In this article I have a comparison between the newly updated Bear hybrid versus the brand new Bear Elite hybrid.
In this article I’m basically going to be covering how these beds are similar, how they’re different and why you might want to get one of them over the other.
Table of Contents
Polices
Let’s start off the comparison by covering the policies these beds are going to come with.
This is stuff like shipping, returns, trial periods and warranties.
If you get one for yourself, you can start with free bed in a box shipping.
The unboxing process is pretty quick and easy to do, although since these are heavier hybrid beds, you should definitely have someone there to help you out. It would be pretty challenging to unbox these things by yourself.
Once the mattress arrives at your door, that’s when your trial period kicks in. Bear gives you 120 nights, so roughly 4 months to decide if you actually like the bed and you want to keep it.
If you decide that you don’t want to keep it for whatever reason within that trial window, you can get free returns and a full refund with both beds.
However if you wind up keeping the bed which most people end up doing, you’re looking at a lifetime warranty with both.
So the policies here the exact same. Let’s talk about what else these beds have in common.
Similarities
The biggest thing is that they’re going to have a very similar overall feel.
Both beds are constructed in a very similar style. You have coils for support, which is always nice because that means they’re going to be able to support even heavier body types.
And then above those coils on both beds, you have a layer of a more responsive transition foam.
There is a slight difference between this layer of transition foam, which I’ll talk about a bit later.
And then you have a thin layer of gel memory foam as the primary comfort layer on both beds.
Both beds also feature a nice quilted cover that functions as a comfort layer in and of itself.
So both beds have more of a soft neutral feel, despite the fact that they feature a layer of memory foam. You’re not going to be getting that traditional sinking feel you’d normally associate with memory foam because the combination of coils, transition foam and the quilted cover balance out that memory foam feel quite a bit.
You’re going to sink into them a little bit and get some body conforming quality, but I would not expect you to feel like this is a memory foam mattress on either option.
I wouldn’t say these beds feel the exact same, but I would put them in the same category. If you tried one and then immediately tried the other, you would notice a subtle difference. But I wouldn’t call it significant. I wouldn’t make that your deciding factor when choosing between these two beds.
One other thing both beds have in common is that they both feature material called Celliant it will open into their covers.
The long story short is is that Celliant is a material that’s supposed to do all kinds of things for you, like increase circulation, speed up recovery times and just generally be a positive asset to people who live a more athletic lifestyle, which is why Bear markets themselves toward athletes.
I can’t really say whether or not it really does much. I know someone who does swear by the Cellinat cover on his Bear hybrid.
It is a pretty interesting feature that really only comes with a Bear mattress.
Differences
So that’s really the major things that these beds have in common. Let’s start getting into their differences. I’m going to start with their firmness.
The Bear hybrid only comes in one firmness option. While the Bear Elite hybrid comes in three you get to pick from as you’re checking out.
The firmness for the Bear hybrid is going to be somewhere around a flat medium on the firmness scale, which makes it generally accommodating for all sleeper types.
The Bear Elite hybrid comes in a luxury firm, a luxury plush and a firm model.
The luxury firm is going to be their most popular and that one is also somewhere around a medium. I’d put it ever so slightly firmer than Bear hybrid, but they’re pretty close.
That luxury plush model is going to be somewhere closer to a medium soft, so a nice option for strict side sleepers, looking for max pressure relief.
And then that firm model is going to be somewhere around a medium firm or firmer. So a really nice option for strict back and stomach sleepers looking for little give in their mattress.
Being able to pick and choose your firmness option is always nice and that is a definite check in the Bear Elite hybrids favor.
But a medium firmness is pretty accommodating for most people, so you should be all right with the Bear hybrid.
The other big difference between these two beds is that the Bear Elite hybrid features a zone support design.
What zone support means is that the bed is divided into separate sections, with parts of it being firmer and parts of it being softer.
This is supposed to help your spine stay in a more neutral alignment while you’re sleeping and it is a pretty nice feature to have especially if you suffer from back pain.
On the Bear Elite hybrid it’s going to be slightly firmer in the middle, where you carry the majority of your body weight, but softer where you’re going to need more pressure relief.
The Bear hybrid doesn’t feature zone support and it’s a pretty nice feature to have especially if you have some back pain.
One other difference between these two beds is that the Bear Elite hybrid features a cover that is slightly cool to the touch.
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a cooling mattress but it is more noticeable in the center third of the mattress, which is gonna do a nicer job at cooling you down.
I don’t see temperature concerns on the Bear hybrid though, but if you do sleep especially hot that is a pretty nice feature to have as well.
Price
And then the last big difference between these two mattresses is going to come down to price.
As you probably guessed the Bear Elite hybrid is going to be a bit more expensive than the regular Bear hybrid.
After discounts are factored in, you’re looking at about $1800 for the Elite and about $1300 for the Bear hybrid. So about a five hundred dollar price difference there.
As when I’m writing this article, they are including some free pillows and sheets with a mattress purchase, no matter which one you get.
Mattress brands do like to play around with pricing sometimes, so make sure you check for what’s current.
But the bottom line is you’re gonna be saving money by going with the Bear hybrid as opposed to the Elite hybrid.
Final Verdict
That leaves us with the question of which one of these two beds from Bear should you get.
I’d say if you’re just looking for an affordable accommodating hybrid mattress, I would just stick with Bear hybrid because it is quite a bit more affordable.
But if you want to be able to pick and choose your firmness level, if you want something softer or firmer than a medium, and you like the idea of having zone support and a slightly cooling cover, then the Bear Elite hybrid probably makes more sense if you have the budget for it.
Alex P. Davis has a BA in Interior Design from The New York School of Interior Design and 10 years of experience expertly designing sophisticated interiors.