The Nectar and the Puffy Lux are two high-quality all-foam mattress options which you should consider if you’re looking for the best memory foam mattress in 2020. Both are designed to provide a good level of support and pressure relief to sleepers, and there are key similarities between the two brands. This is why many people want to know whether they should go for the Nectar or the Puffy Lux when shopping for their next mattress.
Despite their similarities, there are also some important differences between the Nectar and the Puffy Lux that you should be aware of. Understanding what sets each mattress apart should help you settle the Nectar vs. Puffy Lux quandary. In this article, we’ll explain how to choose between these two great options to make sure you get an affordable memory foam mattress that perfectly suits your body and needs.
How are the Mattresses Constructed?
Understanding the key differences in the Nectar vs. Puffy Lux construction is an important part of figuring out which one you should buy. So, let’s take a detailed look at the materials and layers used to make each mattress.
Nectar Construction
The Nectar mattress has three layers combined together beneath a soft fabric cover. It incorporates gel memory foam created using a type of sleep technology known as ‘open-cell’. This helps to increase the overall breathability of the foam and stops it retaining too much heat. It also makes the foam more responsive, so the Nectar mattress has a little more bounce than other comparable memory foam beds. This could be a positive if you want good pressure relief and adaptability but aren’t such a fan of the deep sinking sensation that you often experience with memory foam. Let’s take a closer look at the Nectar’s construction:
Dense base layer
The lower layer of the Nectar mattress is 7 inches thick and made of high-density memory and polyfoam. This density of foam is very firm and supportive, so it helps to keep your spine well-aligned and generally makes the bed more stable.
Comfort layers
The Nectar mattress has two comfort layers with a combined thickness of 4 inches. The lower layer is made of memory foam and the upper layer is made of quilted gel memory foam. These layers work together to relieve pressure on your joints and feel soft and comfortable to lie on. The gel also helps to direct heat away from your body during the night, aiding with temperature neutrality.
Tencel cover
The cotton cover on the Nectar mattress is blended with Tencel, a very breathable type of fabric which further adds to the temperature neutrality of a foam mattress.
Puffy Lux Construction
Supportive base
The base of the Puffy Lux mattress is manufactured from 6 inches of high-density polyfoam. This works to stop the mattress from sagging and helps to give a good level of support for your back and joints.
Comfort layers
The Puffy Lux mattress has three comfort layers. The lower layer is made from temperature-resistant polyfoam, which is denser than the middle layer of the Nectar. This provides additional support and helps to keep the mattress temperature neutral. The upper layers are made from low-density gel memory foam. This helps to prevent overheating and conforms easily to the shape of your body, offering pin-point pressure relief for your joints and excellent comfort.
Washable cover
The Puffy Lux’s cover is made from a stain-resistant polyester fabric. The cover is thin, which makes it reasonably breathable. It can also be removed via a zipper and machine washed, which could be a key selling point if you are concerned about keeping your mattress clean and sanitary.
Which Mattress is Firmer?
Understanding mattress firmness is key because it helps determine whether the mattress will be supportive enough based on your body weight, sleeping position and various other factors. Don’t fall into the trap of choosing a very soft mattress in the belief that it will be more comfortable- it is unlikely to provide you with the support you need for a peaceful sleep. Most people find that a medium or medium firm mattress is best for giving a good level of support while still being comfortable enough to sleep well on.
You will often hear mattress firmness described on a scale of 1-10, where 1 is very soft and 10 is hard. A medium mattress will have a rating of 5.
The Nectar mattress is ranked as a 6.5 on the firmness scale, which means it is towards the firmer end of medium. This firmness is very popular with sleepers and is sometimes called ‘universal comfort’ because it meets the sleep needs of most people pretty well. This also means it is firm enough for people with higher body weights to get adequate support. A mattress of this firmness is a sensible option for couples with different body types or sleeping styles as it should feel comfortable for both of you.
The Puffy Lux is softer and falls somewhere between medium soft and medium on the firmness scale. This makes it suitable for people of an average or lighter body weight because it allows your body to sink in comfortably. However, it may not provide enough support for heavier individuals weighing over 250 pounds who may find they sink in too deeply.
Which Mattress is Right for my Sleeping Position?
It’s vital that you take your sleeping position into account when choosing the best mattress for you. Different sleeping positions have different requirements when it comes to support, firmness and pressure relief, and getting this wrong could cause discomfort.
The most common sleeping position is side sleeping, which can cause uncomfortable pressure to develop in the hips and shoulders. So, people who sleep on their side should prioritise pressure relief. Back and front sleeping requires more support, especially front sleeping which places a lot of strain on your back. Many people switch between two or more sleeping positions in the night. This is sometimes referred to as combi sleeping. If this sounds like you, you’ll need to choose a mattress that performs equally well in all positions.
The Nectar mattress is ideal for all sleeping positions because it does a good job of relieving pressure for side sleepers while providing the support needed in other positions. So, it’s the perfect choice for combi-sleepers. If you sleep on your side and have a bodyweight lighter than 130 pounds, you may find that the Nectar feels too firm for you as your body won’t be able to sink in enough to relieve pressure.
The softer Puffy Lux mattress is ideally suited to side sleepers, as the extra softness allows it to conform closely to the shape of the side of your body. Most back and front sleepers should also find it comfortable, although it probably won’t provide enough support if you have a higher body weight.
Which Mattress is Better for Back and Joint Pain?
The right mattress can go some way to relieving back and joint pain, especially if you find your discomfort increases at night. Conversely, the wrong mattress can make your pain worse or even cause new pain to develop. When you’re looking for a mattress for pain relief, two factors are very important: support and pressure relief.
Both the Nectar and the Puffy Lux mattresses perform well in these two areas, so they could both be a good choice if you’re looking for a back pain mattress or a joint pain mattress. However, whether they work for you depends on whether the mattress suits your needs in terms of body weight and sleeping position. For this reason, you should check the previous sections to find out whether the Puffy Lux or the Nectar is best for your particular needs.
Which Mattress Sleeps Cooler?
Many people find that overheating at night interrupts their sleep, and memory foam mattresses are particularly notorious for this problem. This is because the close structure of memory foam acts as a heat trap. Memory foam also allows your body to sink in, which can cause a build-up of heat in the surrounding area of the mattress. Both the Nectar and the Puffy Lux are engineered to try and solve this key issue.
The Nectar mattress incorporates gel in the upper layers of memory foam. Gel helps to pull heat away from you while you slumber. The foams used also have an open-cell structure, which means that they contain spaces to allow air to circulate more freely. Add the cooling Tencel cover into the mix and this key combination helps you to achieve a cool and comfortable sleeping temperature.
The Puffy Lux also uses memory foam infused with gel combined with temperature-resistant polyfoam. This combination works well to stop excess heat building up in the mattress. However, the overall feel could be better described as temperature neutral than cool.
In summary, the Puffy Lux does a great job at preventing excessive heat from building up in the mattress. However, the Nectar mattress probably sleeps cooler. This may be important if you generally sleep hot or have a medical factor that makes overheating an issue, for example if you’re a woman going through the menopause.
Price Comparison
If you’re shopping on a budget, price is bound to be a key factor when you’re looking for a mattress. Although the old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ applies to mattress shopping to a certain extent, more expensive doesn’t automatically mean better. There are plenty of reasonably-priced options available, especially if you buy online, which offer advanced sleep technology and excellent comfort and support at a reasonable price.
The Nectar mattress is a good case in point. If you’re looking for an affordable gel memory foam mattress, it could be a good choice. It usually retails on the Nectar Sleep website for just $799 for a queen size, although they are currently selling it at a discounted price of $699 as part of their January promotion. Nectar Sleep include a free pair of pillows worth $150 as part of this promotion.
The Puffy Lux is the more expensive of the two options, and it normally retails at $1,795 through the Puffy company site. However, at the time of writing, Puffy are also running a January sale. This means that you can get the mattress, plus a free king pillow worth $395, for the reduced price of $1,495.
You may be able to find the mattresses cheaper elsewhere if you shop online, for example if you buy through Amazon. If you miss the January sale, it may be worth waiting for another sales period such as Black Friday if you’re not in a rush to buy, although of course there is no guarantee that Nectar Sleep or Puffy will offer a discount.
Trials and Warranties
Most mattresses come with some kind of sleep trial. You shouldn’t buy a mattress without one, especially if you shop online and haven’t tried the mattress out first. A sleep trial gives you the option to return your mattress if you’re unsatisfied, providing you with an important safety net.
The Nectar mattress comes with the lengthiest sleep trial at a whopping 365 nights. There is no settling-in period attached to the sleep trial, which means that you’re not required to sleep on the mattress for a particular length of time before deciding to send it back. If you paid a delivery charge or white glove delivery fee, Nectar are unable to refund this.
The Puffy sleep trial has similar conditions, although it is shorter at 101 nights long. However, this should be adequate time for most people to decide whether they like it or not. Bear in mind that any fees you paid, for example to have your mattress delivered to Alaska or Hawaii, are non-refundable if you return it.
The Nectar mattress comes with a lifetime warranty, which is very generous considering that the industry standard is just 10 years. This means that you are effectively covered forever against manufacturing defects. For the initial 10-year period after purchase, Nectar will cover the cost of returning, repairing or replacing and shipping your mattress. After this time is up, the customer pays $50 each way for shipping, although this will be refunded if the mattress is found to indeed be substandard. The cover is also included under the warranty. You won’t be able to use the warranty if you damage the mattress accidentally, for example by burning or staining it. Customers also have to use a supportive base for their mattress as stipulated by Nectar Sleep, or the warranty will be invalidated. The Nectar warranty is non-transferrable, which means that it can only be used by the person who originally bought it.
The Puffy Lux mattress also comes with a lifetime warranty which is non-transferrable. It protects you in the event of any damage to the mattress due to an error in manufacture. Puffy will cover the cost of a replacement mattress or repair the current one if possible. This warranty doesn’t cover you for normal wear and tear or accidental damage due to misuse. Puffy stipulate that the warranty will be invalidated if you don’t use a supportive frame or base of the correct size.
Certifications
The Nectar and Puffy Lux mattresses both come with the Certi-Pur certification. This means that they have been through a testing process to make sure that they don’t release harmful chemicals into the air you breathe. For example, they are free from formaldehyde and heavy metals.
The Certi-Pur certification also proves that the foams used in each mattress don’t emit substances harmful to the environment such as VOCs. This makes them a more eco-friendly choice than some other memory foam mattresses on the market.
Shipping Information
If you purchase the Nectar mattress, it will be delivered within 5-7 business days rolled and compressed in compact packaging. This is sometimes referred to as ‘bed-in-a-box’ shipping. The advantage of this is that it reduces shipping costs and makes it easier to get the mattress into your bedroom when it arrives. You’ll have to allow the mattress to decompress fully before use, which can take up to 72 hours in some cases. Shipping is free to the USA unless you are ordering from Hawaii or Alaska, in which case a $250 shipping fee is applicable. Nectar also offer a white glove delivery service to their customers, for which they charge $149, or $299 in Hawaii and Alaska. You can also opt to have your existing mattress removed for an extra $20.
Puffy also offer free delivery to the contiguous USA via FedEx using bed-in-a-box packaging. They also ship to Canada. You can expect to receive your mattress 3-4 business days after ordering.
Where can I Buy the Nectar and Puffy Lux Mattresses?
You can buy either mattress on their company websites. They are also available through other online retailers such as Amazon, and you may want to check to see whether you can get it for a better price if you don’t buy direct. However, be aware that delivery information and policies can vary if you buy elsewhere from those we’ve described in this comparison.
You can also buy a range of bed bases and frames, pillows and bedding items through the Nectar Sleep and Puffy websites. These aren’t cheap, so if you’re on a budget you should check to see whether you can find more affordable options elsewhere.
Which Mattress Should I Choose?
Now you understand the key similarities and differences between the Nectar and the Puffy Lux, it’s crunch time- which should you choose? Hopefully you already have some idea, but to make the decision-making process easier, here’s our expert opinion on which mattress is best for you.
Pick the Nectar If:
- You’re a combi-sleeper
The Nectar mattress is ideal for all sleeping positions, which means that it’s a good choice for people who switch positions during the night. It’s also highly suitable for couples with differing sleeping styles and body types.
- You want to sleep cool
The Nectar mattress is particularly well-designed when it comes to sleeping as cool as possible. The open-cell structure of the gel memory foam is very breathable and stops heat from building up to uncomfortable levels. The Tencel blend cover also helps to keep you cool at night.
- You’re on a budget
The Nectar mattress is significantly cheaper than the Puffy Lux, coming in at an affordable $799 for a queen size. We think this represents excellent value for money given the quality of materials used and the engineering of the finished product.
Pick the Puffy Lux if:
- You’re a side sleeper under 130 pounds
The Puffy Lux is particularly suitable for people who sleep on their sides, especially if they have a lighter bodyweight. This is thanks to The Puffy Lux’s extra softness, which allows the side of your body to sink in even if you don’t weigh much.
- You want extra height
As the Puffy mattress has a higher profile at 12 inches than most other memory foam mattresses, this may be appealing to some people. A higher bed gives the luxurious aesthetic that you would expect from a hotel. It also makes getting in and out of bed easier if you have mobility problems.
- You want a washable cover
Unlike most comparable products, the Puffy Lux’s cover is removable and machine washable. This makes it much easier to keep your mattress clean, fresh and sanitary. If stains are of concern to you, the cover is also made from stain-resistant fabric.
The bottom line
We rate both the Nectar mattress and the Puffy Lux highly when it comes to comfort, support, pressure relief and overall quality. Both are made from gel memory foam, although there are key differences, especially when it comes to price and firmness. Which one you choose depends on how you sleep, your body type and what type of mattress you find comfortable.
