Comparison
Related Video Reviews
Founder of GoodBed, Leading Mattress Expert
Read our take on the Nest Signature Hybrid Mattress.
If you’d prefer to watch rather than read, check out our full Nest Sparrow Hybrid video review above.
Table of Contents
Nobody does more in-depth mattress reviews than GoodBed — which means there's a lot of information here! Use the links in this table of contents to quickly jump to the sections of this review that interest you most.
| Summary | Overview of GoodBed's findings and conclusions about this product |
| Materials & Construction | Mattress Type, Layers, Cover |
| Comfort & Feel Ratings | Softness, Cushioning Depth, Memory Feel, Bounce |
| Back Support + Pressure Relief Ratings | By sleeper weight and sleep position |
| Feature Ratings | Motion Isolation, Temperature, Edge Support, Ease of Repositioning, Natural vs Chemicals, Adjustable Base Compatibility |
| Price, Value & Longevity | Cost, Discounts, Durability, Overall Value |
| Other Factors to Consider | Delivery, Returns, Warranty |
| Bottom Line | Who is the best/worst match for this mattress? |
Summary: Is the Nest Sparrow Signature Hybrid a Good Mattress?
The Sparrow Signature Hybrid is a best-selling mattress from Nest Bedding that combines ultra-high density poly foam over a pocket spring base to create a comfortable and highly customizable sleep surface.
There’s a lot to talk about with the Sparrow Hybrid, but we think the standout feature is the unzippable cover. This allows you to easily unzip and remove the underlying comfort layer to swap this out to a different firmness or replace it with a new layer years down the line. We’ve seen a few other mattresses do something similar (the Nest Starling comes to mind), and we generally think this is a thoughtful feature that can add years of life to a mattress. It also means that consumers are able to fine-tune the comfort of their mattress in their own home by simply swapping out a single layer.
We tested the Nest Sparrow in the “Medium” configuration. This configuration uses a thick layer of ultra-high density poly foam that’s ever so slightly firmer than most comfort layers in modern mattresses. It also uses a pocket spring base that’s slightly firmer than previous iterations. As a result, we found the Nest Sparrow to be about a Medium-Firm on our scale. If you’ve read our previous reviews of the Nest Sparrow (or the Nest Alexander), this means that the current Nest Sparrow is actually slightly firmer and feels more supportive than previous iterations.
In our testing, the Nest Sparrow performed well in all positions. The thick quilt layer and underlying comfort layers are conforming and accommodating without being excessively soft. We found it to be a particularly good match for back and side sleepers. The only people we might caution with this are those looking for a very firm surface for exclusive stomach-sleeping. In those situations, these folks might be better served by the “Firm” configuration of the Nest Sparrow, although lighter stomach sleepers could still do very well here.
We also found that the Nest Sparrow had excellent motion isolation and good adjustable base performance. There’s also a little bit more bounce than we typically see with other hybrid models. The combination of excellent motion isolation and a little bit of bounce is an excellent middle ground, in our opinion, and will help with repositioning. The Sparrow also has “Thermic” Phase-Change material built into the cover to help with heat retention.
In summary, the Sparrow Signature Hybrid is a comfortable and customizable hybrid with a balanced blend of features and a Medium-Firm overall feel. We think it’s worth considering for anyone looking for a hybrid mattress, and particularly those that want comfortable and highly-durable materials without the stuck feeling that’s often felt with memory foam. Additionally, the unzippable cover allows you to fine-tune your immediate comfort and gives you the option to refresh the comfort layer to keep the mattress in optimal condition many years down the line.
Bottom Line: Who is the Best Match for the Nest Sparrow Hybrid?
BEST if you:
- Are either a side, back, or combination sleeper
- Want a mattress with a balanced blend of features
- Prefer a mattress made with high-density foams and durable materials
- Are interested in a customizable mattress with different firmnesses
NOT IDEAL if you:
- Are an exclusive stomach sleeper
- Prefer a lot of memory feel
- Want an all-foam design
Comfort & Feel
These are the "preference-based characteristics" of a mattress. No classification here is better or worse – they are strictly a matter of your personal preference.
| Softness Level (1=Least Soft, 9=Most Soft) |
4 | Medium-Firm |
| Cushioning Depth (1=Shallowest, 9=Deepest) |
6 | Slightly Deep |
| Memory Feel (1=Least, 9=Most) |
4 | Medium-Low |
| Bounce (1=Least, 9=Most) |
6 | Medium-High |
Back Support (by Sleeper Type)
No mattress will provide equally good spinal alignment (a.k.a., back support) for every sleeper. Here's what to expect in terms of spinal alignment on this mattress – by sleeper weight and sleep position.
| Weight | Range | Back Sleepers | Side Sleepers | Stomach Sleepers |
| Lighter | <150 lb | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Average | 150 to 200 lb | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Above Average | 200 to 250 lb | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Heavier | >250 lb | 7 | 8 | 6 |
Pressure Relief (by Sleeper Type)
The pressure relief offered by a mattress – especially important for side sleepers – will vary based on a sleeper's weight and body shape. Here's how we size up the pressure relief capabilities of this mattress.
| Weight | Range | Typical Curves | Extra Curvy |
| Lighter | <150 lb | 7 | 6 |
| Average | 150 to 200 lb | 7 | 6 |
| Above Average | 200 to 250 lb | 7 | 6 |
| Heavier | >250 lb | 6 | 6 |
Other Features
These are the "priority-based characteristics" of a mattress. Ratings here indicate where this mattress has strengths or weaknesses – however the importance of these features will depend entirely on your personal priorities.
| Motion Isolation | 9 | Excellent |
| Stays 'Cool' | 7 | Good |
| Edge Support | 8 | Very Good |
| Ease of Repositioning | 8 | Very Good |
| Green Features | 5 | Ok |
| Adjustable Base Compatibility | 7 | Good |
| Overall Value | 8 | Very Good |
Key Facts
|
Mattress Type Pocket Spring |
Price |
|
Delivery Free Shipping |
Return Policy 365-Night Trial |
|
Warranty Lifetime Warranty |
Country of Manufacture United States |
|
Thickness 13" |
Weight (Queen) 105lbs |
Materials & Construction
What's in the Nest Sparrow Signature Hybrid Mattress?
The Sparrow Signature Hybrid is a pocket spring mattress comprising five overall layers:
- 2” quilted cover (w/ "Thermic Phase-Change Material and 4lb memory foam")
- 3" UHD poly foam (2.5lb "Energex Temperature Responsive Foam")
- 1" poly foam (1.5lb "SmartFlow Support Foam")
- 6” pocket springs (14.5 gauge, 644 count)
- 1" UHD poly foam (3lb "Base Support Foam")
At the top of the mattress there is an unzippable quilt layer with 4lb memory foam and “Thermic” phase-change material. For those unfamiliar, phase-change material is a high-tech addition to many modern mattresses that uses tiny wax “beads” that actively change phase to pull heat from a sleeper. If that sounds overly complex - just know that phase-change material generally feels "cool-to-the-touch" and is one of the few “cooling” additions that actually stands on firm scientific principles.
Just underneath the cover, there’s a layer of ultra-high density “Energex” poly foam. Energex is a relatively new formulation of foam that’s often described as a blend between memory foam and and latex and known for its exceptional long-term durability. This layer is also easily accessed with the unzippable cover and can be replaced as needed. Under this, there’s a 1” transition layer of firm poly foam and then a base of pocket springs and another 1” of base foam.
Cover
The Nest Sparrow Signature Hybrid has a thick quilted cover made with phase-change material and a quilted with HD memory foam.
Comfort & Feel
There are three aspects that make up our assessment of comfort and feel. We call these "preference-based characteristics" because no rating here is better or worse – rather, the attributes that are most desirable to you will be determined solely by your personal preferences. We apply the same classification standards to each mattress so you can more easily compare apples to apples.
Softness ( what’s this )
Keep in mind that what mattress companies call “firm” or “soft” is relative and varies between manufacturers. Mattresses are designed to be supportive and promote healthy spinal alignment, however, different people tend to have different preferences for overall softness.
We found the Nest Sparrow to be about a Medium-Firm in terms of overall Softness. The quilt layer is quite soft, but this is balanced by the slightly firm Energex and the underlying pocket springs. We should also mention that this is actually a notch or two firmer than we found the Sparrow in previous iterations.
Not sure what softness is best for you? Take our Mattress Match Quiz and find out.
| Softness Level (1=Least Soft, 9=Most Soft) |
4 | Medium-Firm |
Cushioning Depth ( what’s this )
Cushioning depth refers to how deeply you sink into the mattress. Some brands will talk about a feeling of "sleeping-on" a mattress vs a feeling of "sleeping-in" a mattress, and this typically refers to cushioning depth. More cushioning depth means more conformance and more of a cradled or "hugged" sensation.
We found the Nest Sparrow to have a Slightly Deep amount of Cushioning Depth. This is expected from mattresses with a lot of comfort material, and the Sparrow has a fair amount with four total inches of foam underneath the quilt layer. In combination with the Softness above, the Sparrow has a sense of gentle, but supportive, contour on body prominences.
| Cushioning Depth (1=Shallowest, 9=Deepest) |
6 | Slightly Deep |
Memory Feel
Memory feel refers to how quickly a mattress recovers its shape after being compressed. A mattress with a lot of memory feel will have a much slower recovery after compression. This is often noticed by sleepers in repositioning.
The Nest Sparrow only has a bit of Memory Feel. This is created by the soft memory foam in the quilt layer and balanced by the much faster-responding Energex just beneath this. It's subtle, but noticeable in our opinion.
| Memory Feel (1=Least, 9=Most) |
4 | Medium-Low |
Bounce
Responsiveness also translates into bounce, and with most innerspring mattresses, you'll get a good bit of it.
The Nest Sparrow has a fair amount of bounce. The Energex comfort layer is much more "energetic" than other foams, and this adds a bit of bounce to the mattress surface. However, this sense of bounce isn't overwhelming by any means - it's just slightly more present than we'd expect from similar hybrids with a significant amount of comfort material.
| Bounce (1=Least, 9=Most) |
6 | Medium-High |
Back Support & Pressure Relief
The two things that you should always be sure to get from your mattress are spinal alignment (commonly thought of as "back support") and pressure relief. Unfortunately, no mattress will deliver these two things equally well for all sleepers. In particular, spinal alignment and pressure relief capabilities will vary across sleepers with different weights, body shapes, and sleep positions. To help you determine how this mattress will perform for you, we break down our spinal alignment and pressure relief assessments by sleeper type.
In our evaluations, the Nest Sparrow Hybrid performed very well for our tester in most sleeping positions.
Spinal Alignment
The key to good back support is maintaining proper spinal alignment while you sleep. This means that the mattress should hold your spine in roughly the same position it's in when you're standing. The ability of a given mattress to do this will generally depend on your weight, sleep position, and body shape.
Here is how we break down the spinal alignment of the Sparrow Hybrid:
| Weight | Range | Back Sleepers | Side Sleepers | Stomach Sleepers |
| Lighter | <150 lb | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Average | 150 to 200 lb | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Above Average | 200 to 250 lb | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Heavier | >250 lb | 7 | 8 | 6 |
Back Sleepers:
Our tester really liked the Nest Sparrow in this position. We think this would be suitable for most back sleepers.
Side Sleepers:
Similarly, we think the Nest Sparrow would be a good choice for most side sleepers. The soft quilt and resilient underlying foams balance support and conformance and kept our tester well-aligned.
Stomach Sleepers:
Our tester felt slightly less well-supported on his stomach. Heavier stomach sleepers may be better off with the Firm configuration.
Pressure Relief
When a mattress pushes back against your body with too much force in a concentrated area, the result can be pain, soreness, loss of circulation, excessive tossing, and other problems. In general, such "pressure points" are of greatest concern for side sleepers, since that's the position in which your body's weight is distributed over the smallest surface area. To find the right mattress for your needs, keep in mind that the pressure-relieving capabilities of any given mattress will vary depending on the sleeper. Factors like your weight and body shape (e.g., broader shoulders and/or hips) will determine how far you sink into the mattress, and the pressure relief offered by that mattress will vary widely at different depths.
Here's how we sized up the pressure relief of the Nest Sparrow Hybrid:
| Weight | Range | Typical Curves | Extra Curvy |
| Lighter | <150 lb | 7 | 6 |
| Average | 150 to 200 lb | 7 | 6 |
| Above Average | 200 to 250 lb | 7 | 6 |
| Heavier | >250 lb | 6 | 6 |
We thought that the Nest Sparrow had good overall pressure relief. The deeper sense of Cushioning Depth and resilient foams create a balanced sense of conformance and soft, pressure relief. However, we will say that the comfort layers used might not be quite as good as memory foam purely for relieving pressure.
Other Features
Beyond the preference-based characteristics of comfort and feel, and the body matching for spinal alignment and pressure relief, a mattress will have a number of other attributes that can make it a better or worse choice for you. We call these "priority-based characteristics" because they are areas in which a mattress can be better or worse, but that will have differing amounts of importance to each sleeper. So, determining how much importance to give to these features will be entirely a matter of your own personal priorities. As always, we apply the same ratings standards to each mattress so you can more easily compare apples to apples.
Motion Isolation ( what’s this )
If you are easily disturbed by a partner's movements in bed, or perhaps you and your partner go to bed and get up at different times, then motion isolation may be a priority for you. Generally speaking, pocket spring and all-foam mattresses tend to perform best here.
We thought the Nest Sparrow had excellent overall motion isolation. We have no complaints here.
| Motion Isolation |
9/10 | Excellent |
Temperature ( what’s this )
We think the Nest Sparrow did a good job with temperature regulation. It's made with highly breathable, open-cell foams and has phase-change material in the quilt layer. We think this will perform as well or better than most hybrid mattresses on the market.
| Stays "Cool" Rating |
7/10 | Good |
Edge Support ( what’s this )
The Sparrow Hybrid has reinforced edge coils that do a very good job at supporting sleepers in a variety of positions, although this was slightly better while reclining vs while sitting.
| Edge Support Rating |
8/10 | Very Good |
Ease of Repositioning ( what’s this )
If you tend to move and change positions a lot over the course of a night, ease of repositioning will be a priority for you.
We found repositioning to be quite easy on the Nest Sparrow. The faster-responding Energex bounced right back while changing and moving positions and didn't have any of the "stuck" sensation that people sometimes notice with memory foam.
| Repositioning Rating |
8/10 | Very Good |
Green Features ( what’s this )
For mattress shoppers concerned with the use of natural materials, sustainable manufacturing practices or the like, we offer our subjective evaluation of any efforts taken by the company to make the mattress more green, healthy, or safe.
The Nest Sparrow doesn't really have any green features to speak of, although all the foams are CertiPUR-US certified.
| Green Rating |
5/10 | Ok |
Adjustable Base Compatibility ( what’s this )
We look at three things when testing a mattress on an adjustable base.
First, will using an adjustable base harm the mattress? In the case of the Nest Sparrow Hybrid, the answer is no. Like most pocket spring matresses, the Sparrow Hybrid is designed to be used in combination with an adjustable base.
Next, we look at conformance. How closely did the bed hug the curves of the base as it is raised and lowered? The Nest Sparrow did a very good job in this aspect. There was a slight gap between the mattress and foundation on the opposite side of the mattress, but this is also normal for new mattresses and we'd expect this to improve with time.
Lastly we look at the cover and what happens when the bed is in an articulated position. We did notice some minor wrinkling of the cover when the head of the bed was raised. However, this is very common for quilted mattresses and isn't typically noticed by most sleepers.
Overall, we would say that the performance on our adjustable base was very good.
| Adjustable Base Use Rating |
7 /10 | Good |
Price, Value & Longevity
How Much Does the Nest Sparrow Hybrid Cost?
Prices shown are list prices. Remember that GoodBed keeps our site current with the best available discounts on online mattresses, many of which are exclusive discounts for our readers.
What Are You Getting?
The Sparrow Hybrid is a hybrid mattress made with an unzippable cover, ultra-high density poly foam, and a supportive pocket spring base.
How Long Will the Nest Sparrow Last?
When it comes to estimating the comfort lifespan of a mattress, we can use foam density as our best, albeit imperfect, predictor of how long a foam will retain its shape and resiliency.
In the case of the Sparrow Hybrid, the predominant comfort layer is an ultra-high density poly foam. Based on data that we've seen, this is one of the most durable foams used in bedding today. In addition, Nest offers a Lifetime Warranty on the Sparrow Hybrid and a Lifetime Renewal Exchange policy that allows you to swap out the underlying comfort layer down the line. All in all, we think that the Sparrow will hold up well for many years to come.
Overall Value
We think that the Sparrow Hybrid is as good or better than most hybrids on the market today. The foams are comfortable, durable, and the unzippable cover is a thoughtful feature that adds a lot of value.
| Value Rating |
8/10 | Very Good |
Other Factors to Consider
Delivery
- Free delivery
Returns
- 365-Night Trial period
Nest offers an exceptional 365-Night Trial period. They do ask that you try the mattress for at least 30 nights before initiating a return.
Warranty
- Warranty Length: Limited Lifetime Warranty
- Indentation Coverage: 1” and above
One of the biggest, if not THE biggest complaints about any mattress from consumers regards body impressions — the inability of a mattress to spring back, eventually creating a low spot/sinkhole in the mattress. As such, mattress warranties all contain a term defining how big a sag or ‘body impression’ (measured when no one is on the mattress) is considered a defect, and thus covered under the warranty.
The industry standard for body impressions is 1.5" on most mattresses and around 0.75" on smooth-top mattresses. In the case of the Nest Sparrow Hybrid, Nest covers a body impression greater than 1" for the lifetime of the mattress. This is much better than average for quilted top models. You can see more information on their warranty here.
