Hybrid bamboo mattresses are made with high-quality materials that come together to provide a comfortable and supportive sleeping experience. If you're looking for a hybrid bamboo mattress, there are a few different reasons why you might choose this type of mattress.
Panda have been established in mattresses for over a decade, offering a handful of bamboo charcoal memory foam products that stand out in the market thanks to their low cost and high quality giving a cooling and luxurious night's sleep. Up until now, the manufacturer has limited itself to accessories and toppers but has finally pivoted to becoming an outright mattress retailer. There's a lot to unpack with the new offering.
Who is this mattress suitable for?
This new hybrid mattress comes with a few different layers that make it unique so let's start at the bottom in the base of the unit.
The base consists of high density reflex foam which is typically found in rolled mattresses as a direct replacement for pocket springs. This in itself is not unusual and the performance found in this layer is strong, offering plenty of firmer support that your back and neck need to offer tension where you need it first. Where things start to get more interesting though is what comes next and instead of jumping to a comfort layer the Panda mattress comes with a hybrid twist, including an additional layer of pocket springs (the listing now shows up to 960 full-size encapsulated springs) that works particularly well at engulfing your body as you sink deeper into the product. This combination in itself is becoming more popular and has even coined a phrase known as hybrid, the key being that it is a hybrid of foam bases and spring bases to result in products like the Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress.
Looking up through the layers and past the base we come to the comfort layers and this is where you start to see some of the appeal and uniqueness that sets Panda apart. To start, we have a layer of DualFlex Foam™, which the listing now describes as orthopaedic-grade memory foam that contours to your sleeping position paired with a high-resilience foam that prevents sinking. The reason for this layer is to promote better posture and alignment while you sleep, working together with the base layers beneath to give better support. That's one of the things we really notice with the offering from Panda, the amount of attention to detail given to ensure that your body will remain supported via enhanced and improved pressure point relief as you sleep.
Above the DualFlex Foam™ comes the final piece in Panda's jigsaw, the layer that allows them to stand out beyond everyone else and the staple of what they are known for. The comfort layer at the very top of the mattress is some of that unique bamboo infused memory foam found in similar Panda products ranging from their pillows through to their toppers. Owners who mention temperature mostly say it keeps them cool, and one wrote that "even in really warm weather it stays cool and fresh". Let's not forget though, it's extremely comfortable too, having all the same positives as memory foam but with none of the negatives around heat buildup and retention.
All of the above work together to produce a product that is designated a medium firm which means it will best suit back sleepers primarily who are looking for orthopaedic support. There is room for side sleepers with this makeup however, although not for the average person. If you are heavier or have a very rectangular body type there is a chance for side sleeping but the compounds used are primarily focussed around aligning your spine and that's not something you are going to be able to really benefit from if you don't sleep on your back.
Who is the mattress not suitable for?
The orthopaedic nature of the support layers offered in this mattress means that side sleepers will likely not find comfort in this product but stomach and back sleepers should have more success. Owners disagree on side sleeping, with one writing "Really comfy for me as a side sleeper" and another warning that "side sleepers might find it a little too hard on the arms and shoulders", so it may be that this is determined on a per-user basis, the benefit here being that there is a unique 100-night trial with all Panda mattresses allowing you to return if you are not fully satisfied. Peace of mind and a good justification to try it out.
Other people who may not find this product suitable will likely be those on a budget, while the popular retailer does offer additional ways to spread the cost thanks to Paypal and its pay later options, the fact is that this is a premium product at a premium price point and so a considerable amount of people may unfortunately have to consider options elsewhere. For those that are in the running on this sort of price point however, what awaits you is some of the most luxurious properties found in high quality mattresses.
What we liked about this mattress
One of the core reasons why you will be looking at this type of mattress is because you have heard about, or have first hand experience with, Panda's renowned breathability. The bamboo infused memory foam that is combined with open cell memory foam is what Panda calls BioCell Foam™, built to increase airflow. The cooling properties of this mattress are at odds with competing products that feature traditional memory foam, which tend to trap heat while you sleep. Not so with the Panda Bamboo Hybrid Mattress, its unique features help it stand out from a crowded arena with spectacular results.
There is more to this product than the bamboo memory foam however, and that is evident in the support offered through the multiple different base layers. The result is that you end up with fantastic motion isolation and pressure relief while you rest thanks to the encapsulated pocket springs. These springs are fairly common in premium mattresses and typically outperform competitors in the space, open coil being the main competitor.
Onto the other things that make it great and one owner singles out the edge support, writing "Edge support much better than I expected", while individually encapsulated pocket springs should stop two sleepers rolling together. The latter is fairly common with hybrid mattresses but the former is normally achieved through reinforcing the mattress edge which you do not often get with these. Fortunately though, the reinforced edge allows you to fully spread out, maximising surface area and helping to increase durability for many years to come.
On the subject of durability, you'll be delighted to know that this product also comes not only with a 100 night trial, but a 10 year guarantee as well. This length of guarantee helps highlight just how much faith the manufacturer has in their product and goes significantly beyond the 1 year often found in poorer quality competitors.
Where in the market does the mattress compete?
The Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress fits squarely in the premium mattress segment both on price and quality. Unfortunately this might alienate a few hoping for a bargain but the cost of foam in recent years, combined with the high quality of the springs and reflex foam beneath mean that you are unlikely to see this mattress sink toward the mid-range on price. There are options for consumers looking to spread the cost should they wish, but there's no getting away from the premium price point.
What is the level of firmness experienced as a scale of 1 to 10
Panda rates this a medium firm at 6.5 on its own firmness scale and lists the feel as medium firm to firm, so we'd put it at around 7. This type of designation proves to be popular with back sleepers and stomach sleepers alike, both of which will experience a good degree of support thanks to the multiple ortho-friendly layers underneath. That said, a recurring complaint in the reviews is that it is firmer than expected: one owner wrote "my husband and I find it a bit too firm", and another added a topper after finding it "a bit too firm for our liking".
What do other customers say?
Owners mostly describe it as comfortable and supportive, and plenty say back, hip or neck aches eased, with one writing "I no longer get any hip pain". Couples mention how little movement carries across the bed; one owner wrote it is "Great if you have a restless partner as no bounce at all". Besides firmness, the other recurring complaint is the chemical smell after unpacking, which one owner said had lasted "around a month", and heat was the letdown for one couple: "I was most disappointed with how hot we were throughout the night". The foam and springs are still a combination of materials that we have seen before. While the bamboo foam in the comfort layer is fairly unique, the other layers have been proven over long periods of time to last well and have long durability levels. What's more, the strong 10 year guarantee should help alleviate many of the additional concerns that people may have purchasing a mattress of this quality and price point.
What is the availability of the product, is it sold elsewhere?
As of right now this product is only available directly through the Panda website. We have seen the retailer work directly with some of our other partners with their range of pillows and toppers and so we may see some form of partnership in future months but as of right now, direct is the only option. When it comes to availability the retailer is currently working on a 7 day lead time for all popular UK sizes. This is fairly good, it might not be the next day, but it's not so far away that you need to be planning weeks and months in advance like some competitors.
