It’s time to see how 2 popular bed-in-a-box brands fare when pitted against one another. We’re talking about no less than Casper and Nectar. They’re no strangers to the spotlight as they’ve broken through the online mattress business with a bang. We’ve seen them both feature on this site’s many lists of best mattresses. So we’ve got to do a Nectar vs Casper guide.
In 2014, Casper was at the forefront of the online mattress revolution. The Casper Original Mattress took the internet by storm. It remains competitive after 5 years and several other models. The Casper Wave models are also becoming familiar to those who have a higher budget to work with.
Nectar is not to be left behind. It has a formidable memory mattress model that can beat traditional ones. It descends from a family of household product providers collectively called Resident. Combining years of experience in the consumer space and engineering sleep products, the company seeks to provide people with their best sleep ever.
So without further ado, why don’t we take a good look at what these 2 brands have to offer through their respective flagship models? Let’s review the Casper Original Mattress and the Nectar Mattress.
Table of Contents
Nectar vs Casper Mattress Comparison
Nectar vs Casper Mattress Review
Construction & Materials
We are comparing 2 all-foam designs in this review. The first factor to consider is the construction and materials of these models. The layers should benefit your sleeper type and body size for the most part.
We have the Nectar Mattress with its 5 layers, to begin with. It’s an all-in-one solution that focuses on contouring comfort, thanks to the company’s proprietary adaptive foam. Let’s check out the components:
- Quilted Gel Memory Foam – The top layer is made up of gel memory foam that elevates your body and keeps it cool as you start to sleep. It’s quilted to enhance the breathability of the bed surface.
- Gel Memory Foam – The patented Lush Foam™ is the second gel memory foam layer in this mattress. It works to wick heat away from your body.
- Adaptive Hi Core Memory Foam – Here comes the highlight of the Nectar Mattress. This recovery foam layer conforms to your curves and adapts to your pressure points. Proper cushioning of your shoulders, hips, and spine contributes a lot to a refreshing and pain-free slumber.
- Breathable Base Layer – All-foam constructions need air to circulate across its layers. This foam base is in charge of this function.
- Tencel Cooling Cover – Tencel fabric is used as a bed cover because of its cooling properties. It promotes airflow further while protecting the bed.
On the other side, we have the 4-layer Casper Original Mattress. It has a sink-in feel that does not make you feel like drowning. Let’s see what each layer can do below.
- Comfort Layer – The top is composed of a polyfoam layer that is thin and breathable for cooling comfort.
- Memory Foam Layer – This memory foam layer contours your pressure points in a customized way, so they are relieved throughout your sleep.
- Transition Layer – Casper Original strikes here with its conforming core layer. This ZonedSupport foam specializes in cradling your shoulders a bit more deeply than it does your hips. This feature lets your spine align naturally.
- Support Layer – A 5-inch, high-density polyfoam gives the bed its structure while maintaining durability.
- Polyester Cover – A softcover in white and gray identifies this mattress model.
Winner: Casper
Read our full review of Casper Sleep mattresses.
Firmness & Feel
Firmness is highly subjective. However, as online mattresses became more in demand, firmness levels had to be defined in a standard way. Nowadays, the industry uses a 1 to 10 Firmness Scale to introduce the feel of each bed. Here’s the legend which we also use here at PhatFusion.
Legend
1 is soft, 10 is firm
- Ultra Soft – 1-2
- Soft – 3-4
- Medium – 5-6
- Firm – 7-8
- Ultra Firm – 9-10
Take note that not all brands have the same name for each firmness level. Neither do they have the same scoring groups. But they work within this framework, more or less. A very few companies deviate from this designation and employ a reversed version of the scale–where 1 is hardest and 10 is softest.
Both Nectar and Casper fit the medium firmness range. This level falls within what is considered as universal comfort. Although if a bed is leaning toward 5.5, that means it’s closer to the soft side. If it is nearer 7, it means it’s a bit firmer.
The range for Nectar’s score is between 5.5 and 7. No particular number is given, but it’s pretty good for all types of sleepers: back, side, and stomach. Based on what some experts and users say, we can put it at 5.5 to 6, though.
Meanwhile, Casper features a medium firmness score. The same experts and users place it at 6. It’s almost similar in feel to Nectar, so it’s also good for back, side, and stomach sleepers. But it may not be ideal for stomach sleepers on the heavier side because of the pressure-responding ZonedSupport foam.
Winner: Nectar
Read our full review of the Nectar Mattress.
Cooling
There are several components added by online mattress brands to improve the breathability of the traditional memory foam. The gel is a popular example, followed by copper and graphite. There are also technological examples such as the phase changing tech. Will the Casper vs Nectar tie be broken in this department?
Gel is found in the memory foam used to make Nectar. The cooling properties of gel suggest that this bed can draw heat away from the body. It works hand-in-hand with the Tencel cover to make you feel cool when you hit the hay. But because it’s an all-foam type, it tends to sleep warm as the night goes by.
Are Casper’s open-cell foams any better? These layers sport tiny pores from which air can escape. On paper, it sounds like the perfect antidote to the heat-trapping issues of traditional memory foam. And for the first few hours, it works just as expected. Minimal body heat is absorbed. But that still returns to your body instead of ‘escaping’. So instances of sleeping warm are also present with this mattress.
Winner: None
Edge Support & Sinkage
Having stable and supportive edges makes a mattress less prone to sinkage over time. Its sleepers do not feel like fall even if they roll toward the perimeter. This also means a bigger surface area, which is great news for those who share their space with another person–or animal.
You would also love solid edge support when you sit there in the morning or evening–tying your shoelaces, perhaps. The thing with all-foam designs is that they’re not as advanced in this area as the hybrids. So let’s see how the 2 brands in review fare in this regard.
That said, Nectar has minimal edge support. It’s all right if this is not a big deal for you. But if it is, you are likely to be disappointed because it performs as other all-foam models do. Premature sagging may happen if the bed performs poorly–meaning, it has little to no edge support.
Casper may look firm, but there’s still significant sinkage when you sit at the edge. This is a sign of fair edge support. Like Nectar, it may push back gently, but not enough to keep you from slipping if you sit close to the very edge.
Winner: None
Motion Transfer
Having a bed partner may be troublesome for a light sleeper especially if the former moves a lot while they snooze. This may be inevitable in some cases, such as when you are married, have young children, or own a pet. A mattress with good motion isolation capabilities is exactly what you need.
Unfortunately, Nectar is not your best bet in this department. While it can isolate motion, the result is minimal. You may still feel the movements of the other person as you lay. This may not be the optimal situation for a very light sleeper as your sleep quality can be greatly affected.
Casper, on the other hand, reduces motion transfer significantly. Its strong and solid base foam is responsible for keeping it intact and able to isolate movements well. But this is by all-foam standards alone. Comparison with hybrids is a topic for another day.
Winner: Casper
Pricing
Premium mattresses with exuberant prices have been challenged by high-quality yet affordable ones, a category in which Nectar and Casper belong. The latter’s source of impact is not a secret. Their model is to sell the beds online, so they can do away with the overhead costs related to running a physical store and hiring salespeople.
Passing on the savings to you are Nectar and Casper. Nectar, for one, has prices that start at below $500. It’s a great choice for those who are on a tight budget. All of its sizes are ideal for dorms, apartments, guest rooms, children’s rooms, and master bedrooms.
There’s also the Casper Mattress, the original, whose prices are well within the market average. Its Queen costs only $999 on regular days–which means holidays and sale days can see lower price tags.
Winner: Nectar
Other Factors
We’ve come to the last and deciding factor for this Nectar vs Casper mattress face-off. First, let’s see how ordering and setting up is easy. Both Casper and Nectar make it easy for you to set up your new mattress. Just take it out of the box, which is pretty slim and can pass through doorways, and decompress.
The perks of ordering your Nectar Mattress are free shipping and returns, a 365-night trial, and a lifetime warranty. The latter 2 are the best terms in the industry as far as we are aware. Nectar is taking the lead here.
Casper comes with free shipping and returns, a 100-night sleep trial, and a 10-year limited warranty. These terms are not bad. In fact, they’re similar to other online mattress brands’ offerings.
But this is why we’re confident that Nectar is the better bed in a box in this regard. Since customers cannot test out the product before buying, allowing them to adjust to it through 4 seasons is pretty generous.
Winner: Nectar
Pros & Cons
Nectar Mattress
- Sports a gel memory foam for cooling comfort.
- Adapts to pressure points.
- Prices start at below $500.
- May sleep warm over time.
- Edge support is weak.
Casper Mattress
- Uses zoning features to deliver contouring comfort.
- Medium firmness is ideal for many sleepers.
- Isolates motion well.
- Has fair edge support.
- May sleep warm.
Also checkout Nectar and Casper comparison with other mattress.
Nectar | Casper |
Leesa vs. Nectar Mattress Review | Purple Mattress vs. Casper Review |
Nectar vs. Purple Mattress Review | GhostBed vs. Casper Mattress Review |
Casper vs. Leesa Mattress Review |
Conclusion
So, even if Casper has swept a lot of #1 places in our guides, Nectar wins because of its unbeatable customer policies. It’s an honor to declare this reliable mattress, which we also dub ‘worthy to watch out for’. Nevertheless, Casper has its place in the hearts and minds of many customers. But Nectar is always available for those who seek an alternative.
For more mattress reviews, make sure to visit phatfusion.net regularly.