Zinus is one of the most well known (and well respected) brands in the world of mattresses. They’re consistently rated as best sellers on Amazon and more and more people each year are settling down to a good night’s sleep on one of their products.
Today we are going to take a detailed look at the Zinus brand and some of the products that they create. We’ll be answering some frequently asked questions and providing an impartial review of what we think about the quality and design of their mattresses.
Let’s get started.
Key Components to Zinus Mattresses
The products that Zinus make can be broken down into two main categories – memory foam and coiled. There’s a little overlap between the two groups (some coiled mattresses have memory foam top layers), but in general, the two product groups are reasonably easy to separate.
Memory Foam
Zinus uses two different kinds of foam in their memory foam mattresses, green tea, and cooling gel. They are both high-quality materials that provide excellent levels of support and will contour to your body’s shape faster than many other lower quality memory foams can.
Green Tea Memory Foam
With this material, Zinus have infused green tea and charcoal into their memory foam mixture before they cure it into the sheets that make up their mattresses.
They correctly claim that this gives the memory foam antifungal and antibacterial properties that traditional memory foam does not contain. We’re dubious about the effectiveness of this as the green tea and charcoal are added in limited quantities. However, there’s no denying that at least technically this product will resist bacteria and fungus more than traditional memory foam.
One of the most common complaints people have with memory foam is the strange smell it gives off while it is still new. This smell is a by-product of the intense chemical processes that are needed to make the material. It’s harmless, and it disappears on its own – but it’s less than pleasant, to say the least.
The addition of green tea and charcoal has surprisingly effective odor eliminating properties that reduce the intensity of the “new foam” odor, and reduce the amount of time it’s noticeable for. It’s not a perfect solution, you’re still going to experience the smell – but it’s certainly better than nothing.
Cooling Gel Memory Foam
Cooling gel memory foam can vary quite dramatically in terms of heat dissipation efficiency. While there are better options out there from premium brands, Zinus’s cooling gel foam is more than acceptable by anyone’s standards.
Cooling gel is extremely important in memory foam due to its inherent ability to trap heat. It’s the main problem with memory foam that brands have been trying solve ever since the first memory foam mattresses rolled off the production line. Cooling gel is one of the better solutions to this issue.
The way it works is reasonably simple. Because memory foam is good at trapping heat it gets hot from your body heat during the night. To solve this, when the memory foam is being made it is mixed with a cooling gel. This gel provides a way for the heat to escape the memory foam and spread out over the mattress evenly – reducing hotspots underneath the sleeper.
Coiled Mattresses
For quite some time now all of Zinus’s coiled mattresses have been made with iCoil technology. They’re some of the most advanced springs on the market. And while sprung mattresses are generally seen as inferior to pure foam solutions these days, they can still provide you with an excellent night’s sleep.
Traditional sprung mattresses (the scary old kind you see in movies) almost always contain several springs that are interconnected with one another by wire. This means that when pressure is applied to one spring, the spring next to it will compress very slightly too.
This was required for stability back when technology was less developed. However, these days there’s no need for springs to be interconnected anymore – they are free to act independently.
This is exactly what the iCoil technology does. Each spring is completely separated from the springs adjacent to them. When pressure is applied to one, the ones next door to it aren’t affected at all. This creates an effect that is kind of similar to the contouring effects of memory foam. It allows the mattress to compress to your body shape without creating a “pit” by compressing springs that don’t have pressure directly applied to them.
Note: While the effect is kind of similar to memory foam, it’s not the same. It’s just a good way to visualize what’s happening.
These individual coils also solve another issue that’s synonymous with traditional sprung mattresses – motion transfer.
Because all the springs are traditionally connected together in an old style sprung mattress it meant that when one person moved, the whole bed moved. One person tossing and turning in the night could keep the other person awake. Additionally, one person being heavier than the other could result in both sleeping partners rolling together and meeting in the middle of the bed.
Because individual coils isolate motion, they solve both these issues perfectly.
Zinus Mattress Coupons
Zinus is one of the more generous mattress manufacturers in terms of coupons and discounts. They usually have an offer or two going on. Most of the time they offer free delivery if you order directly from their website. Occasionally you’ll find a 10% off discount code, and sometimes you’ll even find 10% off with free delivery.
However, these codes are usually only valid if you order directly from the Zinus website. Amazon usually lists products cheaper, so it’s worth checking both the Zinus.com website and on Amazon to see what’s the best value.
How Much Does a Zinus Mattress Cost?
Zinus is generally seen as a mid-range brand. Their products vary in price depending on their type (memory foam or coiled), and their size.
For a memory foam Zinus mattress, you’re probably going to be looking at paying something in the region of $180 for a twin mattress all the way up to $350 for a king-sized mattress.
The thickness of a memory foam mattress has a big effect on how much it costs. The mattress we quoted above was Zinus’s thickest 12” product. Their thinner 8” version of the same product costs between $149 for a twin, and $209 for a king.
iCoil mattresses are generally cheaper than their memory foam cousins. Their thinnest 8” versions will cost in the region of $109 for a twin, and $229 for a king. Their thickest 13” versions will cost similar to a 12” memory foam product at $159 for a twin, and $350 for a king.
Note: The 13” thick iCoil product contains a thick layer of memory foam as a top layer, hence the similar price.
Zinus Mattress Review
As usual, we’re going to break down this review section into the 4 most important categories that you should be taking into account when shopping around for a mattress.
Support
All of Zinus’s memory foam products are exceptionally supportive. They’re made from high-quality foam that doesn’t require much heat to start the contouring process. The iCoil mattresses that are topped with memory foam are possibly slightly less supportive than the pure memory foam products (but only just).
The iCoil mattresses that are topped with comfort foam are much less supportive than all Zinus’s other products (but they’re still more than acceptable).
Comfort
All of Zinus’s memory foam (or memory foam topped) products are exceptionally comfortable. The foam is soft yet firm, and we highly doubt anyone would be disappointed with them. The only product that may not be as comfortable as expected is the comfort foam topped iCoil product, but again, considering the price – it’s not bad at all.
Thermal Regulation
The mattresses that are made from (or topped off with) cooling gel memory foam are the best thermal regulators that Zinus offers. They’re more than capable of keeping even the hottest sleepers reasonably cool throughout the night.
The comfort foam topped mattresses are reasonably similar to the cooling gel memory foam in terms of heat retention. They’re less advanced, but comfort foam doesn’t trap heat anywhere near as much as memory foam does.
To be totally honest the green tea infused memory foam mattresses leave a lot to be desired in terms of thermal regulation. They are no better or worse than standard memory foam, and that’s not a good thing. Standard memory foam gets quite hot, and if you’re a warm sleeper, it’s going to cause you issues.
Price
All of Zinus’s products are well priced.
The brand has a reputation for offering near premium quality products at a mid-range price point. You’re getting a great deal regardless of which one you choose.
Pros And Cons
- Pro – Well designed
- Pro – Very supportive
- Pro – Good quality iCoils
- Pro – Quality materials
- Pro – Can be good thermal regulators
- Pro – Can remove memory foam smell
- Pro – Very well priced
- Con – Green tea memory foam products get warm
Commonly Asked Questions
Do Zinus Mattresses Come with a Warranty?
Zinus may be a mid-range brand but they provide their customers with premium service and impeccable support. A great way of demonstrating this is by taking a look at the generous and lengthy warranty Zinus provide.
They call their warranty the “Zinus Handshake” and pride themselves on going above and beyond when something goes wrong. The warranty lasts for 10 years and they claim that they will attempt to repair a mattress before they replace it. However, anecdotal reviews state that this is very rarely the case. Most of the time they’ll just ship you a new one.
Are Zinus Mattresses Firm or Soft?
Zinus make mattresses in a range of different firmness levels to ensure that they can cater to people of all tastes. The vast majority of their products tend to fit in the medium firmness bracket, occasionally learning into a slightly firmer territory.
This being said, they don’t make super firm mattresses (and similarly super soft Zinus products are basically unheard of).
Does a Zinus Mattress Sleep Cool or Hot?
While Zinus does its best to provide a cool night’s sleep with all their products, some are admittedly better than others.
The few iCoil mattresses that don’t have a memory foam top layer usually use some form of comfort foam as an upper layer. Comfort foam is very much a middle of the road material that’s neither particularly good or particularly bad at dissipating heat.
However, the majority of their iCoil products use the same memory foam as they use in their pure memory foam products. As we mentioned earlier, this memory foam comes in two varieties – cooling gel and green tea.
The cooling gel memory foam is one of the better cooling gel foams on the market (there’s a variation in quality). It’s not the best in the world, but it’s certainly better than average. It’s going to run hotter than some other materials (like latex) but as far as memory foam goes – it’s pretty good.
However, the same cannot be said for the green tea memory foam products. Zinus have spent too much time focusing on the marketing and smell reduction and have ignored the thermal insulation issues entirely with these products. They are basic closed cell memory foam products (that are good insulators), without any kind of cooling gel infusion.
These products are no worse than any other standard (non-cooling) memory foam product on the market, but that does mean there’s quite a bit of room for improvement. If you run hot or live in a warm climate – you should opt for the cooling gel version instead.
How long does a Zinus mattress last?
Despite being a mid-range brand Zinus’s mattresses are built to last. They’ll easily outlast most other mattresses that are being sold at a similar price point. The quality of the memory foam they use is second to none, they don’t cut corners and their foam takes a very long time to degrade.
Similarly, their iCoil technology utilizes tempered steel in the construction of the springs. This means that they’re going to last you much longer than the rest of the mattress will.
In both cases, you’ll be able to get at least 15 years of use out of any Zinus product before you need to replace it.
Are Zinus Mattresses Good for Side, Back or Stomach Sleepers?
Zinus has intentionally tried to make products that are suitable for everyone (regardless of their sleeping position). Some may be better suited to certain sleeping positions than others, but we’ve not come across any product that we feel would be a “no-go” for a certain sleeping style.
We Recommend the Zinus’s Mattresses for People That:
Want Quality On A Budget – There are cheaper mattress brands out there, but they’re generally pretty poor quality. Zinus hit the sweet spot of quality and affordability in a way that few brands can. Their products are probably a little underpriced considering how well made they are, and they’re worthy of being added to any bargain hunter’s shortlist.
Want A Sprung Mattress – There are not that many brands these days that make decent quality coiled mattresses (but there are some). Many other brands are using coils as a cost reduction method instead of an alternative way to provide comfort. Some people are used to the feel of a coiled mattress and can’t get used to sleeping on pure foam products. If that sounds like you, you could do a lot worse than getting a Zinus iCoil product.
Get Hot During The Night – The cooling gel-infused memory foam products that Zinus produce are excellent thermal regulators. They reduce the occurrence of body heat hotspots underneath the sleeper and distribute heat evenly over the entire surface of the mattress.
Note: Remember, the green tea memory foam products aren’t that good at keeping themselves cool. Don’t get one if you run hot during the night.
Can’t Stand The Smell Of Memory Foam – While the green tea infused memory foam isn’t all that great at heat dissipation, it is great at removing the “new foam” smell that is almost unavoidable with normal memory foam products. If you’ve got sensitive nostrils and just can’t stand the thought of inhaling that chemical smell all night long, Zinus may be the brand you’ve been looking for.
Conclusion
So there you have it, everything you could ever want to know about Zinus and their mattresses.
Our opinion of the brand hasn’t really changed that much over the many years they have been on the market. They’re a good, honest company that make decent quality products that are sold at a very reasonable price point.
Sure there are better mattresses on the market, and if you want to pay for them you’re more than welcome to.
But if you just want a solid, quality, comfortable mid-range mattress that’s not going to break the bank.
You should get a Zinus.
