cool! Read the post about it HERE. Also of note, the warranty has been increased from 7 to 10 years, and applies to existing customers as well. That’s pretty rad. Many thanks, Daehee, for the info.
Well, there you have it. The mattress still gets my recommendation. I’ll try to remember to do an update after a full year.
To learn more about Tuft & Needle or to buy a mattress, click HERE!
Sleep well.
yankee.velo.foxtrot 
Thanks for the update! Your original review plus this new post has helped me make a decision.
Excellent! I hope you love the mattress.
Hiya! Came across your post and was wondering if it’s been a year yet since your purchase. We are in the market for a new mattress.. Soemthing that will last as long as possible. Most reciews are from the initial new mattress cloud 9 feeling. Can you give us an update?
Thanks!!!
I actually will be posting a review of our new mattress from T&N this weekend. We got a new king size, and this review actually refers to the OLD version of T&N mattresses – they came out with a new version 6 or so months after we got ours. So, yes, there will be an update on both mattresses 🙂 Thanks for reading! Sorry for the late reply!
Hi Dan
Thank you so much for your reviews on Tuft & Needle. I heard about it through a friend of mine but your review is what really sealed the deal for me and I slept on my mattress for the first time last night!
Question though- Was there a difference in firmness the first couple nights versus a week in? The mattress was somewhat uncomfortable for me [note: I’m currently 8 months pregnant so full comfort isn’t really a reachable target, but I was notably sore this morning], so I’m curious as to how the mattress changes after it’s had a chance to initially break in.
Any feedback would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Emily
I haven’t noticed much of a change in firmness over the course of the 6 months. Which I think is part of the whole point. Traditional spring mattresses sag after a while, as do pillow tops, but the foam maintains it’s shape and firmness for a very long time. You may notice a difference as it starts to give a little and shape to you, though. But to me, it feels about the same.
Bit off topic, but I just wanted to save I love your platform bed. I wish I had seen this one when I was shopping. I ended up getting one that was probably more expensive (still like it though). The lower platform beds just look so slick in my opinion.
Thanks! Its the lowest bed I’ve ever had. It’s not a true platform, it is raised off the ground and has 4 short legs. But it’s been great!
Can you mention which Ikea bed frame you got? We’re thinking of doing the same thing – Tuft and Needle mattress on Ikea platform bed.
There is a link in the text of the first paragraph on this page to my initial review, where I talk about which bed frame we got 🙂 Good luck!!
my favorite thing about T&N is their customer service. Unmatched.
Hi there,
I have desired a memory foam (or similar foam) mattress for some time, but price has definitely kept it in the “wish list” category! Having just recently come upon this mattress company, I found your review when I was looking for more information about them. We will probably be investing in one of these soon, but I just have a couple questions. You mention that your wife prefers a softer mattress while you prefer a firmer one. Does she love the Taft & Needle mattress as much as you do?
Hi Emily,
Sorry for not getting back sooner. She definitely does love it. That’s the great thing about them is that it’s (to us anyway) the perfect mix. It’s overall nice and firm, but the material makes it forgiving as well. It’s very supportive, but you don’t sink into it like a Tempur-Pedic . I bet you’ll love it!
I have two question regarding the box spring use with a Tuft & Needle. I have an existing box spring from my current set that I am considering using a T&N mattress. Do you see any issues with doing so? However, you elected not to go with a box spring….why?
I was told by several retailers that you should replace both mattress and box spring at the same time.
Thank you – Scott
Hi Scott,
The type of mattress you get from T&N doesn’t need a box spring. many times, people use a box spring to elevate the bed itself, and to provide a little more bounce & give to the mattress. With a foam mattress from T&N the only thing you’d need the box spring for is to gain height – like if you like your bed waist high or something. We like our bed low, so the 10″ mattress fit perfectly into the low-level IKEA frame we got. We’re also both short – so that works for us. It’s perfect to sit on and put your shoes on! LoL.
I hope that helps a little bit! You don’t need one – but you can use one.
Not sure what “gamble” you could take with this mattress. 100 night sleep trial, and, your money back.
Bill, keep in mind this post is over a year old. They don’t even make the two mattresses in the picture anymore. The 5″ was discontinued and the 10″ is a new model. At that time the trial period was only 30 days I believe, not 100. If you’re interested in a look at the newest model, read my latest review about the new mattress by clicking the links at the top of this past in the “update” paragraph. Thanks!
Thanks for the review and for the update. Now that it’s been even longer since you got it, do you still feel the same way about it?
The original mattress that this review was for is still very comfortable and we love it. However like I stated, they don’t make this mattress anymore, their newer version is slightly different. We have only had that mattress for about 5 months, and are loving it just as much too. Check out the review of the new version (click the link at UPDATE at the top of this post.
Tuft and Needle mattress is healthier to sleep on, firmer for support, softer to rest, and delightfully bouncier than other premium memory foam mattresses. http://www.memoryfoamdoctor.com/memory-foam-mattress/best-memory-foam-mattress/