Comparison
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Cover
The Tuft & Needle Mint mattress is wrapped in a graphite-infused cover that's soft and stretchy, and seemed well made when we tugged and pulled on it.
And new for the latest version of this mattress, the top cover can be zipped off and is both machine washable and able to be machine dried, a nice bonus.
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 a purely a preference. All mattresses should be supportive and promote healthy spinal alignment. Whether a mattress is fluffy and squishy (what mattress companies call soft or plush), or less so (what companies call firm), is purely down to your personal needs and preferences.
We classify the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress as a Medium Soft in terms of softness overall, right in the middle in terms of softness.
Not sure what softness is best for you? Take our Mattress Match Quiz and find out.
| Softness Level (1=Least Soft, 9=Most Soft) |
6 | Medium Soft |
Cushioning Depth ( what’s this )
This refers to how deeply you sink into the mattress or feel cradled or hugged, versus a feeling of floating on top of the bed. We found the Tuft & Needle Mint to be a middle-of-the-road mattress between the two poles, right between that hugged/deep sinking feeling versus a firmer floating on top feeling, with just slightly more cushioning depth than the average mattress. You can get a sense of this below with our 16-pound bowling ball.
| Cushioning Depth (1=Shallowest, 9=Deepest) |
6 | Slightly deeper than average cushioning |
Memory Feel ( what’s this )
Responsiveness refers to how quickly a mattress recovers its shape after being compressed. When you press your hand into the mattress, for instance, then remove it, does it take several seconds for the mattress to return to flat, or does it recover immediately? Mattresses that contain memory foam are most likely to have the slow-melting feeling; we call it 'memory feel.'
The Tuft & Needle Mint mattress does not have any of that recognizable memory-foam feel, where after compressed, your hand print takes several seconds to disappear (some describe this as a slow, melting into the mattress feeling).
Rather, the Mint is very quick responding, meaning it recovers its shape almost immediately.
| Memory Feel (1=Least, 9=Most) |
1 | None |
Bounce
We also tested bounce in two ways. When we dropped our 16-lb. bowling ball in the mattress, it bounced a few times, and when our tester dropped his weight on the bed, he also bounced a little. The effect is no where near what you'd get on a mattress with springs, but for an all-foam bed, it did have a little bounce.
| Bounce (1=Least, 9=Most) |
5 | Some bounce |
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 Tuft & Needle Mint mattresses afforded very good support for back and side sleepers, especially those of average weight.
The Tuft & Needle was also adequate in our view for stomach sleepers with the exception of those heavier than about 200 pounds, where we questioned whether hips might sink into the mattress’s soft top layers too deeply, bottoming out on the firmer support layer.
When compared to the original Tuft & Needle bed, we rated the Mint mattress as a better option for side sleepers from a spinal alignment point of view.
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 Tuft & Needle Mint mattress:
| Weight | Range | Back Sleepers | Side Sleepers | Stomach Sleepers |
| Lighter | <150 lb | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Average | 150 to 200 lb | 9 | 9 | 7 |
| Above Average | 200 to 250 lb | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| Heavier | >250 lb | 7 | 7 | 5 |
Back Sleepers:
While our tester was on his back, he noted that his hips sank just deeply enough to create a perfectly neutral spine, while he felt the mattress did a nice job reaching up to support his lumbar curve. We feel that sleepers of a wide weight range would have a similar experience in this position on the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress, with the possible exception of those weighing over about 250 lbs., who might not find enough support in this all-foam mattress.
Side Sleepers:
Side sleeping was also very good for our tester. He felt his spine was well aligned, and his shoulder sank appropriately into the bed. We felt that those lighter than our tester would have a similar experience. Heavier persons might sink through the soft comfort layers and bottom out on the firmer support foam.
Stomach Sleepers:
Achieving good spinal alignment for stomach sleepers can often be trickier as the hips can tend to sink down too far with some mattresses, but our tester felt adequately supported in this position. We did question whether those over 200 lbs. would experience the same support, and suspect that hips might sink far enough to create less than ideal spinal alignment.
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 Tuft & Needle Mint mattress:
| Weight | Range | Typical Curves | Extra Curvy |
| Lighter | <150 lb | 8 | 8 |
| Average | 150 to 200 lb | 8 | 7 |
| Above Average | 200 to 250 lb | 7 | 6 |
| Heavier | >250 lb | 6 | 5 |
Our tester experienced "okay" pressure relief on the Mint bed. While not experiencing any specific pain, he never felt that "weightless" feeling you get when a mattress has really excellent pressure relief. In the end, for most people of average weight and lower, we felt that pressure relief was okay but not the best. Those heavier and curvier than our tester may find themselves sinking through the softer foam on top to the firm support foam.
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)
With a bowling pin standing upright on the Tuft & Needle Mint bed, we tested motion isolation by dropping a 16-lb. bowling ball on it, followed by the whole weight of our 200-lb. tester.
In the tests, the pin barely moved, leading us to believe the bed would be an excellent choice for couples who don’t want to feel their partner getting in and out of bed.
| Motion Isolation Rating |
9 /10 | Excellent |
Temperature ( what’s this )
Beds made of all foam have a reputation for potentially sleeping hot since foam mattress invite less air flow than beds with innersprings. The Tuft & Needle Mint mattress does have a couple of features intended to combat this. The top layer of foam is infused with flecks of gel and graphite. The manufacturer claims the Mint foam has 30% more graphite than the original T&N bed. The second layer of foam includes gel flecks but no graphite. The mattress cover fabric also has some graphite.
If overheating in bed is an issue for you, all-foam mattresses like the Mint are not the best choice in general, but if you don't have a known issue, we don't think you'll feel hot on the Mint.
| Stays 'Cool' Rating |
5 /10 | Okay |
Edge Support ( what’s this )
Foam mattresses aren’t typically very supportive along the very edge of the mattress—important if you like to sit on the edge of the bed, or if you tend to sleep along the edge. But we found edge support on the Mint mattress to be surprisingly better than average.
When laying on the very edge of the mattress, our tester felt stable and not leaning/slipping at all. Altogether, edge support is very good for a foam bed.
| 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. Our tester had no trouble changing positions and moving around on the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress.
| Repositioning Rating |
9/10 | Excellent |
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.
In the case of the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress, the company makes no claims about the use of natural materials, however all of the foams used are certified to the CertiPUR-US standard, which verifies that a material has low VOC off-gassing as well as a lack of chemicals and other substances regulated by the CPSC.
The fire sock and cover are certified to the OEKO-TEX 100 standard, which asserts similar minimal off-gassing. And lastly, its Greenguard Gold certification ensures that the mattress is safe for use in the most sensitive environments, like health care facilities.
So while the Mint mattress is not natural, its certifications aim to ensure the presence of minimal potentially harmful chemicals and off-gassing.
| Green Rating |
5/10 | Okay |
Adjustable Base Compatibility ( what’s this )
We tested the Mint mattress on our standard adjustable bed. Here, we are looking at three aspects: Will it damage the mattress to use it on an adjustable base? Does the mattress do anything weird (bulges, bunching, etc.)? Does it conform to the base?
For the first two questions, the answers are "no." The Mint mattress can safely be used on an adjustable base without damage or any strange bulges or bunching. However, we did find that it did not conform very well to the base. When in the bed, the foot lifted up significantly, and when our tester got out of the bed, its midsection popped right up, as you can see below.
While we would expect some improvements as the mattress breaks in, the lack of conformance was below average.
| Adjustable Base Use Rating |
7 /10 | Good |
Price, Value & Longevity
How Much Does a Mint Mattress Cost?
Prices shown are list prices. Remember that GoodBed keeps our site current with the best available discounts on all online mattresses, many of which are exclusive discounts for our readers.
What Are You Getting?
The Tuft & Needle Mint mattress is a 12-inch bed made of three layers of polyurethane foam glued together and wrapped in a thin mattress cover. The two top layers of foam, as well as the cover, have mineral additives and gel to improve heat dissipation. While the bed is sold mainly online, the company does have a handful of showrooms where you can check out the Tuft & Needle mattress before buying.
How Long Will the Tuft & Needle Mint Mattress Cost?
When it comes to estimating the comfort lifespan of a mattress, we tend to use foam density as our best, albeit imperfect, predictor of how long a foam will retain its shape and resiliency. For the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress, the density of the top comfort layer of foam is 3.5 lbs, with the second layer at 3 lbs. Those are about average for foam mattresses in this price range. The lower support layer is a 1.8-lb density foam, a standard density for a support foam. The Tuft & Needle warranty guarantees against significant sagging of deeper than 3/4", which is better than much of the competition.
Overall Value
The Tuft & Needle is an all-foam mattress that competes squarely with much, if not most, of the online competition. The Mint does stand out for its above average degree of safety certifications, interesting cooling features, and above average edge support.If you prefer to try a mattress in a store, Tuft & Needle showrooms in Phoenix, Seattle, Kansas City, and Raleigh are a way to test in person but still take advantage of online pricing.
Taking all that together, from a performance standpoint, we think the Tuft & Needle Mint is a solidly good value. Note that the original Tuft & Needle mattress is still available. In many aspects, we found its performance similar, and it sells for nearly half the price of the Mint. We did find the Mint to be better for side sleeping, pressure relief, and edge support.
| Value Rating |
8 /10 | Very good |
Other Factors to Consider
Delivery
- Free delivery
Tuft & Needle includes free delivery, which is not particularly unusual among its competitors. Delivery is to your door. You are responsible for moving the mattress to your room and unpacking it. The queen size bed weighs about 82 pounds delivered, so it's likely a two-person job.
Returns
- 100-day trial period
- Full refund within trial period
Tuft & Needle offers buyers a 100-day trial period with a full refund if you decide the mattress isn't for you. The company does require proof that you have donated the mattress to a charity before processing a refund. That's often not as easy as it sounds, as many organizations do not accept mattress donations for hygiene reasons. The company does say it will help you find an organization that will take your mattress, however.
Warranty
- Warranty Length: 10 years
- Indentation Coverage: 3/4” 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 foam mattresses is 1”. Tuft & Needle has chosen to cover indentations that meet or exceed 3/4” for all of its mattresses, which should give you some extra peace of mind. Practically speaking, that means any softening or sagging would need to be at least that deep before the warranty would offer you protection. See: Tuft & Needle warranty
