Simba Hybrid Essential Mattress Review
Twenty centimetres deep with a five-zoned foam base at 549 pounds. This is the weakest value in the Simba range and the brand name is doing almost all of the work.
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Verdict
Twenty centimetres deep, four layers, up to 1,000 micro-springs at 25 mm, and a five-zoned foam base. At 549 pounds this is the weakest value in the Simba range and one of the weakest in the UK market. The brand name is doing almost all of the work.
Buy it if
You have found it heavily discounted or refurbished, and it is going in a spare room.
Avoid it if
You are buying it as your main mattress because it is the affordable Simba. It is not affordable, it is just cheaper.
See the current Simba offer
Refurbished Essentials appear at around 349 pounds, which is a different value proposition entirely.
No code needed. The discount is applied automatically at checkout. Opening the site in a new tab.
Simba on Amazon UK
Occasionally discounted below the direct price. Check the depth in the listing.
No code needed. Prices on Amazon change frequently, so check the seller and the returns terms before you buy. Opening in a new tab.
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Foam base with a micro-spring comfort layer |
| Depth | 20cm |
| Layers | 4 |
| Aerocoil springs | Up to 1,000, 25mm tall, single layer |
| Support base | Five-zoned CertiPUR foam |
| Spring support core | None |
| Firmness | Medium firm |
| Trial | 200 nights |
| Guarantee | 10 years |
| Price from | £549 |
| Refurbished from | Around £349 |
| Reviews | Around 2,000, far fewer than the standard Hybrid |
The scores
A thin mattress at a price the construction does not support.
Otty's Aura gives you a real spring core at 350 pounds. This gives you foam at 549.
Twenty centimetres over a five-zoned foam base is not much to compress before you reach the bottom.
Simbatex still works. This is the one thing the Essential retains from the range.
Twenty centimetres of foam with no perimeter reinforcement. It will fold.
The Aerocoil layer does its job, even in reduced quantity.
The same 200 nights and 10 years as the rest of the range, which is to Simba's credit.
Twenty centimetres is the problem
Depth is not everything, and I say so on this site whenever a brand leans on it. But there is a floor below which a mattress cannot do its job, and 20 cm is close to it for an adult sleeping nightly.
The arithmetic is straightforward. Of that 20 cm, the cover and the Aerocoil layer account for the top few centimetres, the Simbatex layer sits below it, and what remains is a five-zoned foam base. There is very little material between your hip and the bed frame.
That matters most for two groups. Heavier sleepers compress through the comfort layers quickly and reach the firm base, which feels like hitting a floor. And side sleepers need the shoulder and hip to sink further than a 20 cm build comfortably allows.
What 549 pounds buys elsewhere
| Mattress | Depth | Support core | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simba Hybrid Essential | 20cm | Five-zoned foam | £549 |
| Otty Aura Hybrid | 23cm | Up to 1,000 springs at 14cm | £349.99 |
| Origin Hybrid | 26cm | Up to 3,000 springs, five zones | £265 |
| Nectar Classic Hybrid | 25cm | Micro-springs over foam | £299 |
Every mattress on that list is deeper and cheaper. Two of them have genuine spring support cores. The Essential's only advantage is the word Simba on the label and the 200 night trial, and the Otty Aura and Origin Hybrid both offer trials of their own.
The refurbished version changes the answer
Simba sells refurbished Essentials at around 349 pounds, and at that price the judgement flips. A refurbished Essential is a reasonable spare room mattress: it still has the Simbatex layer, the Aerocoil comfort springs, and Simba's construction quality.
Before buying refurbished from anyone, establish two things. Does the trial still apply, and does the guarantee still apply. If the answer to both is no, you are buying a mattress you cannot send back, which is fine for a guest room and unwise for your own.
Should you buy it?
At 549 pounds, no. I would not recommend this to anyone, and it is the lowest score on this site so far for a reason that has nothing to do with build quality. Simba makes it properly. It is simply too little mattress for the money.
At around 349 pounds refurbished, or on a very deep sale, it becomes a sensible spare room purchase.
If you want a Simba and 549 is your budget, wait and buy the standard Simba Hybrid on a 30 percent discount instead. If you simply want the best mattress at that money, buy the Otty Original.
Questions people ask
Is the Simba Hybrid Essential worth buying?
At 549 pounds, no. It is 20cm deep with up to 1,000 micro-springs over a five-zoned foam base. The Otty Aura gives you a genuine spring core at 349.99, and the Origin Hybrid gives you 26cm and up to 3,000 springs at 265. Refurbished at around 349 it becomes a reasonable spare room mattress.
Is 20cm deep enough for a mattress?
It is close to the floor of what works for an adult sleeping nightly. Once the cover, the Aerocoil layer and the Simbatex layer are accounted for, there is very little material between your hip and the bed frame. Heavier sleepers and side sleepers feel this first.
What is the cheapest good Simba mattress?
The standard Simba Hybrid on a 30 percent discount, rather than the Essential at list price. If the budget is fixed at around 550 pounds and you are not committed to the brand, the Otty Original Hybrid is the better mattress.