Koala Soul Mate vs Ecosa Mattress Comparison

Honestly, at this price point the Koala Soul Mate mattress should be for everyone (*who can afford it). Though we say it’s more a master bedroom mattress than a guest or kids one.

It does seem to deliver a good night’s sleep for all types of sleepers. Because of the 5 zone support that’s specifically for your head, shoulders, lower back, thighs and feet, it works really well for side and back sleepers, helping ensure your spine stays in the correct alignment. The addition of the bamboo charcoal memory foam layer ticks both hot sleepers (it’s breathable) and bed-sharers’ (it reduces motion transfer) boxes.

Sleepers who want to adjust their firmness level between medium and firm will love the Ecosa mattress, as will anyone who wants the support of memory foam. With its lack of partner disturbance, it’s good for co-sleepers and the midrange price makes it a good guest or child option.

The Koala Soul Mate has a lot of tech in it. For a mattress in a box, it’s more comparable to a shop-bought mattress which makes it very good. But what you get for the higher price point doesn’t bowl us over. You’re basically getting a bamboo charcoal layer and foam springs. Most sleepers seem to love it although it doesn’t always live up to its price, with a few people pointing out that for them, it’s not zero partner disturbance. If you’re looking for a firm, supportive mattress in a box and you’re happy on the higher end of the price scale, we reckon the Koala Soul Mate is worth a go.

• The oh-so supportive, cradling feel.
• That it offers a flippable firmness level between medium and medium-firm.
• Luxe feel, thanks to the 9cam sleeping surface plus 2cm quilted cover.
• Koala itself with their planet-friendly focus.

• It’s quite high (33cm) so you’ll probably need new sheets.
• No handles so turning and moving it is tricky.
• It’s heavy - the king weighs almost 60kg so handles would be even more helpful.
• That price though.

The Ecosa mattress is a great mattress in a box. This is especially because of the customisation it offers. With flippable firmness layers, you can choose whether it feels medium, medium-firm or firm. It’s also got a waterproof and dust mite resistant cover that you can remove and wash for easy care. Plus, Ecosa gets bonus points for being Australia’s first certified carbon neutral mattress company.

• Wide range of sizes, from single all the way up to super king.
• Flippable firmness layers so you can choose from anywhere from medium to firm.
• Proudly Aussie company that’s certified carbon neutral.
• Removable and washable cover.

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• No handles (although the Ecosa mattress doesn’t need rotating or flipping).
• Some sleepers find it too firm, even on the medium feel.
• Returns can be hit and miss.

The Koala Soul Mate mattress is a foam mattress with 5 layers. It’s sort of a hybrid because it’s got springs as well as foam. But these springs are foam, not steel.

1. A 9cm sleeping surface made of polyester and viscose which is designed to keep you at the right temperature, whatever the weather’s doing. This is topped by a 2cm quilted cover for that plush feel.
2. The same flippable comfort layer you’ll find in all Koala mattresses. It offers a medium-firm or firm feel.
3. A bamboo charcoal memory foam layer. As well as being antimicrobial, the memory foam is pressure relieving and helps air flow nicely around the mattress.
4. A layer of 5 zoned foam springs. This tripped us up, a lot. Foam. Springs. We consulted an engineer and apparently this could be a thing but it’s certainly not well known tech. The idea behind it is that the springs respond to all your body’s movements to give you support exactly where you need it.
5. Edge support so when you’re getting in and out of it, you won’t sink.

All the foam is polyurethane foam that’s certified free of formaldehyde and other nasties and is low-VOC (volatile organic compounds).

The Ecosa mattress is an all foam mattress, with 3 layers:

1. G-7 gel memory foam that’s designed to be supportive and cooling.
2. ECO-Tex memory foam with an open cell design for breathability.
3. Ergonomic support foam for correct spinal alignment and to reduce partner movements.

The Ecosa mattress has an inner cover that’s waterproof and also helps keep out dust mites.  All these layers are encased in a removable, washable cover that’s 40% Tencel and 60% poly.

All the materials in the Ecosa mattress, including the foams and covers, are certified free of harmful chemicals and other nasties.

Koala offers a better-than-standard 120-night free trial period. If you’re in most areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, it’s good news: Koala will pick up your unwanted Koala mattress for free. If you’re outside these areas, you need to bring or send it to the nearest Koala warehouse, and they won’t cover any of these costs. Although they promise a full refund, note that delivery fees are non-refundable.

Koala ships for free nationwide, with optional weekend delivery costing $70. Delivery can be same day in metro areas. Outside metro areas, you’re looking at 1-15 business days. They have a delivery checker on their website so you can get a more accurate idea of how long it could take.

Like all 3 of their mattresses, the Koala Soul Mate mattress comes with an industry standard warranty of 10 years. Honestly, for the price you’re paying we don’t think it’s great that the warranty is the same as the 2 less expensive options. The warranty doesn’t cover normal wear and tear, which includes ‘softening of the product that does not affect performance’. This sounds a little subjective to us as your idea of your mattress becoming too soft they might argue isn’t performance related.

You can try the Ecosa mattress for 100 nights. You do need to try it for a minimum of 14 nights before returning it. To arrange a return, you contact Ecosa via email, online chat or online form. Ecosa will then arrange a free pick up for you, through their charitable partners, like The Salvation Army. This can take up to 10 business days.

If you live outside cities, returns are a little trickier and Ecosa may ask you to return the mattress to your local pick up spot, at your own cost and time. Once the mattress has been picked up or dropped off, Ecosa will process your full refund. There are a few recent customers who have struggled with the returns process. Mainly this is long pick up times and being unable to get in touch with the Ecosa customer service team.

The Ecosa mattress comes with a 15-year warranty which covers visible dents that are deeper than 2cm; split or cracked foam; or a manufacturing defect of the cover. Ecosa is keen to promote that this mattress can sit happily on any firm, flat surface, including the floor.

But they do also point out that you need to stand the mattress regularly to breathe and ideally air and vacuum the area beneath the mattress. That’s because they won’t accept returns or warranty claims for mould or mould-related problems. This is much better the Noa mattress warranty that’s void if you don’t use a bed frame, although they state the mattresses can be used on the floor.

Like most mattresses in a box brands, Ecosa seems to be struggling with deliveries lately with lots of complaints about deliveries not turning up when they’re supposed to.