These are two of our favourite mattresses you can currently buy online in Australia. But which is best for you?
Noa mattress is a hybrid mattress with a combination of pocket springs and foams, and the Emma mattress is an all-foam mattress.
What are they like to sleep on?
They both have similar firmness, and I would say the Noa mattress is slightly firmer because of the springs, but you get an excellent comfort level from the sinking memory foam and the gentle push back from the springs.
The Emma mattress is more of a solid foam feeling, but you get more pressure relief because it’s an all-foam bed. So if you have bad back or joint pains, you might prefer the Emma mattress.
This is subjective, and if you have a bad back, see a doctor first. If you have back pain and currently have a traditional spring bed and are struggling to sleep, I would suggest going towards an all-foam mattress. But, generally, the foam will help cradle your body, taking the pressure off the joints.
Personally, I prefer to sleep on a hybrid mattress because you get the benefits of a foam bed but with the bonus of the bounce and gentle push back of the springs.
Materials
Noa
The Noa bed is made up of 5 layers — Natural Latex, Gel Infused Memory Foam, Transition Foam, Pocket Springs, Support Foam.
Natural latex — is more cooling than memory foam and is a great top layer for a bed; the latex also gives a nice bounce and is OEKO-TEX certified.
Gel infused memory foam — Memory foam adds extra pressure relief to the mattress, the only downside to memory foam is that it gets too hot. However, Noa has counteracted this by using gel-infused foam, which keeps it cooler, and it’s also REACH certified.
Transition foam — This layer operates the foam layers from the pocket springs. This layer is more than just a filler layer to stop you from feeling the springs. It’s made of adaptive transition foam that provides motion isolation. This means it localises movement, so if you get up at night, you won’t wake your partner up (or them wake you up).
Pocket Springs — Made from thick gauge steel, the springs add bounce and durability to the bed. Each spring in the mattress is individually encased in a permeable mesh material to allow airflow and breathability to the bed. That is probably why they have a 15-year warranty when the most bed in box companies offer much less.
High-Density Support Foam — This layer is made of thicker, more durable foam to prevent sagging and improve the bed’s overall comfort. The high-density support foam also encases around the edges of the pocket springs to avoid any contact with the springs.
Cover — Encasing the mattress is a lovely hand-tufted breathable Tencel cover. Tencel has antibacterial and hypoallergenic properties; it’s also exceptionally soft and ultra-breathable.
Note: All foam layers are REACH certified (EU equivalent to the US CertiPur-US certification). Materials are low in Volatile Organic Compound (VOCs) emissions for indoor air quality (less than 0.5 parts per million). And the foam layers are bound by water-based adhesives, which reduce heat retention to keep you fresh.
Emma
The Emma Bed is made up of 3-layers of foam — Eco-friendly foam, 7 zone foam, and Supportive point elastic foam.
Eco-friendly foam — Well, if you haven’t guessed it, the foam is kind to the environment. The answers are vague, but I haven’t found too much information about the eco-friendly aspect. I’m guessing it doesn’t harm the environment compared to regular foams. However, the foam is breathable and will wick away moisture to stop you from overheating. You also get features like zero partner disturbance, so no more waking your partner up in the night (or them waking you up).
7 Zone Foam — The middle layer makes the bed great. The high resilience foam effortlessly adapts to parts of your body because of the 7 zone design. Basically, it has cut-outs in areas that experience the most pressure, like hips and shoulders; this helps align your spine correctly.
Supportive point-elastic foam — The base layer is more durable than the other layer to give structure and durability to the mattress. The added firmness of this layer is one of the reasons why you move around on the bed. It will absorb the motion, so you don’t disturb your partner.
Cover — The climate-regulating breathable cover is softer on the top with moisture-wicking properties to give you a better night’s sleep. And the side panels are slightly more robust, so you can move the bed around using the handles without worrying about breaking the cover.
Note: All materials are OEKO TEX® Standard 100 — Class 1 certified. So you don’t have to worry about breathing in nasty chemicals from your mattress. The certification also assures that it’s safe for babies and toddlers.
Size & Weight
Noa
- Single: 92 * 188 * 28 cm (25 kgs)
- King single: 107 * 203 * 28 cm (31 kgs)
- Double: 138 * 188 * 28 cm (36 kgs)
- Queen: 153 * 203 * 28 cm (44 kgs)
- King: 183 * 203 * 28 cm (55 kgs)
Emma
- Single 188x92x25 cm (17 kg)
- King Single 203x107x25 cm (19 kg)
- Double 188x138x25 cm (26 kg)
- Queen 203x153x25 cm (29 kg)
- King 203x183x25 cm (35 kg)
Reviews
This is a tough one for my review of both beds. They’re both made of high-quality materials, and, both have a similar firmness. Both are at a great price point.
Note: Emma mattress is new to Australia, so there aren’t many reviews on the Australian website yet.
- Noa 4.7/5
- Emma 4.6/5
Taken from brands’ website, ProductReview.com.au and Trustpilot
Link goes to Emma-Sleep.com.au
Link goes to NoaHome.com
Pricing
I went to both websites and collected the current price to put in a spreadsheet, as you can see below. Both are probably the best value beds in Australia. However, the Noa mattress is currently a better value choice because of the materials used, like pocket springs in combination with the price.
I used this in the Noa vs Sleeping Duck review, but I have pasted another screenshot below that might help the price more in perspective.
Ending Note
Both are excellent mattresses. The Noa mattress is the best value hybrid mattress in Australia, and I would say the Emma mattress is the best value foam mattress in Australia.
But saying they’re both on the lower end of the price range doesn’t mean they are of low quality. In fact, the materials used to make up both beds and certifications put them with the best mattresses on the market.
Mattress budget guide
- Price doesn’t always equal quality.
- A $1000 budget is excellent for a Queen-sized bed; this will generally give you a wide variety of options to fit your sleeping style.
- Don’t go very cheap. Spending less than $500 for a Queen bed isn’t a perfect indicator of quality, but it does give an indication. The mattress could have higher toxicity of chemicals, lower-quality materials, and lower durability.
If we use the Noa queen-sized bed as an example, if the bed costs $800 for the life of a mattress, say 10 years, that’s $0.22 a day. As you probably know, your sleep and health are closely tied together and getting a bed that improves your sleep quality is worth more than 22 cents a day.
You can go check out both websites by clicking the links below.
