Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress review in brief
The Panda Hybrid Bamboo mattress is the first (and at time of writing, only) mattress from this London-based sleep company. The name is a nod to the fact that the brand uses a lot of bamboo in its products, with the aim of creating a range that is both comfortable and ecologically friendly.
Like many of our best mattress picks, the Panda is a hybrid, meaning it's made from a combination of foam and coils. It uses bamboo-infused 'BioCell' foam alongside the brand's orthopaedic OrthoAlign foam. Backed up by the seven-zoned coil layer, this mattress is particularly good at helping to ease aches and pains. We slept on a double bed size for a month, assessing it in all key areas to see how it matches up against competitor models.
Type: Hybrid mattress
Materials: Bamboo cover, bamboo-infused foam, orthopaedic foam, springs, memory foam
Firmness (1-10): 7/10 (Panda rating), 7.5/10 (our rating)
Depth: 27cm
Trial: 100 nights
Warranty: 10 years
RRP: £950 - £1,750
Panda rates the mattress at 7 out of 10 on the firmness scale. We felt it was slightly firmer (around 7.5), but with plusher top layers that mould gently to the sleeper's body offering excellent pressure relief. It's a great choice for both stomach and back sleepers, who will find their spine is kept aligned, and heavier sleepers should feel well supported by the foam layers, which will prevent them from sinking onto the coils. Most of our testers also found it comfortable for side sleeping, but some side sleepers – especially those of lighter weight – might prefer something softer.
Temperature regulation on the Panda is excellent, with the bamboo doing a fantastic job of keeping sleepers cool at night. The bamboo cover (washable, thank goodness) is followed up by bamboo-infused BioCell foam, which is designed to promote breathability. Individually enclosed springs also provide space for air to circulate. We were impressed with the motion isolation on the Panda, particularly considering its slightly firmer finish. Our biggest gripe was the off-gassing – smells on our review model lingered for nearly a week.
At full price, the Panda sits in the premium bracket, but you will find generous discounts on the website (even with these, it's still a luxury item). But we'd say it's well worth the money, as this is a mattress that most sleepers will get on with from day one. Read on for our full Panda Hybrid Bamboo mattress review.
Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Review: Price
- The brand's only mattress, sits in the premium bracket
- Regular generous discounts of around £300-400
- Free white glove delivery and old mattress recycling amps up value
At time of review, Panda only makes one mattress and it's priced in the middle of the luxury bracket. The brand is currently only available in the UK, but carries an impressive number of sizes, including EU options and even an Emperor size for those who really want a sizable bed to sleep in. At RRP, the Panda is a premium mattress and, while you can still find strong discounts, it's still at the lower end of the luxury bracket even with these applied.
Here's the current pricing for all sizes of the Panda mattress, alongside the usual discounted price:
- Single: £950 RRP, £712.50 on offer
- Small Double: £1,250 RRP, £937.50 on offer
- Double: £1,290 RRP, £967.50 on offer
- King: £1,390 RRP, £1,042.50 on offer
- Super King: £1,550 RRP, £1,162.50 on offer
- EU Single: £990 RRP, £742.50 on offer
- EU Double: £1,350 RRP, £1,012.50 on offer
- EU King: £1,490 RRP, £1,117.50 on offer
- Emperor: £1,750 RRP, £1,312.50 on offer
Panda offers a 100-night trial and a 10-year warranty. 100 nights is at the lower end of mattress trial lengths these days, with many mattress manufacturers offering 200 nights as standard. But it's still plenty of time to trial a mattress in. More impressive (and unusual) is the fact that Panda includes free white glove delivery to your chosen room and, even better, it'll take away your old mattress for no extra charge as well.
Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Review: Design
- 27cm thick hybrid mattress, made with springs and foams
- Bamboo-infused foam for comfort and temperature regulation
- Removable and washable cover
As you'd expect from a premium model, the Panda is a chunky mattress: the six layers give a total depth of 27cm, so you'll need to break out the extra deep sheets for this one. Starting at the top, the cover is made of bamboo and, like many of the best hybrid mattresses, it has a zip-off top that you can bung in the washing machine at 30 degrees. Even so, we'd still recommend using a mattress protector to keep it looking new for as long as possible. The cover is temperature regulating and naturally hypoallergenic.
Next up is the BioCell foam layer – Panda's proprietary open cell foam, infused with bamboo. Both the bamboo and open cell structure help make this layer breathable, plus it's odour-resistant. Underneath this is Panda's other proprietary design feature: OrthoAlign foam. As you might expect from the name, it's designed to support pressure points and optimise spinal alignment. It works alongside the multi-zonal spring base, with seven zones of full-size, individually enclosed springs. Beneath this you'll find a high-density memory foam base layer. Finally, an anti-slip lower cover stops the mattress from moving around while you sleep.
All the foams in the Panda are CertiPUR-approved, meaning the mattress is lower in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and certified to Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX, meaning there's no trace of harmful substances. We also really liked the fact that all the foams are 100 per cent recyclable and the bamboo is organic and ethically sourced. Panda's ‘Circle of Life' policy means that it only uses ethical and environmentally friendly practices – it'll even recycle old mattresses to prevent waste and landfill.
Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Review: Support & comfort
- A medium-firm mattress that we rate at 7.5 out of 10
- Plush top layer that has light contouring but not too much
- Excellent pressure relief and spinal alignment
Panda rates its mattress as a 7 out of 10 in terms of firmness, but we felt it was a little firmer at around 7.5 out of 10. This slightly firmer feel means this mattress is a perfect choice for stomach and back sleepers in particular, both of whom need mattresses that keep their spines aligned. Once we'd unrolled the mattress, we left it for 24 hours before sleeping on it and were pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it was right off the bat. For context, both our primary testers mainly sleep on their backs and our lightweight sleeper (5ft 9in, 8.5 stone) prefers a firmer mattress.
The OrthoAlign foam and zoned springs do a great job of keeping the spine aligned in all sleeping positions, with our back and stomach sleepers noticing that there were no dips around the lower back and hips (which can be a problem with some memory foam and hybrid mattresses).
We think it'd be suitable for heavier weight sleepers as well, with the firmer feel of the mattress stopping them from sinking onto the coils and being uncomfortable. Our average weight and heavier sleepers found the mattress comfortable in all positions, even side sleeping, which is down to the cushioned feel and slight sinkage from the bamboo cover and BioCell foam. However, it was a little firm for lightweight side sleepers.
Using our large 20kg weight, we tested sinkage in the middle of the bed, with the weight sinking by 12cm. This corresponds to the plusher feel of the top layers, which allow for some gentle contouring around pressure points.
Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Review: Performance
- Surprisingly low motion transfer, so a great choice for couples
- Superior temperature regulation
- Edge support is firmer than the middle of the bed
We slept on a UK Double mattress for a month, looking at all the major areas of performance. We rated it on pressure relief, motion isolation, edge support, cooling and ease of setup; all of which should help you to decide if this is the right mattress for your sleeping style. We used our Tom's Guide mattress testing methodology to see how the mattress performed against different criteria.
Motion isolation
If you share your bed with a restless partner or are a very light sleeper yourself, you've probably experienced the annoyance of being woken by movement. So a mattress that's well-structured and limits motion transfer is something to look for in a new bed.
We mimicked movement with a simple drop test using a 6kg weight and an empty wine glass to see how well the mattress absorbed motion. We dropped the weight from around 12cm above the mattress, starting at 65cm from the wine glass. At this distance the wine glass didn't move. It was also completely stable at 25cm and only fell over gently at 10cm from the weight dropping.
Considering the slightly firmer feel of the mattress, we thought these results were impressive (generally, soft mattresses are better at motion isolation). And it was backed up by sleeping on the mattress – none of us were disturbed by a partner moving in the night. It's not the absolute best for motion isolation, but most people will sleep well without disturbance.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Temperature regulation
We tested the Panda mattress with a summer duvet (4.5 tog) over a month that varied in temperatures from around 22 degrees Celsius overnight down to 15. In short, it was fairly warm. Hybrid mattresses in general do a better job of temperature regulation than all-foam alternatives but, even so, we were particularly impressed with how cool the Panda kept us overnight.
The bamboo in the Panda mattress is designed to keep sleepers cool, as well as being hypoallergenic and naturally antibacterial. The bamboo cover is temperature regulating and the BioCell foam underneath is infused with fresh bamboo to keep it breathable. It's also open cell foam, which Panda says helps promote airflow (in reality, pretty much all mattress foam is open-cell). Finally, the individually wrapped springs also help to keep air moving through the mattress.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Edge support
Edge support on a mattress is important as it helps us get in and out of bed, increases the sleeping area of the mattress, helps prevent premature sagging around the perimeters and allows you to sit comfortably on the edge of the bed. And, if you're buying the mattress for a child, good edge support helps to limit the possibility of them falling out of bed.
Sitting on the edge of the bed felt stable, with no danger of sliding off onto the floor. There was some dipping, backed up by measuring sinkage with our heaviest 20kg weight. This sunk in by 11cm, which was slightly less than the sinkage in the middle of the bed – that's the result you're looking for in terms of edge support. Corner support was good as well. The superior edge support means that this is a mattress you can stretch out on and make use of all the available surface area.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Review: Delivery & setup
- Free white glove delivery to a room of your choosing
- Free pick up and disposal of your old mattress
- Off gassing took nearly a week to fade
Panda offers free white glove delivery, with the mattress being delivered to a room of your choice. And the delivery people will even take your old mattress away, also free of charge. Standard UK delivery is 3-5 working days and you can choose a day at checkout.
You'll receive an email and SMS text message to confirm your order has been collected by the courier, with this including a tracking code and expected delivery date. And on the day of delivery, you'll receive a one-hour delivery slot from the courier.
The mattress arrives in a biodegradable and recyclable brown box, and LDPE (low-density polyethylene) plastic, which is also recyclable. As with all mattress in a box beds, the Panda arrives vacuum-packed and rolled. Place the mattress on the bed and slice the plastic open carefully to let the mattress expand. The Panda should be fully expanded within a few hours and ready to sleep on.
Off gassing was the only area in which the Panda didn't perform very well. It took nearly a week for the smell to fade and it was noticeably stronger than many of the mattresses we've tested in the past (note that experiences can vary from person to person). Off gassing, where organic chemicals and gases are released from the foam as a mattress expands, is normal and to be expected when buying a mattress in a box. But if you're sensitive to these smells, you may want to expand the mattress in another room before you sleep on it.
Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress: Customer reviews
- At the time of writing (August 2023) only 8 reviews, all 5*
- Panda London has an overall rating of 4.9 on TrustPilot
- The mattress gets praise for its instant comfort
At time of writing, there were only eight reviews available for the Hybrid Bamboo mattress on the Panda London website, each of which gave the mattress a full five stars. It's fairly new out, but even so this is a very low number of reviews, so we're not sure if there's some filtering happening here.
Of those that are available, customers are full of praise for how instantly comfortable the mattress is, describing it as the perfect mix of soft and firm. One or two customers also said how much the mattress had helped to get rid of aches and pains. The only small complaints we found were a few people that hadn't had a smooth delivery service. We will update this section as more reviews become available.
Should you buy the Panda Hybrid Bamboo mattress?
There really is very little to criticise when it comes to the Panda mattress. Its combination of plush surface fabrics and firm orthopaedic support means this is a mattress that suits a wide range of sleepers. Back and stomach sleepers of all sizes should find that the Panda keeps their spines aligned and does an excellent job of soothing pressure points. Average and heavier weight side sleepers will also feel cradled by the Panda, but we do feel that lightweight side sleepers could find it a little firm.
Motion isolation and edge support are both excellent, with this mattress being a great choice for couples. But it's with the temperature regulation that the Panda really excels – doing an excellent job of keeping sleepers cool at night. One thing we did notice is that the Panda felt slightly firmer on a divan as opposed to a slatted bed, so bear this in mind when pairing with a base.
Overall, we thought the Panda was a mattress that most sleepers would instantly feel comfortable on.
