My Simba Hybrid Essential Mattress review puts the brand's most affordable mattress through its paces to see how it performs compared to the best mattresses on the market.
In a nutshell
The Simba Hybrid Essential is the brand's most affordable mattress. That said, compared to the under £500 mattresses I've been testing recently, it isn't cheap. This entry-level sleep surface costs £599 for a double and £699 for a king.
However, having slept on budget mattresses from Emma, IKEA, Dreams, Origins and more in the past few months, I do think this mattress is worth the extra investment. It offers brilliant motion isolation – my husband couldn't praise its lack of bounce enough after a few months testing mattresses where we both felt each other's every move – as well as good cushioning for joints, and a medium-firm tension that offered great support for spine alignment when I slept on my side and back.
The Hybrid Essential delivered good temperature regulation too; both myself, and my youngest child who is prone to overheating, got a cooler and more well-rested sleep on this mattress.
Simba's delivery process and customer service were also very good. However, on the downside, the edge support of the Hybrid Essential was poor, I missed having side handles to rotate the mattress, and I really noticed the smell of the mattress ‘off-gassing’ for about a week.
Ultimately, it all comes down to budget I think. The slightly more expensive Simba Hybrid Original has improved edge support and comes with side handles, but if you're looking to save money, I still found the Hybrid Essential offered a great sleep.
Simba Hybrid Essential Mattress review
Specifications
- Type: hybrid
- Construction materials: memory foam, micro springs
- Sizes: single, small double, double, king
- Tensions available: medium-firm
- Height: 20cm
- Side handles: no
- Flip or rotate: rotate
- Manufacturer sleep trial: 200 night
1. Comfort
If I’m honest my first impressions of this mattress weren’t great. Once unboxed and on the bed, its 20cm depth looked noticeably thinner than other budget mattresses I'd just tested, including the Emma Hybrid Original mattress (which is 22cm tall) and the IKEA VALEVÅG pocket sprung mattress (which is 24cm high).
However, when I lay on the Simba Hybrid Essential I had a very pleasant surprise! I normally prefer a medium-firm mattress (more firm than medium to be honest) and the Essential certainly delivered in that department.
My sleeping preference is usually on my side or back, and the Simba Hybrid Essential Mattress was perfect for both positions. It's a hybrid mattress with a top layer of memory foam and a layer of micro springs, and in practice, I found it felt firm and supportive to sleep on, whilst the foam top layer felt luxurious and offered good cushioning around my shoulders and hips.
I often go to bed with tension and aching in my shoulders and neck, but when sleeping on this mattress, nothing ached in the morning! My husband, who is predominantly a back sleeper, also liked it instantly and found it supportive and comfortable.
2. Motion isolation
Memory foam is known for its ability to dampen movement, and the combination of this and the micro springs means that this mattress doesn’t disappoint in the motion isolation department.
After testing a couple of mattresses that were too bouncy for his liking, my husband was particularly impressed by the Essential's good motion isolation and its ‘no bounce’ surface.
After the first week of sleeping on it, I also really enjoyed how grounded and calm it made me feel. I couldn’t feel the reverberations of my husband's movement and I slept really well on it.
On the occasions my husband came to bed later than me, I wasn’t woken up by the movement of him getting into bed like I sometimes have been when sleeping on other mattresses, and my two boys – who are 12 and 8, and usually refuse to share a bed because the youngest moves so much and disturbs the other – both slept soundly when sharing it.
3. Responsiveness
Although I found the top foam layer of this mattress provided ample cushioning for my joints, it’s not overly soft and sinky like some memory foam mattresses.
For this reason I found it didn’t mould too much around my body and make it hard to change position. When I push my hand into the mattress it’s quite hard to push it in too deep. It's responsive and springs back really quickly as you can see in the video.
For this reason it makes a good choice for active sleepers who change position in the night, and would be good for anyone with mobility issues who may find it harder to change position in bed.
4. Temperature regulation
Unlike traditional memory foam – which is notorious for causing overheating and best avoided if you're a hot sleeper – Simba's mattresses use specially engineered Simbatex® foam.
This has foam has a more open structure to allow for better airflow, and it's infused with graphite, which is designed to draw body heat towards it and away from the sleeper to prevent overheating.
When I read some of the customer reviews of this mattress a number of them referred to its ability to help regulate temperature, so I was intrigued to see if I noticed any difference. And I did!
Because I’m often cold at night when I go to bed, I wear thick PJs, and then reliably wake up in the night or morning, sweating. Only on this mattress I didn’t. My youngest son, who always wakes up very sweaty when sleeping on his usual mattress, didn’t when he slept on Hybrid Essential either. All in all that improved temperature regulation meant a much more restful sleep for both of us.
5. Edge support
As with most of the more budget-friendly mattresses I've tested, the Hybrid Essential's edge support is lacking.
When I sat on the edge of the mattress, my bottom sank straight to the bottom of the bed frame. This not only makes it uncomfortable to sit on in the morning, but also makes it harder to push up to standing, something that could cause a problem for anyone with mobility issues.
However, when lying on the mattress and rolling towards the edge, the mattress didn’t dip too much or give the sensation that I was going to roll out of bed. But then I am nine and a half stone or thereabouts; a heavier sleeper may encounter more issues.
6. Sleep trial
It can take a while to get used to a new mattress and assess whether it's the right fit for you, so Simba's 200 night sleep is a great selling point.
If you decide the Hybrid Essential isn't quite right, Simba will arrange a free collection and ensure your mattress is either recycled or donated.
While there’s no minimum time you have to keep it, Simba recommends giving your mattress at least 30 nights to settle in because they say that ‘every new mattress can take a little getting used to’.
7. Ease of care
This mattress can't be flipped due to its foam top layer, but Simba recommends rotating it 180 degrees once a month for the first three months, and then every three months after that.
However, although this mattress is lighter than some (it weighs 22.5kg in the double size), the lack of side handles makes this tricky to do on your own. Presumably, this is a feature Simba has removed to keep the price point of the Essential lower, but I missed them for ease of maneuverability.
On the plus side, the Essential does come with a removable cover. This is straightforward to unzip and can be machine-washed and line-dried. When I washed it, I did so cold just to be on the safe side, and then left it to dry on an airer and it went back on easily and didn’t shrink.
Of course, you can add one of the best mattress protectors to any mattress, but I still think having a removable washing cover is a nice feature.
8. Delivery
Delivery of this mattress was fast and efficient, with great communication. I received an initial email to confirm my order, and then an email to let me know the delivery company was expecting my parcel. There was then an email on the day that my Simba mattress was going to be delivered with a specific one-hour time slot.
I found this really useful as it meant that I didn’t have to wait in for the whole day or afternoon. I also received a text message on the morning telling me my time slot too, and giving me options if I wasn’t going to be in.
Mattress delivery was to my room of choice, and as this is a mattress-in-a-box the delivery team had no trouble negotiating my narrow staircase.
Unboxing was also easy enough; I just had to cut through the plastic casing and the mattress sprang open and gradually inflated.
According to Simba, the mattress is ready to sleep on just six hours after unboxing. Although the brand does say it can take up to 72 hours to fully rise to perfection.
I did notice an off-gassing odour when I walked past the bedroom door for the first couple of days, but after three or four days, the smell had gone. My children both commented on it too, so it’s worth considering if you are sensitive to smells.
Simba will also collect your old mattress, no matter what brand or size, when delivering your new one. The standard mattress removal service costs £50, you just need to select the ‘Standard Delivery With Old Bed/Mattress Removal & Recycling’ option at the checkout. However, you do need to manhandle your old mattress into a special packing bag that Simba sends out pre-delivery.
Alternatively, the brand also offers a premium delivery option (£100), where the crew will remove all packaging and install your new mattress on your bed of choice. They will also bring the mattress removal bag with them and do the heavy lifting and bagging for you.
9. Third-party reviews
As of writing, the Simba Hybrid Essential has received 1592 reviews on the Simba website with an overall star rating of 4.8 out of 5. Most of the reviews are hugely positive, with customers praising the mattress for its ability to offer comfort and support, and also for its temperature regulation. They were so good in fact that it took me pages of scrolling to find a negative one!
One side-sleeping customer summed up a lot of reviewers thoughts in saying, 'Very pleased with the budget friendly hybrid mattress we ordered. It has been really comfortable, the right level of support with no back problems since purchasing. Its been a good remedy. We believe we made the right decision.'
Another 5-star review praised the temperature regulation; 'This mattress has really helped me to sort out my sleep routine... The mattress is really comfortable, supportive but not too firm and most of all, it doesn't get too hot!'.
Simba's overall review ratings are high too, with the brand currently scoring 4.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
10. Value for money
As of writing, the Simba Hybrid Essential mattress costs £599 for a double and £699 for a king-size mattress.
That makes it one of the more expensive entry-level mattresses I've tested. For comparison, Emma's most affordable mattress, the Emma Hybrid Original mattress is currently £418 for a double and £468 for a king-size mattress, so that's a nearly £200 difference.
For me, the Simba Hybrid Essential mattress wins out over any other budget mattress I've tested, though. Despite its poor edge support and its annoying lack of handles, it scored well in every other aspect, from its mix of firm support and comfortable cushioning to its excellent motion isolation and good temperature regulation. I was also impressed by Simba's delivery and customer service options.
All in all, I think whether it's the right choice for you comes down to your budget. If you need a mattress that's under £500, I would point you in the direction of the Emma Hybrid Original mattress, or the even cheaper Origin Hybrid mattress, or the IKEA VALEVÅG pocket sprung mattress if you're looking for an option that isn't memory foam.
However, if your budget can stretch a little further, I think the Simba Hybrid Essential is a better mattress overall. And if you can stretch a little further still, it's big brother the Simba Hybrid Original mattress solves those niggles with edge support and ease of care to deliver a great value mattress for £799 for a double and £899 for a king-size.
How I tested
My sleep stats:
Sleep position: back or side
Tension preference: firm
Sleep problems: lower back pain and/or neck pain and occasional overheating
Height & weight: 5"5 and 9.5 stones
In putting the Simba Hybrid Essential Mattress through Ideal Home's mattress testing process I assessed ten factors that we deem vital to any mattress purchase.
I tested the mattress for comfort, motion isolation, responsiveness, temperature regulation, and edge support. This means that myself (and my husband) slept on the mattress for a minimum of two weeks before I wrote my review.
I also took into consideration ease of care, any sleep trials available, the delivery process, its value for money, and, where possible, researched third-party customer reviews – to see if they aligned or were at odds with my own experience – before writing my own review and giving this mattress a star rating.
