Nectar Classic vs Tuft and Needle Original II: Which Mattress Is Better?

Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated Sep 23, 2026 08:36 PM

See Nectar Classic Review

Mattress Type Foam

Bed-In-A-Box Yes

Upper Comfort Foam @ LumbarMemory Foam

Firmness Level Medium-Firm (50 Pa/mm)

Mattress Type Foam

Bed-In-A-Box Yes

Upper Comfort Foam @ LumbarPolyfoam

Firmness Level Medium-Firm (51 Pa/mm)

Our Verdict

Nectar Classic

Tuft and Needle Original II

The Nectar Classic and Tuft and Needle Original II have different strengths. The Nectar's better support for heavier individuals makes it more suitable for combination sleepers in that weight category. Its significantly better motion isolation performance means you'll feel fewer of your partner's movements. However, it has a slow-moving, hugging feel, and if ease of movement is a priority, you might prefer the Tuft and Needle, which is very responsive. The Tuft and Needle contains a bigger proportion of good-quality foam, so it's more versatile, and it has much better edge support.

Variants

Classic (California King)
Classic (Full)

Original II (California King)
Original II (Full)

Review

See Tuft and Needle Original II Review

Check Price

California King

Classic

California King

Original II

Full

Classic

Full

Original II

King

Classic

King

Original II

Queen

Classic

Queen

Original II

Twin

Classic

Twin

Original II

Twin XL

Classic

Twin XL

Original II

Main Differences for

Side Sleeping

Threshold

0.10

Side Sleeping

6.8

6.5

No major differences between these mattresses for side sleeping. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Side Sleeping

6.8

6.5

Back Sleeping

7.0

6.8

Stomach Sleeping

7.1

6.8

Firmness

Longevity

5.7

6.7

Pressure Relief

6.8

6.5

Support

7.1

6.8

Cooling

7.2

8.3

Motion Dissipation

8.4

7.5

Responsiveness

5.3

9.4

Edge Support

6.2

8.4

Design

Style

Style Picture

Compare High-Res

Tuft and Needle Original II Style Picture

Mattress Type

Foam

Bed-In-A-Box

Yes

Quilted Top Layer

Yes

Grab Handles

Thickness

29.7 cm (11.7")

30.3 cm (11.9")

Performance

Firmness

Head/Feet Firmness

Preview Graph

Tuft and Needle Original II Head/Feet Firmness

Lumbar Firmness

Preview Graph

Tuft and Needle Original II Lumbar Firmness

Firmness Video

Normalized Stiffness @ Head/Feet

50 Pa/mm

54 Pa/mm

Normalized Stiffness @ Lumbar

50 Pa/mm

51 Pa/mm

Firmness Level

Medium-Firm (50 Pa/mm)

Medium-Firm (51 Pa/mm)

Body Conformity

6.4

Shoulder Indentation vs. Body Weight

Preview Graph

Tuft and Needle Original II Shoulder Indentation vs. Body Weight

Body Conformity Picture 1

Body Conformity Picture 2

Indent @ 50 kg (110 lb)

35 mm (1.4")

33 mm (1.3")

Indent @ 80 kg (176 lb)

59 mm (2.3")

56 mm (2.2")

Indent @ 110 kg (242 lb)

75 mm (3.0")

79 mm (3.1")

Support

7.1

6.8

Pelvis Indentation vs. Body Weight

Preview Graph

Tuft and Needle Original II Pelvis Indentation vs. Body Weight

Indent Difference @ 50 kg (110 lb)

15 mm (0.6")

12 mm (0.5")

Indent Difference @ 80 kg (176 lb)

25 mm (1.0")

Indent Difference @ 110 kg (242 lb)

24 mm (0.9")

31 mm (1.2")

Bounciness

6.3

7.9

Bounciness Video

Maximum Rebound Height

9.0 cm (3.5")

19.5 cm (7.7")

Comfort Layers Envelopment

8.3

7.1

Sinking & Contouring Picture

Compare High-Res

Tuft and Needle Original II Sinking & Contouring Picture

Sinking Depth

4.7 cm (1.8")

3.8 cm (1.5")

Diameter Of Distortion

23.1 cm (9.1")

22.9 cm (9.0")

Responsiveness

5.1

9.8

Responsiveness Video

Response Time

2.7 s

0.1 s

Motion Isolation

8.4

7.5

Motion Isolation Video

Head/Feet Motion Isolation

Preview Graph

Tuft and Needle Original II Head/Feet Motion Isolation

Lumbar Motion Isolation

Preview Graph

Tuft and Needle Original II Lumbar Motion Isolation

Peak Acceleration @ Head/Feet

0.47 g

1.06 g

Dissipation Time @ Head/Feet

0.27 s

0.42 s

Peak Acceleration @ Lumbar

3.94 g

4.82 g

Dissipation Time @ Lumbar

0.22 s

0.47 s

Edge Support

6.2

8.4

Naturalistic Loading Pad Video

Naturalistic Loading Pad

Preview Graph

Tuft and Needle Original II Naturalistic Loading Pad

Small Platen

Preview Graph

Tuft and Needle Original II Small Platen

Naturalistic Loading Pad Indentation

142 mm

135 mm

Small Platen Indentation @ 0 mm From Edge

181 mm

149 mm

Small Platen Indentation @ 150 mm From Edge

132 mm

131 mm

Increased Indentation @ Mattress Edge

48 mm

17 mm

Cooling

7.2

8.3

Cooling Graph

Preview Graph

Tuft and Needle Original II Cooling Graph

Energy Transferred Over 1st Hour

56 kJ

69 kJ

Energy Transferred Over 8 Hours

145 kJ

175 kJ

Components

Cover

Cover Picture

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Tuft and Needle Original II Cover Picture

Sleeping Surface Material

Not Provided by Manufacturer

Polyester

Removable

Machine Washable

Edge Construction

Edge Support Picture

Compare High-Res

Tuft and Needle Original II Edge Support Picture

Edge Component

None

Foam Layer Material

Foam Layer Material Picture

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Tuft and Needle Original II Foam Layer Material Picture

Quilted Top Fill

N/A

Memory Foam

Upper Comfort Foam @ Head/Feet

Memory Foam

Polyfoam

Upper Comfort Foam @ Lumbar

Memory Foam

Polyfoam

Lower Comfort Foam @ Head/Feet

N/A

Polyfoam

Lower Comfort Foam @ Lumbar

N/A

Polyfoam

Transition Foam

Polyfoam

Support Foam

Polyfoam

Foam Layer Mass Density

5.7

6.7

Quilted Top Fill

N/A

45 kg/m³ (2.8 lb/cu.ft.)

Quilted Top Fill Foam Density vs. Reference

N/A

0.7

Upper Comfort Foam @ Head/Feet

32 kg/m³ (2.0 lb/cu.ft.)

30 kg/m³ (1.9 lb/cu.ft.)

Upper Comfort Foam @ Head/Feet Density vs. Reference

0.5

1.0

Upper Comfort Foam @ Lumbar

32 kg/m³ (2.0 lb/cu.ft.)

30 kg/m³ (1.9 lb/cu.ft.)

Upper Comfort Foam @ Lumbar Density vs. Reference

0.5

1.0

Lower Comfort Foam @ Head/Feet

N/A

30 kg/m³ (1.9 lb/cu.ft.)

Lower Comfort Foam @ Head/Feet Density vs. Reference

N/A

1.0

Lower Comfort Foam @ Lumbar

N/A

30 kg/m³ (1.9 lb/cu.ft.)

Lower Comfort Foam @ Lumbar Density vs. Reference

N/A

1.0

Transition Foam

25 kg/m³ (1.5 lb/cu.ft.)

30 kg/m³ (1.9 lb/cu.ft.)

Transition Foam Density vs. Reference

0.7

1.0

Support Foam

26 kg/m³ (1.6 lb/cu.ft.)

29 kg/m³ (1.8 lb/cu.ft.)

Support Foam Density vs Reference

0.8

0.9

Foam Layer Thickness

Foam Layer Thickness Picture

Compare High-Res

Tuft and Needle Original II Foam Layer Thickness Picture

Quilted Top

N/A

2.5 cm (1.0")

Upper Comfort Foam @ Head/Feet

2.5 cm (1.0")

Upper Comfort Foam @ Lumbar

2.5 cm (1.0")

Lower Comfort Foam @ Head/Feet

N/A

2.5 cm (1.0")

Lower Comfort Foam @ Lumbar

N/A

2.5 cm (1.0")

Transition Foam

7.3 cm (2.9")

4.7 cm (1.9")

Support Foam

19.8 cm (7.8")

17.0 cm (6.7")

Spring Layer Dimensions

Spring Layer Height Picture

Compare High-Res

Tuft and Needle Original II Spring Layer Height Picture

Spring Layer Density Picture

Compare High-Res

Tuft and Needle Original II Spring Layer Density Picture

Comfort Layer Height

N/A

Comfort Layer Coil Density

N/A

Comfort Layer Coil Gauge

N/A

Support Layer Height

N/A

Support Layer Coil Density

N/A

Support Layer Coil Gauge @ Head/Feet

N/A

Support Layer Coil Gauge @ Lumbar

N/A

Foam Layer Firmness

Comfort Layer IPD

Preview Graph

Transition & Support Layer IPD

Preview Graph

Quilted Top Fill 25% IPD

N/A

Upper Comfort Foam @ Head/Feet 25% IPD

1.3 kPa

Upper Comfort Foam @ Lumbar 25% IPD

1.3 kPa

Lower Comfort Foam @ Head/Feet 25% IPD

N/A

Lower Comfort Foam @ Lumbar 25% IPD

N/A

Transition Foam 25% IPD

2.5 kPa

Support Foam 25% IPD

3.6 kPa

Spring Layer Firmness

Comfort Layer Firmness

Support Layer Firmness

Spring Layer Firmness

Normalized Comfort Layer Stiffness @ Head/Feet

N/A

Normalized Comfort Layer Stiffness @ Lumbar

N/A

Normalized Support Layer Stiffness @ Head/Feet

N/A

Normalized Support Layer Stiffness @ Lumbar

N/A

Foam Layer Resilience

Foam Layer Resilience Video

Quilted Top Fill

N/A

18%

Upper Comfort Foam @ Head/Feet

41%

Upper Comfort Foam @ Lumbar

41%

Lower Comfort Foam @ Head/Feet

N/A

45%

Lower Comfort Foam @ Lumbar

N/A

45%

Transition Foam

51%

45%

Support Foam

50%

35%

Spring Layer Bounciness

Comfort Spring Layer Bounciness Video

Support Spring Layer Bounciness Video

Comfort Spring Layer Maximum Rebound Height

N/A

Support Spring Layer Maximum Rebound Height

N/A

Check Price

California King

Classic

California King

Original II

Full

Classic

Full

Original II

King

Classic

King

Original II

Queen

Classic

Queen

Original II

Twin

Classic

Twin

Original II

Twin XL

Classic

Twin XL

Original II