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Just about every mattress company claims to have reinvented the wheel when it comes to a good night’s sleep. They all declare that the perfect mattress doesn’t exist — until now. UK-based, Canadian-manufactured mattress brand Simba is no different, so we decided to put their best-selling Simba 2500 to the test.
My partner and I have slept on the Simba 2500 mattress for over a year now and have no plans of switching up our mattress (aside from the occasional testing for work). I am very much a side sleeper and love comfy, plush, sink-in deep mattresses. My partner is a front and back sleeper and prefers things on the firmer side to support his lower back. We both sleep warm and keep the window in our bedroom open year-long (yes, even during cold Canadian winters). Our perfect mattress is both comfy and plush, yet supportive and breathable.
So is the Simba 2500 our perfect mattress? Probably not perfect, but we can agree it’s one of the best mattresses we’ve slept on (barring 5-star hotels) and it meets both of our needs.
The Simba 2500 is the company’s best-seller, likely because it’s mid-range in terms of firmness and price point. It combines five layers of what they call “sophisticated and data-driven design, incorporating state-of-the-art technology” and using body-profiling data from over 10m people. It’s designed to adjust to all body types and promote airflow to help sleepers stay cool during the night.
The 2500 is a hybrid mattress, combining both springs and foam and sits 12” deep.
Simba explains their five-layer technology:
My experience overall has been great. The mattress arrived when it was supposed to — it took about two weeks. It was delivered to my door in a large rectangular box, 107cm x 50cm x 50cm. The box was fairly heavy, but with two people we were able to move it up the stairs almost curse-free.
We opened the box, slid out the rolled-up mattress (definitely easier with two people, otherwise I suggest cutting the box) and unrolled it onto our bed frame. We carefully cut away the plastic and watched the mattress rise immediately. The company suggests a minimum rise time of three to six hours, but it takes up to 72 hours to completely expand. We slept on it that night, about five hours after unboxing.
How it feels: It’s very comfortable. For someone who craves a soft mattress, I’m very happy with how cushy and inviting this mattress is. I was worried my partner would find it too soft — at first he did — but after about a month of testing, he came to love the layers, which provide soft comfort on top, but solid structure and support down below.
My favourite features: I don’t feel my partner move around at night. This is a game-changer for a lot of people I know. There is nothing worse than getting woken up by someone tossing and turning beside you, before a big day. The hybrid design ensures minimal motion transfer, even when your partner is much bigger than you.
My least favourite feature: I really wanted to feel cooler at night. The company claims their Simbatex layer contains “cooling balms” and a breathable sleep surface that helps ventilate and cool the mattress throughout the night. I don’t feel any warmer or cooler than when using previous mattresses. We still need the window open and we still use a fan or air conditioner over the hot summer months. If you sleep hot, I highly suggest a set of linen sheets. Check out our complete list of favourites here.
The Simba duvet: The duvet is great. Much cooler than the feather duvet from IKEA I was using previously but just as soft. The duvet combines active temperature regulation control with a polyester fibre fill that is “embedded with semi-conducting minerals that draw heat away from the body” to help you stay cool. A great duvet for Canadian winter, fall and spring, but will likely get tossed off the end of the bed during the summer. It’s machine washable at 40°C and you can throw it in the tumble dryer afterwards with no issues. The queen retails for $299. See more of our favourite duvets here.
The Simba pillow: Not my favourite. The pillow also offers temperature regulation and uses “breathable and lightweight nanocubes” as a fill. The nanocubes are essentially little bits of foam, and I found them to be too firm. Surprise, surprise — my partner loves the pillow. Simba provides a little bag to remove foam if the pillow feels too big or too firm, but after filling my bag and half of my partners, it’s still too firm for me. It does leave me feeling quite cool, so it’s a shame that I can’t cope with the firmness. My partner, however, left his pillow fully plumped with nanocubes and loves it. The pillow retails for $199. Check out our favourite pillows here.
Recommendation: I recommend the Simba 2500 to anyone looking for a soft, comfortable mattress that still provides great support. It’s comfortable for side, back and front sleepers and offers minimal movement transfer. It has a low-risk, 100-day trial period and sits in the middle in terms of price point — of both Simba’s product line and mattress-in-a-box brands in general.
If you’re looking for something cheaper, softer, firmer or just curious to learn more about other mattresses on the market, check out our mattress round-up here.
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