I am currently sleeping on a cotton/foam/cotton futon (on a wood floor) and love the firmness.
Time for a new one…and am considering the Tuft and Needle 5 as there are so many rave reviews here.
I’m wondering if anyone has any experience in comparing these 2 kinds of mattresses.
I’m concerned the T&N might not be firm enough.
They offer a generous return policy, which takes the worry away, but would love to know if anyone has any first hand impressions.
Hi Conky,
When Tuft & Needle first started the first version of their mattress was a cotton futon so they would probably be the most reliable source of guidance about how their current mattress compares to a cotton futon (although with your middle polyfoam layer your mattress would probably be softer than a futon that was all cotton).
Phoenix
Don’t know what happened, I responded to this earlier, and the message didn’t show up- guess I deleted it!
Conky-
Coincidentally, in December, we replaced our guest futon and master bedroom mattress with the two options you mention here.
We bought the 10" Tuft and Needle, queen, for our own nightly sleeping.
For the guests, we replaced a 10 yr old+ cotton/polyfoam/innerspring futon with a cotton/foam combo futon from a local retailer (the Fantasy III model here: http://www.marysfutons.com/futon-mattresses.html) I should mention this was an “emergency” purchase after our old futon got ruined while we were out of town and got back to find out guests were arriving soon after our arrival…
The futon and the TN feel completely different to me, although the differences are hard to describe.
They are both firm in my opinion, but in different ways.
The futon has no “give” to me- it is a “hard” firm- I feel like I’m laying on a soft ground outside on the grass. I don’t feel “cradled” at all. Now, the futon is new and hasn’t been slept on much- maybe a total of two weeks since December. However, I felt it was only a little softer on the floor model that I tried that the salesperson had said had been out for several months. I ended up getting an inexpensive polyfoam mattress topper from Target for our guests who slept on the futon during the holidays.
The Tuft and Needle also feels firm, but it is more “spongy” or “cushioned” than the cotton/foam futon, although those words are not quite right because the Tuft and Needle doesn’t feel “soft”. I am having trouble trying to explain the feel of the TN, comparing it to the previous futons I’ve slept on because the futon experience is so different than being on just about any other mattress (in my opinion).
If you decide to purchase a Tuft and Needle, a few of things to keep in mind.
First, the foundation can make a big difference. We had a flexible slat foundation for the first week of our new Tuft and Needle, and after we got our wood knock down foundation, the mattress was noticeably firmer to me and my husband.
Second, your body will need time to adjust to a new sleep surface. Even though I was getting no pressure point pain and felt comfortable enough, I was still waking up a few times every night in the first couple of weeks because the mattress felt so different than what I was used to. I had been sleeping on innerspring mattresses for a few decades before the TN foam mattress. I had a weird sensation the first month or so on the mattress- it felt like I was “floating” on the mattress, not sunk in, but if I ran my hands along my side, all of my body parts were indeed “sunk” into the mattress. However, I didn’t perceive any “cradling” effect like I used to on a pillow top mattress.
The Tuft and Needle foam is not “springy” like latex, and one doesn’t feel “stuck” or “sunk” into it like memory foam.
Lastly, the mattress does seem to soften up just a little bit the first few weeks after breaking in. When it first arrived, the first few nights I felt it was very firm. Then it went to just “firm”. Now it feels on the firm end of medium- firm (we all experience firmness/softness differently, but I’m comparing to how mattresses were labelled when I went to local mattress stores to try out mattresses in person).
The couple of nice things about Tuft and Needle is the easy order and delivery to home process, and the ability to get a 100% refund if it doesn’t work out. We haven’t had to use that part of the deal- both my husband and I are sleeping well on the mattress, I in particular am having the best sleep in 20 years. Although the mattress isn’t a best match for everyone, it has turned out to be almost perfect for me in terms of “PPP” that Phoenix is always mentioning.
We are considering replacing our cotton/foam futon with another mattress, and haven’t decided yet if it will be a Tuft and Needle because I know it is firmer than what most of my family members sleep on themselves. The guests that were here in December often sleep on a futon, so they ended up being fine with it. They would probably do okay on the Tuft and Needle, but people who like a softer top mattress probably wouldn’t like it as much, especially guests who aren’t here long enough to let their bodies adjust!
Not sure if any of this helps any, but all I can say, is to me, the feel of a futon and TN are very different.
Thank you so much, Sheep, for your incredibly detailed response.
I’ve decided to give the Tuft and Needle Five a try. I have a feeling it’s going to be perfect.
I wanted to mention that Tuft and Needle customer service is absolutely tops (some of the best i’ve ever encountered). if anyone has any questions at all, I encourage you to give T&N a call (or shoot them an email). They were incredibly patient with my many questions and made me very secure in my purchase.
[i]"Thanks so much for reaching out! We’d be happy to answer your questions. 
We did start as a company that sold Five inch thick cotton futons, and we decided to change to foam because of the limitations that cotton has as a material. Cotton is more prone to flatten out over time, plus it can grow mold really easily and it’s not very durable. The foam we use does not compress or lose shape/inches over time, and if this does happen it’s covered under our warranty. Foam is also much less likely to mold since it’s not an organic material.
In regards to firmness, our mattress will be similar in feel but we’ve designed it to also have pressure relief and more comfort. It might actually be a tad softer than traditional futons because of this pressure relief component. However, our mattress is still extremely supportive. It’s going to be most similar to high quality, high density polyfoam comfort because that’s what we use for the base/support layer of our mattress. Also, the Five would be perfect on a wooden floor just like a traditional futon."
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Hi conky,
Thanks for taking the time to share their reply and I also think that along with some of the feedback from some of the forum members such as Sheep123 it will be very helpful for others that are struggling with the same choices as you are
Phoenix
I am writing again because of the W O N D E R F U L experience i had with Tuft and Needle.
Honestly, they provided me with the BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE.
In this day and age, that is really something for a company to be proud of.
Thank you, Gloria and Nick and Rachel for your kindness and for your GREAT service!
and thank you, Phoenix and Sheep, for your generous help as well.