Koala SE review: The bargain mattress that ‘changed my sleep’
We put this top-rated mattress-in-a-box brand’s most affordable mattress to the test. After seven nights this is what we found.
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Your mattress is one of the most important purchases you make, but it doesn’t need to be the most expensive.
Gone are the days when buying a new mattress (that is actually good) meant a trip to a showroom, parting with a few thousand dollars and paying an expensive delivery fee.
Today mattress-in-a-box companies like Koala have revolutionised the game, making it easier than ever before to get a good quality mattress at a reasonable price online.
Now Koala have released their most affordable mattress yet, the Koala SE Mattress, inspired by the original Koala mattress that kickstarted the brand.
As someone in desperate need of a mattress upgrade I jumped at the chance to review it*.
I’ve had my current mattress for close to a decade, purchasing it when I moved out of home for the first time.
I had moved from Sydney to a regional NSW town for my first journalism job and remember walking around the showroom of a well-known mattress store while a pushy salesman showed me mattresses that cost $2000, $3000 and even $4000 a pop.
The whole process was stressful and confusing (and I was just about to call my parents to try to persuade them to let me take my childhood bed) when I spotted a double mattress for $1100 in the corner.
Desperate, I bought the mattress and paid the delivery fee. It was a huge expense for me and by far the most expensive thing I owned at the time. It was heavy and clunky to move, and over the years the springs began to dig into my back.
Fortunately, my experience with Koala couldn’t have been more different — in fact, it’s changed my sleep for the better. Read on for everything you need to know about ordering a mattress from them, plus my honest review of their new Koala SE Mattress.
HOW WE REVIEWED THE KOALA SE MATTRESS
At news.com.au checkout, it’s our mission to help you make informed shopping decisions. To ensure you buy the right product at the best price, we rigorously test products so you don’t have to. As well as sorting through mountains of consumer reviews, product manuals and conducting thorough product research, our team of expert writers puts each product we review through a series of hands-on tests to ensure we give you honest feedback about its performance and whether it’s worth your hard-earned money.
To properly test the Koala SE Mattress, we made it as close to the customer experience as possible — ordering it online, getting it delivered and unboxing it ourselves. We also tested what it was like for a couple who sleep on different schedules, a back sleeper, a side sleeper and for sleepers with back pain and a stiff neck.
In this article
- How supportive is the Koala SE mattress?
- How comfortable is the Koala SE Mattress?
- Unboxing a Koala mattress
- How much does the Koala SE Mattress cost?
- Warranty and service
- Overall verdict: Our honest opinion
- What should you look for when buying a mattress?
HOW SUPPORTIVE IS THE KOALA SE MATTRESS?
OK, I’ll admit — as someone who has slept exclusively on traditional spring mattresses for their entire 32 years, moving to a foam mattress is quite the change. It felt quite soft sitting on it for the first time and it’s not as thick as my old spring mattress.
I was a little afraid it wouldn’t be as supportive as my old mattress as I suffer from lower back pain from an old gym injury. On top of that I usually have a stiff neck at the end of the day from sitting in front of a computer for work (and let’s face it, from scrolling on my phone).
But my fears were allayed after my first night. The Koala SE mattress’ Kloudcell layer was soft, but still supportive — it hugged me like a cloud and encased me gently, like a hammock. The quilted fixed topper was a plush layer that added to the cloudlike feeling.
Sleeping on the Koala SE Mattress has now made me realise how unsupportive my old mattress was, as I’m now waking up feeling more refreshed and less stiff than I was before.
HOW COMFORTABLE IS THE KOALA MATTRESS?
While being soft and cushiony to the touch, Koala’s signature three-way support design meant my lower back and neck felt supported while I slept — again, it gives the mattress a hammock-like support feeling.
It’s been winter while I’ve had the mattress so I haven’t been able to test out how cooling it is, but its TENCEL Lyocell cover is designed to release moisture. The Koala SE Mattress also contains antimicrobial bamboo charcoal to absorb excess moisture and help regulate sleep temperature — something I know I’ll be grateful for during summer given my apartment has no aircon.
I’m a side sleeper and found the mattress incredibly comfortable thanks to the ‘hugging’ sensation the Kloudcell layer provided. My partner sleeps on his back and also found it comfortable, saying it moulded well to his body for a good night’s sleep.
But by far the feature that made it the most comfortable was the Koala SE Mattress’ zero disturbance technology. If you’ve ever seen that viral video of someone jumping on a Koala mattress while a wine glass of red wine stays upright, you’ll know what I mean — the mattress is designed to isolate movement.
Like many couples my partner and I work on different sleep schedules meaning I go to bed and wake up earlier than him. This usually means he wakes me up getting into bed at night while I wake him up getting up in the morning which definitely isn’t ideal.
But since switching from our old spring mattress to the Koala SE Mattress a week ago we haven’t woken each other up once (it’s actually slightly freaky),so we’re both now managing to get less interrupted sleep as a result.
UNBOXING THE KOALA MATTRESS
Unboxing the mattress was also straightforward — all I had to do was open the box up and pull the rolled up mattress out. My partner helped me with this but honestly, it could easily be a one person job.
Then it was just a matter of removing the plastic and voila, new mattress!
It expanded pretty quickly, although as a foam mattress it’s not as thick as my old spring mattress.
It also had quite a strong ‘new smell’ which I didn’t mind too much but I get isn’t for everyone. I kept the bedroom windows open for the rest of the day to air the space so that by the time we went to bed the smell was gone.
HOW MUCH DOES THE KOALA SE MATTRESS COST?
Priced under $1000, this is Koala’s most affordable mattress and one of the best value mattress-in-a-boxes on the market.
Here’s the price breakdown:
It’s a bargain when you consider it comes with free standard delivery Australia-wide, a 120 day trial and a 10 year warranty.
The Koala SE is also significantly cheaper than The Koala Mattress (from $750), The Koala Calm As Mattress (from $1000) and The Koala Soul Mate Mattress (from $2490).
WARRANTY AND SERVICE
Ordering the Koala SE Mattress couldn’t have been more different from my first mattress experience. Navigating the Koala website was super easy and I liked how all the mattress features were laid out in plain English. Also, no pushy salesman only showing you the most expensive mattresses — score!
I ordered the Koala SE Mattress at just before 5pm on Friday and to my surprise, received a text not long after confirming the mattress would be delivered between 10am and 2pm the following Monday — much sooner than I expected.
On Monday, I received a text message confirming it had left the warehouse, and 40 minutes later it arrived at my door. And I mean literally, my door. I live in an apartment block and Koala will deliver to your unit door (provided there’s a lift or there’s three floors or less of stairs). You even have the option to pay $25 for them to deliver to the room itself, which is handy if you live in a house.
Koala offers free standard delivery Australia wide (although it doesn’t delivery to all remote and rural postcodes). Delivery within metro areas is speedy, however, it can take up to 10 to 15 business days for regional on rural areas (depending on how close you are to a distribution centre).
All of Koala’s mattresses come with a 120 day trial, meaning you can test it out and if it’s not comfortable for you, you can get it returned for a full refund. In metro areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra and Adelaide Koala will also do free pick-up of return mattresses.
For regional and rural areas return shipping is not covered, however, the 120 trial is still available. You’ll just need to return the mattress back to your closest Koala Customer Order Fulfilment Centre.
As for warranty, like all of Koala’s mattresses the SE Mattress comes with a 10 year warranty. This means the mattress can be repaired or replaced if there is a manufacturing or material defect that is not because of normal wear or tear — you can find out more here.
OVERALL VERDICT: OUR HONEST OPINION
This is the mattress I wish I had been able to buy 10 years ago when I was moving out for the first time. Not only is it affordable (the double size costs just $675!) but it’s also seriously comfortable for both back and side sleepers, is supportive on my lower back, is light enough to move easily (making it perfect for renters) and is designed to be cooling in Australian summer.
But the real clincher for me is that despite being significantly cheaper than Koala’s other mattresses you still get all the benefits of buying from Koala— aka free standard delivery, a 10 year warranty and a 120 night trial period. I also found the buying and delivery service incredibly straightforward and fast.
However, I do live in metro Sydney so it’s important to acknowledge that standard delivery does take much longer for regional and metro areas.
It’s also important to note that because this mattress has just been released I’ve only trialled it for a week at the time of writing.
Having said that, I do believe a mattress is one of those purchases that you can pretty quickly tell if it’s going to work for you and I will be updating this review with my three month verdict.
My only criticisms are that it is not as thick as a standard spring mattress so my bed now sits slightly lower than before (which has been hard to get used to every time I go to sit on my bed!). The mattress is also soft, so it may not be suitable if you favour a firm mattress. Having said that if you’re unsure as to whether you need a soft or firm mattress I encourage you to try out the Koala SE Mattress as while my first impressions were that it would be too soft, I was soon converted.
WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING A MATTRESS?
There are multiple factors to take into account when buying a mattress, these include:
- Sleeping profile: What’s your size, sleeping position and ideal firmness? It’s important that the mattress you purchase will support you best.
- Is the mattress breathable and will it help regulate your temperature? Keeping cool is critical to getting a quality night’s sleep, especially during a hot Aussie summer.
- What kind of back support do you need? If you have a stiff back or struggle to get comfortable in bed, experts recommend a mattress with medium firmness.
- Will it minimise partner disturbance? If you or your partner are a light sleeper avoid spring mattresses and go for foam instead.
- Does it have a long warranty? Higher quality mattresses are more likely to come with longer warranty periods.
- Does it come with a trial period? A lengthy trial period that’s risk-free is ideal.
More mattress content:
Best mattresses for back pain and spinal issues
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*Product has been provided by Koala for a 100 per cent independent, honest review
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