Ecosa NZ: My Personal Experience With This Popular Mattress

Ecosa NZ: Ecosa is probably the best known online mattress retailer in New Zealand. The Australian based company is well known for its firm memory foam mattress in a box, and they have reported a huge increase in sales since lockdown. I see a lot of people looking at buying an Ecosa mattress online, not realising that New Zealand actually has some awesome NZ owned brands that I think are more comfortable (and yes, I’ve tried them all). So if you’re considering buying an Ecosa, stick around and read on.

In this Ecosa NZ article I’ll to explain my experiences with Ecosa to you, and show you the alternatives so you have all the facts before you dive in and buy.

Ecosa: Mattress Overview + My Experiences With It

Ecosa is a nice mattress. It’s good quality and I slept well on it for a year before I decided to sell it. We had one or two small issues with it and their customer service was responsive and super fast at resolving things.

Features of the Ecosa mattress:

• High quality cover which zips off for easy washing
• Three foam layers inside: these are interchangeable, and each has a different firmness. The fact you can swap the foam layers around inside your Ecosa are what set it apart from others. However, I think that it’s firm no matter which layer you have at the top
• All foam layers have been engineered for cooling: one is open cell, one is gel infused, and the base layer has zoned grooves for airflow and spinal support

My personal experience:

Here’s my sleep info to give you some context: I’m female, average weight and height. Sleep positions: fall asleep on my side, wake up on my back. My husband is also of average weight, is slightly tall height, and has a niggly lower back which makes him fussy about mattresses. He usually sleeps on his side.

We bought our Ecosa right before I started this site. Like you, it was the only online brand we were really aware of and we went with it after reading all the good reviews.

It took me a while to adjust to the feel of Ecosa. It’s definitely firmer than I would choose… we had our mattress configured in the softest setting, and it still felt just a bit too firm for both of us. I switched the layers around to see how much difference there was (this is a feature Ecosa really play up in their marketing, but honestly I think both sides of this mattress are firm, one is just REALLY firm), and it felt rock hard.

The thing I felt most disappointed about, and that made me want to change mattresses, is that the foams inside Ecosa offer very little pressure relief for your shoulder when you lie on your side, and I find there is virtually no conforming to your body shape.

The “flat as a board” feel wasn’t what I want, and while I did sleep well on Ecosa and it’s a well made mattress, it was time for something else.

The Super Comfy, NZ Owned, Alternatives To Ecosa

We’re lucky to have TWO NZ owned brands offering a comfortable alternative to Ecosa for a similar price point. I’ve slept on both, and find them both much more comfortable than Ecosa. They both offer a bit more plush contouring that you’d expect when you buy a memory foam mattress online, but are firm enough to provide more than enough support. Let’s take a look:

Ecosa NZ Alternative 1: Winkl (My Current Mattress)

Want to compare Ecosa with these other brands?

Winkl is probably the second best known brand after Ecosa. They’re a New Zealand owned company with a social conscience, with a focus on providing local jobs and supporting local causes such as the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa. Winkl offer two mattresses, the Winkl and the Winkl Lux.

Winkl claim that their mattresses are the most comfortable in New Zealand, which is pretty bold. I agree with them though! After trying most of the NZ online options, it’s their mattress that I’ve kept on my bed.

Winkl offer two mattresses, the Winkl and the Winkl Lux.

• Like Ecosa, Winkl mattresses also have a three foam layer design.
• The standard Winkl is the same height as Ecosa while the Lux has 33% more comfort foams, and charcoal infusion in one of the layers (charcoal is  popular mattress infusion for its antimicrobial properties and cooling: as far as I’m aware, Winkl Lux is the only mattress in a box in NZ that has it).
• The Winkl Lux has zoning in the support core and a longer warranty.
• Winkl is rated around a 6 out of 10 for firmness (I’d say Ecosa is a 7.5), which offers contouring AND support. It’s the firmness level where the widest range of people are happy.

Click here for my detailed Ecosa Vs Winkl article

Ecosa NZ Alternative 2: Napp (The Only Mattress In A Box That’s Made In NZ)

Napp is the only mattress in a box company here in NZ that actually makes their mattresses here. Using high quality foams from Joyce in Australia, Napp makes their mattresses at the AH Beard facility in Auckland (this is also where many of your “big name” mattresses you can pay thousands for in stores are made). Napp has been in the NZ market about the same amount of time as Ecosa.

• Napp has a great cover which I don’t think they make a big enough deal about it on their website. It’s actually a real luxury feature of their mattress. The cover is a stretch knit like Ecosa, but it’s been created with Outlast Technology, which actually feels cold to touch. As far as I’m aware, only Tempur also has a layer like this (if you want to spend around $8000) in New Zealand. I see overseas brands charging hundreds of dollars to add similar materials as an extra feature.
• The comfort foams are much more generous than Ecosa. Napp uses hygroflex in the top layer, a beautiful quality breathable foam. This sits on top of a layer of gel infused memory foam. These foams work together to create a comfort layer that has enough conforming for me to really like it, and enough support to prevent you feeling like you’re sinking in (this is my big issue with Tempur, you sink in quite far).
• The base foam feels really resilient and strong, I’d say it’s comparable to the feel of the base in my Ecosa, and it actually felt better than the base foam I saw in the $8000 Tempur at Harvey Norman.

I’ve had comments from my readers that say nothing but great things about Napp and their service. I’ve had readers reporting to me that their Napp mattresses are holding up well after 2 years of use, and heard from a recent customer who needed a refund: she had her money back within minutes of contacting the Napp team.

We actually purchased a Napp last year, to replace our Ecosa. It’s a super comfy mattress, with a similar level of support as Winkl. Winkl JUST beats it for me though: the zoning and extra height of the comfort layers in the Winkl Lux make it my first choice overall, with Napp a very close second.

Click here for Ecosa Vs Napp

Ecosa NZ Summary

So now you know your Ecosa NZ alternatives. All of them come with at least a 100 night sleep trial and are all in the same price bracket, the differences are in the feel of the mattress and where the companies are based. Here’s a basic summary.

• Buy Ecosa if you want a very firm mattress with little contouring. If you like the sound of the customizable foam layers, keep in mind they are either “Firm” or “Very Firm” in my opinion.
• Buy Napp if you want to strike that perfect balance of comforting and support. Napp is also the only option that’s made in New Zealand and has the best cover. This is a true medium mattress that I feel will work the best for most people.
• Buy Winkl Lux if you want plush luxury and a mattress that sits on the softer side of medium but still has good support. If you like the idea of helping kiwi chicks thrive, you’ll enjoy Winkl’s new kiwi recovery initiative.

Click here for a mega comparison of all three of these NZ memory foam mattress options