New Koala Mattress Review

Last Updated October 05, 2023
New Koala Mattress Review

4.4

4.4

The Highlights

You want a customisable bed
You want good value for money
You are a heavyset sleeper

Take Note

You prefer a bed that is more responsive
You prefer a traditional memory foam mattress
You're predominantly a side sleeper
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Why we love the New Koala:

The Koala mattress is one of the most popular mattress in a box products in Australia. In fact, they were one of the first companies to revolutionize the direct-to-consumer mattress in a box space in the country. It recently brought out its New Koala range to compete with similar players like Ecosa and Sleeping Duck, now offering a customisable mattress to suit your individual needs.

As the name suggests, the New Koala Mattress is an upgrade to the highly popular original Koala mattress which came out in 2015. It is one of Australia’s most popular foam mattresses in a box that’s eco-friendly and non-toxic.

Similar to Ecosa and Sleeping Duck, a great feature of the New Koala is the ability to change the firmness pressure to suit your individual needs. The New Koala mattress is the basic model in Koala’s new mattress range, which also includes the Calm As mattress and the Soul Mate mattress. 

Who’s Going to Love The New Koala Mattress

  • Customisable firmness: With customisable firmness, The New Koala should suit most sleepers’ firmness preferences.
  • Value for money: The quality of materials and comfort of the New Koala is excellent, especially at its price point.
  • Heavyset sleeper: While Koala doesn’t define how much weight it’s mattresses hold, some people suggest it can withstand up to 600kg.

Who Should Consider Alternatives To The New Koala Mattress

  • You want a responsive bed: Being a foam mattress, it’s not as responsive as a hybrid mattress.
  • You want an ultra firm bed: It’s not the firmest mattress on the market, so if you love ultra firm mattresses, perhaps look at Ecosa.

The New Koala Mattress Video Review

The New Koala Mattress Firmness

 The New Koala is positioned as an adjustable 3-layer mattress, however the third layer is just a 7cm of cushioning. So really, there are only two firmness settings you can switch between: medium and medium-firm. 

So I slept on the medium-firm for 30 nights. How does it feel to sleep? My first thoughts were a) it’s pretty firm (but not as firm as I was expecting), and b) it sleeps pretty hot.

Is New Koala Mattress Good For Larger (100kg+) People?

According to Koala’s FAQs, the company undertakes rigorous testing on its mattresses to create a product that they say is the perfect comfort for anyone, no matter your shape, size or how you prefer to sleep.

What Does The New Koala Feel Like?

What Does The New Koala Feel Like?

Overall, the New Koala mattress feels quite dense, no matter which version you choose. The medium-firm mattress is comfortable and evenly absorbs body weight. It has the distinct spongy feel that all foam mattresses have, but it’s still quite reactive to body movements. It’s suited to sleepers of all styles, but particularly font, back and combination sleepers.

The firm version of the New Koala mattress is firmer than the medium-firm, but the difference isn’t huge. It’s dense and spongy yet still reactive to body movements (but not as reactive/responsive as an innerspring mattress). In saying that, the firm New Koala mattress would probably suit back sleepers most, but it does depend on your individual needs. 

What Does The New Koala Feel Like

The New Koala also has a firmer support base right beneath the hips that prevents your body from sinking into the mattress, which helps in maintaining a healthy sleeping posture. Meanwhile, made with Tencel Lyocell fibre, the New Koala has a 7cm comfort layer that absorbs and releases moisture. Koala is also known for its Zero Disturbance promise, meaning if you’re sleeping with a partner, there should be minimal to zero disturbance.

All Koala Mattresses have:

1. Anti-Slip Bottom – this reduces the movement of the mattress when placed on the bed frame.
2. Anti-Bacterial Treatment – all mattresses have antimicrobial additives.
3. CertiPUR-US® – all Koala mattresses are tested to ensure they are made without formaldehyde, are low-VOC, and are free from nasty chemicals.

Is The New Koala Cooling?

The comfort layer of the New Koala is made with COOLMAX®️ fibre and features permanent moisture wicking tech. Engineered to enhance the fabric’s drying rate, this 7cm comfort layer and 1cm quilted cover helps you feel cool and dry.

How Is The Edge Support Of The New Koala Mattress?

Motion isolation

The New Koala offers excellent motion isolation and overall support. The dense foam base locks in movement and helps you enjoy a good night sleep, even next to a restless partner. Meanwhile, the soft comfort layer of the New Koala may cause some sinkage, which may restrict movement for sleepers and make it more difficult to switch sleeping positions. 

Edge support

In terms of edge support, the New Koala doesn’t offer as much edge support and competitor mattresses. Some customers report it’s hard to get out of bed/sit on the edge of the mattress as the edges are quite soft. However, for an all-foam bed, the edge support isn’t all that bad, just try not to sleep too close to the edge!

How Is The Responsiveness Of The New Koala Mattress?

Being a foam mattress, the New Koala sits within the normal parameters of responsiveness. It’s not as responsive as say a hybrid mattress, but I still found it easy enough to move around throughout the night.

Motion Isolation: Is It Good For Those Who Share A Bed?

Koala mattresses feature a Zero Disturbance promise, and customers do report noticing a reduction in partner disturbance throughout the night. 

Read more: Best Mattress Types for Side Sleepers in Australia

New Koala Mattress Construction

The New Koala Mattress comes in 2 main parts – a comfort layer and a base layer. The separate comfort layer is 7cm deep and uses a cover made from Polyester (65%) and Tencel Lyocell fabric (35%). This cover has been designed for moisture absorption and breathability.

This outer cover encases a double-sided Kloudcell comfort layer made from Polyurethane foam. This layer is what gives you the option to choose between a ‘medium-firm’ feel or a ‘firm’ feel.

Finally, the New Koala Mattress uses a 3-zone, high density support layer on the bottom. This section contains antimicrobial additives to help stop the growth of bacteria and mould. It’s also worth mentioning that the New Koala Mattress is the first mattress to be fully GECA (Good Environmental Choice Australia) certified, which relates to human health, non-toxicity, and environmental impacts.

The New Koala mattress has a customisation feature that lets you choose the firmness of the mattress. The separate comfort layer can be attached via small cylindrical clips that form the start of a zip mechanism. You can switch between the firm and medium-firm option by unzipping and flipping this comfort layer.

How Much Does The New Koala Mattress Cost?

SizesPrice
Single$759
King single $959
Double$999
Queen$1,099
King$1,299

Shipping & Delivery

The online buying experience is fairly easy and straightforward. You can select your mattress, enter a discount code (if you have one – typically Koala gives $100 off if you sign up to their mailing list), and then choose your delivery window.

Due to the design of this mattress, it comes in two separate boxes, one for the mattress base, and the other for the flippable comfort layer. It makes it easy to maneuver, but also is a lot of packaging, which is annoying.

Delivery of the Koala Mattress is free and the mattress can be delivered Australia-wide. Koala offers an impressive ‘same-day delivery’ to major metro areas, and sometimes a free 4 hour delivery in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Koala will also pay for the pickup and recycling of your previous mattress – and even recycle the packaging from your new Koala mattress. The offer only applies to Sydney metro customers.

Due to the ‘2 box’ system, expect to take some time unboxing and setting up your New Koala mattress. It’s definitely best to have a friend help you out.

It also comes with a cute Koala toy, but what would have been more handy is a cutting tool (Ecosa and Emma both provide plastic cutting tools and it makes the process a lot smoother and less risky than using scissors).

Koala Calm As Mattress Warranty Information

What is Covered

The Koala Warranty covers any physical damage, flaws, major blemishes, or manufacturing defects in both materials and workmanship when the mattress is used for its intended purpose (i.e sleeping). You get a good 10 year warranty which starts from the date of pruchase.

What isn’t Covered

  • Normal wear and tear, including minor pilling, fading, stains and discolouration, and softening of the product that does not affect performance.
  • Minor changes or settling to foams or cushioning layers that may cause visible or unseen indentations of less than 25 mm.
  • Slight variations in colours, small knots or spotty inclusions.
  • Damage caused by improper use, cleaning, maintenance, treatment, or storage
  • Damage caused by alterations or modifications made to the mattress or when its used not for its intended purpose.
  • Mattresses used for commercial purposes

Koala Calm As Mattress Trial Period & Returns

Koala offers the longest trial period of all the mattress in a box brands with 120 nights. In most areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide they offer free returns.

They have a minimum 7 day trial period before you can start a returns process within your 120 night trial. And, if you don’t feel the Koala mattress is right for you after 7 days, you will be able to return it, no questions asked.

Addressing New Koala Mattress Complaints

The New Koala has always been a well-loved and popular mattress in a box brand, but doesn’t mean it’s for everyone! Here are some of the common complaints.

Some suggest the delivery time frame wasn’t as fast as expected, while others suggested the mattress caused extra aches and pains. But again, bear in mind firmness and aches and pains are subjective.

Final Verdict

After my first night sleeping on the New Koala, I was worried I was in for a restless 30 nights of sleep. The good news is I think I was just having an off-night, as the following several night’s sleep was a lot better and I drifted off quickly, and woke up feeling refreshed.

I’d say I’m quite a restless sleeper, but I think due to the New Koala’s unique high-density foam, my body wasn’t able to move around as easily, so I didn’t wake myself up as much from moving around.

Get the best mattress reviews in Australia! Our detailed comparisons guide you to the perfect mattress. Discover top options at mattressreviews.com.au for a restful sleep.

 

 

Related:

Mattress type
Foam
Shipping location
Australia
Fastest Delivery
Same day
Warranty period
10 years
Trial
120 nights
Price (RRP)
$1,099
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Ally Burnie Head Dreamer Ally Burnie
Journalist, presenter and host based in Sydney with a passion for cooking, outdoor adventures, hiking, humanitarianism, and travel.

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