Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start Review

In This Review
Performance Tests | Firmness | Support & Sleeping Positions | Design | Materials | Comparisons | FAQs

At NapLab, we put each mattress to the test.

We test 10 different factors that impact the performance, comfort, and feel of the mattress. We then take the results of those tests and compare them to every mattress we’ve tested to date.

Check out the full performance table below to see how this mattress ranks:

Factor	Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start	Average
Overall Score	7.53	8.52
Price (Queen)	$1,249	$1,392 (Hybrid only)
Cooling – Score	9.0	8.6
Sinkage – Depth	2.09″	2.17″
Sinkage – Feel	Moderate	Moderate
Motion Transfer – Score	6.4	8.2
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	13.05 m/s²	8.75 m/s²
Response Time – Score	5.0	8.8
Response Time – Mostly Recovered	1.4 sec.	0.4 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	3.0 sec.	1.0 sec.
Bounce – Height	8.07″	9.26″
Bounce – Feel	Moderate	Moderate
Edge Support – Score	8.4	8.6
Edge Support – Sitting	4.00″	4.03″
Edge Support – Lying	Good	Good
Sex – Score	8.0	8.3
Pressure Relief – Score	8.0	8.6
Comfort Layer Thickness	3.0″	4.1″
Mattress Thickness	12″	12.1″
Off-Gassing – Score	6.1	8.2
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	14 days	7 days
Company – Score	7.2	8.6
Trial	100 nights	178 nights
Warranty	10 years	38% have lifetime warranties, average of other 62% of mattresses is 13 years

How is Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start Different?

The Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start is a 12″ hybrid mattress with an overall performance level that is lower than the average mattress and also a price tag that is lower than average as well—$1249 for a queen for a savings of $162 for a queen mattress, 12% less than the average hybrid mattress.

Advantages

The only real advantages of the Insignia Cool Start are better cooling performance than average as well as a lower average price tag. But there are many disadvantages you’ll need to accept in order to be a suitable match for the Insignia.

Neutral Factors

Sinkage levels of bounce are both moderate on this mattress, giving the Insignia Cool Start a balanced feel.

Disadvantages

The worse overall performance is a combination of issues across our testing categories. This mattress has higher levels of motion transfer, which hurts the overall score. It also struggles with slower material response time and edge support that is slightly lower than average.

Pressure relief is good, but not great and has 1.1″ less comfort material than average. Lastly, the trial and warranty are shorter as well.

The Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start has excellent cooling. During our tests, I did not feel any significant heat retention issues around my body. The mattress did a nice job at avoiding heat build-up.

Looking at the materials, we have a hybrid with 3.0” of foam on top. While the topmost 1.0” memory foam is likely absorbing more heat, the 2.0” poly foam in the core looks and feels reasonably breathable.

In addition, the pocketed coil unit is also bringing plenty of air into the mattress. Lastly, the thin, non-quilted cover is also highly breathable.

• Baseline Temperature – the temperature of the mattress before anyone lies on it
• Maximum Temperature (0 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after lying on it for 15 minutes
• Ending Temperature (5 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after being lied upon and having no one on it for 5 minutes

In our objective temperature tests, we measured a max surface level temperature of 90.7° F. This is 0.9° more than the average of 89.8° F, based on all of our tests to date.

After getting off the mattress, the temperature declined by 6.4 degrees from minutes 0 to 1, which is 1.8° cooler than the average 0 to 1-minute decline of 4.6°.

Heat Dissipation Over Time

When we consider the combination of objective data, my subjective experiences, and an analysis of the materials, I’m confident in my view that cooling is excellent.

The Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start has moderate sinkage. During our tests, we measured a pressure point sinkage depth of 2.09″. This is 0.08″ less sinkage than the average sinkage depth of 2.17″, based on all of our tests to date.

The mattress creates a bit of an unusual feel. On the one hand, the topmost 1.0” memory foam layer creates a more dramatic hug. However, since it’s only 1.0” that hug is limited. The 2.0” poly foam in the core balances out the overall feel.

The level of sinkage is documented in the image below.

Even so, you will feel a more exacting hug around the precise shape of the body due to the memory foam top layer. Having the thin cover does allow for a more significant body engagement with the foam layers.

While sinkage is moderate, lighter parts of the body aren’t sinking in as deeply. With these combined factors you end up with a more notable hug around heavier parts of the body and a more restrained and even feeling hug around lighter parts of the body.

The Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start has a high level of motion transfer. During our tests, we measured a total acceleration range of 13.05 m/s². This is 49% more motion transfer than the average of 8.75 m/s².

The level of motion transfer is also documented in the video below.

The Kingsdown has a bit of an unusual material configuration, with a very traditional memory foam layer on top that’s also very thin at just 1.0”. While this layer is likely helping to reduce bounce and motion, the poly foam in the core and spring unit are both creating a high degree of motion.

In our motion transfer chart, which visualizes our accelerometer data, we can see the highest motion peaks from 0 to 0.15 seconds. Motion drops notably thereafter and by 0.65 seconds we’ve returned to near-zero levels of energy.

While the motion intensity is considerably higher than average, I was pleased to see the motion duration kept to such a relatively low level.

Even so, motion intensity is quite high and I expect most sleepers will find this mattress has a high level of motion transfer that is capable of disturbing sleeping.

The Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start has a very slow material response. In our mostly recovered test, we measured a recovery speed of 1.4 seconds, which is 0.97 seconds slower than the average of 0.43 seconds, based on all of our tests to date.

The level of responsiveness is documented in the video below.

In our fully recovered responsiveness test, we measured a recovery speed of 3.0 seconds, which is 2.02 seconds slower than the average of 0.98 seconds. The mattress uses a very traditional feeling memory foam layer on top.

That memory foam is quite slow to recover back to its original shape. Fortunately, it’s also only 1.0” thick, so it’s not as slow to recover as it otherwise would be if Kingsdown had made it a 2” or 3” layer.

While the poly foam and spring unit deeper in the mattress rebound back to shape quickly, they cannot overcome the slower responsiveness of the topmost layer.

Due to the slower material responsiveness, I found the Insignia Cool Start mattress more difficult to move around on and get out of bed.

The Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start has a moderate level of bounce. During our tests, we measured a total bounce height of 8.07″. This is 1.19″ less bounce than the average of 9.26″, based on all of our tests to date.

The level of bounce is also documented in the video below.

The lower bounce can be primarily attributed to the 1.0” memory foam layer on top. Memory foam by its nature absorbs and reduces bounce. The relatively lower bounce is a contributing factor that makes it more difficult to move around on the mattress and also negatively impacts sex performance.

Typically, lower bounce also enables lower motion. However, that’s not what we measured in our tests. The reduced bounce simply wasn’t sufficient to overcome the increased motion created by the poly foam and metal spring layer.

The Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start has good sitting edge support and good lying edge support.

In our sitting edge support test, we measured a sitting sinkage compression of 4.00″. This is 0.03″ less sitting sinkage than the average of 4.03″, based on all of our tests to date.

The level of edge support while seated is documented in the images below.

Even when sitting directly on the edge the mattress maintained good support and there was no collapse of materials.

While lying directly on the edge of the mattress, I felt that the support was good in all sleeping positions. The memory foam feel does weaken the edge support slightly, but it’s still quite robust, especially compared to many other hybrids that utilize memory foam.

The level of edge support while lying is documented in the images below.

Notably, the Kingsdown Insignia does not use any type of reinforced coils or support foam running along the perimeter of the mattress. That’s not unsurprising for a mattress at this price point. Even so, it is the most likely reason that edge support only earned good, but not great scores in our tests.

The Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start has good sex performance. On the positive side, noise is minimal, cooling is excellent, and both pressure relief and edge support are good.

Edge support measured at just 4.00” of sitting edge sinkage. That creates a sufficiently strong enough edge to extend the sexable surface of your dance without pants.

On the negative side of things, we have bounce, which measured 8.07”. This is considerably lower than the average and the single biggest factor holding sex performance down.

Sex Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Rating
Bounce	65%	7.5	Moderate
Edge Support	20%	8.8	Good
Noise	5%	10	Minimal
Pressure Relief	5%	8.0	Good
Cooling	5%	9.0	Excellent

Bounce is critical for amorous activities and more bounce is almost always better than less. When we look at the combined picture of factors we see that sex still earns a good score, but only just.

The Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start has a good level of pressure relief. During our tests, I felt no significant pressure points on my body. Even so, it’s clear that pressure relief doesn’t rise to the excellent or outstanding level that we’ve tested on other models.

The mattress is equipped with 3.0″ of comfort material, which is 1.15″ less comfort material than the average comfort layer thickness of 4.15″, based on all of our tests to date.

The comfort layer is split into a 1.0” memory foam and 2.0” poly foam. The memory foam looks to be a reasonably good quality foam. However, it’s also very traditional in its feel, meaning it has a slow response, low bounce, a dramatic hug, and creates ease of movement issues.

The 2.0” poly foam in the core looks and feels notably low quality. While the mattress is generally comfortable on day one, I am worried that that 2.0” poly foam in the core simply is not going to last very long, which may result in the mattress losing comfort and pressure relief relatively quickly.

Pressure Map – Side Sleepers

Pressure Relief (PSI)	Average	Maximum
Side Sleepers	0.12	0.56

Pressure Map – Back Sleepers

Pressure Relief (PSI)	Average	Maximum
Back Sleepers	0.08	0.52

Pressure Map – Stomach Sleepers

Pressure Relief (PSI)	Average	Maximum
Stomach Sleepers	0.09	0.77

When I consider our objective pressure mapping tests, material thickness, material quality, and my subjective experience on the mattress, I’m confident most sleepers will find the pressure relief to be good.

The Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start had a strong smell upon the initial arrival. The mattress smelled for 14 days.

This is 7.5 days longer than the average smell duration of 6.5 days. I was really surprised at the duration of the smell.

Typically, mattresses that aren’t compressed in a box don’t smell for very long. However, that’s not what we experienced with this mattress.

Kingsdown mattresses come with a 100-night trial period and 10-year warranty. Shipping is free, but if you end up wanting to return the mattress, returns cost $150, which is deducted from your refund.

Company Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Data
Trial Period	15%	8.0	100 nights
Warranty	10%	8.0	10 years
Shipping	5%	10	$0
Returns	20%	6.0	$150
Trust	50%	7.0	Fair
Country of Origin	0%		USA

Most of these company terms are pretty weak. The trial is 79 nights shorter than average and the warranty is shorter as well. Among 96 brands tested to date, 75% of them provide an average of a 13-year warranty. And the other 25% offer lifetime warranties for their products.

That said, the weakest company policy is the return fee. At $150, this is the second-highest return fee we’ve seen (only surpassed by Tempurpedic, Sealy, and Stearns & Foster at a whopping $175 fee.)

Comparing 311 mattresses tested to date, 82.6% of those mattresses offer free returns. Of the 54 cited mattresses that charge for returns, 46 mattresses had return fees of under $100.

The Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start is available in a single firmness, 6 out of 10, with a medium-firm feel.

Support on the Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start is good. During our tests, I felt reasonably well-supported in all sleeping positions.

The mattress is equipped with a 9.0″ support layer. This is 1.11″ thicker than the average support layer thickness of 7.89″, based on all of our tests to date. In addition, the mattress has a medium-firm feel, which will be appropriate to the needs of most body types and sleeping positions.

The area I’m most concerned with is the pressure relief. For a mattress to create sufficient support, it needs to keep the body in a neutral spinal alignment, while also remaining comfortable.

Check out the table below to see the sleeper weights and sleeping positions that would be best suited for this mattress.

Sleeper Weight	Stomach Sleepers	Side Sleepers	Back Sleepers
Under 150 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
150-250 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
250-300 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes

That being said, these recommendations don’t come without caution. While I did find the mattress comfortable on day one, I’m also gravely concerned about the material quality. The comfort foams just don’t blow me away and I expect they are likely to become less comfortable and create more pressure points over time.

When a mattress is no longer comfortable it doesn’t matter that the support layers are still robust. We need both comfort and support to keep the body resting at night. All that to say, this isn’t a bad level of performance, especially at this price point.

But it’s clear that support performance isn’t amazing either. Based on all of my tests to date, an analysis of the materials, and my subjective experiences, I’m confident most sleepers will find support on the Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start is good, but not great.

Design

The Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start is a 12″ hybrid mattress that comes in a single firmness option—Medium-Firm. According to the manufacturer, it’s designed for high-end cooling performance

Materials

The Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start is 12″ thick and contains a combination of comfort foam and pocketed coils. From top to bottom, here is a full list of the materials used in this mattress:

• 1.0” memory foam
• 2.0” poly foam
• 8.0” pocketed coils
• 1.0” support foam

The Cover

The Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start has a thin cover, with no tufting or other contoured accents. The cover wraps around to the sides of the mattress before transitioning to a darker fabric.

There are no handles on this mattress and overall, it has a pretty basic design. Visually, there is a circle pattern on the fabric of the cover, which helps to give the mattress a more signature look.

The Comfort Layer

The comfort layer is 3.0″ thick and made of two layers of foam. Directly below the cover, we see a 1.0” memory foam followed by a 2.0” poly foam.

This 3.0″ comfort layer is 1.1″ thinner than the average comfort layer, comparing 300+ mattresses tested to date.

The Support Layer

The support layer is 9.0″ thick and made of an 8.0″ pocketed coil support followed by a 1.0″ high-density support foam base.

Depending on the mattress size, the number of coils will vary. The bulleted list below details the number of coils within each mattress size:

• Twin – 450 coils
• Twin XL – 480 coils
• Full – 740 coils
• Queen – 800 coils
• King – 1024 coils
• California King – 1018 coils

Product Evolution

While it’s hard to find the exact launch date of the Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start, I can say, there are visible records of the mattress in 2024. It appears to be a newer mattress, with no notable changes made to the mattress since the time it was launched and now.

Other Mattresses to Consider

Not sure if the Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start is the right pick for you? Check out these three other top-rated hybrid mattresses for high-performing alternatives you may want to consider.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Check out some of the top FAQs on the Kingsdown Insignia Cool Start mattress below and get the answers you’re looking for.