Nectar vs Purple Mattress Comparison
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Key DifferencesQuick snapshot of the Purple vs Nectar
As mentioned above, Nectar makes two mattress models – the Original and the Lush. We are going to look at both for this comparison because it may be considered a case of ‘like-for-like’ across the foam varieties.
Purple makes the Original mattress, which is a combination of foam and hyper-elastic polymer, but it also makes a couple of hybrid varieties that incorporate coils into the design. Check out our full Purple review to find out more about these options.
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Perfect for |
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All sleeping positions for people under 230lbs (Nectar Original and Nectar Lush) |
All sleeping positions for people under around 230lbs |
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Material Type |
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Memory Foam |
Combination of memory foam and Purple’s hyper-elastic polymer |
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Firmness Scale |
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Medium Firm (Nectar Original) Medium (Nectar Lush) |
Medium |
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Cooling properties |
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Medium |
Medium Cool |
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EDGE SUPPORT |
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Good |
Good |
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THICKNESS OPTIONS |
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11-inch (Nectar Original) 12-inch (Nectar Lush) |
9.5-inch
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Pressure Relief |
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Excellent
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Excellent |
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MOTION ISOLATION |
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Excellent
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Good |
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SUITABLE FOR SEX |
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Fair
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Excellent
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DURABILITY |
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Excellent |
Good
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PRICING |
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CHECK LATEST PRICE |
Check Latest Price |
What are the key differences between the two brands?
Purple and Nectar make two very different feeling beds and, depending on your preference, you will have a clear favorite in one camp or the other.
- The big difference between these mattresses is the feel. Nectar makes classic memory foam beds. If you don’t know what that means, memory foam is great for contouring the body for comfort – but that can give the sensation of lying in the mattress rather than on the mattress. Some people love it. If you are looking for something more responsive, something with a unique feeling, while the Nectar Lush is more responsive than the Original, Purple is more along the lines of what you are after.
- Temperature. It’s not a huge difference, but it is definitely worth mentioning. The open grid construction of Purple’s proprietary comfort layer, together with its cover, promotes air flow and will definitely be slightly cooler than the Nectar mattresses. The heavier you are, the warmer memory foam will be – and Purple’s hyper-elastic polymer retains heat less than these all-foam varieties.
Who is the Nectar mattress a better fit for?
- If you are shopping on a budget, Nectar will be a better option.
- If you don’t like surprises and you’d rather stick with tried and tested materials, Nectar mattresses don’t deviate too much from the feeling of traditional memory foam.
- If you’re worried about buying a bed online and not liking it, Nectar has especially generous sleep trial and warranty policies.
Who is the Purple mattress a better fit for?
- If you are willing to take a risk on something different, most of the people who love Purple won’t go back or change to any other brand.
- If you prefer a bit of bounce and responsiveness.
- If you’re looking for a mattress designed to promote airflow and which will sleep neutral.
Nectar vs Purple company policy comparison
Both Nectar and Purple are held in high regard in the bed-in-a-box world. The popularity of the brands will always pivot on the comfort of their mattresses – but it often has a lot to do with the company in general too.
Nectar has won some awards for both the bed you get for the price, as well as its overall performance as a memory foam mattress. Nectar has a B+ BBB rating.
Purple was started by a couple of brothers in 1989. They started developing the technologies which would eventually culminate in the unique hyper-elastic polymer which gives their mattresses their signature feel. Purple has an A+ BBB rating.
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Shipping |
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Free in the contiguous U.S. |
Free in the contiguous U.S. |
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International Shipping |
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No – but they do ship to Hawaii and Alaska for an additional fee |
Purple ships to the United States and Canada |
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Warranty |
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Lifetime |
10 Years |
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Sleep Trial |
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365 Nights |
100 Nights |
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Returns & Refunds |
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Free during the 365-night trial |
Free during the 100-night trial |
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Made in |
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China |
USA |
Payment accepted, financing – Finance options are available for both mattresses through Affirm
Customer support – Both Purple and Nectar have live chat options available on their website for instant customer support if you need it. Online reviews around customer service from Nectar is not always positive, with some customers receiving delayed responses to customer service queries. On the whole, Purple’s customer support is not the subject of many online reviews – except in connection with dissatisfaction around the returns policy or warranty.
Comparing construction layers and materials used
- Tencal Quilted Cover
- Memory Foam
- Hi-Core Memory Foam
- Polyfoam Support Layer
- Cooling Cover
- Memory Foam with Aquacool Panel
- Energex Memory Foam
- Polyfoam Base
- SoftFlex Cover
- 2" Hyper-Elastic Polymer (Purple Grid)
- 3.5" Polyurethane Foam
- 4" High-Density Polyfoam Foundation
Nectar construction and materials used
The Nectar Original is an 11-inch mattress. The Tencal quilted cover sits on top of a layer of gel memory foam, followed by a layer of adaptive memory foam for support. The base of this mattress is a high-density polyfoam foundation. All foams used are CertiPUR-US certified.
The Nectar Lush is a 12-inch mattress which is designed to be a little softer and more responsive than the Original. The Lush has a cooling cover followed by a memory foam layer with an AquaCool panel. Essentially, AquaCool targets heat where the body lies heaviest on the mattress. Underneath this layer is an Energex memory foam layer for a little added responsiveness and these foam layers all rest on top of a high-density polyfoam base.
Purple construction and materials used
The top layer of the Purple mattress is two inches of Purple’s proprietary material called hyper-elastic polymer. This Purple Grid gives the mattress its unique feel and the grid layout promotes breathability throughout the mattress layers. On top of this is a SoftFlex cover, which promotes this ventilation throughout the mattress.
Under the Purple Grid is a layer of polyfoam and these layers rest on top of a high-density polyfoam base.
To foam or not to foam?
If you find yourself leaning towards a memory foam mattress, Nectar has two distinct beds on offer between the Nectar Original and Nectar Lush. Most notably, the difference between the two is that the Lush is a little softer for side sleepers and doesn’t have quite the same enveloping memory foam quality as the Nectar Original.
If you have found your interest piqued by Purple but were hoping for a hybrid, Purple makes the Purple Hybrid and Purple Hybrid Premier. This is a good option for anyone who is in a heavier weight bracket. In general, these hybrid mattress options are between a medium and medium-firm and are stellar performers when it comes to pressure relief, which is something to keep in mind if you are considering going the hybrid route.
Mattress delivery
Purple Mattress: Purple ships to the United States and Canada, with free shipping within the contiguous United States. They also have a white-glove delivery service as an optional extra and this comes in at a fee. The Purple Mattress is rolled, vacuum packed in plastic, and will arrive at your home in a Purple bag.
The mattress usually leaves their warehouse between three and five business days from the date you place your order and shipping can take a further three to five business days depending on a few factors like your address and delivery method. White-glove delivery can take a little longer.
Nectar Mattresses: Nectar ships throughout the U.S. with free shipping within the contiguous United States. They also offer white-glove delivery for a fee. Beds usually ship one to two business days after your order is received and should arrive at your house three to five business days thereafter.
The Nectar and Nectar Lush are bed-in-a-bag and bed-in-a-box mattresses – essentially vacuum packed in plastic and rolled. As with the Purple, simply remove the packaging and allow a little time for the mattress to fully inflate. No matter which mattress you choose, unboxing a bed-in-a-box mattress is always better with a friend.
- Lifetime Warranty
- 365 night trial
- Free Shipping
- Free returns
- Finance Available
Nectar vs Purple: performance comparison review
Firmness
MATTRESS FIRMNESS SCALE
| Soft | Medium Soft | Medium | Medium Firm | Firm | |
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Nectar Original |
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Nectar Lush |
- |
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Purple |
- |
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- |
The Nectar Mattress – The original Nectar Mattress is between a medium and medium firm. If you are average-sized or petite in stature, most people across all sleeping positions shouldn’t have any troubles with the firmness feel of this mattress. If you are particularly petite and need pressure relief for when you sleep on your side, it might be a little too firm for your liking.
The Nectar Lush Mattress – The Nectar Lush is more targeted at side sleepers, with more of a medium to medium-minus feel. This softer option will also work for small and medium-sized people across all sleeping positions, giving you a good combination of support and pressure relief.
The Purple – The Purple comes in the middle at a medium firmness. The foam layers, combined with the hyper-elastic polymer in a collapsible grid layout, Purple has achieved a great balance between pressure relief and comfort and support.
Which mattress is more suitable for couples and sex?
As with all elements of mattresses, requirements for sex is a question of personal preference. In general, however, most couples tend to prefer a mattress with a bit of bounce and responsiveness.
The Nectar Mattress is not responsive. This is a classic memory foam, which sinks in on contact. While some people find this provides a bit of traction, most find it difficult to change between positions. The Nectar Lush is slightly more responsive, but not much when it comes to performance in the sex department.
The Purple Mattress, on the other hand, has oodles of bounce and responsiveness. The mattress surface snaps right back into place as you shift your weight and you get real ease of movement on this bed.
Motion isolation and noise
Nectar – The performance of both the Nectar Mattress and the Nectar Lush is about the same when it comes to motion isolation and noise. These all-foam beds are great for deadening motion across the surface of the bed – a fantastic quality if you are a light sleeper. They are also almost completely silent.
Purple – The motion isolation you can expect from the Purple Mattress is about on par with most memory foam mattresses. It does well to absorb motion across the surface of the bed and, while it doesn’t deaden it entirely, you would have to be very sensitive for your sleep to be disturbed from movement. We didn’t pick up on any sound from the mattress on movement either.
Body types and pressure relief
The Nectar Mattress – It’s always important to remember that your weight will affect the feel of a mattress. While the Nectar will be a comfortable choice for most small and average-sized people across all sleeping positions, it is going to feel a little firmer for petite people. If you are a petite side sleeper, the Nectar may not provide quite the level of pressure relief you need. That said, many people enjoy the pressure relieving feel of memory foam and the firmness level of this mattress means back and stomach sleepers get concurrent support in these positions too.
The Nectar Lush Mattress – Similarly, the Nectar Lush is made for petite and average-sized people and all sleeping positions. If you are a side sleeper and you are interested in Nectar, this is probably going to be the better option for you. While most people will be very comfortable on their stomachs and backs on the Nectar Lush, the softness of this bed is something back and stomach sleepers should think about in making their choice. A slightly firmer option might be a better fit for you when it comes to support and spinal alignment.
The Purple – The Purple is targeted at the same types of sleepers – small to medium-sized people in all sleeping positions. Again, I should probably mention that back and stomach sleepers looking for support might prefer a firmer mattress. However, we believe most people will be comfortable on the Purple Mattress, which is a formidable mattress when it comes to pressure relief. It also strikes an impressive balance in providing support.
Edge support
The edge support on all three mattresses is not the greatest. That said, this won’t really be a deal-breaker for most people. The Nectar performs as one would expect along the edges of a memory foam bed. The Purple has additional edge panels to assist with the roll-off feeling but, even with this in mind, the Nectar might work a little better if you are sharing a smaller model mattress.
Temperature regulation
Temperature regulation is one of the key differences between these mattresses. While Nectar doesn’t sleep hot per se, it’s probably the warmer of the two if we had to rank them. Certain external factors will play a role here. For instance, the heavier you are, the more of your skin comes in contact with the material of the mattress – which is warmer. Most people will find Nectar mattresses temperature neutral.
A couple of things go into cooling the Purple mattress. The grid layout of the hyper-elastic polymer promotes movement of air around the mattress a lot more effectively than memory foam. It also doesn’t retain heat. The cover promotes ventilation around the mattress too. With this in mind, it is also about temperature neutral, but definitely the best choice between the two brands if you’re worried about sleeping temperature.
MATTRESS TEMPERATURE SCALE
| Cool | Medium Cool | Medium | Medium Warm | Warm | |
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Nectar Original |
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Nectar Lush |
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Purple |
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Durability and longevity
In comparison with other memory foam mattresses within their price range, Nectar mattresses offer a very high-quality construction. Purple also works to a high standard of quality and hyper-elastic polymer has properties which speak to high levels of longevity. What this means is that you can expect your mattress from either company to last in the region of the average foam mattress – around seven years.
We decided to check around online to gauge customer experiences around durability of both brands. We came across a few customer complaints related to sagging from both brands. This didn’t seem to be particularly commonplace, but it is worth having in the back of your mind. As we have mentioned before on our site, as much as the materials of the mattress are important here, so too are external factors like weight and care and these elements will come together in determining the lifespan of your mattress.
Bed base
The Nectar mattresses do not need any particular bed frame. They also have a range of their own frames and foundations for sale on their website – including adjustable and metal frames, as well as frames and headboards.
Purple also sells a range of bed frames on their website. They especially recommend their platform bed base for support with their mattresses. However, their mattresses also work with all types of foundations so, with both Nectar and Purple, you shouldn’t have any hassles using your existing foundation with your new mattress.
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Box Spring
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Solid Platform
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Adjustable
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Slats
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Divan
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Metal Grid
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Nectar vs Purple: Price and size comparison
One of the most remarkable things about the Nectar Mattress is the price. The Nectar is an extremely affordable memory foam mattress. The Nectar Lush, however, is a little pricier but is also a little more accommodating – especially if you are a side sleeper. With Purple, we would say you get a lot of value for your dollars – and the price is very affordable for the innovation that makes these mattresses something special.
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TWIN
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39″ × 75″
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$898
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TWIN XL
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39″ × 80″
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$968
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FULL
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54″ × 75″
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$1,098
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QUEEN
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60″ × 80″
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$1,198
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KING
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76″ × 80″
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$1,398
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CAL KING
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72″ × 84″
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$1,398
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TWIN
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39″ × 75″
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$1,099
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TWIN XL
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39″ × 80″
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$1,149
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FULL
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54″ × 75″
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$1,349
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QUEEN
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60″ × 80″
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$1,499
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KING
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76″ × 80″
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$1,799
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CAL KING
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72″ × 84″
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$1,799
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TWIN
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38″ × 75″
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$649
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TWIN XL
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38″ × 80″
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$749
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FULL
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54″ × 76″
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$949
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QUEEN
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60″ × 80″
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$1,099
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KING
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76″ × 80″
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$1,399
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CAL KING
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72″ × 84″
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$1,399
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SPLIT KING
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76″ × 80″
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$1,498
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Final verdict: Which mattress do we recommend?
If you have narrowed down your bed buying choices to Nectar and Purple, you are looking at two extremely popular brands. The good news is that they differ enough to make it an easy choice for most people.
- Are you willing to take a gamble on your best night’s sleep? If you are happy to give something different a chance, Purple has a very unique feeling and is rather bespoke relative to other mattress brands on the market. You’re either going to love it and think it’s the best thing ever – or you’re going to hate it.
- If not, do you want to stick with the tried and tested? If you want to mitigate the chance of any nasty surprises around the feel of the mattress, Nectar makes all-foam beds with that good old memory foam feeling.
- How important is pressure relief? While all three mattresses in this review are very well-suited to side sleepers, the pressure relief on offer differs a bit between the three. While the Nectar Lush is the softer option for side sleepers, Purple also provides exceptional pressure relief.
- Are you worried about sleep temperature? The Purple is the cooler of the two brands.
- Is it all about the bounce? If you are put off by the thought of the sinking, slow-response quality of memory foam, the Purple Mattress is significantly more bouncy and responsive.
FAQ
These mattresses are so different that it’s almost impossible to say whether one is better than the other. Quite simply, Nectar is a traditional all-foam bed. Purple combines foam with some new sleep technology for a completely new feel.
Yes. The Nectar Mattress is one of the most affordable all-foam mattresses on the market. For the price you pay for this mattress, you are getting a good quality product.
While some consumers online reported that their Purple mattresses had sagged, this is definitely not the norm for most people. As with memory foam, your size and mattress care will play a role in how your mattress ages.
If you weigh in the heavy category, we always recommend hybrid or coil construction for support, comfort, and added durability.
- 10 years warranty
- 100 nights trial
- Free shipping
- Free returns
- Made in USA