Simba GO Hybrid Mattress review: Premium comfort at a premium price
Comfortable, supportive and breathable, the Simba GO Hybrid ticks all the right boxes
Pros
- Comfortable across all sleeping positions
- Premium feel
- Excellent temperature regulation
Cons
- Expensive
- Average movement isolation
Keen to stand out in the increasingly competitive bed-in-a-box-mattress market, Simba has gone green with its GO Hybrid. Short for “Green Organic”, the GO has more than just a colourful cover. Indeed, Simba pitches it as its most sustainable and organic mattress to date.
To deliver on its eco-conscious promise, the GO Hybrid features a blend of new and recycled fibres, organic latex and an organic cotton cover. It has been designed to be 100% recyclable and it’s even delivered using a carbon-neutral courier service. Simba claims that this all adds up to a mattress with half the carbon footprint of a traditional hybrid mattress.
While moving towards a more sustainable business model is to be commended, it counts for little if the mattress doesn’t provide a good night’s rest. Fortunately, having slept on the GO Hybrid for a good couple of months, I can say it stands out as one of the most comfortable hybrid mattresses I’ve ever reviewed.
Simba GO Hybrid Mattress review: What you need to know
At the time of writing, Simba’s range includes eight mattresses and no fewer than five hybrid options. The GO joins the Essential, Hybrid, Hybrid Pro and Hybrid Luxe, sitting alongside the latter at the top end of the range.
As with all hybrid mattresses, the GO is made up of a combination of springs and foam but its five-layer construction is different from the rest of Simba’s lineup.
Starting at the top there’s a 25mm Simba Renew layer, formed from up to 75% recycled materials. Beneath this sits a 50mm organic latex “comfort” layer. Next up there’s the first spring layer which contains up to 2,000 250mm-tall “Aerocoil” springs. This is followed by a second spring layer, which has five zones and includes up to 900, 200mm pocket springs. The base is formed from a 250mm mesh layer of new and recycled fibres and then the whole thing is wrapped in a breathable cover made from organic cotton.
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To ensure it’s of organic origin and sustainable manufacture, the GO Hybrid’s latex content has been externally certified by the Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) while the mattress’s organic cotton cover has been certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). The recycled fibres used in the Simba Renew layer and base also carry a Global Recycling Standard (GRS) certification ensuring they’re from a responsible, sustainable source.
Like almost all bed-in-a-box mattresses, the GO Hybrid is only designed to be slept on one way, so it never requires flipping. It does, however, need to be periodically rotated from head to toe. Simba states that it should be turned once a month for the first three months and then every three to six months for the rest of its life.
The GO Hybrid can be used on any bed frame but Simba ideally recommends pairing it with either a slatted or divan-type base. In the case of slatted beds, both sprung and solid slats are fine, but the slats should be spaced no further than 75mm apart.
As with Simba’s other mattresses, the GO Hybrid benefits from a 200-night trial, allowing you to test it out risk-free in the comfort of your own home. If for any reason during those 200 nights you decide that the mattress is not quite right for you, Simba will collect it and issue you a full refund.
Simba GO Hybrid Mattress review: Price and competition
Pricing for the Simba GO Hybrid Mattress starts at £1,499 for a single, running up to £2,149 for a double and £2,299 for a king. It’s worth noting, however, that Simba’s mattresses are almost always discounted, so you can expect to knock anywhere between 25-45% off the list price if you buy at the right time.
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If you’re looking for a slightly more affordable Simba mattress, the Hybrid Pro starts out at £1,159 for a single, moving up to £1,599 for a double and £1,749 for a king size. The Brook + Wilde Ultima, with its soft, medium or firm feel options, is perhaps the most notable rival. Expert Reviews’ Mattress of the Year 2022 winner, the Ultima is priced at £2,199 for a double and £2,499 for a king at the time of writing.
Simba GO Hybrid Mattress review: Performance and comfort
Like all bed-in-a-box mattresses, the Simba GO ships boxed, rolled and vacuum-sealed for easy delivery. Simba’s couriers will carry the box to your desired room, which is a service I’d recommend taking advantage of because, at over 42kg for a king size model, it isn’t easy to manoeuvre.
Once the mattress has been removed from its shipping box and unrolled, you simply need to pierce the plastic wrapper and stand back. Once the vacuum seal has been broken, the mattress quickly inflates and takes on a more obvious mattress shape. Simba states that the bed should be ready to sleep on after three hours but that it could take up to 72 hours to round out completely.
While it’s common for bed-in-a-box mattresses to exhibit a strong chemical odour upon first arrival, the GO was decidedly more neutral. While my review sample had a very faint smell, I don’t think it would warrant any airing before first use.
The first thing that struck me about the Simba GO Hybrid is its height. With a depth of 30cm it has a real premium loft to it. And, while a few centimetres may not seem like a lot, it certainly feels noticeably taller than a standard 25cm mattress.
Compared to the other bed-in-a-box mattresses I’ve reviewed, the GO Hybrid feels far more traditional. Memory foam and hybrid mattresses often feel a little marshmallow-like, but the GO, with its combination of micro- and full-sized pocket springs, has a real bounce to it.
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Firmness is highly subjective and the overall feel of any mattress will vary depending on your weight and the style of bed you pair it with. With that said, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the firmest, I would place the GO Hybrid at around a 6.5 when used on a sprung slatted base. The mattress firms up a little when used on a solid base but not so much as to change its overall character.
Crucially, it’s one of the most comfortable mattresses I’ve reviewed. Its medium-firm feel provided just the right amount of pressure relief across my back, while also allowing some give around my shoulder when sleeping on my side. Overall, l found the GO Hybrid worked very nicely across all sleeping positions.
It’s cool to sleep on, too. Bed-in-a-box mattresses have a bit of a reputation for becoming overly warm during the night, but I found the GO to be very breathable. The mattress doesn’t feel as dense as a more foam-heavy model, with heat dissipating away rather than building up throughout the night.
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Where the mattress stumbles slightly is movement isolation. Foam and hybrid mattresses usually do a decent job of limiting vibrations from your bed partner. The GO Hybrid, with its springier, more traditional feel, can’t compete with some of the more foam-heavy hybrids in this regard. It’s certainly not the worst example I’ve tested, but I could regularly feel when my partner moved around on the bed, so the GO may not be the best choice for light sleepers.
Simba GO Hybrid Mattress review: Verdict
The Simba GO Hybrid is a fantastic all-rounder that will appeal to those who like to sleep in multiple positions and those who prefer a slightly more traditional feel. Indeed, it offers just the right amount of support to appeal to back-sleepers, while also affording side-sleepers the relief they need around their shoulders.
Besides performing a little worse than its rivals in terms of movement isolation, it’s one of the most comfortable hybrids I’ve ever tested. It isn’t cheap, but if you want an outstanding mattress that offers more eco credentials than most of the competition, the GO Hybrid comes very highly recommended.
