Zoma Start Mattress Review

The Zoma Start is an all-foam mattress designed to provide deep contouring, sooth the muscles and accelerate physical recovery, especially for athletes who strain their body on a regular basis. The mattress is sold at an affordable price enabling high-quality sleep without placing too much burden on a buyers' budget.

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^{* Mattress weights are based on estimations}

^{** The price of the Split King size mattress relates to the two pieces}

Pros & Cons

Mattress Construction

The Start is 10'' thick. It consists of 3 layers of foam, which work together to contour sleepers' body while delivering the support necessary for a healthy and rejuvenating night's sleep.

Cover:  Soft and breathable fabric made of polyester (97%) and Spandex (3%). The fabric has tiny holes in it to improve moisture wicking.

Comfort Layer: Gel memory foam, which deeply molds to the body providing improved pressure relief. The gel disperses heat across the mattress keeping it cooler.

Transition Layer: Reactiv™ medium density poly foam capable of better responding to sleepers' movements generating bounce and curbing sinkage.

Support Layer: Highly dense poly foam. The foam is stiffer in the middle third of the bed delivering improved zoned support. Its increased density also adds durability to the mattress as a whole.

Feel

The plush, breathable and perforated cover fabric gives a smooth and plush feel and keeps the surface of the mattress dry and cool even after hours of sleep.

The malleable memory foam in the comfort layer cozily hugs sleepers body and provides a pleasant melting-into-the-bed sensation. It helps relax contracted muscles and alleviate pain.

The contouring sinkage the comfort layer enables is countered by the responsive poly foam in the transition layer and the highly dense poly foam in the support layer. Together, they generate bounce and lift increasing sleepers' stability making them feel they are 'on' the mattress instead of 'in' it.

Pressure Relief

The Start is ideal for side sleepers of all weights. The cushy gel-infused memory foam in the comfort layer will conform to the sensitive areas in their body — mainly the hips and shoulder — reducing pressure. The bounce generated by the transition layer will keep their back in its natural position while the hardened poly foam in the support later will prevent it from plunging too deep into the mattress, especially when it comes to heavier sleepers.

The Start is a good fit for back sleepers weighing up to 250 pounds. Its soft comfort layer will envelop their lower back soothing the muscles. The responsive medium density poly foam below will make sure their back won't sink too much and will, therefore, avert the build up of unhealthy pressure. The zoned support the hardened foam in the third layer delivers fulfills the most important role in providing these sleepers with a rejuvenating sleep: it'll target their thoracic spine keeping it properly aligned preventing curvature disorders in the long run.

Back sleepers whose weight exceeds 250 pounds will sink too deeply into the mattress. They won't feel comfortable and may suffer from pain. They'll need a firmer and more supportive mattress.

Lightweight stomach sleepers will like the Start. Their abdomen will get the contouring it needs to mitigate pressure in their lumbar back. The transition and support layer will generate sufficient bounce and lift to keep them stable on the mattress.

Heavier stomach sleepers who weigh more than 150 pounds will need a more solid mattress better capable of preventing excess sinkage in the area below their rib cage, their waistline in particular. They're recommended opting for mattresses built for plus-size sleepers.

Motion Isolation

The Start offers a reasonable degree of motion isolation. The soft memory foam in the comfort layer can absorb low-medium intensity movements generated by sleepers during the night. What hinders the mattress' capacity for further isolating these movements is the responsive poly foam in the transition layer and the hardened poly foam in the support layer.

Practically speaking, most people will enjoy restful and undisturbed nights sharing the bed with their partner provided that this partner isn't a restless sleeper.

Repositioning

Sleepers who weigh up to 250 pounds will be able to move on the surface of the Start fairly easily. The bouncy poly foam in the transition layer and the high density poly foam below will enable them to do that despite the malleable memory foam in the comfort layer.

Plus-size sleepers, on the other hand, will need to exert greater effort to switch positions as a result of sagging too deep into the mattress. This can be quite tiring for those who tend to frequently toss and turn at night. 

Edge Support

The Start's edge support is superior to most other all-foam mattresses. This is because its has only one layer of soft memory foam which is countered by two consecutive layers of denser and firmer poly foam.

Going into specifics, the bouncy medium density poly foam in the transition layer will generate lift around the mattress' exterior. The highly dense poly foam in the support layer will prevent this area from sagging making sleepers feel stable lying away from the center.

As is the case with repositioning, the Start's edges will be less stable for heavyweight sleepers as a result of over-sinking caused by their more massive body.

Heat Retention

The Start's ability to dissipate excess heat is not as good as that of spring or hybrid mattresses, but it's well above the average. Its breathable and perforated cover fabric provides excellent sweat-wicking keeping sleepers' body dry especially in humid areas. The gel in the memory foam in the comfort layer disperses heat across the mattress preventing the accumulation of hot spots. Lastly, the two layers of denser poly foam below are less sinkable and so they don't retain much heat.

Frame & Foundation

The Start fits most of the foundations, framers and adjustable bases sold on the market as long as they're solid enough to support its weight. If you're going to use a slat bed, make sure the slats are no more than 3'' apart and no less than 0.5'' thick.

It's not recommended using a box spring, but if you still want to use it, you should place a flat piece of 0.75'' thick moisture-resistant plywood on top to get even support for the mattress and prevent the accumulation of moisture.

Zoma manufactures its own sleep platform for its mattresses. The Zoma Foundation is an easy to assemble sturdy pine wood frame. It's covered with a breathable 100% polyester knit fabric. It's also fitted with spaced wooden slats and optional attachable legs enabling you to turn it into a bed. It can support up to 400 pounds per side and 800 pounds total. It's shipped for free and is backed by a 1-year warranty, which covers workmanship and structural defects. Prices range from $350 for a Twin size mattress to $450 for a California King size mattress.

The Zoma Adjustable Bed is made of industrial-grade steel and comes with 3'', 6'' or 9'' legs and 100% polyester stylish grey upholstery. Like the Zoma Foundation, it assembles quick and easy. It enables head articulation of up to 60°and foot articulation of up to 35°. It features 3 pre-programmed positions of zero-gravity, flat and anti-snore, ultra-quiet motors, dual massage with 3 power levels, wireless back-lit remote, one-touch preset, under-bed LED lighting and USB charging ports. It can support up to 700 pounds.

The Zoma Adjustable Bed is shipped for free and is backed by a 10-year warranty. Minimum price is $840 for a Twin mattress. Maximum price is $1680 for a California Split King mattress.

Additional Details

Zoma's headquarters are located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company manufactures two types of mattresses, the Zoma Hybrid and the all-foam Zoma Start. The mattresses are 100% American-made.

The mattresses are also CertiPUR-US certified guaranteeing they're free of ozone depleters, PBDEs, TDCPP or TCEP (“Tris”) flame retardants, formaldehyde, phthalates, heavy metals and any other substances which may endanger sleepers' health or harm the environment. In addition, Zoma applies strict measures aimed at minimizing the emissions of volatile organic compounds.

Shipping & Delivery

The Start is shipped to any destination within the lower 48 states for free. Zoma doesn't ship its mattresses to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. What you can do if you live in one of these places is use the services of a freight forwarder, but take into account that you'll have to manage shipping and cover the extra costs.

The mattress will arrive at your doorstep wrapped in plastic, rolled and compressed in a 19''^x19''^x42.5'' box in up to 10 business days. You'll have to carry the box to the room where you plan to put the mattress, unpack the mattress and set it up. Currently, Zoma doesn't provide white glove delivery.

Returns & Warranty

The Start comes with a 100-night trial and a break in period of 30 nights. That is to say, you can return the mattress and get a full refund 30 night after delivery and no later than 100 nights. If you return the mattresses earlier than the 30-night mark, you'll be charged a $99 processing fee.

The Start is backed by a 10-year non-transferable warranty. The warranty covers faulty workmanship, structural defects and premature erosion of the foam resulting in indentation on the surface deeper than 1''. In case the mattress needs to be repaired or replaced, the customer may have to pay for labor and shipping.

The warranty doesn't cover physical damage such as cuts, tears and burning marks, as well as a normal increase in the softness of the mattress' materials or a decrease in the recovery characteristics of the foam.

The warranty becomes void if the law tag is removed and if the mattress is maltreated or place on an improper and/or insufficiently supportive foundation including a slat bed whose slats are more than 3'' apart.

The Bottom Line

The Zoma Start is an affordable high quality mattress designed for maximum comfort, enhanced body recovery and pain relief thanks to a sound balance of deep contouring and advanced zoned support.

With the medium feel it provides, the mattress is a great fit for light and average weight sleepers. Heavier sleepers will have to opt for a firmer mattress to optimize their sleep experience.

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