Nod By Tuft & Needle Review
Tuft and Needle is known for its affordable bed-in-a-box mattresses options, and one mattress stands above the rest. The Nod Mattress is their ultimate budget offering. This 2-layered bed has a simplistic charm that appeals to sleepers who aren’t looking for the most durable or feature-rich mattress, but a wallet-friendly option that’ll be comfortable and get the job done. Sporting the flagship mattress’ signature neutral feel, Nod by Tuft & Needle offers a great value for people like college students, young professionals, or penny pinchers looking to save the max amount of money they can. Continue along to learn all about this bed and if we think it’s right for you!
The Tuft And Needle Nod Mattress is a fairly simple bed to understand, but we get that you might have particular questions and interests.
We realize not everybody likes to read about mattresses, so to cater to that crowd, here is a quick summary video about Nod by Tuft and Needle.
However, it’s important to note that we could only fit so much detail into one video. Keep reading to learn more about the budget Nod mattress-in-a-box.
Tuft & Needle Nod Design And Construction
Nod by Tuft and Needle has a very basic construction, similar to the flagship Tuft and Needle bed. The mattress is comprised of two layers of foam and totals 8″ thick.
- Base layer – For the bottom, the bed uses a 5.5″ layer of dense polyurethane foam as the primary support framework for the mattress
- Comfort layer – On top is a 2.5″ layer of soft yet responsive polyurethane foam, and according to the company, this top layer is essentially the same as the Tuft & Needle Mattress Topper sold on Amazon
All in all, these two layers give the bed a soft, comfortable foam feel.
Mattress Cover
Wrapping the mattress is a standard polyester cover that is removable. However, as with most bed-in-a-box covers, it’s recommended you do not machine wash it. Instead, if you have an accident or you spill a beverage on the cover, you should spot clean the dirty area with some mild detergent and water. If you really want to safeguard against stains, you may want to look into buying a mattress protector. There are plenty of cheap mattress protectors available on Amazon.
Tuft & Needle Nod Firmness And Feel
Like the Original Tuft & Needle, the Nod mattress has a soft, neutral-foam feel. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term “neutral” in reference to beds, it basically just means the mattress has a typical foam feel, and the top layer doesn’t quite contour or conform to your body’s shape the way memory foam does (i.e., it has more neutral characteristics).
Overall, the bed is very soft and comfortable. The Slumber Yard testing team found the mattress to be very accommodating. And honestly, that’s the case with most beds that have a soft, neutral-foam feel. It just seems like that type of feel pleases a wide variety of people. In other words, a soft, neutral-foam feel is just a little less alienating than a memory foam feel.
Bottom line, if you like the feel of soft foam, you won’t have any issues with this mattress.
SEE ALSO: Best Memory Foam Mattresses
The other nice thing about this bed is that the top layer is fairly responsive. As you can see below, the top layer pops back to place quickly after pressure is released off the surface.
Nod By Tuft And Needle Responsiveness
Ultimately, this quick responsiveness means you won’t ever feel like you’re stuck in the mattress at all. Sometimes with beds that contain a lot of memory foam, sleepers will start to feel like they’re “stuck-in-the-mud” in certain positions. Luckily, that doesn’t happen with the Nod mattress. Active and combination sleepers will find it very easy to switch between positions.
In terms of firmness, we think the Nod mattress lands near the center of the fairway (i.e., about a medium on the soft-to-firm scale). All in all, the mattress possesses a nice balance between support and comfort.
Keep in mind the firmness designation above is in reference to average-sized individuals. Heavy people will likely find the mattress lands closer to a medium-soft, while a more petite-sized person will likely think it lands closer to a medium-firm.
Is Nod By Tuft And Needle A Good Mattress For Couples?
Last up here, let’s discuss some of the factors that are particularly important for couples. Namely, we’re referring to motion isolation and edge support. In short, the Nod mattress gets passing grades in both of these departments. Let’s discuss each one individually.
Motion Isolation
First, the Nod mattress did an exceptional job of deadening movement in our tests. As you can see below, the water in the glass stays fairly steady and does not slosh around all the much.
This is a positive sign for couples in which one or both partners tend to switch positions or frequently get up off the bed. A mattress like the Nod that limits cross-mattress motion well means each partner is less likely to feel the other partner’s movements throughout the night.
Edge Support
Next, Tuft and Needle Nod provides fairly decent edge support, which is actually a bit of a surprise given its thin body. Typically, extra firm and thick beds provide better edge support, but the Nod actually holds its own here. It’s not the best mattress we’ve ever tested in this department, but it’s definitely solid enough around the perimeter to where it won’t be an issue for most couples.
Edge support comes into play for couples who like to spread out or who share a smaller-sized mattress like a full or queen. A bed that is strong around the perimeter means there is more useful surface space for both partners to spread out and have their own area.
Temperature Regulation
We wouldn’t say the Nod mattress sleeps hot, but we wouldn’t say it sleeps cool either. Instead, we’d rate the bed as temperature neutral. The bed doesn’t use any special cooling textiles or materials, but with that said, the firmness level of the mattress and the neutral characteristics of the top layer should keep you from warming up (i.e., you won’t sink too far into the mattress and the top layer won’t wrap or hug your body as you sleep).
At the end of the day, we just feel like external factors will play more of a role in determining your sleeping temperature rather than the mattress itself. Specifically, we’re referring to factors like where you live (Alaska vs. Florida), how much you’re willing to crank up (or down) your thermostat, and what you wear to bed (flannel pajamas vs. mesh basketball shorts).
Sleeper Type Analysis
Body Type Analysis
Tuft & Needle Nod Pricing
| SIZE | PRICE | AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Twin | $269 | $879 |
| Twin XL | $295 | $1,208 |
| Full | $348 | $1,235 |
| Queen | $395 | $1,436 |
| Cal King | $495 | $1,921 |
| King | $510 | $1,829 |
Tuft & Needle is known throughout the industry as a budget mattress brand, so it shouldn’t come as a huge shock that the Nod by Tuft & Needle bed-in-a-box has a very approachable price point. In fact, it’s one of the cheapest mattresses you can buy online.
Nod By Tuft & Needle Review Verdict
The construction and price of the Nod mattress tell you everything you need to know. It’s certainly not designed to compete with premium bed-in-a-box mattresses that offer all sorts of bells and whistles.
At the end of the day, Tuft & Needle designed this mattress with the budget shopper in mind. They wanted to make the Nod an affordable bed that would accommodate a wide variety of people and sleeper types. And by all accounts, Tuft & Needle executed that strategy to a tee. All in all, we see this bed being a great option for college students, young professionals on a tight budget, and homeowners who want to furnish their guest rooms with a comfortable mattress but not break the bank.
Other Tuft & Needle Products
- Original Tuft & Needle Mattress
- Tuft & Needle Hybrid Mattress
- Tuft & Needle Mint Mattress
- Tuft & Needle Pillow
- Tuft & Needle Sheets
- Tuft & Needle Mattress Topper
- Tuft & Needle Bed Frame
Tuft & Needle Nod Hybrid Mattress Review
Interestingly enough, Tuft & Needle recently released a Nod Hybrid mattress, which is also an Amazon-exclusive. Think of the hybrid mattress as, well, exactly what it is: the standard Nod mattress with support coils. It looks exactly the same, only it is 10″ thick versus 8″ thick. Here’s a look inside the Nod Hybrid mattress.
The Nod Hybrid will serve as a better option for heavier individuals and people that are concerned about the long-term durability of their mattress. That said, it will cost you about $150-$300 more than the standard Nod mattress. As an example, last we checked, the queen size Nod Hybrid was between $600 and $700 on Amazon, while the regular model was closer to $400 for the same size bed.
Is the Nod Hybrid better than the original Nod? That’s really a question only you can answer. For a person that weighs 210 lbs, we’d sure rather you check out Nod Hybrid. But if you’re getting a mattress for your RV or guest room, the standard bed should serve you just fine. We do, however, appreciate that Tuft & Needle launched a budget-tier hybrid mattress. We think it’s an excellent value.
Tuft & Needle Nod Vs. Original Mattress
A common question among consumers is how the Nod mattress differs from the Original Tuft & Needle mattress. Really, there are only two main differences between the beds.
- Price – The Nod mattress is much more affordable than the Original T&N bed. For example, the queen size Nod mattress is about $200 less than the Original T&N queen size mattress.
- Construction – As we referenced above, the Nod mattress is comprised of just two polyurethane foam layers. The Original Tuft & Needle mattress is comprised of two foam layers as well, however, it differs slightly. First, the bed overall is 2″ thicker than the Nod mattress. Secondly, the Original Tuft & Needle mattress uses the company’s proprietary T&N Adaptive Foam for its top comfort layer.
Here’s a short video that goes into more detail about the differences between the Nod and the Original Tuft & Needle mattresses.
Other than the differences discussed above, both beds are very similar in terms of feel, firmness, sleeper type and motion isolation.
Tuft & Needle Company Policies
The Nod mattress is an Amazon exclusive product, meaning it is not sold on Tuft & Needle’s website. However, the mattress still comes with the normal Tuft & Needle policies in regards to returns, trial period, and warranty. Let’s discuss these policies in more detail so you can gain a better understanding of how this whole bed-in-a-box concept works.
- Free shipping and returns
- 100-night risk-free trial
- 10-year limited warranty
If, for any reason during the trial period, you’re unsatisfied with the bed, though, you can get your money back. All you have to do is contact Amazon’s Special Handling Team and initiate a return. They’ll either schedule a time for your mattress to be picked up and donated, or they’ll simply just credit your account for the original purchase price. We’ve returned a mattress via Amazon before and found the process to be very easy.
The Slumber Yard team purchased this mattress on Amazon.
The Nod mattress will work with most slatted frames, adjustable frames and box springs. Just make sure there is little to no flex in whatever foundation you use.
The Nod mattress ranges in weight from 54 pounds for a twin size to 93 pounds for a king size. The Nod hybrid mattress will weigh more.
The Nod bed-in-a-box is CertiPUR-US and GREENGUARD certified. Ultimately, this means the foams used in the mattress are free from any harmful chemicals or toxins.
The Nod mattress is made in the USA with materials that are sourced both domestically and abroad.
It’s available as an all-foam mattress and innerspring mattress.
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