Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro review: it’s certainly firm, but I have no more niggly aches and pains
THERE comes a point in life when a stiff back and hip pain in the morning just needs sorting out.
Life’s too busy to be waking up achy and robbed of sleep because of an old mattress.
Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro, from £950
So I jumped (well, hobbled) at the chance to review the .
Its combination of memory foam and pocket springs promised to relieve my pressure points and greatly improve my sleep.
And after so many broken nights, this was a promise I could get on board with.
Read more in home
I yearned for a full night's sleep - and if this mattress could ease my backache as well, then so much the better.
According to the Panda website, the mattress is "the world’s most advanced breathable mattress.
"Engineered to create a new world of comfort, experience six layers of sleep innovation combining science and nature."
Impressive words, but does it deliver? I tested it for a month to find out.
Most read in Product Reviews
Pros
- Comfort cool bamboo top
- Really supportive
- Open-cell structure memory foam ensures breathability
- Antibacterial
- Thermoregulating, 1,500 individual pocket springs, removable cover is machine washable
Cons
- Much firmer than I was used to, which took some adjustment
- Heavy to move
- Price
Rating: 8/10
How I tested the Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro
After the mattress was unwrapped, I left it several hours to reach its full thickness before even sitting on it.
When I was sure it had finished expanding, I tested it out – the top felt really soft and luxurious to lie on, I guess because of the tactile top bamboo cover.
After that first night, I continued to sleep on the Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro for four or five weeks before writing this review.
I move around a lot in my sleep, from back to side to front and back again, and I had no issues with the mattress, most times I didn’t even wake up, which is pretty good as I’m such a light sleeper.
Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro, from £950
Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro: Quickfire Q&A
How much is the Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro? It starts from £950 for a single, while the double I tested retails at £1,290.
Who's it best for? This one is best for people who prefer a firm mattress – it's a 7 on the firmness scale, according to Panda.
What I loved The look of the mattress – a dark base with a white upper and chevron design – and the fact the top cover is washable.
What I didn't like It's very heavy to move, which was a problem when it came to rotating the mattress (though you only have to do this every few months).
First impressions
My bed-in-a-box arrived wrapped in plastic, and looked so thin it was hard to believe it would end up looking like the mattress on the website.
Delivery is to your room of choice, which in my case — funnily enough — was the bedroom.
Two extremely helpful guys carried the mattress upstairs, placed it on the bed and cut away its plastic wrappings.
Once liberated and lying flat on the bed, my doubts as to its thickness resurfaced, but I knew better than to fret about it and just left the room – I could always worry about the thickness later.
The delivery men took away all of the plastic wrapping, which was a welcome touch as I wondered where I was going to put it all.
I needn’t have worried. At bedtime a few hours later, the mattress was looking much fuller.
There was a slight plasticky odour, but I’d been expecting it so there was no issue and the smell was gone within a couple of days.
My first night sleeping on my new mattress was... different.
The firmness took a bit of getting used to but the next day I did notice my back felt okay and I didn’t feel stiff getting out of bed.
Performance
A lot of thought has gone into the design of the Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro.
It’s made up of six layers that all work together to cradle your body without you feeling like you’re sinking into the memory foam, keeping your spine in alignment and you comfortably asleep.
The top layer of BioCell foam encourages airflow thanks to its open structure. It is infused with bamboo, which is antibacterial and thermoregulating so the two together help keep you cool.
An OrthoAlign layer supports your back, keeping your spine in an optimum position and together with the spring layer relieves any pressure points.
The seven zones of pocket springs reduce motion transfer, so if your partner is restless during the night you won’t be woken up by any movement of the mattress.
Below this, the comfort base is composed of high-density memory foam, which also helps reduce any movement effects, as well as being supportive.
The base of the mattress is non-slip so it won’t move around on your bed and the top is made of bamboo fabric, which feels beautifully soft to the touch and helps keep you cool, as bamboo is thermoregulating.
The cover is also removable for washing, which is a big bonus.
All together the various layers make for a restful night’s sleep.
Though I hadn’t realised until I tested the Panda, my old mattress had been on the soft side so this new one felt a little too firm at first.
However it was just a case of getting used to something new and after a week or two of sleeping on the Panda I couldn’t imagine sleeping on anything else.
It was and still is, supremely supportive yet comfy at the same time. It doesn’t matter if I’m sleeping on my side, front or back, I sleep soundly and wake up rested the next day.
It made me wonder if my backache had been down to my old mattress being too soft. Ah well, you live and learn as they say.
Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro, from £950
How much is the Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro?
The Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro currently starts from £950 for a single.
I received the double mattress to test and this retails at £1,290 so not cheap, but an investment if you’re after a firm, breathable mattress that will last you years.
The washable cover means you can freshen up the Panda Hybrid when needed or, heaven forbid, if you should spill something on it.
It’s worth keeping an eye on the Panda website for any discounts and special offers.
Panda does have sales from time to time with price cuts on bedding, toppers and duvets, as well as discounts on its mattresses.
Where to buy the Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro
The Panda website is the obvious place to buy a Panda mattress, but you will also find the brand’s mattresses at several well-known retailers.
We’ve seen the Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro (and the Panda Hybrid Bamboo, which is a less expensive version with up to 800 pocket springs rather than the 1,500 max in the pro) on sale at:
Alternatives to the Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro
Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress, from £649
Hybrid mattresses have soared in popularity in recent years because of the support coupled with comfort they bring.
Combining springs with memory foam has to be one of the best ideas ever, as far as I’m concerned
I love sleeping and the two together in one mattress make sure I get to do lots of that in supreme comfort.
Panda sells a cheaper alternative to the Pro – the Hybrid Bamboo, which comes in at £799 for the double.
It has six layers including the cover and 800 individual pocket springs.
Other brands also offer hybrid mattresses – some cheaper, some more expensive.
The big players in the bed in a box world include Simba, Emma and Eve, all of which offer comparable quality hybrid mattresses at varying price levels.
Simba’s Hybrid Mattress for example costs £799 for a double, while its Hybrid Luxe version will set you back £1,699 for the same size.
The difference is in the materials used – wool, bamboo, latex, synthetic fibres, cutting edge cooling tech – the number of layers and the number of springs.
More expensive models generally have more layers and springs, but that’s not to say cheaper mattresses won’t perform well.
The is currently £418 for a double and the has 40% off, costing just £389 for a double.
Read More on The Sun
For further inspiration, take a look at our best mattresses round-up, tried and tested by our well-rested reviewers.
The verdict
I found the Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro to be incredibly supportive and comfortable.
It did take me a bit of time to become accustomed to the firmness after sleeping on a soft mattress for so long, but I don’t think I would go back now.
The way the different layers of memory foam and springs support my body is a definite winner and the only issue I have is getting out of bed in the morning.
If you’re already in the firm camp then you will likely love this, if not you may find it takes time to get used to, but once you do, there’s no looking back.
Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Pro, from £950