Koala Mattress Review: Does Best Known = Best Mattress??

Koala is the leading mattress in a box brand in Australia. It’s hugely popular and has loads of people who love it.

Part of the attraction of Koala used to be that it was made in Australia, but unfortunately this is no longer the case. The best mattress made in Australia is Dusk & Dawn, which you can read about here, or shop here.

Still want info on Koala? Stick around.

Here’s what you’ll find inside this Koala Mattress Review:

• Koala Company Overview
• Koala Mattress Features
• Koala Mattress Prices
• What Does A Koala Mattress Mattress Feel Like To Lie On?
• Is Koala The Right Mattress For You?
• Are There Any Problems With xxx Mattresses?
• What Are People Saying Who Love Theirs? (Reviews From Real People)
• Final Opinion (Is it best in the Australian market?)

Koala Company Overview

Koala is an Australian owned online furniture company based in Alexandria, NSW. Formed in 2015, they’re on a mission to give Australians quality furniture without the high price tags. Koala used to make their mattresses in Australia, but recently shifted their manufacturing to China.

Koala Mattress Features

Koala has two internal foam layers and an overall height of 23 cm.

• Cover: As you can see, the cover has a white top and blue sides. The white top is Tencel Lyocell, which is a plant based fiber loved for its softness, breathability and durability. Koala uses Tencel sourced from Eucalyptus trees. The blue sides and the bottom of the cover are a durable polyester blend. You can remove the cover from your Koala mattress and wash it in your machine but please air dry it (no tumble drying).
• Foam 1: 6 cm of Kloudcell foam. Kloudcell is the comfort layer of the Koala mattress. It’s a proprietary foam exclusive to Koala. It’s not a memory foam and it’s not a latex foam: instead, it’s been engineered to have the best features of both. It’s an open cell foam that’s breathable, a little bit bouncy, and pressure relieving.
• Foam 2: 17 cm of high density polyfoam for the base. This is pretty standard, and gives a nice strong foundation for the Kloudcell to do its thing.

You’ll find a lot of other mattresses in boxes have 3-4 layers, but Koala just has the two. It’s also slightly thinner than others at 23 cm vs 25-27 cm. However, the 6 cm of Kloudcell foam is generous and it’s a nice foam. If you want an Australian made all foam mattress that’s a bit taller, Hugo is another option.

Koala Mattress Prices

Like all mattress-in-a-box companies, Koala are usually offering a discount. In fact, I’d recommend you never pay the full retail prices shown below.

Koala also do discounted sleep bundles that include either a mattress + base, or mattress + base + pillows + sheets

• Single $750
• King Single $850
• Double $950
• Queen $1050
• King $1250

What Does A Koala Mattress Mattress Feel Like To Lie On?

Koala have thought carefully about how they want their mattress to feel. They’ve gone for a medium feel, which is a point where most people can be comfortable. Koala are very precise with what they consider the firmness rating to be: 6.1 out of 10 on the mattress firmness scale.

The tencel top cover means your Koala mattress will feel soft to the touch, and when you lie on it you’ll feel the Kloudcell foam work its magic: it will feel soft and pressure relieving, yet you won’t sink into it and feel stuck. It will distribute your weight evenly and has a slight bounce.

Koala is so keen for you to have a good sleep they will give you a free mattress topper if you find your mattress too soft or too firm. This is a really nice touch. It’s a good quality topper too: it’s 4 cm of open cell foam, in a cotton blend case. You can’t buy the topper separately, it’s only something Koala give to Koala mattress owners who need to change the feel of their mattress.

If the sound of a slightly bouncy foam has you concerned about motion isolation (if you share a bed with someone who tosses and turns all night or gets up a lot), you’ve got no need to worry. Koala does an excellent job of stopping it in its tracks.

Is Koala The Right Mattress For You?

Despite what all the mattress companies wish, I don’t think there is a “one size fits all”. I believe that Koala is a mattress that will feel comfortable for a lot of people, but there are also two groups of people who should look at something else. Here are my opinions on who will like Koala (and who won’t):

You’ll Love Koala If:

• You want an all foam mattress with a medium feel
• You are a light to average weight person who sleeps on your side/back/or combination
• You want to support zero carbon manufacturing
• You really like Koalas!

Buy Something Else If:

• You want to buy Australian made
• Plus size sleepers: I think this mattress is both a bit too soft and a bit too thin for you to get the support you deserve.
• Average to higher weight stomach sleepers: you need a firm mattress to stop your hips from dipping during the night. Average weight stomach sleepers should check out Ecosa instead.

Are There Any Problems With Koala Mattresses?

Being the most popular brand in the country can be a double edged sword. Sure you get all the praise heaped on you, but it’s easier to spot themes in the negative comments, too. Please keep in mind that the majority of people love Koala, with thousands of happy reviews and less than 200 negative ones that I found.

There was one thing that stood out in my analysis of the negative comments: there were complaints from people who had owned their Koala for around a year saying the mattress had started to sag. Foams will soften with time, but they shouldn’t soften to the point of sagging. Koala is really responsive to every single comment, and I note they’ve said the foam densities in the mattress have since been increased. What that means, if you buy a Koala now, is that you get a mattress that is more durable than previous models. How durable? It’s too soon to tell.

What Are People Saying Who Love Theirs? Reviews From Real People

Koala is Australia’s best rated mattress across several review platforms. It consistently beats out other brands for factors such as comfort, durablity, and value for money. Customers agree with its medium firm rating and rate it as being great value for money.

I’ve hunted out testimonials from happy Koala owners who’ve had their mattress for at least 6 months to give a balance to the problem identified above, because often really positive reviews are from brand new owners and negative reviews are from people who’ve had it longer. And I want to put your mind at ease that the problem above is not the experience of the majority. Here’s what happy longer-term customers have to say:

Owned for 16 months: “Our friends recommended this mattress to us, and we’re so glad we bought it. We’ve now also got one for our daughter, who’s really excited to be sponsoring a koala too!”

Owned for 6 months: “This mattress has been great for my niggling back problems. My wife finds it a little firm but we added a topper to her side and she’s happy.”

Owned for 8 months: “I used to get a sore back from my previous mattress, but I’ve had no problems since I’ve been sleeping on my Koala. I always sleep well and I have the base, too.”

Owned for several years: “We had our Queen Koala for years and recently upgraded to a King. We love it.”

Owned for more than 6 months: “I’ve had my Koala mattress for over 6 months now. It’s really comfortable, and when I move arount at night I don’t disturb my husband.”

Final Opinion

Yes, Koala is a bit thinner than other mattresses and it only has two comfort layers. But I still think it’s a reasonable buy. When you buy Koala you’re getting some powerful materials that will work hard to keep you comfortable, you’re supporting local, you’re supporting green manufacturing, and you’re looking after koalas.

However, it’s not in my top 3 of your mattress options in Australia, so there’s room for improvement here.