Simba vs Otty Mattress Review

Cover:

Both mattresses go for the all too popular bland white top and grey sides.
Simba: This is 100% polyester in line with almost every other online companies I have tried. The top section of the cover can be unzipped and machine washed at 40 degrees. The grey base fabric can be cleaned with a soft, damp and clean cloth using small circular motions. The cover is an all in one piece that unzips from below making removal awkward. The sides of the cover have a textured affect which is aesthetically pleasing and quite unusual.
Otty: 97% polyester and 3% spandex on the top cover. Spandex (aka Elastane, Lycra) gives the cover a stretchy feel. The rest of the cover (sides and bottom) are 83% polyester and 17% cotton. Great news is that the cover is machine washable although it unzips from the bottom which makes removal awkward. The bottom portion removes fully from the top and side sections. The cover is 500 gsm in weight which is a good quality weight. The top portion while stretchy is also quite thick feeling.

Top Layer:

The top layers are very different on the two mattresses. Here we have memory foam vs synthetic latex. Generally latex will sleep cooler but Otty have done a lot to try and reduce the differences but it must be said, latex will always win out for cool sleeping. Memory foam will win out for spot relief however because of the size of the layers you must take the whole mattress feel into consideration for this.
Simba: 4 cm (1.6 inches) Synthetic Latex (Simbatex). Density: 60 kg/m3 (3.7 pcf)
100% synthetic latex with some added soybean oil and a natural balm to aid cooling. 60 kg/m3 for the density is what you would expect for the top layer as synthetic is less dense than natural latex. This is quite soft to the touch and a little less responsive than natural latex and even some high density polyfoams. However the difference is small and it is still more responsive than memory foam. Simba have named this foam as Simbatex but while there will be some proprietary elements it is ultimately a synthetic latex which is a petro chemcial product just as polyfoams and memory foams are. It is duller and less springy than natural latex. Synthetic latex can also be used by people normally allergic to natural latex. Simbatex is a good choice for those looking to sleep cool, especially when compared to memory foam.

Otty: 3cm 1.1 inches CertiPur Gel Memory Foam. Density: 50 kg/m3 assumed
As with all the Otty foams, this is CertiPur certified. Gel is embedded to aid cooling as memory foam tends to sleep hot. While there are differences of opinion on whether this is effective or not, it certainly has the potential to sleep cooler than memory foam that do not use gel. Otty have also created holes along the surface that along with the holes in the side aid in air circulation and thus also will potentially allow the Otty mattress to sleep cooler than other memory foam top layer mattresses. It should be noted that the use of gel beads can also help with responsiveness, thermal conducting (spread of heat away from the body) and overall density. The memory foam is very much a true memory foam with its slow response but high contouring properties. Many memory foams today are more of a mix of memory foam and high density polyfoam which helps responsiveness but loses out on the contouring properties. 50 kg/m3 is not a high density for the top layer but it is soft as a flip side.

Second Layer:

The second layer are the micro springs on the Simba while its polyfoam on the Otty.
Simba: 2500 micro conical pocket springs (in a King size), 2cm deep (0.8 inches)
The much talked about micro pocket springs. These are first and foremost used to aid the comfort layers, they do not provide support in the sense that they are not designed to hold your body up but to aid contouring. Conical means the top falls into the layers below allowing the spring to fall as flat as the width of the wire. They add some durability and a subtle amount of bounce to the layer above. It changes the feel that you would have had from an all foam mattress. The pocket springs are boxed in (encapsulated) so that firmer foam can be sued along the edges of the mattress to aid edge support.

Otty: 3cm (1.1 inches) soft standard foam.
This is high density polyfoam with a softer feel to give some cushioing between the memory foam and full sized pocket springs.

Third Layer:

This is Ottys main support layer while for Simba this is the contouring memory foam layer. While this layer is still part of Simbas comfort layers for a total of 9 cm on Otty this is the main support layer with 6 cm of comfort layer above. This is one of the reasons Otty has a firmer feel than Simba.
Simba: 3 cm (1.1 inches) Memory Foam. Density: 55 kg/m3 (3.4 pcf).
Certipur certified memory foam according to the Simba website. 55 kg/m3 is a reasonable density given that it is lower in the mattress and density is a little less important further down. Placing memory foam here will deaden the feel of the mattress compared to a high density polyfoam and add some contouring that holds its shape a little longer than other foam types. This means the comfort layers extend for 9 cm.

Otty: 14 cm (5.5 inches) encapsulated pocket springs. Gauge: 1.6mm
This is the main support layer for Otty, those full sized pocket springs. This is the firmer range of guages found for pocket springs. Overall these pocket springs give the mattress a lot of bounce and a lot of deep spot relief. This is the layer that makes most difference between the Simba mattress and the Otty mattress. The difference between using foam here or full size pocket springs totally changes the feel of the mattress. The 6 cm of comfort layers above are not quite enough to avoid the obvious feel of the springs below. Not in the sense that springs push into you but in the sense that springs give a sense of push back which is why the bounce is good on the mattress. Pocket springs can offer more durability than foam.

Base Layer:

For Simba this is the main support layer and the one to hold your body up while on Otty it is more of a base for the pocket springs which are the main support layer. Using pocket springs as oppose to firm high density polyfoam for the support means better spot relief, bounce and contouring for the pocket spring mattress in general. Other factors such as the layers above come into play of course but between the Simba and the Otty the different base layers produce the differences you would expect. As said the other effect of the pocket springs is a higher degree of push back.

Simba 16 cm (6.3 inches) polyurethane foam. Density: 33 kg/m3 (3 pcf) This layer is zone (castellated) to fine tune the give in different areas. Extra channels have been cut to increase the give at the shoulder and hip level in comparison to the rest of the mattress.
Otty 5 cm (2 inches) high density Polyfoam. This layer has holes running through it as does all layers in order to increase air circulation and cooling.

Total height:

Both mattresses are 25 cm (9.8 inches) high.